Summer Updates

Hola from Cochabamba. Our Heavenly Father is good and has continued to bless our family with good health and spiritual blessings. We thank Him and give Him praise. We also thank you our supporters, our friends, our family and our brothers and sisters in Christ for your continued committment and prayers. Gracias!!

BABES IN CHRIST ARE BORN!

Since Talia became a sister in Christ in May. We have seen three new spiritual births, praise God! Gabriella the daughter of our landlady, Miguel who is Gabriella's fiancee and Sonia a woman who first came to one of our services by "accident". As Gabriella and Miguel are forming a family we are overjoyed that God will now be a part of that process. It is our prayer and fervent hope that through the transformation manifested in their life they may also bring many people from within their family and friends to Christ as well. As a church family we are also overjoyed to welcome Sonia into the family of God. She has had a very rough year facing many tough challenges. We pray that her new relationship with God will provide her a new joy and peace that gives her something to hang on to during difficult moments. Please pray for these three new family members, their names again are Gabriella, Miguel and Sonia. Please also continue to pray for Talia who was baptized in May as she also continues to grow and mature.

OTHER NEW FAMILY MEMBER ARRIVES IN AUGUST!

Okay, for those who may not have heard yet, we are expecting a new family member of our own in January! We don't know if the baby is a boy or a girl yet and we are not finding out because we like surprises. Jubilee tends to think it is a boy and has also chosen the name Chippy Chippy for him. We may have to overturn her name choice though :) So far the baby and Katie are doing very well. Please pray that Katie and baby Chippy Chippy continue to enjoy good health.

FELLOWSHIP AMONG BOLIVIAN AND PERUVIAN BRETHREN

During this time period we have also had ample time to strengthen bonds with the Christians in Bolivia and Peru. Jubilee and I along with Josh, Michaela and Eleana accompanied Katie and Julie to this year's Ladies Conference held this year in Santa Cruz. Attendees came from La Paz, Cochabamba, Santa Cruz and from Cuzco, Peru. One of the most encouraging happenings was that one of our new sisters in Christ from Cochabamba who has reservations about the people from Santa Cruz was able to observe that as Christians those regional differences and stereotypes seem much less important. For those who don't know, between the highlands, valleys and tropical regions of Bolivia there exists great cultural and political differences. It was truly then a blessing for Christians of all regions to gather together in the name of Jesus to uplift each other in their spiritual walk and praise God as one body.

We also have enjoyed getting to know the members of the Sucre team on a more personal level. Angela has come and stayed with us two or three times now, as shopping in Cocha offers much more variety and affordability than in Sucre. She also put her artistic skills to good use this last weekend when she so graciously agreed to paint Jubilee's room with a Winnie the Pooh motiff. We have also had time to spend with Jenny and Eric and their son Sion during the Campaign in July as well as Ivan and Juan Carlos the two single men graduated from the school of preaching in Quito, Ecuador who now also work in Sucre. This weekend Katie and Jubilee also got to spend time with the Torres Family of the Sucre team, I was out of town however.

In addition to spending time with the brethren from La Paz, Sucre and Santa Cruz I was also very blessed to spend some time with the church family in Cuzco, Peru which I will write about in a later section. Please pray for not only the work in Cochabamba but also for the congregations that meet in La Paz, Sucre, Santa Cruz and in Cuzco, Peru.

GRAMMI AND POPS

We also had a very special visit in July, when Grammi and Pops Forbess came to Bolivia for ten days, (my parents). We picked them up in Santa Cruz where we stayed for four days during the Ladies Conference. Not only did my parents enjoy spending time with us but they also got to meet many people from the five congregations in Santa Cruz. In Cochabamba they were also able to spend time with the team, the church family and many other friends of ours. Of course their main motivation was to see that granddaughter of theirs and spoil her rotten. Fortunately, however, they were also able to get a real feel for the work here and bring that news back to our supporters in Chillicothe and Hamilton, Missouri. We would like to say a very special thank-you to our supporters in Missouri who think enough of the work here to have helped my parents make the trip so that they could learn about the work in a much more direct way.

Also of course thank you to you Mom and Dad, (Grammi and Pops). You faced uncharted territory to encourage us and we are so grateful that you did.

ROLAND BOWEN VISITS COCHABAMBA

In July the team also welcomed brother Bowen from the Austin Avenue congregation. He came for a quick week long visit and was able to spend about two nights in the home of each couple with the intentions of encouraging us in the work and as families. We are thankful to him and to Carol for doing without him for a week :) as well as to Austin Avenue for making the trip possible.

MORE TO COME....

As soon as I have a moment I would love to sit down and write much more about the past two months. Please continue checking the blog frequently as I will be posting pictures of the baptisms and other important events that have taken place. We love you guys and thank again for everything.

La Familia Forbess

April / May Highlights

Hello from Cochabamba! As I write Katie is in London and little Juju is in the states with her grandparents and cousin Sophie. Katie’s sister works for American Airlines and so Katie was able to travel on a pass with her sister to England. I am sure they are having a jolly good time. Jubilee of course is going to come home more spoiled than ever, but everyone needs to be a little spoiled sometimes. So that leaves me here, but I have Gary and Laura about five minutes in one direction and Vicente who is a brother of the church about five minutes in the other direction. I also have Fiona our dog, but we kind of have a love-hate relationship going on right now as she is still a puppy and is really good at driving me crazy.

New Sister in Christ

Last week we had our second baptism of the year. Our first baptism you may remember was Camila whose mother is a Christian and who had been exposed to the gospel for quite a while. We of course rejoiced with Camila when she was baptized and continue to be encouraged by seeing her growth as a young Christian.

Talia did not have the same exposure to the gospel so it was quite a different feeling to see someone who came to us as a complete stranger become a sister in Christ. From the first time Talia came to us as a student of our conversational English classes, we could tell that she was a special and unique person. She has a great way of communicating her opinion in a funny, honest and direct way. She has already expressed interest in helping Katie at the prison since Billie is no longer here to help. Katie will be thrilled! We are hoping and praying that Talia’s decision will motivate some of the other people who we have been studying with to also make the choice to become a Christian. Please pray for Camila and Talia our young sisters in Christ that they may become more like Christ each day. Also please pray for the other contacts we have that they may also make the choice to follow Christ. Among those contacts are Sonia, Omar, Gabriella and Augustina, and Carla. It never hurts to be specific so please mention these people by name as you pray.

New Arrivals

Just last week the team formed mostly at the Quito School of Preaching arrived in Sucre. The team is composed of two couples, two single men, and one single woman. One of the couples of course is Josh’s sister and brother-in-law Eric. We also got to meet the rest of the team when they came to Cochabamba two Sundays ago. We even had the pleasure of hearing Eric and fellow-teammate Pancho speak during the bible class about their previous experiences and their plans for Sucre. Please pray for the body of Christ now in Sucre. Sucre is at the heart of big changes in Bolivian government and will surely be an interesting place to work. We pray that God may use the dramatic changes taking place to remind the people of Sucre to seek first the Kingdom.

Next month we will also be receiving a group of interns from Harding University. We are already hard at work at thinking of ways they can serve while they are here for six weeks. One thing that I am very excited about is the help I will receive for our English conversation courses using the Bible. I will have 4 or 5 additional teachers meaning that we can take more students than last time. Please pray for our conversation classes that God may send us people who not only want to learn English but who are seeking Him. Also let us pray for our interns. These young men and women are spending six weeks of their lives to contribute to the work in a great way.

On top of the Sucre team and the Harding interns, we are also happy to welcome a group of Aggies for Christ who of course hail from Texas A&M. It will be hard for us to figure out how to use all these brilliant young minds, but I am sure we will figure it out. Their arrival conveniently coincides with a gospel meeting that we are planning in July. One job they will have is to help us get the word out. We may also have a few other projects lined up for them. Please pray for this group of Aggies, that God may be able to use them to His glory and that searching hearts may be brought to hear the Word because of their efforts.

On a more personal note, Katie, Juju and I are very excited about the upcoming arrival of my parents. They are planning to come this summer to visit and I can’t wait! I have already thought of a million things I want to show them and tell them when they get here. Please pray that they get their passports and visas on time as there has been quite a wait for these two things.

Somewhere there are a lot of people petitioning God to send workers to Bolivia so keep it up. Jesus words apply so very well to Bolivia when he says the fields are ready but the workers are few. You never know, God may just convince you to come!

Community Outreach

Even when we first came to Bolivia a year and a half ago, I could sense right away that God was calling me to figure out someway that we as a church family could reach out to the people of Cochabamba. I along with the team have had trouble identifying where to begin because the needs are so numerous and so great. We strive to do something that has a true impact on people’s lives while also striving to maintain our focus of sharing the gospel as opposed to becoming simply a humanitarian operation. I mention community outreach specifically because I had hoped to begin some kind of outreach by June even if it is just a temporary trial run. So as June fast approaches I am figuratively biting my nails hoping that I make a good choice as to how to go about serving our community. The good news is that I have Katie and Trish helping me as well as many community contacts, not to mention that I am certain God will lead us in the right direction. Please pray that God continues to bless us with wisdom concerning our decisions for community outreach.

National Network

The networking ministry which is in charge of communicating with the other Bolivian churches had trouble translating networking. So we are calling it the national fellowship ministry which I kind of like better anyway. I am getting to work with Josh and Katie to create opportunities for national fellowship which is so vital to Christians in nations where congregations are so isolated from each other. One very exciting item to report regarding the national fellowship ministry is that Josh has put a lot of work into creating a national newspaper for all churches of Christ in Bolivia. The idea is to keep church members informed of different activities going on throughout Bolivia. To start the newspaper will be put out four times a year. The first edition has already been printed and sent out. Josh did a great job getting the paper together as well as his “editors” and “writers” which included Butch and Katie. Please pray that the national newspaper will be a great tool to bring Bolivian brethren closer together.

March Highlights

March Highlights

Saludos (greetings) from Cochabamba

La Familia Forbess sends their warmest greetings and love to all those reading our post this month. March has been a spiritually uplifting time for Katie and I and we both thank God for that. We hope that all of you also have been experiencing a month of growing closer to our Heavenly Father. Below are the most recent goings on here.

Santa in February

Two weeks ago our brothers in Christ, DeWayne Neel and Steve Ham from Evergreen, Colorado came to visit and encourage us in the work. They are both members from one of our supporting congregations in Evergreen, Colorado. If you are ever in the area, please visit the Evergreen Community Church of Christ. You will most surely leave feeling the warmth of that great church body. DeWayne and Steve were able to spend one week with Katie and I accompanying us for Bible studies and other activities. They also spent time encouraging Katie and I with helpful feedback about what we are doing here in Cochabamba. They also set aside time to pray with us about specific spiritual needs which was wonderful.

Another fun event DeWayne and Steve participated in was a pancake breakfast. When Katie and I first began getting to know the Evergreen congregation we attended a Santa breakfast offering breakfast and pictures with Steve dressed as Santa Claus to all children in the community. We repeated the tradition in 2006 when we were in Evergreen during December right before we left in January for Cochabamba. It was wonderful for us to get Jubilee's picture with Santa Steve again this year even though it was in February. Thanks again DeWayne and Steve for visiting. And thanks to everyone in Evergreen for your continued love and prayers! Please take a moment to thank God for the Evergreen congregation as well as the congregations in Chillicothe, MO; Hamilton, MO; Dora, NM; Denver, CO; Highlands Ranch, CO; Brownwood, TX; Rogers, AR; Houston, TX; and Olive Branch, MS that have shown Katie and I their love through support of this work. Their are also many individuals and families from these same locals in addition to our family members who have been very generous.

Katie & Girls Off to Brazil

The day DeWayne and Steve left, Katie along with Laura, Julie and Patricia headed to Sao Paulo, Brazil. There they attended a retreat for women missionaries graciously hosted and sponsered by Continent of Great Cities. Because of flight changes, the girls arrived three days early which actually worked in their favor. They were able to relax on Brazil's beautiful beaches and by the time the conference started they were ready to dig in their heels and focus. They were all split into different groups with other ladies working in Brazil, Chile and Paraguay. Katie came back with a peace and focus that has already made a difference in both of our ministries. Thank God for this special time and also we would like to thank the ladies from Continent of Great Cities who served in such a Christ-like way. Please pray that the peace our ladies came back with will remain.

Resurrection Sunday

On April 8th we are planning a special celebration focused on the resurrection of Christ. Because many people come to us from faith traditions which emphasize the death of Christ on Good Friday, we felt it good to balance that observance of death with the observance of life. Sometimes life can seem very hopeless for Bolivians because of violence, corruption, and poverty. This celebration provides us with an opportunity to demonstrate in a powerful and life changing way the hope that we have in Jesus. In a climate where it is difficult to plan a week in advance let alone a year, etc... it is remarkably refreshing even for mature Christians to be reminded of the one thing we can always count on which is God's love for humanity manifested through the life, death and resurrection of the Messiah. Please pray that our celebration of our Lord's resurrection may be bring both Christians and non-Christians closer to God in a powerful life-changing way.

Instituto de Estudios Biblicos Avanzados

(Institute of Avanced Biblical Studies) The Institute is scheduled to open its doors this coming Monday evening. The Institute has been in the back of our minds ever since we began brainstorming evangelistic tools in Brownwood. It is based closely on the model used by Butch and his colleagues in Santiago and Vina del Mar, Chile. It is a 13 week course that gives students who complete the program a very good foundation to understanding the Bible and God's plan for mankind. Each Monday evening the students will meet for 2 to 2.5 hours giving students and instructor plenty of time to delve deep into the scriptures. Although it is an advanced course meaning that expectations of students is high, the course is open to all regardless of religious background or training. I am scheduled to give two of the classes because I am hoping to mostly observe Butch in action during the first offering of the course. It is our dream as a team to one day take in more students and perhaps offer the course more than once a week. For right now we so far have 25 people signed up who mainly have responded to an ad in the paper. Please pray that this course may provide an opportunity for many true seekers of God to come to know Him. Also pray that God may use Butch, Josh and I as His instruments in teaching this course.

Grupos C.A.F.E.

(Coffee Groups) The Coffee Groups as we would translate it in English are our small groups. I have previously written about them, but because it is such an important part of our evangelism program I feel it is important to update frequently. They are going well although we would probably like to see more people involved in them. Currently the small group that Katie and I attend with the Sandovals and Custers in the Sandovals home is going well. We have a core group of four ladies who have demonstrated that they are truly wanting to learn more about God's Word and how it applies directly to their lives. Sonia, Talia, Gabriella and Rosario are the ladies who are attending. Gabriella also brings her son Gabriel. Rosario we met through our neighbors across the hall when we still lived in the apartment. Gabriella is the daughter of the couple that owns the apartment building. Sonia came to us by "accident" one Sunday and has been with us ever since, and Talia was Jamie's English students from the conversation classes.

Please pray that Sonia, Talia, Gabriella, and Rosario may continue to learn about God's will for their lives so they may experience the freedom of living in Christ. The Marcums and Bulls also host a small group in the Bulls home on Tuesday evenings. Please also pray for the people attending the small group hosted by the Bulls and Marcums.

There are always many more things to tell about, more than I have time or room to record for youl. Please always know that we appreciate everyone so much. Our visit with the brothers from Evergreen served to remind us how important our prayer warriors and financial supporters are. To all of you please know that we love you and miss you and are blessed to have you in our lives. Thanks for letting God work through you to touch the hearts of people in a land far away.

La Familia Forbess

Post-Launch Update

The above pictures are of our newest sister in Christ here in Cochabamba. Camila is a precious young lady who decided to give her life to Christ. Please keep Camila in your prayers as she begins to a new life in Christ!

The other photograph is from the launch as Roland Bowen and I say goodbye to some of the visitors.

Welcome to all. We have heard through the grapevine that many more people are reading our blog than those who leave comments, so it is nice to know you are out there in cyberspace somewhere keeping up with the Lord's body here in Cochabamba.

Since the church launch last month we have been quite busy. I cannot remember everything in chronical order so I will just tell about what comes to mind. One of the greatest blessings is that Katie and Billie have finally gotten permission to enter into the ladies prison to conduct a series of classes about the Bible. The course will take place over 7 sessions. Billie has waited for over 6 years to come to Cochabamba and begin a prison ministry, praise God for her patience and persistence!

Katie and Billie also continue to work with the ladies at Manos con Libertad. They continue to study with the ladies on Wednesdays at the shop and now have also added a Friday afternoon study at Billie's home for those ladies who want to study more in depthly. Katie had considered prison ministry in the states but didn't really know where to begin. It seems as though God is helping her with that! Please pray for God's continued guidance for Katie and Billie as they embark on a great adventure to bring the good news to willing ears and hearts.

Since the launch we have also continued with our English language Bible study on Monday nights. This has been a really good way to maintain contact with our English students after the formal English classes ended before Christmas. Please continue to pray for our contacts. Among the ones who we have been able to spend the most time with are Talia and Omar, please pray that God continues to work through us to minister to these two precious people. Just last night I also began tutoring Talia's son Marcos in English as well. Katie has also begun studying with Talia in Spanish a book about the power of a praying parent. Omar comes to our English devo. on Mondays and also comes weekly for a one on one Bible study with me.

This Monday and Tuesday our team had two days set aside for a review and planning session. It went extremely well, praise God! We had time to review our goals for year one and to see how well we met those goals. We then set aside time to modify our plans for the next three years, especially for the year 2007 now that we have lived in Cochabamba for one year and have learned a great deal. On our second day we had time to talk about team dynamics and how we are getting along as a group. As with any group we have our struggles but everyone had a true spirit of humility and love as talked through some difficult issues. We of course still have room to grow, but every family including the best has room for improvement. We came out very encouraged and excited about working together during this new year. Please continue to pray for our team that we may always grow closer so that we may serve the Lord better.

Our small groups have really seemed to have taken off since the launch as well. One very special couple, Jose and Sonya, have been coming to the small group faithfully on Thursday evenings at the Sandoval's house. This is a couple who found us, because they were looking for a friend's church and came into one of our Sunday services by "mistake". They liked what they saw and heard and have chosen to continue meeting with us. They are coming to services, to small group Bible study, and they also have begun a one on one Bible study with Butch and Trish. Our English student Talia has also been good about coming to the small group Bible study on Thursdays. Please pray for Jose and Sonya that God may soften their hearts and lighten their burdens by leading them to putting Christ on in baptism.

On Friday nights we have begun another activity which has also had a great impact on us as a team and church family. We have begun a Friday night prayer service. We usually try to split the night up into four parts. We start off with a prayer of thanksgiving, we then have a prayer for the sick, we then have a prayer dedicated to four congregations. We select one supporting congregation to pray for, we pray for one mission point other than Cochabamba, we pray for one of the other Bolivian congregations and lastly we pray for the Cochabamba congregation. The last prayer is a special request time for other specific needs of the community or church family. Please pray that this time continues to be Spirit-led and that it may be a time of encouragement to the body and visitors.

In personal news, we have decided to leave our apartment for a house. Nothing in particular was wrong with our apartment, in fact it is the nicest place Katie have ever lived in. We just decided that for the same amount as rent or a little more we could find a house with a yard for Jubilee. We also wanted something that we felt Jubilee can play outdoors and in the surrounding neighborhood when she gets a little older. We were blessed to find a very nice house close to Gary and Laura, Vicente (Bolivian brother in Christ) and one of our regular visitors Priscilla. We are planning to make the move in a little over a week. Please pray that our new home will be used to its utmost potential as a refuge for us and the people we minister to.

To conclude, it is exciting to see how God is working here in Cochabamba. Please know that all those of you who read this blog and lift us up in prayer are a big part of what is happening here. As in all parts of the world we are engaged in a spiritual battle against the powers of darkness, thanks for putting yourselves out there on the battle lines through prayer, we truly cannot do this alone. We love you family!

La Familia Forbess

Successful Launch

Success is always such a subjective thing to measure, but I would feel safe in saying that yesterday's official launch of the church was a great success. It was so because God was glorified, the gospel was preached, and people walked away having been encouraged and touched by the Word of God. Altogether we had 160 people, including our team and Cochabamba Christians, the Christians visiting from Austin Avenue church of Christ in Brownwood, Texas, a group of Christians from Santa Cruz and a group of about 100 invited guests from Cochabamba. It was an emotional moment to stand before our friends and loved ones of Cochabamba after a week of calling each other to find out how everyone was admist street riots. To then see all of those people under one roof on such a joyous ocassion was an unforgettable moment. To the visiting Christians it was also a time of great encouragement and they in turn encouraged our team and church family immensly. Grover Beakley an elder from Austin Avenue gave a blessing and prayed for the work as well as Fernando S. who is an elder from the El Pari congregation in Santa Cruz.

Butch preached an uplifting sermon about Jesus being the only one capable of healing a nation. He compared Jesus to the teachings of popular thinkers such as Freud and Nitzche showing how their philosophies have miserably failed the post-modern world in the endeavor of improvment and world peace. After the week that the Cochabambinos experienced the message was incredibly timely and well received. God truly spoke through our brother Butch on that day. Other brothers and sisters of the congregation also helped in many ways to make yesterday possible. A special thanks is due our brethren from Austin Avenue who helped us out in countless ways. We also send a special thanks to the Santa Cruz brethren who braved a difficult journey to be with us.

Thank you also to all of you who took a moment or two to pray for the success of this event. I believe that it will truly serve to bring us into the lives of many more Cochabambinos with the good news of life in Christ.

As for the political situation, we are simply watching and waiting. The weekend was for the most part very peaceful, one of the reasons that we had such a great turnout. We do not know if that was a permanent change or if it was only a temporary recess for the weekend. It is rumoured that things may become ugly again but there is no way to know that sort of thing.

May God bless you all.

La Familia Forbess

Cochabamba in Peril

Brothers and sisters in Christ, we have mentioned our economic situation a few times on our blog, but today there is something much heavier on our hearts. If you have watched the news perhaps you have seen coverage of the street violence here in Cochabamba. One of the worst spots is below our window, six stories below. This is not to frighten or worry you, but for you to know the gravity of what is happening. We, I believe are very safe. Foreigners have nothing to do with this fight and as long as we stay out of view I am sure that we are fine. However, we are not able to leave our homes at the moment and the families of the congregation are spread out. We have spoken with everyone on the phone and almost everyone is home and accounted for. Please do pray for Cecilia's brother Franco who is not at home. There is a large group from Texas arriving in a few hours, pray they can get to their hotel from the airport. Pray that all the brethren in this city especially can be protected. Pray that the leaders of this nation who can stop what is happening will do it. Please be aware of what is happening here. We continue to trust in our Father. We will update you as soon as possible.

Answered Prayers

A quick update for all the prayer warriors out there. God is good and He takes care of His children without fail. As you may have read in the last post we lost a substantial amount of monthly support. Since that posting we have had pledges come in for an additional $250.00 a month. We continue to seek additional support, but this is an indication that everything will work out just fine. A special thank you to those individuals and congregations that have stepped up and pledged an increase in support.

Two new prayer requests for this posting are for the Church Launch to be held this Sunday and the political situation. As I write this protestors march down our street with sticks and tires to burn at the main plaza and government buildings. The political situation here is hot and the fires continue to be stirred. Please pray for peace here. This situation affects everything including our church launch. For the launch we were to have almost 50 people coming from the congregations in Santa Cruz, for the very reason the country is so polarized it will be a great thing for Christians from the two opposing regions to gather. What better testament to our non-Christian visitors of the love that exists between Christians? Even when the Christians come from groups of people who generally oppose each other. As it stands now the highways have been blocked by protestors and we are uncertain if the people from Santa Cruz can travel safely here. Only God knows how to use these situations to His glory and we ask that all of you pray for our launch, for the safety of the Bolivian Christians traveling to Cochabamba, and for the Bolivian people in general. The vast majority of Bolivians, simply want to live their lives as people all overthe world do and the actions of a few have caused many to live in fear. We know though that we serve a mighty God, He who parted the Red Sea and crushed the armies of Pharoah continues to hold His people in the palm of His hand. We know that God sees the heart of men and knows those who love Him. We know that many Christians in the past have lived in turbulent times and that it is at these times more than others, when all people are faced with the reality and brevity of life that notice perhaps their relation to God could improve. Please pray that these things that are happening do not impede the freedom of life in Christ being preached. To God
be all the glory, honor and praise.

La Familia Forbess