The condition of the roads, ox paths, and the northeastern pampa in general is a challenge in the best of times, but proved to be more so this year after Bolivia experienced her worst flooding in 25 years. So traveling the 45 kilometers east of Magdalena to Bella Vista (and later to Orobayaya) was tougher than we'd expected.
Equipped with a dirt bike, hunting knives, and plastic-wrapped bibles; it took us nearly half a day to cover less than 28 miles to reach our destination. Crossing one flooded creek; we nearly lost the dirt bike in 12 feet of water when it hung-up in tree branches and fell over the side of the small boat. I grabbed the front tire and Ruben grabbed the rear; but it was only by God's grace that we found the strength to pull it back up into the boat. (And later walk the last boot-soaked 5 kilometers to the San Pablo River and Bella Vista.)
So it makes me wonder... Do people realize; its not just preaching... *smile*
VLM's basic operational goal in the northeast for 2011 is outreach by boat, dirt bike, horse-back, and even air to minister to people's needs. (We urgently need a boat) These Amazon Basin Communities receive little or no attention compared to those who live in Bolivia's cities and towns. They can be as small as twelve people. Few of them exceed a population of one hundred persons. Yet such communities make-up over half of the population of 23,000 in this remote province...
A timely contact was made with Rodolfo & Jenny Arredondo. They are the former Bolivian pastors of Rivers of Living Waters Church in Bella Vista; presently pastoring a church in here in Santa Cruz. They founded a three-year project designed to strategically evangelize 2,000 children directly and 7,000 family members indirectly within the Province of Itenez. And these pastors have graciously agreed to work with us in establishing a mission-network in the area, where we desire to work with them to reach these children and their families.
We arrived to Bella Vista in the pictures above (and many other places) on a used dirt bike purchased with donations. We covet both your prayers and financial support. In reality, we need both; because jointly, they work in concert to create the music of the Gospel shared with the lost in these remote parts.
