Tim & Kallie in Bolivia - Blog

To Get The Prize

25/9/2019

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.
~1 Corinthians 9:24

I arrived at the park early in the morning while the air was still crisp. People were milling around, pinning on numbers, stretching, and joining in on the Zumba warm up dance. The 5 km race was about the begin.

Every year, a local network of organizations puts on a race for vulnerable children’s projects. The winners of the 3 age groups get to choose which organization will be awarded their share of the prize money. The event was open to anyone so a large group of adults came to represent their favorite programs. This year, kids and teens from two of our ministries, Casa de la Amistad and Jireh, also signed up to run. While most came to have a good time and support their project, Roberto came to win. After coming in 3rd in his category last year, he was determined to push himself further.

Roberto and his sister joined Jireh after their mother passed away two years ago. Having always excelled in athletics, the 5 km offered a challenge that excited him and he trained hard in anticipation.

As members of the adult category finished the loop and started crossing the finish line, we waited expectantly for the younger competitors to arrive. From blocks away, we could see Roberto’s bright green knee-high socks approaching and he crossed the finish line a full 10 minutes before anyone else in his age group!

When all was said and done, Jireh brought home 1st place in 2 of the 3 age categories and Roberto shared his podium with his friend Monica. Congratulations to our two champions and to everyone else from who came out to support and represent these amazing kids!

We Knead One Another

22/8/2019

Baking has always been a kind of community event for me. When I was young I remember going over to my grandparent’s place with all my siblings and cousins to make Christmas cookies. The kitchen was full and busy with activity as we rolled dough, wielded cookie cutters and decorated with icing and sprinkles. The house was warm, filled with laughter and a sense of family. When I packed into a small kitchen in the cold city of Oruro with 15 women, I got a similar feeling. Baking brings people together and breaks down barriers.

These women were baking for their children at a project in what happens to be the first ever Baptist church in Bolivia. The project serves vulnerable kids from the peri-urban areas of the city which are inhabited largely by miners and their families. One of the mothers who has training in baking coordinated with this group of ladies to teach skills a few times a month. We set about making pastels and buñuelos, two traditional Bolivian pastries. As we worked, we debated the recipes (as too many cooks in a kitchen do) and talked about our lives.

The mother in charge was giving instructions on how to knead the dough and her words struck me:

“Knead it gently, as if you were stroking the cheek of a little child. Don’t punch and smack it like your husband does to you”.

The women all laughed and continued kneading with more care. It quickly became obvious to me that violence was a regular part of their lives. Curious, I asked them about their experiences. Stories came flooding out. They felt that if they reported violence, no one cared and if they defended themselves, they would suffer even more. One woman even shared that “if a woman kills her husband while defending herself, she will be in jail in two minutes, but if a husband kills his wife, there is never real justice.”

I realize that this is not a problem unique to these ladies, this church, or this country. Many women around the globe live a similar struggle. I am challenged to consider how the church can be a light and a resource to women who feel trapped. Are our churches places women would feel comfortable going to for support? Are we prepared to respond?

I asked them what the church could do to help. They shook their heads and shared that they worried bringing others into their problems would only drag more people into their pain. I fear we still have a long way to go and much more to learn about bringing light into this darkness.

Something to Smile About

28/6/2019

Casa de la Amistad tries to support its children in many ways. A big part of the day is structured around educational support and didactic learning. They also try to fill everyone’s bellies with good food. Regular meetings with psychologists help them work through some of the traumas and emotional issues they are dealing with. Daily devotions aim at building up their spiritual health and giving them hope. And of course, we want the kids to be physically healthy. One aspect of our physical health we don’t often think of first is our dental health. For many of the families we work with, the thinking is “if baby teeth fall out why do we need to care for them?” This leaves many of these children with painful cavities, rotting teeth and without the hygiene habits to keep their adult teeth healthy.

This year we have established a partnership with a local university's faculty of dentistry who have agreed to provide free dental care to the kids at Casa. These dentistry students went over and above to make our kids feel comfortable while they had their teeth cleaned and cavities filled. The kids were ushered into a room full of dentist chairs completely decked out with stuffed animals, toys, and books! After a tutorial on how to properly brush their teeth, they showed the kids how the different tools worked so that they would feel comfortable and even excited about their dentist visit. Since its so common to be afraid of the dentist, it was impressive how well the kids did in the chairs. The students did a great job and even had the kids giggling and laughing while their cavities were being filled.

Partnerships like this one with the dentistry department help keep our programs sustainable and our costs down. But more importantly they help make the Casa part of a community; that's something to smile about :)

Expanding the Classroom

21/5/2019

Our world is becoming increasingly digital and Bolivia is no exception. Last year we helped the Seminary in Cochabamba launch their first ever fully online course which Kallie taught from Canada during our home assignment. After working out some kinks, we’ve been passing on knowledge regarding how to build and implement online and hybrid courses, helping the Seminary and its satellite schools expand their reach. This has also included providing integrated trainings on digital library resources.

Recently this took us to Santa Cruz, a tropical city with a small satellite seminary serving a very large region. Our three-day training allowed us to work closely with both students and professors and listen to their experience providing theological education. As in Canada, there are a significant number of lay leaders and young professionals throughout Bolivia who desire more formal theological training but who are unable to dedicate themselves to on campus study. Likewise, others are contemplating full-time study but are hesitant or unable to currently make such a commitment. The seminary’s hope is that by implementing a few select online classes they will be better able to serve their students and expand the overall reach of their ministry.

In tandem with online classes is a need for digital library resources and information access. Tim together with Wilson, our student librarian, have worked tirelessly to input thousands of books from the main campus library into an online catalogue. This has allowed students and professors to search the catalogue from a distance and arrange for inter-library loans. These two also provide regular training on how to access online academic journal databases, develop research skills, and make use of the plethora of digital resources growing available online every day.

As always, the opportunity to network and build relationships throughout Bolivia is certainly a highlight of serving with Canadian Baptist Ministries.

Treat the Earth as if Your Life Depends on it

22/4/2019

Just when you thought the kids at the Casa couldn’t get any more amazing, they set an example for all of us in caring for the environment. For Earth Day this year, the Casa de la Amistad invited churches to join them in cleaning up the plaza outside the men’s and women’s prisons. After getting a crash course in recycling, everyone hit the plaza in teams to collect garbage and litter, separating out what could be recycled.

Not only did members of churches, women’s groups and denominational leadership come to participate, kids and families walking through the plaza couldn’t help but join in on the fun as well. Here’s a few photos of the group celebrating Earth Day in style.

The Final Frontier

27/2/2019

Our work in Bolivia has taken us pretty much everywhere nationally. We’ve been up mountains, over high plains, deep in the jungle and through valleys. Until this February however, there was still one of the 9 departments (provinces) of Bolivia that we hadn’t explored: Pando.

Pando is a sparsely populated region in the very north of the country bordering Brazil and Peru. This month, the first Bolivian Baptist church-plant in Pando’s capital city of Cobija celebrated its two-

year anniversary. We were invited by the denomination to provide a workshop, preach, encourage the church and participate in their festivities.

A couple of things to know about Cobija:

The city, while the capital of the region, is still very rural.
There are almost no cars: most transportation consists of motorbikes.
It’s HOT. Being in the middle of the Amazon rain forest, Cobija is humid with temperatures regularly surpassing 30 Celsius.
Bananas, plantains and fish abound.

We were really refreshed over the time we spent with this neat church community. They participated with vigor in our workshop, church members offered to zip us all over, a widow and her son opened their home for us to stay in, and we were invited to share meals in many homes. We were made to feel part of the church family and given the opportunity to learn and celebrate side-by-side. Pray for Emanuel Church in Pando as they begin their 3rd year of ministry and seek ways to be light in Cobija.

She Can Laugh at the Days to Come

21/1/2019

She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.
~ Proverbs 31:25

Yacuiba is a small Bolivian city that sits 3 km from Argentina. This dry, hot border town was the site of this year’s national Baptist women’s convention. We often speak of the importance of building relationships in mission work and the convention is a perfect opportunity for just that. Nothing bonds a group of 150+ women together more than sleeping like sardines on the floor in a cramped room and sharing a few select bathrooms!

But in all seriousness, getting to spend this time with women from across the country has helped me understand their world just a little bit more. We joked around and laughed and encouraged one another. Being in a safe place among friends, we disclosed some of our struggles with each other and let ourselves be vulnerable. They shared stories of coming to know the Lord and their journey with Him, of loss and grief, and of domestic violence and recovery. I continue to be blessed by their honesty and openness and have gleaned so much wisdom from these sage ladies.

Having this time with women from all corners of the country also gave me the opportunity to share about CBM’s work and ministry to a wide reaching audience. One of our goals is to partner closer with local churches, so the convention facilitated an opportunity to invite our Bolivian Baptist sisters into deeper relationship with us and our ministries. Please pray for this partnership as we continue to build bridges and strengthen ties.

Round Trip #CrossCanada

26/11/2018

We spent three months traveling around Canada, visiting partners and sharing about our work in Bolivia. Here's a video recap highlighting some of the amazing churches we serve along side. We were able to share a Spanish version with our church here in Bolivia sending them your greetings. If you came out to see us, try to spot yourself!