Written by J.D. Reed
International Ministries’ (IM) Global Servant
In Bolivia, the entire country is under a governmentally mandated quarantine, and in some cities (Santa Cruz being one of them) the military is “encapsulating the city” to help ensure that all are abiding by the rules of quarantine. In Santa Cruz and other hot spots for COVID-19, the total quarantine lifted at the end of May, but for other areas it is continuing. This plays out as each household can only have one person on one morning a week travel to get supplies, food and pay their bills. As you can imagine for a country that is filled with people who make their living in a day-to-day wage from an informal shop or trade work, this means that for months they haven’t had any income at all, and there is an overwhelming feeling of anxiety about what the future holds. This is mixed with a healthy distrust of those in power and a national election hanging in the balance.
Churches and ministries like ours have been doing everything in our power to minister to our communities, but with limited contact and no transportation it has been almost impossible. For Fundación Proyecto de Esperanza (FPE) also known as the Project of Hope Foundation, the mobile medical and dental clinics have been canceled. Also, all leadership development training and Bible studies have moved online. Many we work with do not have access to this technology. So, what does a foundation do?
After prayer and talking with leaders, the foundation came up with a plan. The husband of one leader is in the national police, so Fundación Proyecto de Esperanza began working with him to help provide much needed resources to the churches and communities that FPE serves. FPE provides an offering to each church pastor to serve their community in a way they view necessary. One particular pastor used their offering to buy food for their entire church family as well as all of their neighbors in a very poor indigenous neighborhood. So far, we have been able to be in contact with all 13 of our supported churches and ministries.
As many of you know, our family decided to return to the United States in late April to begin our year of home assignment. We have already begun scheduling visits to churches and individuals that will begin in late August 2020. We would love to come and visit your church or group. If you are interested in having us come and share, you can send an email to jd.reed@internationalministries.org or rhonda.reed@internationalministries.org. You can also send an e-mail to Todd McClure (todd@wvbc.org). We look forward to sharing God’s work in Bolivia and Latin America with each of you in the near future.
