News > Latin America

  We had a conference, on the theme of “Those who Hear Will Live (John 5: 24-25),” at Espejillo, two hours away from the city during the Carnival festival (Feb 25-28). It had in all 35 attendants. On the first day, Brother Martin served the opening message based on John 5: 24-25. He is 63 years of age and met Jesus personally at our first conference three years ago; he was a workaholic who worked without rest. However he came to life again through God’s words, and clearly revealed the whole direction of the conference. 

   On the second day, Brother Cristobal served the first main lecture (Luke 15: 1-32). He repented of a sin to love family, work, and the world more than God. And he decided to serve souls, who wander about with God’s love. He witnessed calmly, but movingly, to God’s passionate love toward sinners. On the evening of the same day, Brother Carlos gave his life testimony. He lived bearing discrimination and contempt among his father-in-law and half-brothers, but he accepted God as his true Father, through the Bible study. He decided to live as a shepherd of souls to live, suffering like him. 

  On the third day, Sister Milca served the second main lecture (John 4:1-30). It was the purpose of her life for her to please her parents before meeting Jesus. However, she repented of it based on this word and decided to live, worshiping only God the Father. She witnessed evidently that mankind may solve each person’s spiritual thirst, only through Jesus Christ. On the evening of the day, dramas and praises were prepared for and presented group by group. Each group exhibited the natural grace that each of them had received through the conference. We were filled with laugh and joy. 

  On the morning of the fourth day, we met together and shared grace; brothers and sisters who had participated in the conference for the first time, were given a priority to share his/her testimony; one brother of them was moved to tears saying that his mother and younger sister did not come together, and so missed the enjoyment of this amazing grace. All except him, each of several brothers and sisters was in thankful tears, sharing their testimonies. 

  Afterwards, 6 sisters and brothers, Annie, Milka, Ximena, Martin, Blanca, and Ramiro, were baptized. During this time, these have steadily been joining in the Bible study, and the worship. The baptismal ceremony was held near a small waterfall, and was full of God’s graces with natural scenery in the background.  

  The characteristics of this conference can be usually summed up with two things: firstly, leaders served all the messages, and guided the Bible studies as group leaders, so that God might help them to have mastership. They were willing to sacrificially prepare for all the working environments and programs. The place was not made for the conference, and so there were no windows, no beds, and no electricity. 

  Therefore, we had to prepare for working environments, such as putting glasses in the frames, and placing cots in the rooms, and so on, coming and going several times, from two months. It was never easy to put more than seven hundred glasses in the frames at more than twelve rooms. However, brothers and sisters sacrificially served, like their own things, things to prepare for working environments, by putting glasses in the frames, like members of glass shop, and being concerned about how refrigerator might be operated through the emergency generator. 

  Secondly, leaders had worked to invite new sheep to the conference. They invited 9 new sheep, Ana, Juan, Claudia, Miguel, Taña, Anita, Elsa, Fernanda, Leandro, and so on. Youths of Bolivia grow at broken families to be like spiritual orphans, and then to wander with anger, hate, confusion of identity, and fatalism. We have learned that as each of such persons meets God as his/her Father and worships Him, he/she is free of such a spiritual wandering. We bring all the thanks and the glories to God the Father, who has worked in each soul to be sick and be painful with all sorts of problems and wounds with abundant mercies and graces! Thank all servants of God for praying for this conference!.

Mark Shin