We wanted to send out a quick update to let everyone know of our status. By now many of you who keep up with our blog have probably also heard something of the escalating political situation in Bolivia right now. Basically, the same conflict between the central government and regional governments has continued and grown to the point that in some regions of Bolivia there have been some demonstrations that has turned into violence. That is not really a good summary and I would encourage anyone interested to follow the links on this blogs or go to your own trusted news website to find out more about what is happening.
I am writing this blog to let everyone know that Katie, the kids and myself are doing well. We actually had planned a short visit to the states right before the latest problems in Bolivia began. We arrived to the states on Monday the 8th and things started happening in Bolivia the next day. My plan was to return to Bolivia sometime this week and Katie was to stay until the 13th of October. Right now we are waiting to see when American Airlines will begin flying back into Bolivia and of course to see when things in general die down somewhat. The latest we have heard was that American would start flying again on the 30th of September which is next Monday.
Currently, I am at my parent's house in Chillicothe and Katie and the kids are spending the next two weeks as planned in Hot Springs Village with her parents. Last week we were in Rogers, Arkansas with my sisters and grandmothers and before that we spent a week in DC with our good family friend Becky. So far it has been refreshing to be with family although each day we wake up hurting for our loved ones in Bolivia.
We have spoken with the three other families who are all in Cochabamba right now. They have informed us that things in Cochabamba itself are peaceful and the main affects being felt are rising food and fuel prices because of the blockades in other regions of Bolivia which is impeding the transport of goods. We are thankful to God that our teamates and the local brethren are out of harm's way. Let us all continue to pray fervently and without ceasing however, that this peace being enjoyed in Cochabamba continues. Let us pray that our Heavenly Father would sheild His children in Bolivia from threats to their homes and families. There are many brethren of the church in Santa Cruz where the situation is much more dire, let us pray that God would keep each and every brother and sister in Christ safe during this most difficult of times.
I have posted throughout our time in Bolivia other prayer requests during other times of political instability and I know that each time we have loved ones down on their knees. We know that this time is no different. We put our precious adopted homeland in the hands of our Father who knows our every need before we verbalize it. Let us be a people of prayer today and plead with our Heavenly Father that peace would return to the whole of Bolivia and that the hearts of many people would turn to Him in this time. Thanks!
La Familia Forbess
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Monday, August 11, 2008
New Sister and Political Situation Update
Good News First
As of Saturday evening the Lord's body in Cochabamba now has a new sister in Christ. Mary Jane after having regularly come to worship services and other activities for several months now, made the decision on Saturday night to become a new creature in Christ. We certainly are rejoicing with the angels in Heaven over her decision to repent and be clothed anew with Christ. For any of you planning a visit you will surely enjoy meeting Mary Jane and hearing her story. Please be in prayer for Mary Jane and her new life in Christ, that God may protect and strengthen her as Satan will undoubtedly attack her in new and creative ways to pull her away from God. I phrase the prayer request this way because I have observed the time following the decision to become a Christian is often if not always followed by strange and difficult trials in the life of the new Christian.
Other Good News
Josh, Julie, Michaela, Eliana, and Jana Marcum all made it safely to Cochabamba on Thursday after being on furlough from June to August. We are very grateful along with the Sandovals, Bulls, and other church members for their return. They are a very big part of the work here and their absence was definitely felt! We praise God that the Marcums were able to return safely and that their request for visas came through in a timely manner.
Chad and Lisa Benton along with their two boys Mark and Grady who are representing the Austin Avenue Church of Christ arrived today on the same flight with Gary , Laura, Nathan and Grant. We are thankful for the safe travel, the return of the Bulls, and for this special time we have to share with the Bentons. We thank God that He heard our prayers requesting safe and uneventful travel.
As a lead-in to the next topic, we are also thankful that the Bulls' and Bentons' arrival on Monday was not overshadowed by any political unrest. As some of you may know, Sunday was an historic day in Bolivia. August 10th was the day when all Bolivians of voting age would vote to approve or dissapprove of Evo Morales (president) and the nine prefectos (governors) who represent the nine departments of Bolivia. To sum up the day, below I have cut and paste an email I sent to both sets of parentals to let them know of how we are doing.
Sunday was an interesting day indeed. Before leaving the house to walk over to the church building I reminded Katie that it would be very possible that we and the Sandovals would be the only ones at church. As in most Latin American countries, votes are held on Sundays. Additionally, as in most Latin American countries voting is more than just a right, it is an obligation with stiff fines and possible jail fines facing those who choose not to vote. On the day before and the day of voting the sell of any alchohol is prohibited. On the day of voting from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM all unauthorized vehicles are prohibited from operating, which includes all forms of public transportation. For this reason, we were fully prepared to see our meeting place virtually empty. Some members and regular friends of the church did make the trip however. All in all we had around 30 people in attendance. Some people who came live in the neighborhood and some others donned tennis shoes and made quite a trip to meet with the saints on that day.
While it was certainly a different kind of worship service, it was actually very special. We half joked that at least we knew everyone there was there because they wanted to be, because the ban on transportation did not make it easy to come simply out of a sense of routine or obligation. There were many people out on the street walking past our meeting place, some on their way to vote and many others just out enjoying a day in downtown Cochabamba with no automobiles dominating both space and sound. Although on the surface it was seemingly quiet and tranquil, doubts and fears hovered in the thoughts of most people. Many people stopped and peeked in curious about the church that met even on voting day. Although we certainly hadn't planned it, it was perhaps a quiet testimony about who we are and how important it is for us to meet as a church body to worship our Creator, learn from His Word and edify each other through song and praise. On a day when none of us knew the outcomes of the election nor the ensuing aftermath, it was a particularly meaningful context in which to reflect upon our need to completely rely on God and each other in the midst of an underlying current of worry and fear bubbling in the world outside from which we had entered. Praise God for our safety, for His protection, and for days such as this that bring our purpose for meeting each Sunday sharply into focus.
Below is the portion I have cut and paste which details the outcome of the vote.
Hey guys. Everyone except for me is quietly sleeping in their beds. Well, Malakai is actually in our bed but you know what I mean. Anyway, I just thought I'd give a brief update on the political situation here. Sunday went well, it was very peaceful. We were done with services and home by 1:30 which is unheard of so we took the opportunity to have a little picnic in our bedroom and then rested during the afternoon. Later we went outside and Malakai and I went for a walk as there were no cars allowed on the streets. Katie and Jubilee blew bubbles with Gabriella and her son Gabriel on the front steps of our building as watched other neighbors pass back and forth on a sunny Sunday afternoon. Later on when Mally and I returned we played lobo lobito outside with Juju, Gabriel and Gabriella which is kind of like duck duck goose.
By Sunday evening the results were already pretty conclusive. Evo "won" with a 60% approval rating overall, although he lost the departments of Santa Cruz, Beni, Chuquisaca (Sucre), and Tarija while maintaining strong approval in the departments of La Paz, Potosi, Oruro, Cochabamba and a much less stronger lead in Pando. Potosi led the nation with Evo's highest approval ratings at about 83%. As far as the prefectos (governors), all but three garnered enough votes to continue in office. Of the three prefectos to be ousted are the prefectos of La Paz, Oruro, and Cochabamba. The prefectos of La Paz and Cochabamba are pretty much anti-Evo and Oruro's prefecto was a member of the Evo-affliated MAS party so it was kind of an upset for the MAS prefecto to be voted out while Evo maintained strong approval. The MAS party cited this as an example that the vote was legitimate and not staged. La Paz's prefecto Paredes is accepting defeat somewhat gracefully while Cochabamba's Manfred Reyes Villa has vowed to fight the decision albeit through a proposal of legal appeal. Manfred did show up for work at government offices this morning at about 7:30 AM as showcased by local news. This will be the power play to watch which will be essentially between Evo and his backers and those of Manfred and his. So far though, there has been no sign of street violence. We continue to watch the situation and will keep you all posted. Love you guys! Please continue to pray for Evo Morales, Alvaro Garcia Linares (VP), Manfred Reyes Villa, the armed forces and their leaders, members and officials of the MAS party, members and officials of the various opposition groups and all citizens in general, that God our Father would grant each one of them clarity of thought and an ability to discern and put into practice what is best for Bolivia and not individual interests. It is a long prayer request but surely you understand. We thank you as always for standing by our family, our team, the church body and our adopted home in prayer. We are fully confident that God hears and answers the prayers you lift before Him on our behalf.
In Him,
La Familia Forbess
As of Saturday evening the Lord's body in Cochabamba now has a new sister in Christ. Mary Jane after having regularly come to worship services and other activities for several months now, made the decision on Saturday night to become a new creature in Christ. We certainly are rejoicing with the angels in Heaven over her decision to repent and be clothed anew with Christ. For any of you planning a visit you will surely enjoy meeting Mary Jane and hearing her story. Please be in prayer for Mary Jane and her new life in Christ, that God may protect and strengthen her as Satan will undoubtedly attack her in new and creative ways to pull her away from God. I phrase the prayer request this way because I have observed the time following the decision to become a Christian is often if not always followed by strange and difficult trials in the life of the new Christian.
Other Good News
Josh, Julie, Michaela, Eliana, and Jana Marcum all made it safely to Cochabamba on Thursday after being on furlough from June to August. We are very grateful along with the Sandovals, Bulls, and other church members for their return. They are a very big part of the work here and their absence was definitely felt! We praise God that the Marcums were able to return safely and that their request for visas came through in a timely manner.
Chad and Lisa Benton along with their two boys Mark and Grady who are representing the Austin Avenue Church of Christ arrived today on the same flight with Gary , Laura, Nathan and Grant. We are thankful for the safe travel, the return of the Bulls, and for this special time we have to share with the Bentons. We thank God that He heard our prayers requesting safe and uneventful travel.
As a lead-in to the next topic, we are also thankful that the Bulls' and Bentons' arrival on Monday was not overshadowed by any political unrest. As some of you may know, Sunday was an historic day in Bolivia. August 10th was the day when all Bolivians of voting age would vote to approve or dissapprove of Evo Morales (president) and the nine prefectos (governors) who represent the nine departments of Bolivia. To sum up the day, below I have cut and paste an email I sent to both sets of parentals to let them know of how we are doing.
Sunday was an interesting day indeed. Before leaving the house to walk over to the church building I reminded Katie that it would be very possible that we and the Sandovals would be the only ones at church. As in most Latin American countries, votes are held on Sundays. Additionally, as in most Latin American countries voting is more than just a right, it is an obligation with stiff fines and possible jail fines facing those who choose not to vote. On the day before and the day of voting the sell of any alchohol is prohibited. On the day of voting from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM all unauthorized vehicles are prohibited from operating, which includes all forms of public transportation. For this reason, we were fully prepared to see our meeting place virtually empty. Some members and regular friends of the church did make the trip however. All in all we had around 30 people in attendance. Some people who came live in the neighborhood and some others donned tennis shoes and made quite a trip to meet with the saints on that day.
While it was certainly a different kind of worship service, it was actually very special. We half joked that at least we knew everyone there was there because they wanted to be, because the ban on transportation did not make it easy to come simply out of a sense of routine or obligation. There were many people out on the street walking past our meeting place, some on their way to vote and many others just out enjoying a day in downtown Cochabamba with no automobiles dominating both space and sound. Although on the surface it was seemingly quiet and tranquil, doubts and fears hovered in the thoughts of most people. Many people stopped and peeked in curious about the church that met even on voting day. Although we certainly hadn't planned it, it was perhaps a quiet testimony about who we are and how important it is for us to meet as a church body to worship our Creator, learn from His Word and edify each other through song and praise. On a day when none of us knew the outcomes of the election nor the ensuing aftermath, it was a particularly meaningful context in which to reflect upon our need to completely rely on God and each other in the midst of an underlying current of worry and fear bubbling in the world outside from which we had entered. Praise God for our safety, for His protection, and for days such as this that bring our purpose for meeting each Sunday sharply into focus.
Below is the portion I have cut and paste which details the outcome of the vote.
Hey guys. Everyone except for me is quietly sleeping in their beds. Well, Malakai is actually in our bed but you know what I mean. Anyway, I just thought I'd give a brief update on the political situation here. Sunday went well, it was very peaceful. We were done with services and home by 1:30 which is unheard of so we took the opportunity to have a little picnic in our bedroom and then rested during the afternoon. Later we went outside and Malakai and I went for a walk as there were no cars allowed on the streets. Katie and Jubilee blew bubbles with Gabriella and her son Gabriel on the front steps of our building as watched other neighbors pass back and forth on a sunny Sunday afternoon. Later on when Mally and I returned we played lobo lobito outside with Juju, Gabriel and Gabriella which is kind of like duck duck goose.
By Sunday evening the results were already pretty conclusive. Evo "won" with a 60% approval rating overall, although he lost the departments of Santa Cruz, Beni, Chuquisaca (Sucre), and Tarija while maintaining strong approval in the departments of La Paz, Potosi, Oruro, Cochabamba and a much less stronger lead in Pando. Potosi led the nation with Evo's highest approval ratings at about 83%. As far as the prefectos (governors), all but three garnered enough votes to continue in office. Of the three prefectos to be ousted are the prefectos of La Paz, Oruro, and Cochabamba. The prefectos of La Paz and Cochabamba are pretty much anti-Evo and Oruro's prefecto was a member of the Evo-affliated MAS party so it was kind of an upset for the MAS prefecto to be voted out while Evo maintained strong approval. The MAS party cited this as an example that the vote was legitimate and not staged. La Paz's prefecto Paredes is accepting defeat somewhat gracefully while Cochabamba's Manfred Reyes Villa has vowed to fight the decision albeit through a proposal of legal appeal. Manfred did show up for work at government offices this morning at about 7:30 AM as showcased by local news. This will be the power play to watch which will be essentially between Evo and his backers and those of Manfred and his. So far though, there has been no sign of street violence. We continue to watch the situation and will keep you all posted. Love you guys! Please continue to pray for Evo Morales, Alvaro Garcia Linares (VP), Manfred Reyes Villa, the armed forces and their leaders, members and officials of the MAS party, members and officials of the various opposition groups and all citizens in general, that God our Father would grant each one of them clarity of thought and an ability to discern and put into practice what is best for Bolivia and not individual interests. It is a long prayer request but surely you understand. We thank you as always for standing by our family, our team, the church body and our adopted home in prayer. We are fully confident that God hears and answers the prayers you lift before Him on our behalf.
In Him,
La Familia Forbess
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
Indepedence Day
Notice: The length of this blog will be determined by the sleeping habits of one Frankie Malakai and one Jubilee Song. Both are asleep at the same time. Hallelujah amen, hallelujah amen!
Today is the Bolivian Independence Day. At her school Jubilee will march in honor of the "patria" with all of her other classmates and as they march they will be singing loudly and boisterously the Bolivian national anthem as she has already demonstrated all day yesterday at home. At the lunch table she told me that she was Bolivianita, Malakai was Boliviano and so were mommy and daddy. To be honest I didn't know how to answer her or respond. You see, the invetable is happening with Jubilee and as a father I am finding myself a little unprepared and reluctant. She is forming her own identity and I recognize already that it will be an identity that is far different from my own. She is not growing up in Santa Fe or Denver as I did nor is she growing up in Dallas or Houston as her mommy. She and her brother are growing up in a place that on one level is home for me but at the same time will probably always maintain a certain level of the unknown for Katie and I.
Yesterday, I was watching a movie we have seen before called "Bend It Like Beckham" which is a story about a teenage girl who growing up in England but whose parents have immigrated there from India. The girl Jess (Jasmindey) is constantly torn between her parents' close-knit community of immigrants from India and the mainstream English society she is struggling to understand and become a part of. I had seen the movie before but this was the first time I watched the movie and identified with Jess's parents. Sitting in the middle class English living room, the father with a traditional headress and mother in traditional silk clothing trying desperately to understand their daughter's world I somehow saw Katie and I here in the kitchen of our apartment listening to Jubilee belt out a song we were never taught. Were we to ever learn the song it would mean something different for us anyway. For Jubilee and eventually for Malakai they will sing the song as Bolivians just as Katie and I would sing and hear the Star Spangled Bannerwith our hands proudly across our chests.
On one hand I am a little sad to realize that Jubilee and Malakai will undoubtedly form an identity vastly different from their parents. On the other hand isn't that part of the challenge of parenthood for any parents? Even for parents and children who grow up in the same town or same house, isn't the difference between a generation immense enough to stir up the same emotions as I feel raising my children in a foreign country?
In light of this particular instance my mind is drawn to a comforting and strenthening verse Paul wrote in I Corinthians 9 and verses 22 and 23, "I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings. " I do not quote the verse in a martry-like self describing way yet I quote it to guide myself towards a more Christ-like approach that I recognize I do not always acheive. What I know in my head but what is hard sometimes for my heart is to remember that for me to become all things to all men my entire family must also do so.
In closing I am reminded of Paul's words to the Phillippians in chapter 3 and verse 20, "But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ". This is a verse I often cling to as I face this world with my family walking the fence between two very backyards hestitantly watching my children lean towards one side that I do not know. It is a truth I believe we can all cling to, to know that our true citizenship is not determined by stern looking consulate officers but rather by a loving Father who sacrificed the ultimate to scoop us up in His arms and shower abundant blessing upon us. Praise God that He allows us to enter into to His presence and glimpse together a glorious future when our common love for Christ will truly unite us all!
Today is the Bolivian Independence Day. At her school Jubilee will march in honor of the "patria" with all of her other classmates and as they march they will be singing loudly and boisterously the Bolivian national anthem as she has already demonstrated all day yesterday at home. At the lunch table she told me that she was Bolivianita, Malakai was Boliviano and so were mommy and daddy. To be honest I didn't know how to answer her or respond. You see, the invetable is happening with Jubilee and as a father I am finding myself a little unprepared and reluctant. She is forming her own identity and I recognize already that it will be an identity that is far different from my own. She is not growing up in Santa Fe or Denver as I did nor is she growing up in Dallas or Houston as her mommy. She and her brother are growing up in a place that on one level is home for me but at the same time will probably always maintain a certain level of the unknown for Katie and I.
Yesterday, I was watching a movie we have seen before called "Bend It Like Beckham" which is a story about a teenage girl who growing up in England but whose parents have immigrated there from India. The girl Jess (Jasmindey) is constantly torn between her parents' close-knit community of immigrants from India and the mainstream English society she is struggling to understand and become a part of. I had seen the movie before but this was the first time I watched the movie and identified with Jess's parents. Sitting in the middle class English living room, the father with a traditional headress and mother in traditional silk clothing trying desperately to understand their daughter's world I somehow saw Katie and I here in the kitchen of our apartment listening to Jubilee belt out a song we were never taught. Were we to ever learn the song it would mean something different for us anyway. For Jubilee and eventually for Malakai they will sing the song as Bolivians just as Katie and I would sing and hear the Star Spangled Bannerwith our hands proudly across our chests.
On one hand I am a little sad to realize that Jubilee and Malakai will undoubtedly form an identity vastly different from their parents. On the other hand isn't that part of the challenge of parenthood for any parents? Even for parents and children who grow up in the same town or same house, isn't the difference between a generation immense enough to stir up the same emotions as I feel raising my children in a foreign country?
In light of this particular instance my mind is drawn to a comforting and strenthening verse Paul wrote in I Corinthians 9 and verses 22 and 23, "I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings. " I do not quote the verse in a martry-like self describing way yet I quote it to guide myself towards a more Christ-like approach that I recognize I do not always acheive. What I know in my head but what is hard sometimes for my heart is to remember that for me to become all things to all men my entire family must also do so.
In closing I am reminded of Paul's words to the Phillippians in chapter 3 and verse 20, "But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ". This is a verse I often cling to as I face this world with my family walking the fence between two very backyards hestitantly watching my children lean towards one side that I do not know. It is a truth I believe we can all cling to, to know that our true citizenship is not determined by stern looking consulate officers but rather by a loving Father who sacrificed the ultimate to scoop us up in His arms and shower abundant blessing upon us. Praise God that He allows us to enter into to His presence and glimpse together a glorious future when our common love for Christ will truly unite us all!
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Summer Updates
Hello to everyone. Yes, I know it has been way too long since our last blog update and for that I apologize. The good news is that there is lots of good news to report. The Lord continues to hear your prayers on our behalf and on behalf of the work here in Cochabamba. Thanks for your faithful intercession for us and the work of God's Kingdom. I will begin with a few "highlights" and will try during the next few days to continue writing until I have recorded everything worthy of reporting.
FAMILY NEWS
We are doing well although the past six months have been challenging. Our main challenges have been trying to keep healthy, keep sane, and keep rested. Obviously with a three and a half year old plus a newborn those three things can be difficult to maintain. As I had mentioned in earlier posts, Malakai had been sick several times with respiratory problems. For the past two months or so, he has been doing much better. We have located a respiratory specialists who specializes with children also. He basically has a combination of asmthatic symptoms and allergies that when coupled with Cochabamba's poor winter air quality make for some breathing difficulities. The doctor has helped us to treat the condition and hopefully the coming of the rainy season in October will also help.
Jubilee is doing well also. She had a four week winter vacation in June/July so she was able to spend lots of quality time with mommy, daddy and Malakai. She is now in her second week back at school and will continue until November when the children have summer vacation. Yesterday she visited a gymnasium with Katie and she really enjoyed her tumbling class so we will probably enrolling her. Jubilee is getting to be such a big girl. We are so proud of both of our children, they are such blessings! She is really missing her friend Mikaela who has been on furlough since the first of June and Nathan as well who just left last week for a short visit with his mommy and baby Grant.
Katie and I are doing well. Malakai lately, has begun taking a bottle for me and Betty which allows Katie so much needed freedom to ocassionally get out of the house and slowly involve herself once again in different ministries. Most recently, Katie along with Trish, Laura and the ladies of the church put on a lovely Ladies Tea. It was a very encouraging time when both church members and visiting ladies were uplifted in song, Bible study, and other activities. One of the best outcomes of the Tea was the participation of the Bolivian ladies. There were four of the Cochabambina ladies who presented character studies on women from the Bible. Gabriella, Sonia, Maggie, and Ofelia all presented lessons which were well received. Another activity that Katie has been involved in along with Trish is a Bible study for new Christian ladies. The group started out small but thankfully has grown. It is held on Thursday nights before the regular CAFE group and has become a mini-CAFE group of its own. Now participating in that Bible study are: Gabriella, Sonia, Maggie, Ofelia, Patricia C. and Palmira in addittion to Katie and Trish. Katie has also been studying with Augustina who because of her job at her beauty salon is unable to come to the study with the other ladies. Lately, Katie has really enjoyed partnering with Laura and Trish and the other ladies of the church family. She is also looking forward to Julie's return as are all the other ladies.
I too have been busy although maybe not as quite as Katie :)! One of my most important ministry outreach activities as been the continuation of the ESL classes using the Bible. In March I began an English class focused on the Life of Christ. We studied from the beginning of March to June 9th every Monday. For that course I had four groups ranging in size from 2 to 14 students in each group. At the very end of the course we had a special graduation dinner for all the students who had completed the course in our home. The course was designed to cover 15 lessons about the life of Jesus. We had so much to talk about and learn that we only completed the first five lessons! After the first course had ended in June, I repeated the course with new students along with the help of our three Harding interns, Heather, Elizabeth and Jacob. The interns did a fantastic job with their students and at the end I was very proud and appreciative of the work that they had done. The second course we offered with the interns got only to lesson 3. So, fortunately I had a great reason to continue the course with all of those who were interested. I combined students from the first course and second course into two groups that meet on Tuesday afternoons. Both groups are going well and currently we are just finishing up Matthew 5 and 6 which have proven to provide great opportunities for English conversation practice and even greater opportunities for sharing the gospel. I praise God for the privilege and joy of teaching these wonderful people about the good news of Jesus.
NEW BROTHERS AND SISTERS
Since the last blog update there have been three new Christians added to the Lord's Body here in Cochabamba. Among them are Bruno, Ofelia and Patricia. Bruno is the 13 year son of Maggie who was baptized earlier this year and began as a student of Butch's Bible Institute classes. Ofelia was the one faithful attendee of the Oasis ministry that I began in March. The Oasis idea did not take off like I thought, but something much better happened which is the birth of a new sister in Christ. Ofelia at the beginning was very torn about her decision because she was employed with another church in town and was very afraid of losing her job. She lost the job partly because of her decision to be baptized but God has worked in her life to continue giving her other forms of employment. She in fact thanks God for all that has happened lately in her life. Ofelia has a daughter Yolanda who is about 11 years old. Patricia made the decision to become a Christian just last week. Her story is also very interesting. She began coming to church through the suggestion of her son Diego who is on a scholarship in Switzerland and was invited by fellow Bolivian students in Switzerland to attend a church of Christ in Gineva, (sorry I forgot how to spell that in English). Patricia somehow found the phone number of Renan Vargas and began visiting worship services. She also began attending the Life of Christ courses I was offering at the time as well as the CAFE groups held at Butch and Trish's on Thursday nights. Please be praying for Bruno, Ofelia, and Patricia as well as their families.
There will be more to come, but for now I will close. I need to go pick up Jubilee at her school.
Love you guys!
La Familia Forbess
FAMILY NEWS
We are doing well although the past six months have been challenging. Our main challenges have been trying to keep healthy, keep sane, and keep rested. Obviously with a three and a half year old plus a newborn those three things can be difficult to maintain. As I had mentioned in earlier posts, Malakai had been sick several times with respiratory problems. For the past two months or so, he has been doing much better. We have located a respiratory specialists who specializes with children also. He basically has a combination of asmthatic symptoms and allergies that when coupled with Cochabamba's poor winter air quality make for some breathing difficulities. The doctor has helped us to treat the condition and hopefully the coming of the rainy season in October will also help.
Jubilee is doing well also. She had a four week winter vacation in June/July so she was able to spend lots of quality time with mommy, daddy and Malakai. She is now in her second week back at school and will continue until November when the children have summer vacation. Yesterday she visited a gymnasium with Katie and she really enjoyed her tumbling class so we will probably enrolling her. Jubilee is getting to be such a big girl. We are so proud of both of our children, they are such blessings! She is really missing her friend Mikaela who has been on furlough since the first of June and Nathan as well who just left last week for a short visit with his mommy and baby Grant.
Katie and I are doing well. Malakai lately, has begun taking a bottle for me and Betty which allows Katie so much needed freedom to ocassionally get out of the house and slowly involve herself once again in different ministries. Most recently, Katie along with Trish, Laura and the ladies of the church put on a lovely Ladies Tea. It was a very encouraging time when both church members and visiting ladies were uplifted in song, Bible study, and other activities. One of the best outcomes of the Tea was the participation of the Bolivian ladies. There were four of the Cochabambina ladies who presented character studies on women from the Bible. Gabriella, Sonia, Maggie, and Ofelia all presented lessons which were well received. Another activity that Katie has been involved in along with Trish is a Bible study for new Christian ladies. The group started out small but thankfully has grown. It is held on Thursday nights before the regular CAFE group and has become a mini-CAFE group of its own. Now participating in that Bible study are: Gabriella, Sonia, Maggie, Ofelia, Patricia C. and Palmira in addittion to Katie and Trish. Katie has also been studying with Augustina who because of her job at her beauty salon is unable to come to the study with the other ladies. Lately, Katie has really enjoyed partnering with Laura and Trish and the other ladies of the church family. She is also looking forward to Julie's return as are all the other ladies.
I too have been busy although maybe not as quite as Katie :)! One of my most important ministry outreach activities as been the continuation of the ESL classes using the Bible. In March I began an English class focused on the Life of Christ. We studied from the beginning of March to June 9th every Monday. For that course I had four groups ranging in size from 2 to 14 students in each group. At the very end of the course we had a special graduation dinner for all the students who had completed the course in our home. The course was designed to cover 15 lessons about the life of Jesus. We had so much to talk about and learn that we only completed the first five lessons! After the first course had ended in June, I repeated the course with new students along with the help of our three Harding interns, Heather, Elizabeth and Jacob. The interns did a fantastic job with their students and at the end I was very proud and appreciative of the work that they had done. The second course we offered with the interns got only to lesson 3. So, fortunately I had a great reason to continue the course with all of those who were interested. I combined students from the first course and second course into two groups that meet on Tuesday afternoons. Both groups are going well and currently we are just finishing up Matthew 5 and 6 which have proven to provide great opportunities for English conversation practice and even greater opportunities for sharing the gospel. I praise God for the privilege and joy of teaching these wonderful people about the good news of Jesus.
NEW BROTHERS AND SISTERS
Since the last blog update there have been three new Christians added to the Lord's Body here in Cochabamba. Among them are Bruno, Ofelia and Patricia. Bruno is the 13 year son of Maggie who was baptized earlier this year and began as a student of Butch's Bible Institute classes. Ofelia was the one faithful attendee of the Oasis ministry that I began in March. The Oasis idea did not take off like I thought, but something much better happened which is the birth of a new sister in Christ. Ofelia at the beginning was very torn about her decision because she was employed with another church in town and was very afraid of losing her job. She lost the job partly because of her decision to be baptized but God has worked in her life to continue giving her other forms of employment. She in fact thanks God for all that has happened lately in her life. Ofelia has a daughter Yolanda who is about 11 years old. Patricia made the decision to become a Christian just last week. Her story is also very interesting. She began coming to church through the suggestion of her son Diego who is on a scholarship in Switzerland and was invited by fellow Bolivian students in Switzerland to attend a church of Christ in Gineva, (sorry I forgot how to spell that in English). Patricia somehow found the phone number of Renan Vargas and began visiting worship services. She also began attending the Life of Christ courses I was offering at the time as well as the CAFE groups held at Butch and Trish's on Thursday nights. Please be praying for Bruno, Ofelia, and Patricia as well as their families.
There will be more to come, but for now I will close. I need to go pick up Jubilee at her school.
Love you guys!
La Familia Forbess
Monday, May 05, 2008
Praise God! Thanks for Praying
Hello brothers and sisters. I am writing in between the ESL classes that I give here at the Contact Center. I can´t write very much but I can write enough to say that our God once again heard your prayers on our behalf and in this case on behalf of an entire nation. Some would say it is mere chance and that I had blown it out of proportion in the first place. Yet, when you consider the fact that close to half a million people demonstrated in our city yesterday with no violence whatsoever I would call that only one thing; providence. There was some violence in Santa Cruz but even there it was much less than what had been expected. Yesterday´s voting results could have resulted in immediate unrest because the referendum for autonomy did pass. However, I am positive that your prayers as those of so many others were heard and God chose to work in the hearts and minds of leaders and their followers all throughout this nation. Thank you to all of you who cared enough to speak to God about our safety, that of our teammates and that of all Bolivians. Let us hope that this relative peace we have been granted may be used to God´s glory and that the freedom we maintain to speak the Good News boldly may lead to many more additions to the Lord´s body of Bolivia.
Love,
La Familia Forbess
Love,
La Familia Forbess
Friday, May 02, 2008
Please Pray!
Hello folks. This is just a brief update on our family. I wanted to mention a few prayers of thanksgiving as well as prayers of intercession.
First of all, let me say on behalf of my whole family, thank you so much to those of you who were praying for our health. As you may know Malakai had a serious cough about two weeks ago and at one point we were literally going to the pediatrician everyday. It appears that the previous winter seasons in Cochabamba (april-august) are notorious for viruses and sickness of all kind. Fortunately we escaped those illnesses our first two years here, but this year with Jubilee in school it proved much harder to ward off those health risks. Praise God that we have found a good physician who cares about our children and is very knowledgable and attentive. Praise God also that Malakai is doing so much better.
You may also know that about three weeks ago after having a sore throat for over two months I found out that my body was battling a strep infection. We thank God first of all for answering our prayers that neither Katie nor the children caught strep as well. We thank our teammates who gathered at a moments notice to pray with us specifically that neither Katie nor the children would have strep. God is so good to us! I just lack one more day of antibiotics and then I will be done. The symptoms of strep have subsided and so I am positive that I have recovered. The ENT doctor that I have been going to will return from Mexico in 10 days so then I will have a more definite answer. We solicit your prayers that this infection completely passes from my body and that my immune system can begin to rebuild after the long period of infection and subsequent antibiotics.
Another note of thanksgiving is that Katie´s father who has battled with chronic pain for a period of close to four years now after battling a cancerous tumor in his leg is also doing much better. We recently received a photo of Katie´s parents attending a dinner for the congregation they attend in Hot Springs Village and the difference could even be seen on Frank´s face in the photograph. We praise God that Frank has found releif from the pain that he has been suffering with for such a long time now. We ask that you continue praying for that Frank´s good health may continue.
Aside from our family´s health issues I write this blog update two days before another climatic showdown in Bolivian history. I will not consume our time with lengthy details as you can do that by reading the newspaper. I will say that the same kind of conflicts are arising again between east and west as well as between those who live in the country and those who live in the cities. Of course the issues are vastly more complex than that, but I want to just give you a reference point for your prayers. On Sunday there will be a crucial vote in Santa Cruz to approve a certain level of autonomy for that region. As you can imagine some are in favor of autonomy and others are very opposed. Although the vote is only directly related to the department of Santa Cruz, the implications of the vote are going to be felt in every corner of Bolivia. We continue to observe as outsiders for Katie and I will certainly never comprehend fully the history that has led to this point. As a very wise missionary told us once, ¨don´t take sides and just always hope and pray for what is best for the people¨. We are praying for the following specific things and ask that you may take a moment to pray for all of these things as well, or if you don´t have much time please choose one or two specific things to mention to God in prayer on behalf of Bolivia.
* Wisdom for our leaders (1 Timothy 2:1-3) Specifically for the president Evo Morales and Vice President Alvaro Garcia Linera. Wisdom as well for the departmental leaders. The prefecto of the Cochabamba department is Manfred Reyes Villa, please pray that he may also have wisdom.
* Wisdom and direction for the police, military and their leaders. We pray that they may too have the best interest of all Bolivians in mind and uphold their committment to providing safety and protection.
* For the people of the countryside that are coming into the city. They could very well turn from demonstrators to targets in an instant. That God may bless these people with wisdom and protection as well.
* Specifically for the people of the cities of Santa Cruz and Cochabamba. They God may bless these people with an intense desire for peace as well as wisdom and protection.
* For all those that call on the name of the Lord in the nation of Bolivia, that they may be ¨peacemakers, salt, and a city on a hill¨ as Jesus calls us to be in Matthew 5.
* For the protection of all the saints found throughout Bolivia. Specifically that God may guard the brothers and sisters of the city of Santa Cruz and Cochabamba as those cities would be the likely centers of conflict should conflict arise.
* That the Sunday vote and the outcome of the vote would not result in any violence or death.
* That the leaders and people of Bolivia would be somehow united although to the human mind at this point it totally impossible. We know the God we serve is powerful, mighty, and attentive as well to our petitions!
* One last request, if you pray for nothing else pray that many Christians throughout the world may come to know what is happening and that they may lift up the nation of Bolivia in prayer. We give thanks to our God ahead of time for what He will do in response to these prayers. Please make the choice to be a prayer warrior today.
Love,
La Familia Forbess
First of all, let me say on behalf of my whole family, thank you so much to those of you who were praying for our health. As you may know Malakai had a serious cough about two weeks ago and at one point we were literally going to the pediatrician everyday. It appears that the previous winter seasons in Cochabamba (april-august) are notorious for viruses and sickness of all kind. Fortunately we escaped those illnesses our first two years here, but this year with Jubilee in school it proved much harder to ward off those health risks. Praise God that we have found a good physician who cares about our children and is very knowledgable and attentive. Praise God also that Malakai is doing so much better.
You may also know that about three weeks ago after having a sore throat for over two months I found out that my body was battling a strep infection. We thank God first of all for answering our prayers that neither Katie nor the children caught strep as well. We thank our teammates who gathered at a moments notice to pray with us specifically that neither Katie nor the children would have strep. God is so good to us! I just lack one more day of antibiotics and then I will be done. The symptoms of strep have subsided and so I am positive that I have recovered. The ENT doctor that I have been going to will return from Mexico in 10 days so then I will have a more definite answer. We solicit your prayers that this infection completely passes from my body and that my immune system can begin to rebuild after the long period of infection and subsequent antibiotics.
Another note of thanksgiving is that Katie´s father who has battled with chronic pain for a period of close to four years now after battling a cancerous tumor in his leg is also doing much better. We recently received a photo of Katie´s parents attending a dinner for the congregation they attend in Hot Springs Village and the difference could even be seen on Frank´s face in the photograph. We praise God that Frank has found releif from the pain that he has been suffering with for such a long time now. We ask that you continue praying for that Frank´s good health may continue.
Aside from our family´s health issues I write this blog update two days before another climatic showdown in Bolivian history. I will not consume our time with lengthy details as you can do that by reading the newspaper. I will say that the same kind of conflicts are arising again between east and west as well as between those who live in the country and those who live in the cities. Of course the issues are vastly more complex than that, but I want to just give you a reference point for your prayers. On Sunday there will be a crucial vote in Santa Cruz to approve a certain level of autonomy for that region. As you can imagine some are in favor of autonomy and others are very opposed. Although the vote is only directly related to the department of Santa Cruz, the implications of the vote are going to be felt in every corner of Bolivia. We continue to observe as outsiders for Katie and I will certainly never comprehend fully the history that has led to this point. As a very wise missionary told us once, ¨don´t take sides and just always hope and pray for what is best for the people¨. We are praying for the following specific things and ask that you may take a moment to pray for all of these things as well, or if you don´t have much time please choose one or two specific things to mention to God in prayer on behalf of Bolivia.
* Wisdom for our leaders (1 Timothy 2:1-3) Specifically for the president Evo Morales and Vice President Alvaro Garcia Linera. Wisdom as well for the departmental leaders. The prefecto of the Cochabamba department is Manfred Reyes Villa, please pray that he may also have wisdom.
* Wisdom and direction for the police, military and their leaders. We pray that they may too have the best interest of all Bolivians in mind and uphold their committment to providing safety and protection.
* For the people of the countryside that are coming into the city. They could very well turn from demonstrators to targets in an instant. That God may bless these people with wisdom and protection as well.
* Specifically for the people of the cities of Santa Cruz and Cochabamba. They God may bless these people with an intense desire for peace as well as wisdom and protection.
* For all those that call on the name of the Lord in the nation of Bolivia, that they may be ¨peacemakers, salt, and a city on a hill¨ as Jesus calls us to be in Matthew 5.
* For the protection of all the saints found throughout Bolivia. Specifically that God may guard the brothers and sisters of the city of Santa Cruz and Cochabamba as those cities would be the likely centers of conflict should conflict arise.
* That the Sunday vote and the outcome of the vote would not result in any violence or death.
* That the leaders and people of Bolivia would be somehow united although to the human mind at this point it totally impossible. We know the God we serve is powerful, mighty, and attentive as well to our petitions!
* One last request, if you pray for nothing else pray that many Christians throughout the world may come to know what is happening and that they may lift up the nation of Bolivia in prayer. We give thanks to our God ahead of time for what He will do in response to these prayers. Please make the choice to be a prayer warrior today.
Love,
La Familia Forbess
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
April Update
Hello out there. As you can see in the photo we have not dropped off the face of the Earth. However, we may have been off your radar for a little while. Malakai's arrival has taken us quite a while to adjust to and we are still getting back into the swing of things. We do apologize for our cyber-absence. With two children, maximizing time is of great importance. So, with the little time I have I will give some updates about us and the work.
First of all, all four of us are doing well. Jubilee is doing great in school. She has made many friends and Katie and I both feel very comfortable with her safety and well being. The teachers are doing a great job and we feel very welcomed to help out or observe which is very important to us as parents. On Friday Bolivia celebrates the Day of the Child and we have been invited to dress up as hippies and attend a special celebration at Jubilee's school. The hippy part won't be too hard I don't think! I have always told Katie that were she to pick the age and place when she would live her life it probably would have been Berkley cerca 1960 something.
Malakai continues to grow and show more and more of his unique personality and features. It is becoming apparent that he may resemble the Kings more than the Forbesses which provides some good balance since Jubilee so strongly resembles my side of the family. Malakai is also showing that he is very different from Jubilee. He likes to be held facing out where he can see the action and does not care at all for a bottle which Jubilee never minded. He has flashed a great smile that is certainly as charming as Jubilee's. We feel so blessed by Malakai and we ask for your prayers as we learn to be parents all over again trying to be the parent that both Jubilee and Malakai deserve and need.
Katie and I are doing well also. Katie is perhaps having a little cabin fever as she is accostumed to spending much more time outside the house than she is able to right now. However, she is very grateful for this special time that she has with Malakai that will never be repeated. They grow so fast! All four of us have experienced some minor health problems since Malakai was born due to a combination of lack of sleep and Jubilee being exposed to many more illnesses than when she was staying at home all day. Malakai was very congested for a while but seems to be doing much better. Jubilee had a bug but it did not last very long at all. Katie has been battling sinuses as well recovering from pregnancy and the birth process. I have been having a recurring sore throat. I have had tests run today to see if it could possibly be strep or mono. Please pray for all four of us that we may regain our physical strength in order that we may be continue to go strong here. Also please pray that Malakai's periods of sleep during the night get longer and longer so that mommy can get the rest she needs.
As far as the work, it continues to grow and grow. Here are a few bullet points although they certainly do not do justice to all that is going on.
Resurrection Sunday - Thanks to the hard work especially on the part of Josh and Gary and the ladies who organized the meal, we had a very encouraging service. We were surprised by an attendance that was about 80 people as our Resurrection Service last year did not have that many visitors. There was a special message delivered by Josh as well as some skits put on by the teens, as well as a special reading of scripture by the students of the intermediate Bible class. Following service we invited all to stay for a special time of fellowship and mealtime. Several of the visitors from that Sunday have returned since. Let us thank God that He chose this special day to encourage our team and church family through a great turnout as well as allowing our visitors to come away with a better understanding of Christ and His sacrifice for all of humanity.
Preaching Seminar and Contact Center Classes - We were blessed two weekends ago to enjoy the teaching of Josh during a special preaching seminar he hosted for church leaders throughout the nation. We had leaders come from La Paz, Viacha, Sucre, Santa Cruz and of course Cocha. Something really encouraging was the attendance of Gaston and Pedro who were baptized in November. The seminar continues on one weekend in April and one weekend in May. The first session of the seminar this month provided a good opportunity for growth and fellowship.
In addition to the Preaching Seminar, Butch and Gary principally have begun Bible classes again at the Contact Center. There are two classes being held. One on Monday nights and the other on Wednesday nights. The classes are "Biblical Christianity" and a New Testament survey class. Many of the students are repeat students and many of them are also new Christians who came to first hear the Word through the Bible Institute classes of last year.
English Classes - You may be thinking well what is Jeff up to? Well, one answer would be the English classes. This is the third time that we have offered conversation English classes and each time we learn more and more about what to do and not to do. This time I have changed the curriculum to go through the life of Christ, taking passages from all four gospels. We have four groups on Mondays with an average cumulative attendance of 25 although on our best Monday we had 29. The students are required to do outside of class writing and reading assignments which has really provided us some great places to begin our conversations on what we are reading about. This week we talked about the homework comparing the Sabbath of the Jews and the Sabbath rest that is found in Jesus. This was a real stretch for some of our students but by the end of the lesson, I was able to see that "aha" look on several students faces. We also looked at Mark 1 and compared the baptism of John to that of Jesus which also brought up some very novel concepts for some students. In short, thanks for your prayers and please to continue to pray for these classes. Not that all would come out speaking beautiful English, but that the eyes of their hearts would be opened to the will of God for their lives. I have already begun a personal Bible study with two of my students because of their interest. Mirna and Yves study with me on Fridays together and our first study was great!
Laura also has taken on the challenge of reaching out through teaching English. As soon as I finish this post I am going to call her and find out how her first class went although I am sure she did an excellent job. Her background in communications disorders allows her a unique and valuable perspective in regards to teaching the English language. She is teaching a class mainly for the teachers from Nathan's preschool who are recquired to learn English as a part of their job. Please pray for Laura and her students, that this may be a wonderful outreach to even more people in our community.
Harding Interns - Go Bison! In May we will be hosting a few Bison right here in Cocha. Last year our interns learned a lot as well as our team. We are looking forward to hosting three new students this year and exposing them to what mission work is like. Gary, Butch and I have already begun meeting to discuss what activities we would like to structure for our interns so that the experience may be as valuable as possible. We understand that for our interns it is a great sacrifice of time and money to come and be a part of what we do and for that reason we wish to honor that sacrifice by creating valuable learning opportunities for them. Please pray that our interns may find their time in Bolivia to be one of professional and spiritual learning and that God may also reveal to them if foreign missions is something that is for them or not. Also please pray for their safety and health.
Marcums on Furlough - The Marcums will be going on furlough in approximately two months if my memory is working at this time of night. We know from personal experience that furlough and the time preceding and following it can be one of mixed emotions. While it is wonderful to back with family and supporting congregations it can also be stressful especially with little ones in tow. Let us pray a special blessing for Josh, Julie, Michaela, Eliana, and Jana that their furlough may be refreshing, encouraging, and free of stress and health problems.
Okay, one more side note. I got into the Applied Linguistics program at UMass Boston. Yeah!!!!!! Thanks for your prayers. Of course just to remind you, it is a completely online program that I can finish entirely from here so it will not affect our commitment to the work here in Cocha. except of course requiring my time. I ask your prayers that God may use me and the knowledge that I will acquire to his glory and service. As a side note to a side note, in anticipation of this program I have been taking a Quechua class four nights a week. It has been a big sacrifice for Katie, and I appreciate so much her patience as daddy is gone four nights out of 7. My goal is to increase my knowledge of language learning and I also look forward to being better equipped to minister to the Quechua speaking population. Please pray that one day I can actually teach people about God in Quechua as right now my ability seems very far from that lofty goal.
Well that should about wrap it up. Did I say something about being brief about two hours ago? Well, I blew that but at least now you know a little more of what has been going here. I thank God for you and your love for us and this work. Let us continue to pray for eachother's ministries that God may use as salt and light in a dark and tasteless world.
Love,
La Familia Forbess
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