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

Happy New Year's!

Today is New Year's Eve. This is a time when many reflect on the past year in preparation for looking to the next year. I would like to begin this post by saying what an incredible year it has been. God is good, He fills our cup beyond measure both spiritually and materially time and time again. Katie and I truly feel unworthy for the blessings that have been put in our path. Yet, those same undeserved blessings are what motivate us to die to ourselves more and more each day and sacrifice more in honor and recognition of what we have received from God the Father through His son Jesus Christ. "For to live is Christ and to die is gain." This year what we truly hope and pray for is that God may transform us more and more into His image. Below is a collection of verbal snapshots of the mighty ways God has worked in our lives this year. To Him be all the glory, honor and praise.

January - The Forbess family says goodbye to friends and loved ones in Brownwood, Texas at the Send-off Sunday. We arrive in Cochabamba on the 10th of January where we first lodge at the Apart-Hotel Regina on Spain Street (Calle Espana). Soon after we arrive to our host families home and began language school.

February - The Forbess family sets up house behind the Mustafa family's house on Pasaje Man Cesped in the beautiful neighborhood of Cala Cala. The Mustafa's treat us as part of the family. We enjoy birthday parties, block parties, Sunday lunches, visits to Grandma and Grandpa Milan, watching Carnaval and who could forget watching the Mexican soap operas together each night for language practice! We even shared the illness of Faiz and the health problems of Katie together. The Mustafa's are very special and we were blessed to spend 8 weeks in their home enjoying their company and hospitality.

March - We say a teary goodbye to the Mustafa's and the taxi cab driver assumes we are leaving our parents to live in another country. The taxi driver doesn't quite get it when we tell him, "no they are not our parents and we are just moving 5 minutes away!". We first move into the Sandoval's apartment while they are in Chile as we await for our apartment to be finished. Around this time we are also put in contact with Cecilia and Aida who became Christians in Santa Cruz and now live in Cochabamba. We are also put in contact with a young man named Ramber who had befriended a Floridian elder before returning home to Cochabamba.

April-We get pretty settled into our apartment although we continue waiting for our curtains and other small items for the house. The work sees progress as we begin to make more and more relationships with Cochabambinos. We also were blessed to have a great visit by Roland and Carol Bowen. As a team we spend a few days out in Tiquipaya with the Bowens.

May-The weather in Cochabamba gets cooler as we settle into Cochabamba's winter months. Katie's mother and sister come to visit and see this wonderful place that we call home. As a team we begin searching for places to rent for the Contact Center where we can house our offices and classes. The church family is also visited by the Rufino and Alicia who serve the La Paz congregation and they introduce us to the Vargas family who greet us with tears as they explain how much they have longed for the fellowship of other Christians in their city of Cochabamba after the previous congregation shut its doors because of lack of funds and people moving away.

June-The weather gets even a touch cooler. We locate the property in the Prado just a few minutes walk from our apartment. Billie Gill and Jonathan Sandoval arrive to spend the summer with us. Denise Sandoval and her fiancee Daniel, who is now her mister, arrive to spend a little while in Cochabamba as well. Teammates of ours complete the basic language course at Maryknoll, just as Josh and I are in the midst of our Quechua course. Katie and I visit La Paz for the national ladies conference where we are able to spend quality time with brothers and sisters from both La Paz and Santa Cruz. Additionally some time around here Vicente begins to meet with us after finding our page on the internet and corresponding with Gary.

July- For some reason I can't remember this month that well. Perhaps it is because we had so much happen in June! We begin working on getting the contact center up and running. Towards the end of June or beginning of August we begin using the contact center for our meeting place on Sundays. In July the Marcums play very gracious hosts for a wonderful 4th of July party that really helps to take away any homesickness on a special day in the Forbess household.

August- In August one of our best friends in the whole world comes to stay with us for one month. Becky Phillipart of Washington, D.C. comes intending to study Spanish and ends up opting for playing with Jubilee and exploring the wide selection of movies down in the Cancha! We loved having Becky with us, or simply -B- as Jubilee called her. Also during this time the whole team is visited by the Chesser family of the Austin Avenue Church of Christ. What a great time it was to see their youngest daughter Ruthie playing with Jubilee, Michaela and Nathan. We were very encouraged by their visit.

September - The work on the contact center continues. We also begin to keep our eyes open for a larger rental space where the church can meet. We locate a great space on Mayor Rocha just two blocks from our home. Also around this time, we as a team begin to look forward to the January launch with fervor and anticipation. Plans begin in order to make this a special time in the life of the church body in Cochabamba. Katie and I also meet with the Custer's and Billie Gill to discuss plans for an English class using the Bible. Katie, Billie, and Jamie also begin visiting the Free Hands workshop to lead a Bible survey class also with the help of Trish who spends tireless hours at night working on teaching aids for activities to go along with the classes. Free Hands is a very special organization that provides employment opportunities for ladies or children of ladies in need of rehabilitation.

October - Another big month for the Cochabamba work. October sees the grand opening of the contact center and also the beginning of our free English courses. Our conversational English classes used the first 6 chapters of Luke and proved to be a great starting point for wonderful discussions about Jesus and His purpose on Earth. Around this time we also begin meeting in the space that is located on Mayor Rocha for worship services on Sunday. In October, the guys also pay a very encouraging visit to the brethren of Santa Cruz. We are able to preach in three different congregations on Sunday and make lasting friends with many Christians in that city.

November - The biggest news of November would have to be the arrival of beautiful Eleana, who is the newest addition to the Marcum family and the Cochabamba team. We see Trish go off to the states to help Denise get ready for the wedding and Jamie continues to get closer and closer to the day that her and Drew's little one will come. At the end of November we celebrate a lovely Thanksgiving meal in the new home of the Bulls. We celebrate the conclusion of our English classes by hosting a N. Amercian style Thanksgiving meal with the help of Billie and and the Custers, being surprised with an attendance of over 40 people. We also hosted a birthday party for Jubilee at the church building complete with clown and all, and were very honored by a large crowd, some of whom included our host family, English students and some of the ladies who work at Free Hands. November also sees Butch and Drew offer a free course at the contact center on how to study the Bible. In November, we were also so excited for our sister in Christ, Cecilia whose husband arrived in Cochabamba after being in the states for several months.

December- Little Hannah Lynn joins the company of 4 other little ones (Michaela, Eleana, Nathan and Jubilee) plus two big ones (Denise and Jonathan). Our team is blessed with beautiful children and we are so grateful to God for each of them. Before Billie leaves for the holidays, she prepares over a hundred fruit bags to give away to the children who live in the womens' prison with their mothers. In December we continue with English devotionals in our home for those English students who would like to continue practicing and learning. Katie's parents and auntie Doris come to town for a visit before Christmas. The visit comes at a perfect time and we have a wonderful early Christmas celebration with them. Katie, Jubilee and I spend a week in La Paz to encourage and be encouraged by the brethren there as well as have a little family time.

There are so many other people and events to mention. This is certainly not an all-inclusive list of happenings. It is to show however, how much God has done during this past year in the city of Cochabamba through the lives of a small group of His servants.

Nothing that has been accomplished during this time could have occurred first and foremost without our Heavenly Father. In addition, Katie and I would like to send out a special word of thanks to those who support us with funds, prayers and correspondance. The phone calls, e-mails and care packages are incredible. We would also like to solicit your prayers for a very urgent request. Katie and I found out last week that two of our supporters will no longer be able to continue during the year 2007. Another supporter informed us that their contribution will be reduced. The lacking funds total $750.00 per month. We truly appreciate the sacrifice of these individuals and congregations and want them to know from the bottom of heart how special and important their help has been. We also are looking to replace the lacking support from other sources, so we would ask that you keep us in your prayers that God may take care of us during this time.

THANKS AGAIN! WE LOVE YOU AND MISS YOU!

Pictures!

noticias de noviembre

The month of November is quite different in Cochabamba. Instead of crunchy brown and orange leaves underfoot, pumpkins and horns of plenty we are greeted with heavy rain, warm weather and new greenery all around us. November falls during the Bolivian springtime. It is quite a beautiful time of year also, Cochabamba is known as the Ciudad Jardin, or Garden City of Bolivia and during this time of year it really shows. Trees and bushes are flowering all over. For you botanists out there there are hybiscus, bouganvillea (know I spelled that wrong), poinsetta trees, vines, fruit trees, willows trees and other trees that are purple in colour and whose name I do not know. In short it is lovely!

The month of November finds our family doing overall very well. Jubilee is just getting over a cold and cough but it seems to be getting better. Katie and I are both enjoying good health as well. The team experienced the birth of little Eliana Marcum and awaits the Custer baby coming any day now. Let us thank God for the uncomplicated birth of Eliana and pray that Jamie and her baby experience the same. In other team news, Trish is preparing to leave for the states this Wednesday to help Denise prepare for her wedding in December. Butch will stay in Cochabamba to meet up with Jonathan who is finishing up his semester with Harding's program in Chile, and then he and Jonathan will also leave for the states. Please pray that the Sandovals have safe travel and be praying as well for Denise and Daniel as the begin their life as a married couple in December.

The work is also going well. Many things are happening all at once and it sometimes gets a bit overwhelming but it is a sign to us that God is using us as His instruments to minister to a wide variety of Cochabambinos.

Classes at Conexion Cristiana
Currently English Cnversation, Basic English and a how to class on Inductive Bible Study are being offered at the Conexion Cristiana. All three programs are showing a great deal of promise. We have met some really wonderful people so far. Especially rewarding to me, has been the conversation classes where we read from Luke. Just last week we had some of Katie's students over for dinner and we also had three students show up for Jubilee's birthday party. The classes will end at the end of this month until January. We are planning to celebrate a Thanksgiving dinner with English students from both the conversation and basic classes. We hope it will be a good time to get to know our students better and also Thanksgiving is one United States holiday that I just don't want to give up!!! Please continue to pray for the contacts that we are making, that many will come to be friends with us and more importantly come to be our brothers and sisters in Christ. My students are Patricia, Karla, Braullio, Carmen, Tania, and Patsy. Katie's students are Omar, Jose, Giovanni and Gilda.

January Launch
Our launch of the church occurs on January 14th of the new year 2007. This is going to be such a special time for us. We are inviting all contacts that we have made throughout our first year. This will be our host families from language school, students and teachers from the language school, our doctors, our pharmacists, our students, basically anybody who we have got to smile and know our names over the course of 11 months. Of course with three and now four incredibly cute babies on our hands we have been able to make many more contacts than we had imagined. We are going to have time to present all five families on the team, and have a special time of worship as well.

In addition to the visitors from Cochabamba we will also be hosting church family from Santa Cruz and La Paz. We are so happy that they view this as an important national event for the church. The Austin Avenue Church of Christ will also be sending 25 members to be present for the launch. If you would like to come it is not too late, let us know and we will find you a place to stay. We would love to have you. Please be praying that the launch goes well and serves the intended purpose which is to introduce ourselves in a formal way to the community, make new contacts, and offer a special time for brethren from Bolivia and the states to spend together and demonstrate how special it is to be a part of God's family.

Manos Con Libertad
Katie, Jamie, Billie and Trish have been involved in such an amazing and encouraging ministry that I just wanted to take a moment to describe it. Billie Gill had originally come to Bolivia wanting to initiate a women's prison ministry. She has gone many times to the prison but it has not offered her the ministry opportunity she was looking for. Meanwhile when some of the team was still attending Maryknoll the teachers offered students an opportunity to visit non-profit organizations. Josh and I visited a little place called Manos Con Libertad (Free Hands) that is a workshop which gives women getting out of prison and their daughters a safe place to work and make money for their families. Billie visited M.C.L. and after convincing them we were not a cult, our team's ladies were finally given the green light to do short devo style studies for the ladies during their work breaks. Katie hadn't really considered a ministry of this sort before, but wanted to do help nonetheless. We really had no way to know how this would turn out. We were given permission to go in on a temporary basis as the program director was traveling out of the country for five weeks. Now nine weeks later the director of the program is back, is pleased with what has been taught, and the ladies of M.C.L. are asking for our ladies to continue. The class being given is a Bible survey class starting with creation and going all the way to life of Christ and the birth of His church. Some of these ladies now come to our English classes and also three came with their children to Jubilee's birthday party. One of them made Jubilee a beautiful dress for her birthday as well. They are very sweet people. Please pray for this very special ministry, that many women will continue to grow in their knowledge of scripture and of God's love for them through this study time. We give thanks to God for the dedication of our team's ladies being willing to sacrifice time and energy to minister in this way.

We love you all and miss you all. Eat a lot of scrumptous Thanksgiving food for us!