Bolivia is the largest landlocked country in the Southern Hemisphere. In the western parts of the country one can find the snow-capped peaks of the Andes, whilst the eastern lowlands are situated in the Amazon basin.
It is here in the Amazon basin, bordering on Brazil, where Harvesters has partnered with local pastors to plant churches in communities with a great need for evangelisation and discipleship. These pastors need your prayers as they embark on this mission to plant churches.
Hope Springs in the Amazon Basin
Harvesters recently kicked off our church-planting training programme in four Bolivian cities. We were encouraged and inspired by the reception of the pastors of Guayaramerín, Riberalta, La Paz and El Alto. Bi-vocational pastors, eager to start planting churches, received us with gracious hospitality and excitement.
These cities are strategically located in the Amazon basin along the rivers. This strategic positioning means there is a huge potential for pastors to be trained and churches to be planted deep into the most hidden and overlooked places within the jungle. Please pray with us that the training these pastors will receive over the next few years will bring hope and lead to churches being planted throughout the region.
Churches Must Stand Strong in Spite of Challenges
In Bolivia, the church faces some serious challenges. The illicit drug trade in the area means that believers here have to deal with the effects of drug cartels, the breakdown of the legal system, a culture of deception, and wealth disparity. Children and women face abuse and trafficking. A longstanding belief in witchcraft also still has its hold on the Bolivian people.
Furthermore, poverty, depression and suicide rates are high. Clearly, the church here needs to be supported and strengthened. They desperately need your prayers.
Barriers to Church Planting
In addition to the societal challenges being faced in Bolivia, pastors and their churches also acknowledge that they to do not know how to address the great need for evangelisation and growth.
Pastor Elyel from Guayaramerín lists the main issues for pastors in his region as: spiritual immaturity, division among churches, complacency and syncretism. Nevertheless, the power of God is great and Pastor Elyel already leads a thriving church with disciples who are strong lights in the community. May God use pastors like Elyel to overcome the barriers to church planting in Bolivia so that all may find hope and be transformed by the Lord Jesus.
Prayer Points:
- Thank God for pastors in Guayaramerín, Riberalta, La Paz and El Alto who have accepted the task of planting churches and spreading the Gospel in the Amazon basin.
- Pray that God will grant these pastors wisdom, spiritual maturity and strength in the face of societal challenges.
- Pray that pastors will evangelise fearlessly, confident in the power and authority they have received from God.
- Pray that God will continue to bless the relationships that have been built with local pastors during the recent training Kick-Offs.
- Pray with Harvesters and pastors from Bolivia that churches will already have been planted by the time we return to Bolivia for the next Phase of training.
