Mission Resources International
Mission Resources International
Please pray for us as we get some much needed rest and as we adjust to being back home.
Susan Harding
Steve Harding
Vanessa Ramsey
Alyssa Hood
Brenda Esters
Michael Brooks
Mary Tillberry
Lisa Torbett
Marci McCarver
Tony McCarver
Penny Davis
Sabrina Mobilio
Jason Carney
Ken Brooks
Having fun riding through the jungle to Fua in the back of Dan's truck
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The road to Fua brings one several miles right into the jungle. Along the way there are parrots and parakeets flying free.
Finally, there is a clearing where you can see the church at the top of the hill. It's a beautiful sight!
This is how the church looked when we first arrived. Donations and funds from team fundraising were sent down ahead of our arrival. This made it possible for Placido and several Ayore men from Poza Verde and Fua to lay the foundation and put up the roof trusses.
Tony and Dan discussing the progress.
The pastor of the church in Fua is excited the church is finally being built. They had asked Toni and Placido if it was possible to have one built and now it is actually happening!!
Some Ayore boys from Fua sit on the bench from the back of Dan's truck and watch the building progress. At this stage of the building the men won't allow them to help.
Even as the church is being built there is still other work to do.
The work begins...
The team of Ayore from Poza Verde arrive. They join in with the Ayore from Fua for a retreat. Even as the church is being built, there is fellowship, food, prayer, preaching, and singing.
One of the men brings his chair.
Some are just observing.
Jason assesses the roof frame.
Michael and Tony helping to get things level.
Sabrina attempting to build a sand castle. The girls look skeptical.
We're the first team to come to Fua and they're not sure what to make of us.
One of the men from Fua who participated in the building.
Putting together a scaffolding.
One of the disadvantages of this area of Bolivia (El Chaco) is that water is not usually readily available. It is very arid and droughts are very common. In Fua, this means it has to be trucked in and stored in tanks. When we arrived, the immediate need was for water. The Ayore were attempting to get their own, but for some reason were being charged ten times the usual amount. Toni and Alyssa, along with some of the Ayore men from Fua, took Dan's truck to get some. Along the way, the clutch to Dan's truck went out again and they were delayed for most of the day.
Going to get water.
After several hours of waiting, the water has arrived and is ready to be unloaded.
Shortly after we arrived, some of the ladies demonstrated for us how they make their purses. They were also very anxious to show us some wood carved animals the men and some of the boys had made. These are available to purchase and will be in the Ayore web store soon.
The school house. It's not visible in the picture, but written on the chalkboard were some very challenging math problems. On the left side of the building is a solar panel which runs a single light bulb hanging from the ceiling. Until now, this has been the church as well.
Brenda meeting some of the young girls. She's a natural!!
Marci giving a background to the story of David and Goliath as Toni translates.
Attempting to show the David and Goliath video. Placido brought a generator as they have no electricity.
Everyone really tried to see the video, but since the building has no walls, the picture was too light.
The good news is we left the projector there overnight with Caesar and they all saw the video that evening. They also watched the movie "Magdalene", a movie about Mary Magdalene, which they enjoyed very much.
In the meantime, we came prepared with the flannel board...
Jenny Strebig translates the story of David and Goliath for us..
Jenny and Penny leading several of the children through the prayer of salvation. They were urged not to participate unless they were genuinely desiring to accept Christ.
One of our students.
These girls were given "caboodles" filled with candy to decorate instead of bags. We brought these specifically for the teenaged girls to do.
A little girl decorates her bag for her "five smooth stones".
Sabrina helps.
New missionary, Angela Massey, and her sons Ty and Sam joining in on the fun.
Marci filling bags with the candy stones.
One young man, Patricio Chiqueno Jimmy, writes a verse on his bag.... "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want". He and his friends took a special interest in us.
A special note- On our last night there, after the church was complete and we were getting ready to leave, he and Benial, a son of the pastor from Poza Verde, also Benial, gave young Benial's purse to one of the team members as a gift. While the Ayore make purses to sell, they make a different kind which they keep for their personal use. Benial and Jimmy had made this one together. it was a very special gift.
One young girl shows off her bag.
Steve cutting up an inner tube to be used with nails to make roofing nails.
Progress on the church continues.
Vanessa, Diane, and Alyssa. Diane Brown is a college student spending the summer with the Mercados. She stayed with us for the entire trip.
During the Ayore's retreat, Caesar, a missionary national from Poza Verde, calls the group to a time of devotion and prayer. During that time, different men in their congregations (Fua's and Poza Verde's) got up to speak.
Ken joined the Ayore men by giving a devotion while New Missionary, Bubba Massey, translated.
It was a good sized group.
Jimmy and his friends play a little volleyball.
A little boy examines what's left of the food.
Time for a swing.
Other ministries that day: That evening some of us went to Mirtha's (Caesar's wife) family's church in San Jose de Chiquito and did a women's study. After the study we did a craft where we made bookmark crosses. Mirtha is a member of the Chiquitana people, but is now a Missionary to the Ayore in Poza Verde. One interesting note is that one generation ago, members of Mirtha's family were killed by the Ayore. Mirtha and Caesar have now joined MRI as our newest missionaries. Later, the team got together for a time of sharing and of prayer. Alyssa gave a devotion.