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
Monday, May 05, 2008
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
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Malakai & February Updates
Greetings out there. Today we celebrate the first month of life for Malakai!
It has been exactly one month since we last wrote to inform everyone of Malakai coming into this world. The past month has been overwhelming, exhausting and exhilirating at the same time. We are very blessed that Malakai was born very healthy and continues to grow and develop as he needs to. He is a precious little boy who has completely won our hearts. Jubilee has also taken a liking to him, although it has been quite a transition for her. She herself reached a milestone this month when she began going to preschool just last week. Everyday she spends three hours playing, learning, exploring and making new friends. Katie is also doing very well. She is spending the majority of her time as is to be expected with Malakai, but she is feeling very well and enjoying this special time with our new baby. The only thing she is suffering from is sleep deprivation, but that certainly came as no surprise. We are surviving those wee morning hour feedings by watching episodes of Lost and Everybody Loves Raymond to stay awake.
Here are a few updates on the work:
Bulls & Sandovals Return (Hallelujah!!!)
During furlough times we certainly enjoyed growing closer to the Marcum family and spending a lot of time with them. As always Jubilee and Michaela are the best of friends and our days out at the Marcum home I am sure will be one of Jubilee's fondest childhood memories. We had the opportunity to create many special memories with Josh, Julie and their beautifull little girls. That being said, and I am sure the Marcums would agree that we are so happy to have all of our team back together. Now that it has been almost three years that we have served together with our teammates any absence is sorely felt. When the Bulls and Sandovals returned it was as though our "unit" felt complete once again. We are now back in the habit of bugging the Sandovals daily as they are just two floors above, and now we can even drop in on Gary and Laura more often now that they are back downtown. We are thankful both families had time to recharge and refuel for continued service. We are even more thankful they are back in Bolivia!
Newest Brother & Sister in Christ
Also since our last posting we witnessed the spiritual birth of two more precious souls into the Lord's Kingdom. Rene and Vanessa are brother and sister and 12 and 11 respectively. Through their studies with Josh they have shown themselves to be more spiritually mature than many adults. Julie, Katie and now myself have had them for Bible class and can attest to the fact that they are always eager and prepared to learn and grow. Please pray for these two young Christians, Rene and Vanessa, that the Lord may bless them during this crucial time of spiritual infancy.
Visits
Katie's parents were able to come and spend almost a full month here with us awaiting the arrival of young Malakai. Frank and Linda are always an immense help to us and we are so grateful for the time they set aside to be with us during such a special time for our family. Frank helped build many things around the house such as changing table, closet shelves, sewing desk, and more! Linda helped Frank in the building and purchasing of materials and also was there to give Katie a hand basically with any she needed at the moment.
Another visitor, Roland Bowen, of Austin Avenue arrives tomorrow afternoon. Roland will helping with preaching and teaching to help the team out as we have three families with children being born all within a month of eachother. We are very grateful to Austin Avenue for sending Roland and to him for making the time to come down and help out. Please be in prayer that Roland may have a safe and uneventful trip.
Classes
On March 3rd I am starting our 3rd offering of conversational English. This class will structured quite differently from our previous two courses but I am hoping that the changes will lead to an even more rewarding learning experience for our students. I will be taking the students through the life of Christ while also providing the students a chance to practice their conversation and pronunciation of English. As with the previous English classes we are hoping and praying that God sends to us many who are not only interested in learning English but who are also hungering and thirsting to know God's word and His will for our lives. Please pray that God may send the right people through our doors and that He may use me as a instrument of communication.
Another ministry that will be starting on March 3rd is called Oasis. Out of my own frustration in searching for a quiet time and place to study, pray and meditate on God's word, I came to the conclusion that many people share my plight. On Mondays and Wednesdays we will be opening up the Conexion Cristiana so that other stressed out people like me can find an "Oasis". In the early morning between 7:00 and 9:00 we will be providing people with a quiet and interruption-free zone where people can come and commune with God and others before going out into the world to face the wolves. This is a new idea and I am not really sure how it is going to work but I believe there is a need for this and it is my hope that we can somehow rise to the challenge and meet that need. Please pray that the Oasis ministry may fulfill its' intended purpose which is to offer people a place, time and encouragement to grow spiritually.
A third class that I am involved in is not a class or activity that I am leading, however I am taking the role of student. After close to two years of no formal Quechua language study, I have decided to take up my pen and paper and bravely return to the classroom. I say bravely because I find Quechua to be very daunting compared to Spanish and English which both convienently have Latin and Greek roots. Quechua is from a completely different language family and so I have found learning it to be more of a challenge. However, I am hopeful that learning Quechua adds to our ministry as a team. Please pray that I can glorify God by learning this language and grow in my communication skills to be able to teach about the love of Christ to an even greater range of people. Also pray for Katie who is making a huge sacrifice for me to be able to take night classes 4 nights a week.
In other personal news, but related to the theme of classes, is a decision that I would like announce. When Frank and Linda returned to the states I sent with them an application to a Master's program with the University of Massachusetts Boston. It is an online program that will help me to learn more about second language acquistion and the teaching of language as well. After much thought and prayer I finally decided upon this Master's program. I will not find out if I have been accepted until April, but the good news is that gives us plenty of time to pray about it. Please pray first of all, that this program would be something that glorifies God and allows me to minister in a more effective way. Additionally, please pray that I get into the program. I will keep everyone posted.
Thanks so much for reading and for praying. We love you guys.
La Familia Forbess
Thursday, January 24, 2008
New Arrival !!!!!!!!!!!
Hello to everyone. Katie, Jubilee and I would like to announce something very special. Today at 1:00 PM our time Frankie Malakai Forbess was born weighing in at 2.89 kilos (6.5 lbs). We don't know how long he is as they don't measure babies apparently. However the doctor says mommy and baby both are doing just great. The delivery went well and we are expecting to have them come home tomorrow afternoon. Jubilee got to see her new baby brother and she was in her own words, "soooooooo excited!". As soon as the cameras come home with the patients we will download the photos.
Love you guys and thanks for praying for the safe delivery of our baby boy. God is great!
Jeff
Love you guys and thanks for praying for the safe delivery of our baby boy. God is great!
Jeff
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
Bolivian News Update
Hey everyone. Let me run through some church news and prayer requests and then give an update on the political situation as I had promised.
Okay. Now for the political break down. Last night the dialogue between the president, his supporters and the opposition began. We watched quite a bit of it as it was broadcast live from La Paz. It was kind of like a family venting session of the whole nation. Each regional governor or prefecto had a chance to state his feelings and express the results they wanted to see come out of the meeting. After 7 hours, yep 7 hours of talking about what they wanted to talk about in the meeting, it seems that Bolivia is on its way to reconciliation. Perhaps not a complete reconciliation, but it seems that things are definitely looking up from where the nation was a month ago.
The prefectos who have been in strong support of autonomy reiterated that they in no way meant that they wanted to separate from Bolivia and that they wanted unity just as much as the federal government. This sentiment was especially expressed by Santa Cruz prefecto, Ruben Costas. Cochabamba´s prefecto was surprisingly pretty quiet throughout the meeting, but time may prove that was a wise decision on his part. The were was only one prefecto that really got personal. The remaining 8 prefectos did a fairly good job of being professional and mature. We continued to listen to hear the Vice President Linera respond to the statements of the prefectos and basically rebut any of the subtle or not so subtle criticisms they may have raised. During the time we listened, President Morales seemed to do a lot more listening than speaking but he did spend time emphasizing the growth of the economy and asked the prefectos to give ample time to his cabinet members and specialists in attendance who were to present facts and figures indicating the growth of the economy.
Well, we did not listen for the entire 7 hours instead we popped in a new movie with Denzel Washington about a debate team from Marshall, TX. (A very good movie by the way). This morning though on the news and in the paper, the initial meeting between Morales and the Prefectos resulted in three big decisions which they will continue to deliberate on.
First, they will reconsider a proposed change on the administration of regional profits made on the production of hidrocarbons. This change would regarding the use of profits would have been used to fund a pension of sorts for Bolivians over 60 years of age, but it would have dramatically cut the regional budgets by more than half thereby severely limiting the ability of regional governments to continue with services provided to citizens. The prefecto of Tarija, Mario Cossio mentioned that his department was already using the profits of hidrocarbons to fund socialized health programs offering free medical services to the needy. This discussion is a big point of contention however, because some departments produce a great deal more in profits than others and the sentiment of some is that the profits should be spread in a more judicious manner to include departments that do not see big profits from the hidrocarbons. The prefecto of Potosi made an interesting point by paralleling the current events to the history of his own department that saw the creation of some of the greatest wealth the world has ever known with the tin mines. Yet, now Potosi is among the most underdevolped and improvished departments of Bolivia because the profits of the tin mines were not enjoyed by the majority of Potosinos.
The next items to be considered go hand in hand and those are the questions of the legitimacy of the new Constitution and the legitimacy of the Autonomic Statutes that were drawn up in the departments of Santa Cruz, Tarija, Beni and Pando. The legality of the constitution has been questioned by many, but especially by the prefectos and inhabitants of those previously mentioned departments. The legality of the Autonomic Statutes logically has been questioned by the Morales administration because the statutes do not conform to the new constitution. Also a part of the conversation is a defense and explanation of the proposed Indigenous and Rural Autonomies that are a part of the new constitution. Understandibly for the people of some departments asking for autonomy, it is hard to understand why indigenous groups will be granted more autonomy while regional departments will not be granted the same kind of autonomy.
A little explanation on the business of autonomy follows. The autonomy being asked for can be somewhat compared to the autonomy that states in the United States enjoy. There are many things that are left up to individual states to decide while the federal government makes decisions that affect the whole country. In the United States as well, there is occasionally disputes as to what should be a federal decision or a state decision. In Bolivia as in much of Latin America there exists a strong tendancy of highly centralized government, that sometimes tends to overlook the specific and distinct needs of isolated regions or people groups. The regional autonomies look to rectify this tendancy to ignore isolated regions as the Indigenous Autonomies wish to rectify the tendancy to ignore or marginalize the indigenous or rural people groups.
Well to any poli sci people out there, please forgive me for any overgeneralizations. I hope that this gives our readers a better understanding of what is happening here. I also hope to illuminate the fact that neither side in this conflict is completely right or wrong. Please pray that our government leaders will continue in this spirit of dialogue and reconciliation. Again I truly believe that your prayers along with those of so many others are being heard. Praise God!
- Gary and Laura are expected back to Cbba tomorrow. Pray for their return.
- I will be traveling to S. Cruz tomorrow to pick up Katie´s parents.
- Little baby Forbess could be born any day now!
- Please pray for new Christian Miguel, he seems to be having some struggles at the moment.
- Bruno is doing a great job with our youth group and it appears that this ministry is really beginning to blossom. Our youth include: Bruno, Freddy, Veronica, Claudia, Roberto, other Bruno (son of one the Institute students), and other off and on visitors. Please pray that our youth group continue to go strong.
- Please pray for this new year of opportunity in the ministry here in Cochabamba.
- Thanks for your prayers!!!
Okay. Now for the political break down. Last night the dialogue between the president, his supporters and the opposition began. We watched quite a bit of it as it was broadcast live from La Paz. It was kind of like a family venting session of the whole nation. Each regional governor or prefecto had a chance to state his feelings and express the results they wanted to see come out of the meeting. After 7 hours, yep 7 hours of talking about what they wanted to talk about in the meeting, it seems that Bolivia is on its way to reconciliation. Perhaps not a complete reconciliation, but it seems that things are definitely looking up from where the nation was a month ago.
The prefectos who have been in strong support of autonomy reiterated that they in no way meant that they wanted to separate from Bolivia and that they wanted unity just as much as the federal government. This sentiment was especially expressed by Santa Cruz prefecto, Ruben Costas. Cochabamba´s prefecto was surprisingly pretty quiet throughout the meeting, but time may prove that was a wise decision on his part. The were was only one prefecto that really got personal. The remaining 8 prefectos did a fairly good job of being professional and mature. We continued to listen to hear the Vice President Linera respond to the statements of the prefectos and basically rebut any of the subtle or not so subtle criticisms they may have raised. During the time we listened, President Morales seemed to do a lot more listening than speaking but he did spend time emphasizing the growth of the economy and asked the prefectos to give ample time to his cabinet members and specialists in attendance who were to present facts and figures indicating the growth of the economy.
Well, we did not listen for the entire 7 hours instead we popped in a new movie with Denzel Washington about a debate team from Marshall, TX. (A very good movie by the way). This morning though on the news and in the paper, the initial meeting between Morales and the Prefectos resulted in three big decisions which they will continue to deliberate on.
First, they will reconsider a proposed change on the administration of regional profits made on the production of hidrocarbons. This change would regarding the use of profits would have been used to fund a pension of sorts for Bolivians over 60 years of age, but it would have dramatically cut the regional budgets by more than half thereby severely limiting the ability of regional governments to continue with services provided to citizens. The prefecto of Tarija, Mario Cossio mentioned that his department was already using the profits of hidrocarbons to fund socialized health programs offering free medical services to the needy. This discussion is a big point of contention however, because some departments produce a great deal more in profits than others and the sentiment of some is that the profits should be spread in a more judicious manner to include departments that do not see big profits from the hidrocarbons. The prefecto of Potosi made an interesting point by paralleling the current events to the history of his own department that saw the creation of some of the greatest wealth the world has ever known with the tin mines. Yet, now Potosi is among the most underdevolped and improvished departments of Bolivia because the profits of the tin mines were not enjoyed by the majority of Potosinos.
The next items to be considered go hand in hand and those are the questions of the legitimacy of the new Constitution and the legitimacy of the Autonomic Statutes that were drawn up in the departments of Santa Cruz, Tarija, Beni and Pando. The legality of the constitution has been questioned by many, but especially by the prefectos and inhabitants of those previously mentioned departments. The legality of the Autonomic Statutes logically has been questioned by the Morales administration because the statutes do not conform to the new constitution. Also a part of the conversation is a defense and explanation of the proposed Indigenous and Rural Autonomies that are a part of the new constitution. Understandibly for the people of some departments asking for autonomy, it is hard to understand why indigenous groups will be granted more autonomy while regional departments will not be granted the same kind of autonomy.
A little explanation on the business of autonomy follows. The autonomy being asked for can be somewhat compared to the autonomy that states in the United States enjoy. There are many things that are left up to individual states to decide while the federal government makes decisions that affect the whole country. In the United States as well, there is occasionally disputes as to what should be a federal decision or a state decision. In Bolivia as in much of Latin America there exists a strong tendancy of highly centralized government, that sometimes tends to overlook the specific and distinct needs of isolated regions or people groups. The regional autonomies look to rectify this tendancy to ignore isolated regions as the Indigenous Autonomies wish to rectify the tendancy to ignore or marginalize the indigenous or rural people groups.
Well to any poli sci people out there, please forgive me for any overgeneralizations. I hope that this gives our readers a better understanding of what is happening here. I also hope to illuminate the fact that neither side in this conflict is completely right or wrong. Please pray that our government leaders will continue in this spirit of dialogue and reconciliation. Again I truly believe that your prayers along with those of so many others are being heard. Praise God!
Thursday, January 03, 2008
Thanks for Your Prayers
Saludos (greetings) to all of you out there. Several of you have been asking for an update after the last blog update concerning the political situation here in Bolivia. Thanks first of all for your prayers. If you ever doubt that God is listening please know that He is, because the results are all around us.
I will make it short because I am sure that in the next week or so we will have a better idea of where things are headed here. However, let me say that the Christmas and New Year´s season was one of peace and happiness for our family. The city of Cochabamba has experienced no demonstrations of any kind since my last post. Things in the other cities such as La Paz, Sucre, and Santa Cruz have also been much calmer presumably because of the holidays.
This coming 7th of January there is to be a meeting between the president and the opposition leaders of the what is being called the -media luna- which means half moon. The "half moon" represents the departmental leaders of Santa Cruz, el Beni, Pando, Tarija and Cochabamba. Although Cochabamba´s departamental leader is an outspoken member of the president´s opposition that does not mean that all of the Cochabamba Department (like a state) is in support of the opposition. This is one of the main reasons for the conflict. The people in the rural areas and those who have migrated from rural areas to the cities tend to be more in support of the federal government represented by the President Evo Morales and the MAS political party. The opposition tend to more urban and middle to upper class. The opposition also has strong bastions of support in the eastern departments especially in the department of Santa Cruz. Unfortunately throughout the past two years regional, racial and socio-economic divides have deepened dramatically. Please continue to pray for the leaders of Bolivia that they may have the best interest of their fellow Bolivians in mind as they make decisions. Also please continue to pray that the works in La Paz, Viacha, Santa Cruz, Sucre and Cochabamba may not be hampered by the conflicts. Pray for the Christians in Bolivia that they may shine a bright light and bring honor to God our Father.
Another prayer request we have is not concerning Bolivia at all yet it is concerning Kenya. Living overseas has allowed Katie and I to see the world in a whole new light. We now know firsthand what it means to see fellow countrymen fight against each other in the streets. We also know how that affects people in their daily lives. Our hearts go out to the Kenyans, especially to our brethren there. Julie, our teammate, grew up in Kenya and we have been blessed to hear about the work her parents along with other missionaries and Kenyans have done in that nation in service of the Lord´s church. It, much like Bolivia, is a beautiful place with an even more beautiful people. Although we have not met them face to face or shaken their hands we have brothers and sisters in Kenya who are presently living through some very rough times. Let us all pray that peace reigns and that the Lord may protect His children who live in Kenya. Let us pray that the leaders of Kenya may also be blessed with wisdom as Solomon was so that they may lead their nation back into a state of peace. Let us pray that the work of the Kingdom be not hindered in Kenya.
p.s. No baby yet! Of course I would have mentioned it. We are still waiting. Katie´s parents arrive next week to help out. We can´t wait! We have the name picked out, and you will have to just wait and see what it is. Of course it was extremely difficult to find an suitable name to go along with a sibling named Jubilee Song but I think we did it.
I will make it short because I am sure that in the next week or so we will have a better idea of where things are headed here. However, let me say that the Christmas and New Year´s season was one of peace and happiness for our family. The city of Cochabamba has experienced no demonstrations of any kind since my last post. Things in the other cities such as La Paz, Sucre, and Santa Cruz have also been much calmer presumably because of the holidays.
This coming 7th of January there is to be a meeting between the president and the opposition leaders of the what is being called the -media luna- which means half moon. The "half moon" represents the departmental leaders of Santa Cruz, el Beni, Pando, Tarija and Cochabamba. Although Cochabamba´s departamental leader is an outspoken member of the president´s opposition that does not mean that all of the Cochabamba Department (like a state) is in support of the opposition. This is one of the main reasons for the conflict. The people in the rural areas and those who have migrated from rural areas to the cities tend to be more in support of the federal government represented by the President Evo Morales and the MAS political party. The opposition tend to more urban and middle to upper class. The opposition also has strong bastions of support in the eastern departments especially in the department of Santa Cruz. Unfortunately throughout the past two years regional, racial and socio-economic divides have deepened dramatically. Please continue to pray for the leaders of Bolivia that they may have the best interest of their fellow Bolivians in mind as they make decisions. Also please continue to pray that the works in La Paz, Viacha, Santa Cruz, Sucre and Cochabamba may not be hampered by the conflicts. Pray for the Christians in Bolivia that they may shine a bright light and bring honor to God our Father.
Another prayer request we have is not concerning Bolivia at all yet it is concerning Kenya. Living overseas has allowed Katie and I to see the world in a whole new light. We now know firsthand what it means to see fellow countrymen fight against each other in the streets. We also know how that affects people in their daily lives. Our hearts go out to the Kenyans, especially to our brethren there. Julie, our teammate, grew up in Kenya and we have been blessed to hear about the work her parents along with other missionaries and Kenyans have done in that nation in service of the Lord´s church. It, much like Bolivia, is a beautiful place with an even more beautiful people. Although we have not met them face to face or shaken their hands we have brothers and sisters in Kenya who are presently living through some very rough times. Let us all pray that peace reigns and that the Lord may protect His children who live in Kenya. Let us pray that the leaders of Kenya may also be blessed with wisdom as Solomon was so that they may lead their nation back into a state of peace. Let us pray that the work of the Kingdom be not hindered in Kenya.
p.s. No baby yet! Of course I would have mentioned it. We are still waiting. Katie´s parents arrive next week to help out. We can´t wait! We have the name picked out, and you will have to just wait and see what it is. Of course it was extremely difficult to find an suitable name to go along with a sibling named Jubilee Song but I think we did it.
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