Bolivia

Lord, we see that there are needs in Bolivia that will only be met by those who not only pray and give but also come to this land themselves. May they hear and respond to Your call to share the good news in the heart of South America. Amen.

Mike Brown, Missionary, Bolivia

SPECIFIC NEEDS

Volunteer

Missionary

Berea Bible Seminary

Bilingual Seminary Professors

Bilingual Spiritual Life Coordinator/Chaplain

Bolivian Evangelical University

English Teaching Assistants(TESOL)

El Camino Restoration Home

Bilingual Counselors

Bilingual House Parents

Educators

Maintenance Coordinator

El Alfarero University Student Center

Bilingual Counselors

Bilingual Friendship Evangelism Discipleship

Volunteers

Santa Cruz Christian Learning Center (K-12 International School)

Director

Teachers

Is It Worth Investing in the Lives of Students Cross-culturally?

Cynthia Zimmerman, Missionary, Bolivia
The Call, January-March 2017

Throughout our years at Santa Cruz Christian Learning Center, we have seen the Lord work beautifully in the lives of our students.

• A second grader leading his parents to the Lord
• The mother of a kindergartner coming to Christ as she studied her child’s weekly Bible verses
• A third grader praying persistently for the salvation of her grandparents in China
• Seventh and eighth graders taking a clear stand for Christ and leading worship among the upperclassmen
• High schoolers confessing that nothing satisfies but Jesus
• Former students returning, excitedly sharing their acceptance of the Word of Truth that they first heard at SCCLC
• Alumni—now parents themselves—enrolling their children in SCCLC and thanking God for transforming their lives through His Spirit, at work in and through the school
• Graduates serving Christ literally around the globe; redeemed lives who received a quality education and are now being used by God to transform society

Remembering what God has done makes it easy to affirm that being a part of His work here has been worth it all!

However, sometimes we don’t see how God is moving. In 22 years of teaching in Bolivia, there have been many normal days as well as a few discouraging, bewildering, seemingly fruitless days—days when Satan tempts us to question if it is still worth it.  

Just as some days seem more fruitful than others, the “price” also seems to vary in the changing seasons of our lives. There is the sting of rising emotional costs each time one of our children leaves home to attend college in the U.S. Yet, God holds them in His hands and guards us all in His peace that truly is beyond our comprehension. There are times when the costs skyrocket, as they did for me in 2016. My father passed away unexpectedly, leaving behind my mother for whom he had been the sole caregiver in her struggle with Parkinson’s disease. For me, Mom’s only daughter, the emotional cost of teaching math in Bolivia increased exponentially.

Is it still worth it to continue serving Christ in Bolivia? What makes it worth it?  Favorable results? A reasonable cost? Simply the fact that it is what God has asked us to do?

It is interesting to consider that God undoubtedly knew that many would never choose to accept His gift of salvation. However, it was still worth it to Him to send His only Son to be the Savior of all who would believe. Likewise, it was worth it to Christ, who knew no sin, to bear the sins of all mankind—even the sins of those whom He knew would never accept the redemption that He provided for them—in His body on the cross. He paid an extravagant price, but it was worth it all because that was the Father’s will.  

SCCLC is a field ripe unto harvest. Though not every student will readily turn to Him, Christ came for each of them! It is our privilege to share the great news of the redemption and transformation that He freely offers. God still works mightily in the lives of our students and their families.

In this particular season of my life, when family concerns pull at my heart and the cost of being here is more noticeable than before, I’m realizing that the appropriate question isn’t “Is serving in Bolivia worth it?” but “Is this still what God would have us to do?” We will seek Him and follow Him however He leads. He orchestrates the plan and produces the fruit. He sets the price and provides the joy in paying it. Doing God’s will is always worth it. He is God!

GO: Each year, SCCLC needs committed Christian educators to fill vital roles on its staff. Whether you are a current student teacher or teacher, a retired teacher, or just love kids, SCCLC needs you! Contact recruiting@wgm.org to learn more.

Embrace His Next Adventure

Emily Barlow, Missionary, Bolivia
April-June 2016

I like the familiar. Knowing what will happen next is comforting to me. So when God hinted that a change in ministry was coming, my first reaction was frustration, not excitement. I had been at Santa Cruz Christian Learning Center (SCCLC), teaching, mentoring, and loving high school students since 2005. I couldn't imagine doing anything else; I didn't want to imagine doing anything else. But in 2011, for the first time, I began to feel disconnected from my ministry, and it scared me. What followed was a three-year process of prayer, trust, discovery, and frustration as God revealed that while I was staying at SCCLC, my ministry was becoming more than I had ever imagined. As I sought God's purpose, He changed me in three major ways so I could embrace His next adventure.

1. God deepened my heart. Being a teacher extended far beyond filling students with information. I mentored some of them on a weekly basis, went on retreats and camps with them as a counselor, hosted movie nights, and helped with fundraisers. I rejoiced in their victories, mourned with them in sorrow, listened, encouraged, and advised. That started to change in 2011. While I still had many students stopping by my room needing to talk, I also found that teachers, both new and experienced, came by to pray together, talk through ideas, or share frustrations. I discovered a new, growing love for the teachers. I rejoiced with them in victory, hurt with them over their pain and frustration, and counseled them to the best of my ability. I wanted them to experience victory, both in their professions and in their relationships.
2. God widened my vision. God soon took the desire to see teachers succeed and created a vision of how I should help make it happen. He had blessed me in the classroom. Now He wanted to use me to help other teachers see Him do the same for them. I wrestled with the idea of being principal because of my own inadequacies and because of how daunting of a task it is. I wanted to help SCCLC be the very best school it could be, both academically and spiritually, but I was scared I wouldn't be up to the task.
3. God strengthened my faith. So God reminded me once again that I'm a jar of clay filled up with a priceless treasure. He would do the work through me if I would only follow Him. As I took my perspective off my fears, the responsibilities, and the journey ahead and put my eyes back on my Creator, Sustainer, and Provider, I obeyed in faith. 

For the last 18 months I've been on homeland ministry assignment, planting seeds of missions and asking God to bring more teachers and partners in ministry. I completed my master’s degree in educational leadership to better prepare me for my new role as principal. As I write, I'm still uncertain what my next step will be, but I'm praying for God's perfect leading in His timing, just as He's led me from the beginning. I'm certain as my new ministry gets tough, I will have to revisit the lessons I've learned. But I'm also certain that with each relearning, my love will go deeper, my vision wider, and my faith stronger. When God is our true teacher and we are His true students, that's the inevitable, consistent result.

GIVE: Partner with Emily as she walks in obedience in this new adventure by supporting her with a monthly gift to her ministry. 

Directing Our Paths

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Sharon Garrett, Ministry Partner, with Kacey Ginn, Volunteer
October-December 2015

If my husband, Mike, and I have learned anything from our ministries in four different countries, it’s to be content where we are. God has taken us on a lot of detours.

We first went into an aviation ministry with WGM in 1994: Wings of Peace in Bolivia. Mike is a licensed Air Frame and Power Plant (A&P) mechanic, so he helped maintain the fleet of planes. I was a substitute teacher for preschool and taught home economics for a semester at Santa Cruz Christian Learning Center. But one year later, God closed that door. We resigned from WGM, but stayed involved in missions with our home church in Ohio.

In 2010, Mike and I felt the Lord calling us to be active in missionary work again, so we joined Christian Services International. We spent two months overseeing a medical clinic in Haiti and then traveled around the U.S., encouraging churches to organize work teams. However, due to a necessary downsizing within that organization, that ministry ended as well. Once again, God directed us to WGM.

We agreed to serve in Choluteca, Honduras, in what we thought was going to be a vocational teaching ministry. This time, God didn’t change the location, but the plan: we found there was a huge interest in learning English. We wound up teaching two different English classes. I’m still amazed how God used those classes to build precious relationships between us and our students.

In 2014, my mom was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia. Recognizing the need for me to be with my mom during her chemotherapy treatments, WGM asked if we would be interested in working at Missionary Maintenance Services in Coshocton, Ohio, which is near my mom. MMS is the facility where Mike received his training for his A&P license. Now he trains apprentices in airplane mechanics in this place where he first learned those skills. And now that my mom has made a full recovery, I’m looking for ways to plug into the ministry here as well.

When we originally started with Wings of Peace, we thought that was where we were going to be career missionaries. When we went to Choluteca, again, we thought that was where we would be until retirement. Now, we know that the Lord will be faithful to direct our paths (Proverbs 3:6)—it’s just not always the direction we think He’s going to take us.

MORE: Learn more about MMS Aviation or invite a representative to share about the ministry with your church or small group at www.mmsaviation.org. The facility is also always interviewing for new apprentices.

Go Into the World and Make Disciples of All Nations

An excerpt from...

Go Into the World and Make Disciples of All Nations

By Kurt and Cynthia Zimmerman, Missionaries, Bolivia
October-December 2014

As teachers at Santa Cruz Christian Learning Center, we have the God-ordained opportunity to make disciples of many nations who in turn make disciples in many nations. Roughly half of our SCCLC families are Bolivian, but the rest are originally from other nations in the Americas, Europe, and Asia. As students graduate, they often return to their parents’ home countries then disperse to other parts of the world. Today, SCCLC alumni are serving the Lord in Brazil, China, England, Korea, Nicaragua, and Papua New Guinea; not to mention Bolivia, Canada, and the United States.

Our prayer is that all of our SCCLC students will come to know Christ, grow as His disciples, and live faithfully for Him every day of their lives, wherever they may be. How can that happen? We have the privilege of sowing the seed of God’s Word every day in the lives of our students. From pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, each school day begins with prayer and devotions. Many more seeds are sown through daily Bible classes, weekly chapel services, and yearly retreats. Prayers and the godly influence of other believers serve to water the seeds, and God Himself makes them grow.

Even as we teach math, science, and social studies, we are entrusted with the awesome responsibility of living out the reality of Christ in us and reflecting the love of God in our words, actions, and attitudes. Undoubtedly, our students could easily answer for us the question posed by Oswald Chambers, “Is the Word of God tremendously penetrating and sharp in me as I hand it on to you, or does my life betray the things I profess to teach?”*

Making disciples involves not only teaching the Word, but also living the Word. We dare not teach about God without knowing Him ourselves and living in wholehearted surrender to Him. Thankfully, by His grace and power at work in us, His Word can penetrate both our lives and the lives of those we teach.

Year after year, SCCLC is blessed with tenderhearted students who hear the gospel, enthusiastically embrace the truth, and accept Jesus as their Savior. They grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ, and many deeply desire to share their faith with others. There are those, like Fabricio, who have led their own parents to faith in Christ. Others pray faithfully for the salvation of their friends and family members, as Sofia does for her grandparents in China.

Of course, not everyone responds readily to the gospel message. Some seeds seem to lie dormant for years. Even so, we are convinced that God’s Word is never shared in vain. Time and again, former students have returned to us, exclaiming, “You’ll never believe what happened to me. I’m a Christian now! I knew there had to be more to life, and then I remembered. I remembered what I learned from the Bible at SCCLC. I have accepted Christ and now I am living for Him!”

Lord, thank You for Your patience with us. Thank You for redeeming us and for entrusting us with the Good News that is for all people. May we be forever faithful to You and truly be used by You to make disciples of all nations, who will, in turn, go and make disciples in all nations. To You be the glory. Amen.

*Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, (USA: Oswald Chambers Publications Association, 1992), January 28 entry.

MORE: Learn more about the ministries at Santa Cruz Christian Learning Center.