Over the past year many people have asked us what John’s job actually consists of. What is church strengthening? There are many components to the job but one area is the encouraging, empowering, and training of rural church pastors. To give you a quick glimpse into what that looks like we have included a short description of a final graduation meeting this year. For the past 8 months John has met with a group of indigenous church leaders and pastors on a monthly basis. The group consists of 6 to 9 pastors that lead churches in the slums of Sucre and the rural mountain areas of Bolivia. In April of this year Food for the Hungry started a training program with each of these pastors, teaching them biblical principles in Worldview, the Ethics of Development, and Holistic Ministry with the goal being to encourage mutual character transformation and deeper love for God and His creation. The program consisted of 15 lessons as well as time for sharing, prayer, and encouragement. Over the past year John has grown to know these pastors well and appreciate their hearts to serve and glorify God in their lives, families, and ministries. Many of them have made significant sacrifices to share the Gospel and lead their churches. They share humbling stories each month of the amazing ways God has opened doors or provided for their needs. This past week we concluded our training with these pastors with 2 final lessons and a celebration with graduation certificates. May the Lord continue to encourage, shape, and bless these pastors. Their witness has taught us lots and they remind us of the privilege it is to pursue God and be called one of His own.
Our Graduates!! Adelia, Elvis, Pancho, Jillian, Anacleto, Simon, Mariano, Martha,
John teaching the final session on "Kingdom Mathematics." God's desire to multiply our resources and faith for His glory.
Anacleto and Mariano working on a lesson activity.
The teacher overseeing the work of his students.
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