Boy from the Beni Needs our Help

Every year a group of SAM missionaries in Bolivia takes river trips in the Amazon Basin, taking medical attention to river communities as part of our holistic ministry to rural and indigenous peoples.

Just last week a boy from a town called San Lorenzo (see his photo above) came all the way to Santa Cruz where we live (2 DAYS by bus), looking for us because he remembered that "we help people."

This boy was hit in the eye with a rock and needed emergency surgery to save his sight. Drs Placido and Toni Mercado, SAM missionaries in Santa Cruz, found a doctor willing to donate the surgery but we need to raise $500 to buy a corrective lens and pay for his medicines and supplies from surgery.

Will you help us raise this money?

Click on the title link of this blog post and it will take you to where you can give online by credit card. All gifts are tax deductible to South America Mission. Several people willing to give $20, $30, or $50 will make the difference.

Thank you for joining us in efforts like these. Contact us directly if you have further questions and God Bless.

Changes and Transition

I am well aware that we have not done a good job of updating our blog. Not only has it been almost 2 months since we last posted, but we are now back in the states. Some of you are aware of this major change for our family, and for those of you to whom this is news, I apologize for the lack of communication. Bubba was asked by SAM to consider serving as the Director of Partnership Development for the mission. This was a decision that we did not take lightly. Our commitment to SAM was for 2 years plus language school. Our time, so to speak, is up this August. When we started this journey, I was sure that after our stint in South America, I would be jumping at the chance to return to the states. But the Lord has a way of working in our hearts that we don't always expect. None of us were really ready to return. Aside from missing our friends and family and wanting to be closer to them, we could think of no compelling reason to return. So we took very seriously what the mission was asking of us. We prayed, talked, and cried and then Bubba visited the Home Office in January. After this, we came to 2 decisions - one, to join the mission full time (instead of as 2 year associates) and two, for Bubba to take the job. It is a big job for Bubba. At the end of the day, it's about raising funds for the mission. But I believe it is one that he is uniquely gifted for because of his 10 years in business and then our 2 1/2 years as missionaries. It is our desire to one day go back. So pray for us and this huge transition. Reverse culture shock is real. I'm amazed at how perfect everything seems (no potholes in any street, beautifully cut green grass, and I'm just thinking along the interstate :), clean public restrooms). But I also realize that this seeming perfection is only surface deep and that the endless striving for this perfection is just as much a trap as the desperate poverty seen in South America. The transition is huge for all of us. Bubba begins his job in the office on September 1. In the meantime, we are visiting family and friends, trying to sell our house in Charlottesville, VA, buy a car, renew driver's licenses, find a house in the Charlotte, NC/Fort Mill, SC area, and take care of ourselves and our children. We hope to get to visit each of you and would love the chance to tell you about our experiences in person.

Ministry Trips

Sam and Bubba returned from the Beni safe and sound. They had an amazing experience, although Bubba commented that it felt a bit like being on Survivor. Sleeping in hammocks, traveling down a river, constantly swatting mosquitos, not being able to escape the heat or drink a cold drink.......all to bring the gospel to communities along the rivers that are not often visited by other Bolivians, much less Americans. While hard at times, they are both glad for the experiences they had, for the chance to be a part of this God glorifying work. Sam loved every minute of it and can't wait to go back!

We also had the opportunity to work with the Orange Hill Baptist Church team from Georgia again this year. They are a great team that has been coming down for the past 11 years. We traveled with them out to San Jose and Santiago de Chiquitos, not an easy trip. We were able to do VBS in several Ayore communities as well as give medical attention. The men had several building projects going as well. In Santiago we worked with the local church, a small struggling congregation. While there, we held VBS for the kids, teaching for the women, a time of praise and worship, and a building project. Most importantly, we were able to encourage this body of local believers. The trip went off without a hitch, well almost.....we were a group of 30 people, traveling in 4 cars, so when one car broke down 45 minutes into the 10+ hour trip home in the middle of nowhere, we were kind of "up a creek without a paddle" so to speak. We towed the broken down car, with all 7 occupants inside, 2 hours to San Jose. The kids and I plus 4 team members stayed behind to take the train back to Santa Cruz while the rest of the group got on the road at 7 pm for the rest of the 8 hour drive. Thankfully, God took care of all the details and we all made it back safe and sound. Whew - adventure for sure!

A huge highlight for our family during the Orange Hill trip was that all 3 of our children were baptized. They had each asked us over the past few months about being baptized, and we were so excited to walk with them through this. After talking with each of them individually, we felt like they were each ready for this important step. Bubba baptized them in some hot springs and we sang "I have decided to follow Jesus" in both Spanish and English. It was amazing!

Beni River Trip

Georgia, Ty and I just got back from the bus station an hour ago where we dropped off Bubba and Sam along with a team from the States and Canada, Placido and Toni Mercado (our doctor friends and fellow SAM missionaries) and a few other missionaries. They are traveling all night by bus to Trinidad (not the island but a city in Bolivia) and from there will fly to a town on the Brazil border named Guayrámerin. There they will board a boat which they will live on for the next 10 days (sleeping in hammocks under mosquito nets, fishing and eating what they catch, washing their own clothes :). Following are a list of objectives for the trip:
*Make Christ famous along the Mamoré, Itenez and Blanco Rivers through friendly overtures to children, youth and adults,
service in any form needed, and preaching/teaching of the Word.
*Build bridges between the local churches in Santa Cruz, the US, Canada, etc. and the church in the Beni (the name of the
department where they will be), helping both to be
involved in meeting the felt and real needs in the remote river communities.
*Remind Benianos living in Santa Cruz and in Trinidad that they are also responsible for reaching out to the remote areas
of the Beni.
*Disciple people in missions and provide an opportunity for broadening their vision.

They will be holding medical clinics, VBS activities for kids, and will also be taking several Bolivians who will stay in some of the villages for a few weeks in order to teach the Bible for a more extended period of time.

You can imagine that as a mom, I am a little nervous for Sam. He's thrilled though. It's a "Wild at Heart" dream for any 10 year old boy and his dad. So I'm praying and trusting and trying to not be anxious. Oh, and they won't be able to communicate with me until they are almost home......pray for them if you think of it (and for me too). One specific prayer request is for protection from mosquito bites. The mosquitos can be quite bad and Sam usually gets lots of bad bites if there are any mosquitos around. If you want to find out more about this ministry, check out our Ayore website here http://ayorebolivia.wordpress.com/the-beni-river-ministry/

Official Publication of South America Mission

Window Apr10 1

Challenging Reads

I'm reading two books that are super challenging, "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan and "The New Friars" by Scott Bessenecker. "Crazy Love" starts out a little slow but hang in there if you're reading it, by Chapter 4 it's worth it. Two chapters that I especially like are chapter 4, "Profile of the Lukewarm" and Chapter 8, "Profile of the Obsessed". Here are 2 excerpts:

"Most of us have too much in our lives. A lot of things are good by themselves, but all of it together keeps us from living healthy, fruitful lives for God.....Has your relationship with God actually changed the way you live? Do you see evidence of God's kingdom in your life? Or are you choking it out slowly by spending too much time, energy, money and thought on things of this world?" p67

"To be brutally honest, it doesn't matter what place you find yourself in right now (easy/hard, good/bad). Your part is to bring Him glory - whether eating a sandwich, drinking coffee at 12:04 am so you can stay up and study, or watching your 4 month old take a nap. The point of your life is to point to Him. Whatever you are doing God wants to be glorified because this whole thing is His. It is His movie, His world, His gift." p44

The other book "The New Friars", addresses serving the world's poor in ways that are radical, where Christians have "voluntarily removed themselves from the status quo in order to seek justice and mercy with the poorest of the world's poor." It is convicting and challenging, and making me think a lot. Here is a quote, "Both (rich and poor) deserve the dignity of sufficiency. Neither should suffer the intoxication of extreme wealth or the destitution of extreme poverty. Their destinies were meant to be bound together." p43

Brazil

Our family had the opportunity to travel to Brazil last week to visit another SAM ministry. We went with another missionary family, our good friends Placido and Toni Mercado and their two children, and our Brazilian friend Ivan Costas. Let me just say there is NO WAY we would have done this trip alone. From Santa Cruz to our destination city in Brazil, it was around 1000 km, one way. Not only is it a long way from here, but about 9 hours of the trip in Bolivia is on a dirt road. And not just any dirt road. Imagine driving along a dry creek bed at 60 km/hour. No wonder our windshield almost fell out and had to be duct taped back on for the journey home - no kidding! Travel in Bolivia is so different, and crossing borders is always interesting. I heard that 80% of the drugs in Brazil come from Bolivia. So you can imagine the check points we had to go through. Three times on the Bolivian side we all had to get out of the car and answer questions. And twice on the Brazilian side we had to get out, unpack the car, and have our suitcases gone through in order to be cleared to proceed. We also had to clear immigration on both sides of the border (and not at the border as we North Americans would expect b/c that would be too easy, but in border towns where we had to go hunt for the offices) and then register our cars in Brazil. Whew—it exhausts me just to type about it. BUT, it was totally worth all the effort, the 52 hours of travel, the bumpy, dusty roads.....It was an adventure for sure.



The reason for our trip was to visit a Bible training center that SAM has in Brazil to train people from indigenous communities. It was fascinating to see. The students come from all over Brazil to study the Bible in order to return to their people and share the hope of Jesus. Not only do they study the Bible, but they also learn practical skills. In the afternoons, teachers and students alike work together on projects such as maintaining the property, planting and cultivating a garden, and cooking in the dining hall among other things. It truly is a picture of community, with students, teachers and missionaries living, working, eating and learning together all on the same property together.

April 19 was The Day of the Indian in Brazil. To honor that day, the school had a big celebration. This was our main reason for going, to be a part of this. We arrived on Saturday, the celebration was Monday. You could sense the excitement in the air. The students were practicing their dances and starting to paint themselves with their traditional paintings from their particular community. All or our family decided to get painted as well, Bubba, Georgia and I with a kind of paint that lasts three weeks (although I seem to be the only one still with dark paint on :) and Sam and Ty with less permanent paint. During the celebration, the students performed different dances, all in traditional ways, but the words that were sung gave glory to the One true God. It truly was an experience that none of us will ever forget.

Dia del Indio

Sick Kiddos, part II and then some

So after our last post, Ty came down with dengue as well. His wasn't as severe a case as what Georgia had, but he did spike a fever of 103.5. Thankful for Tylenol!!! He missed 2 days of school and then it was Easter Break. Happy to report that he is doing fine now. OUr next adventure began last Wednesday when Sam fell and hurt his wrist. We were thinking it was just a sprain so iced it and gave him ibuprofen, but the next morning he woke up at 5:30 with it really hurting. So...off to the ER where we found out that he broke his wrist! So now he has a cast almost all the way up to his shoulder for 3 weeks, then they will change it to a smaller one. It doesn't hurt him anymore, it's just more of an annoyance. That and he has to miss playing in his violin concert tomorrow night. He was going to play a solo and play Vivaldi's 4 Seasons Winter in the orchestra. Oh well......Praying for no more accidents or sickness!

This past Sunday, Easter Sunday, was voting day here in Bolivia. Up for election were governor and mayor. Since we have resident visas, we were required by law to vote. On election day here, they have what is called a "paro". What that means is that no one can drive anywhere unless they have special permission. Also, public gatherings are not allowed, so no church for Easter Sunday. I have to say it was definitely a different Easter, but a memorable one. We voted in a third world country, marking our paper ballot with a pen, standing at a table with a piece of cardboard propped up around it, then deposited our ballot in a cardboard box. Oh, and they had me registered under "Freeman" instead of Massey b/c here women don't take the name of their husband when they marry. So.....after having to explain why my name was listed under Freeman instead of Massey as my ID card states, they let me vote.

We are continuing to be involved in both the professional class ministry and ministry to the Ayore. English Bible Study continues to meet in our home with new people coming every week. It is a blessing to have fellow missionary Chelsea Kautz teaching this class in our home. Also, the church service continues to meet once a month with between 25 and 30 Bolivians each time. And we are blessed to be able to meet with Bolivians one on one over coffee to fellowship and encourage them in their life and in their faith. Their issues are the same as ours, jobs, marriages, family, kids. We're praying that God will continue to use us here to point our friends to Him, the only one who can truly bring comfort and peace.

We ate lunch one Sunday at a place outside of town that also had pony rides :)

Sick Kiddos

Last week, Sam was sick, home from school for 3 days. He had a fever on the first day, headache, a little dizzy, no appetite, and no energy. By the end, I was starting to wonder if it was dengue since it's that time of year. Then Georgia started with a fever on Sunday and is at home today for the second day with a fever and headache. Her teacher and one boy (whom she sits next to) both had confirmed cases of dengue. While dengue is not contagious, it is spread by a mosquito biting an infected person and then biting someone else. And there really is nothing that can be done other than rest and taking Tylenol. So that is what we are doing. And watching TV. And praying that no one else in the family gets it. And praying that Georgia, who is a little worse off than Sam was, heals quickly. Thanks for praying with us!

New Years Greetings (a month and a half late)

Happy New Year, a little late. But better late than never, right? I trust that you are all cozy and warm as you endure snow, snow and more snow. It actually sounds really inviting to us. Hard to imagine, huh?

With the New Year comes new opportunities for ministry, for which we are very grateful. We continue to be part of various small groups with the professional class. The Kienzles are leading 2 small groups, one a chronological Bible study and the other called Spiritual Discipleship. We are excited about the friends who have committed to attending. We started back up the English class Bible Study and opened it up to both men and women. That meets Thursday nights in our home and will meet until the end of May. Our monthly church service at the Kienzle's house will start back up on the 28th and we will up that to twice a month in April. It's exciting to see our friends growing in their faith and hungry for more of God and His word!

We also have a couple here for two months, Joe and Julie Kidd. They are from our home church, Trinity Presbyterian, in Charlottesville. They are a great couple who are eager to step up and help wherever there are needs. They both have medical background/interest so will be working some with fellow missionaries and doctors, Placido and Toni Mercado. They are also helping us with our English class and various other activities. What a blessing it is to have new friends from "home" here to help serve the Lord.

Next weekend Joe and Julie along with our family, the Mercados, and 7 other missionaries will head back out to San Jose and Fua, the ayore village we went to last summer (remember the 6 hours down the dirt road?) We are going to help finish the church that we started last summer, hold a medical clinic, encourage the ayore believers, and make plans for another trip in June with a group from the states. We are looking forward to finishing the church for this group of believers and also for the time of fellowship with the other missionaries.

That's probably enough for you to read for now :) Our family is well. The kids continue to do great in school and in life in general down here. We are thankful for you, our dear friends and family.