OCTOBER 2025 UPDATE

October has been a month filled with adventures, some eagerly anticipated and others less so.

The month started with us excitedly preparing to host a group of ten from our home church for the inaugural “Navigate” international mission trip. Navigate is a ministry aimed at igniting a passion for missions within the local church and abroad. We have been looking forward to being a part of this opportunity for quite some time.

During that first week, we hosted an international conference that welcomed around 50 pastors, primarily from Bolivia, with representatives from five other countries. This gathering provided a wonderful opportunity for encouragement. One pastor from Venezuela was able to return home with a complete set of Sunday School materials for all ages, a goal we have pursued for years but had been unable to achieve until now because of governmental restrictions. At the conclusion of the conference, our Pastor and mission board appointed me as the South American director for our mission board. While this does not alter our current church planting efforts in Bolivia, it does bring additional responsibilities and the opportunity to represent approximately 115 pastors across six Latin countries.

Unfortunately, during the conference, Bolivia began facing fuel shortages once again. I had to resort to buying black market fuel to ensure our group’s needs were met, since gas stations were out of supply. In other areas, gasoline lines have persisted since earlier this year, but in our city, only diesel lines have been constant. This time, however, all the queues are longer than before. As I write this, I have been waiting in the shortest line I have seen in days and have been here for two hours. The central bank has admitted to having to sell future gold reserves to prevent the government from defaulting and to secure more fuel.

As a result, we had to adjust our plans for the team. We initially intended to conduct two medical clinics four hours from the city, but after noticing blockades protesting the fuel situation, I decided it was too risky to travel that far. Instead, we reached out to several schools we have worked with in the past. We were allowed into these three schools, to hold a general assembly with songs and a Bible lesson and conclude with a small meal. Overall, we fed approximately 1,200 children. Another project we engaged in was to collaborate with another local church to assist some of the truck drivers who had been waiting in line for days. This church is strategically located close to multiple gas stations, so we prepared care packages and helped the church give the gospel to these drivers. We encountered some who were loaded and ready to deliver supplies but had been stuck in line for ten days due to fuel shortages. It is heartbreaking to see how this situation affects them personally and the country as a whole.Thankfully, we managed to reach about 400 drivers with the gospel that day. They expressed much gratitude that we thought of them, and we hope to provide further assistance in the coming days.

We kindly ask for your continued prayers regarding the situation in Bolivia. After witnessing the challenges firsthand, our pastor suggested we consider going stateside until conditions improve. Without fuel, our capacity to operate here is increasingly limited. For now, we wish to give it a bit more time to see if the situation settles down.

As always, thank you for your steadfast prayers for our family. We are deeply grateful and continue to rely on your support.