Joy and Sorrow

We figure this blog is to share our joys and sorrows so that is exactly what I plan to do today. 10 days ago we got a little 7 week old black lab puppy and named her Riley. We figured she would be a help in our transition as we move out to mizque, the little town we plan to work in.



We took her in on Tuesday, the 8th and on the 9th, the other puppies in her litter came down with a virus. We thought we had gotten her out from the other puppies in time but one day as we were out for a walk, she ran into her mother and began nursing. We believe this is where she contracted the virus and sadly, this morning we woke up and found that she had passed away.

Our vet said that we should not get a puppy in our yard any time soon since the virus is highly contagious and our yard is not safe now. So, it looks like we will be waiting at least until we move to Mizque before looking at a new dog.

Please be praying for us as we transition to Mizque on January 4th. We have so much to look forward to but we also have some sorrow as well.

Thank you everyone.

Open Doors

Consider where you were born. Can you recall the area and the churches that were within a ten minute drive of your home? More than likely you had at least one church within ten minutes. We are blessed to have such influential churches so close to our homes. While we were called by God and our relationship is not dependent on the location in which we were born, having a church within a decent distance certainly helps make decisions and discipleship more feasible. This blessing that we have taken for granted has become very real over the past few months while we have considered the possibility of uprooting again and moving to a small village.

In November we, as a mission, went out to Mizque (which means “sweet” in Quechua). In this small town live about a thousand people and they are located three-in-a-half hours from Cochabamba, another main city in Bolivia. From Mizque, Pucara the small village that we visited in September would be a two hour drive on a dirt road, two hours on a dry river bed, and a ten hour hike. That is to say, we could reach Pucara in one full day.


A Street in Mizque

After spending three days in Mizque and a lot of prayer, we have decided to move in January. We feel that God is calling us to make at least two trips a month up to Pucara. This transition will be a new step in our lives. As we experienced in Mizque, the people are very kind and curious to get to know the white people. Currently there are no other native English speaking people in the area so curiosity will be high once we officially move. The town does offer an internet café with eight computers which will allow Kevin to continue his studies at Wesley Biblical Seminary, a major blessing.

While in Mizque we found a small Adobe (mud baked brick) home that we are hoping to rent upon arrival in January. The home is located directly in front of the Farmers Market, which occurs each Monday in the town. Every Monday a few thousand people from the outlying communities come into this market to sell and purchase their food. We are hoping to use this home as an opportunity to meet people from other places like Pucara. We are praying this will open up other communities for us to visit and evangelize in.


The house that we are looking at.

While in Mizque we were talking with a Christian lady about Pucara and she informed us that we were blessed to have this opportunity. She said that in these communities typically the town members will not allow the gospel to enter. The only way to be accepted is by knowing someone who is from that village. God has provided us a contact into Pucara and we want to follow His leading. This is just a good example of what God can do to pave the way for His people.

Last weekend while Kevin was in La Paz for our church’s National Congress and elections, he along with James Wolheter and Gordon Elliott were able to talk to the National Directors about the idea of moving to Mizque. We were pleasantly surprised with their response. They desire to send a pastor, one that knows Quechua (the native tongue) to be a pastor in Pucara. If this takes place, Kevin could spend his time helping the pastor settle in and start up the church. It is a blessing the National Church is getting on board with enthusiasm and efforts. We feel the fields in this area are ripe, and we are now getting together the harvesters to do God’s work. Along with Pucara, we intend to start up a Bible study in the town of Mizque while living there.

We thank you all for your prayers and ask that you will continue to pray as the move and adjustment takes place.

Kevin and Lisa Hoffman

Unexpected Baptisms

"I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire." Matthew 3:11 NIV

I will admit when Kevin first received a phone call on our day off, I was a little curious. Then when I found out it was one of our pastors inviting us to a baptism at a river, my response was "how long will this take?" My mood only worsened when we were told the pastor would pick us up in a half-an-hour at a specific location and then we patiently waited for him an hour. Thinking it would be a short trip, we left behind water, snacks, sunscreen, towels and everything desireable for a day at the river.

When our bus did finally come, it was so full of other people we had to stand. I thought to myself, at least we won't go very far. With that in mind, I graciously declined a seat offered to me. 2 1/2 hours later, we arrived at our destination and I was about ready to collapse I felt so tired. I wondered what God could possibly be trying to teach me that morning. All I knew was that I was on the verge of tears and it was supposed to be a wonderful day off.

Thankfully the pastor decided to get the baptisms under way once we had everyone settled at the river. Kevin was asked to assisst the pastor while the rest of us sang "I Have Decided to Follow Jesus". As I watched the first new believer get baptized, my heart began to soften.



As I continued to sing and watch 9 others proceed and display their outward commitment to follow Christ, I noticed their joy as they came out of the water.





Watching these ten new believers reminded me of my own baptism years ago. The significance of my changed life then gave me a glimpse of my attitude that morning. I was reminded that a baptism is only effective when accompanied with an inward change of attitude, leading to a changed life which is the work of the Holy Spirit.

While ten people were baptized that day, I too was baptized by the Holy Spirit inwardly working on my attitude and changing my life. We didn't return home that night until 7pm sunburned, hungry, dirty, wet, thristy and completely exhausted, but we were so thankful for the opportunity. As we were leaving, Kevin asked the pastor if we could help pay for the gas we used that day getting out to the river. The pastor told Kevin to keep the money, that he wanted us to know that our presence on that trip meant so much more than any amount of money we could have given. As we walked home, Kevin and I talked about how we would have spent our day off, and we concluded that was the best way we could have spent it.

Future Possibilties

"From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live." Acts 17:26 NIV

As we have asked all of our supporters to be in prayer over the lives of the people in Pucara and how our mission can follow-up with them, we too have been praying fervently over what should be done.

We would like to bring you up-to-date on what is happening with our follow up. We have decided as a mission to persue having us, Kevin and Lisa, move to a small village closer to the hillside of Pucara. This would allow quicker access to the village, limiting travel to a long day of hiking but cutting the drive in half.

We see this area having many different possibilities but we are waiting on God's confirmation. The mission has planned a trip for us and fellow missionaries to travel to the small village of Mizque on November 16th through the 18th. We see this village as having the greatest potential for us to live so we will all be traveling to see if it is a viable option. We are asking that you would hold the mission in your prayers as we will be making descisions over whether to move or not. Like the verse above states, "...he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live." God has determined where we should be, we just ask that you prayer with us in seeking his will. A full desicion probably will not be made until the end of the month, and if we do move it probably will not take place until the beginning of next year.

Thank you for all of your prayers, We greatly appreciate them!
Kevin and Lisa Hoffman

The LOST (LOVED) People of Bolivia

For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost. (Luke 19:10 NIV)

If you want to find something, sometimes it requires looking for it. This past month, Kevin set out, along with fellow missionary James Wolheter and two men from Montana, to seek out the lost people of Bolivia. After an airplane ride, a nine hour bus ride, and two hours in the back of a pickup going down a river bed, we arrived at our first camping spot. From here, we could see the daunting hike that stood between us and the people that God had called us to reach. After a night’s rest we set out, me with my fifty-five pound pack, on a ten mile hike to summit the top of the mountain four thousand feet above the river bed. While standing by the river, it was hard to imagine that life could exist on top.



These people are almost completely forgotten. Eighty percent of the village has no record of their birth and no guess of how old they are. The majority of the people have never seen their faces in a mirror or photo and they survive without electricity, running water, or communication to the outside world. Beyond their practical inexistence, the only spiritual element of the whole village is an abandoned Catholic Church that sits as an empty reminder of what used to be and a source of confusion to the children who never knew. And this was our motivation to help show them that they were not lost in the eyes of God but instead forgiven and loved.



As we entered the village of Pucara, our objective was clear: show the Jesus film to a group of people who, for many, would hear His name for the first time. The anticipation of the villagers to watch a film was contagious and bursting from all around. Once the movie was over and the clapping stopped, the people were excited and wanted to see the movie again. They reluctantly left for their homes with the excitement of returning for the Sunday morning service.



In the morning, we had 99 people show up. It was during a call to accept Christ that a few people raised their hands making the daunting trip worth every mile. We had decided to bless the people with new sandals and two lambs for lunch once the service had been concluded. I was permitted to help slaughter the sheep for the meal. These people, even though they are herdsmen by trade, very rarely eat anything but the potatoes that they raise. The average family lives on a few pounds of potatoes and some eggs each day. You can imagine the smiles and appreciation we received when they discovered they would eat meat that day.





For these people, nothing is easy. They work hard to survive and appreciate the simple things that we can give them in this life. We feel blessed to have had the opportunity to share Christ and see their excitement for a faith in a real God. Now we are left to wonder what the next step is. We recognize, Christ did not command us to make “converts” but instead disciples. We need to discover how our mission can be involved in the next phase for Pucara? Currently we are not exactly sure. This is where your prayers can come in to play. We have a man, Roger, who is interested in starting a church in Pucara. He has shown some interest in taking the necessary institute classes in order to become a pastor. We would ask that you would keep the village of Pucara and all of the surrounding villages in your prayers. Pucara is not the only village that needs Christ; each mountain top has another village of a hundred people who have never heard the gospel. The fields are ripe and our mission wants to be there to fulfill God’s calling and train up leaders in these forgotten villages. Please pray for guidance as we prepare to do the work that God has called us to do.

Blessed Parents - for two hours. :)

We have been doing some odd jobs at an orphanage in our neighborhood. Because of the involvement that we have had, the orphanage asked us to take part in a birthday party for the orphans that have had a birthday in the last three months. We are given a specific child and asked to buy a gift. We are only allowed to buy a piece of clothing and a toy to keep the gifts for all children comparable. Then, we go to the party and spend time playing games, eating cake and celebrating with our child and others. We were given an 11 year old girl named Mery.



We gave her a pink shirt and a backpack for school.




After we were served cake and all the children blew out the candles (as seen below) they all went for a swim, Kevin included. :)





We were very touched by this experience and hope to have this opportunity again with an orphan child in the near future.

A Birthday Opportunity

On Friday was Kevin's birthday. It was a hot day in the 90's and so we decided to go swimming for his birthday. As we were walking into the place to pay, our fellow missionary, Gordon Elliott, received a phone call that the pastor of the church we are now attending, had an apendicitis. He was at the hospital and needed surgery.

We immediatly left the swimming pool parking lot and went to the hospital where we met up with him and his wife. Pastor Ramiro had been suffering from an apendicitis for three days prior and it had gotten so bad that they had taken him into the emergency room. His wife, Edit, is only 21 and was very scared. They had to wait for a bed to open up before they could operate and that meant the possibility of waiting until Monday. To make matters worse, the hospital had already said, he was in a grave condition and they needed to operate soon.

We stayed seven hours praying with Ramiro and Edit as well as making runs to the Pharmacy to pick up more operating supplies. You see, in Bolivia the friends and family are provided prescriptions while the patient is in surgery and they are asked to go and get items like the scalpal, razors, medicine, IV's, everything. Since we and Edit were the only ones there up to the time of the surgery, it was our job to make the runs to the Pharmacy. It managed to get interesting when we were five minutes away from operating time and we couldn't find a Pharmacy with one specific perscription. It was necessary and supposedly only one location was guaranteed to have it in all of Santa Cruz, but they were probably closed for the night. So, the hospital actually managed to locate some for us. We had to pay a higher price but we had the prescription. Kevin ran it in and the surgery started.

Once the surgery was over, the doctor notified us that the apendix had been damaged and probably would have burst very soon. We are so thankful that God allowed us to be there and witness the miracle of Ramiro's surgery. What more is that we have been praying for an opportunity to get to know Ramiro and Edit. With their busy schedules, it had been near impossible to get together with them. This was the opportunity that God provided to break down some barriers and get to know Pastor Ramiro and Edit.

While it may not have been the birthday we had planned for, it was certainly the one that God wanted Kevin to have. Thank you for your prayers as we continue to work with the people in Bolivia. Please also pray for Ramiro as he recovers from his surgery.

Casa de Oracion (House of Prayer)

We wanted to introduce you to our new church family. The church has been around for about seven years but has been struggling recently with attendance. There are currently about ten adults and ten kids. Saturday nights have been a hit for this church and they usually bring in about 20 to 30 youth. Below is a picture of the church in its current state. We would ask that you pray for the congregation to have patience as they are very excited to begin a building project. The only thing is that we must make sure that it is God's timing and not ours. Right now we are concentrating on building up the church people and realize that the building can come later. Especially with the weather being so warm. :)

A Teacher and a Preacher

Well, we are now in the full swing of things. Lisa has officially begun her teaching in the Bible Institue here in Santa Cruz. She had five students show up and is hoping for more this week. She is teaching Christian Education which is a great place for her to start, considering her Elementary degree. She feels confident with the material, now if she can just fill confident with the language. :)



Kevin also started preaching this week at one of our churches her in Santa Cruz. The pastor is trying to finish his degree at the University, driving a taxi, teaching in the Bible Institute and a newly wed. Needless to say, he could use the help. Kevin is going to relieve some of his pressure for the next few months as he finishes his degree. He will still teach Sunday School, Kevin will just do the message. Last week, Kevin started with the book of Acts and plans to go through "The Church" and what it is.



These experiences seem to really be helping our spanish as we prepare for lessons and sermons. Please pray that God will continue to help us understand the language and guide us in how we can be used most effectively.

Down the Amazon Part 2

Ok, since we were asked to share some of the stories that went with the pictures, we thought that we would do this post over again.

We visited the Ibare River (part of the Amazon) for our fourth annivarsary. We had all kinds of experiences that we would love to share with you.

Our trip began in the plaza of the city Trinidad. There were many trees in this plaza and in the trees were several sloths. One of them had a baby on her chest as you can see below.



We went Caeman hunting which is best done at night. Caemen are easy to find with a flashlight because of the reflection of their eyes. Their eyes are bright red when a flashlight hits them. Here is a picture of a caeman in the water and if you look closely, you will see the red eyes.



Here is another picture of Kevin with a caeman after it had been caught by our guide.



When we returned to the boat we were staying on, the snake below had decided to visit. He was on one of the boat railings. Our guide said that it was a harmless watersnake... so Kevin decided to hold it.



We visited a farm in the area where they allowed us to go horseback riding, except that Kevin chose to ride the mule instead. He discovered just how stubborn they can be. :)



This farm had horses as well as a wild hog, chickens, cows, cats, dogs, other typical farm animals and of course... parrots. The farm had four parrots (two - blue and yellow, two - red) These parrots are wild and come and go on the farm all day long. However, the farmers found the parrots when they were babies and brought them back. Now the parrots always come home for food and rest. We wanted to hold one and the guy gave us the most tranquil parrot they had. Her name was pastora and you can see just how tranquil she was. :) The bird bit at the same moment the camara snapped for the picture. I guess it was perfect timing. Perhaps not for Kevin.



Another highlight was piranha fishing. We were provided sticks with a little bit of fishing line and beef hooked to the end. You slap the water (this makes the piranha think there is a struggle in the water) Then drop in the beef. The piranha would start bighting instantly. The biting made it difficult to tell when the piranha was actually on the line. But, we still managed to catch some. Kevin caught four and Lisa caught one that was too small to keep(but it was the only yellow one)!





One night at dinner we were served piranha. Bon apetite!



After the meal Kevin was trying to pull out some teeth to take home when one of the guys said that he could dry an entire piranha head for us. Now we have a piranha head sitting on our bookshelf in our living room.

We also loved watching the pink dolphins, but... as you can imagine it is nearly impossible to take a picture of a dolphin. Sorry, I will just have to tell you about them. Pink dolphins are actually only pink during mating season. We were lucky that we went during mating season and so in fact saw the pink dolphins. Most of the year they are actually grey like most other dolphins. They were very fun to watch. The people on the boat told us that when dolphins were around you didn't have to fear anything in the water such as: caeman, anacondas, piranhas, stingrays, etc. Supposedly dolphins only swim in safe waters. So, here is Kevin jumping in the water at a time when dolphins were around.





The birds were beautiful, the sunsets as well, the mosquitos were horrible and the memories priceless. It was a wonderful anniversary and now we are back in Santa Cruz where Lisa is about to begin teaching in the Bible Institute and Kevin will start preaching Sunday Mornings at one of our churches. We are excited to see how God will use these opportunities. We are also excited to see how much our Spanish will improve!

Down the Amazon

For our four year anniversary, we took an 11 hour bus ride further into the Amazon river basin. We boarded a boat and spent a few days traveling down the Mamore River, a branch of the Amazon river. While on the river, we had opportunities to see pink dolphins, hold caeman (aligators)and snakes, go piranha fishing, ride horses, watch monkeys, be bit by a parrot, hike at night in the Amazon and celebrate our love for each other. :)

We wanted to share some of the beautiful, and painful experiences of our time there.

National Youth Camp in Sucre

This past weekend we traveled to Sucre, Bolivia. It is located in the mountains, south of us, at about 10,000 ft. 130 youth from our national churches all over Bolivia traveled here for a weekend of teaching, games and of course a lot of food. :)

We had the wonderful opportunity of teaching, for the first time, 130 young people while covering the topic of Evangelism (in Spanish). Everyone we spoke with said they understood and they were responsive as we spoke. We took this as a good sign and hope to get the opportunity again in the near future.

One of the favorite games of the youth was tug-of-war. They chose Kevin quickly for the tug-of-war challenge because of his long arm span. In this particular tug-of-war game, the winning team had to grab a ball three steps behind the last person. Kevin was obviously chosen for this position. The opposing team was certainly more well rounded (this refers to their weight, not athletic ability) and so were pretty much guaranteed to win. However, when the whistle blew, Kevin's team quickly gained two ft. giving Kevin a quick second to grab for the ball before the other team managed to drag all of them, including Kevin. Here is a picture of the winning grab and drag.

While we were in Sucre, the old capital with all the historical landmarks of Bolivia, we had a little bit of time once the camp was over to learn some of the history. God blessed us with a young women who we met during the camp that generously offered to show us around the city. She is studying at the University in Sucre in tourism and so knows quite a bit about the history of Sucre.

Our time in Sucre was wonderful and we returned to Santa Cruz feeling that the trip had been very profitable for both the youth and us. When we first arrived we were a little unsure of how they would receive us and whether or not they would want to get close. By the end... we got close. I'm not only talking about the time spent in the 20 ft cattle car with 120 people on a trip into the city (see picture taken from a Bolivian and shown on the screen at camp), I am also referring to the well over 100 young that we were able to communicate with and befriend.

A Table for Fanny

There is a young lady, Fanny, a 22 year old in a local orphanage in Santa Cruz. When she was a young girl, Fanny and her mother were in an accident where her mother was killed

and she was left severly handicapped. She was found several years later in a mental hospital for men and placed in an orphanage where she will most likely live out the rest of her life.

Every day, Fanny works hard making necklaces and working with beads. She does this to try to financial help out the orphanage that she is living in. Fanny struggles everyday with trying to do her beadwork on her lap. The workers in the orphanage continually were finding Fanny on the floor gathering the beads that had rolled off of her lap.

We have a friend that works in this orpahage everyday and she came to usk and asked if Kevin could build Fanny a table that could slide onto her wheelchair. Of course we were more than happy to help this special girl. So we built her a table. Since the day that we gave Fanny her table, it has been a blessing to see Fanny using it everytime that we stop by for a visit.

True Happiness

Last week we felt compelled to buy some food for a family in need at our local church. The family includes father - Richard, mother - Jenny and six children ranging from 13 to two years old. The family is living in an abandoned home under construction. There are few walls, no windows or doors and only a little portion of roofing over the two rooms that the family shares with two other relatives. This situation exposes them to thieves since their is no way to keep them out.

Four years ago Richard was on the streets struggling with alcoholism. Now, he is in church and getting his life back together. The transformation is amazing. When we went over to their house, we expected to find people struggling with the situation they were in. But in reality, what we found was a family as happy as they could be. We played soccer with the entire family, and for three hours we laughed and joked around. It opened our eyes as to what it means to be truely content. The smiles on the kids faces helped us to see how truely blessed the family is because they have one another. We felt blessed to visit them.

A "bunch" of updates

Hello everyone,

It has been a little while since we have sent out an update so we thought we would send one to catch you up. Recently we finished our first phase of language study. It was a great experience with a lot of work involved. We learned a lot and will probably look at getting more language study in the future. But for now, we are starting to get our feet wet with ministry work.

Some of the highlights of the ministry we have done so far have included visiting an orphanage and preparing for a youth camp that we will be teaching on evangelism. The youth camp will be July 9th - 12th. Please pray for open hearts and a great turnout of youth.

With the time at home preparing for the youth camp, Kevin has also had a little bit of time to work in the yard, specifically our banana trees. He was taught how to burn bee hives and now is always excited when a new set of bees come in and try to build a nest. :) So far, we have taken off two bunches of bananas which we have thoroughly enjoyed. It is also a great way to bless others that stop by to visit. They always love taking home fresh bananas!

Three Doors Down

Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk. – Acts 3:6

When reading this verse prior to living in Bolivia, I thought that the main focus was on the man’s walking. My feeling was that Peter and John were compassionate towards the man’s inability to walk that they healed him. Recently, though, God granted us the ability to have a firsthand experience that has changed our view point on this verse.

Beatrice is a lady in our church who, for the past few years, has had a problem with degenerative hips. Since arriving in Bolivia, we have seen her ability to walk diminish. Every Sunday, since we have known her, Beatrice has needed the strong arms of two people to get her to church. She only lives three doors down from the Heavenly Zion Church but it is still an impossible task for Beatrice to do alone. One day while in church, we felt like God wanted us to build her a walker. It was that same Sunday that we watched Beatrice be helped out of the church in a wheelbarrow because her hips hurt too much to go home. However, with all of Kevin’s construction background, he had never worked with aluminum. After a great deal of thought, Kevin felt ready to tackle the project. Using the heat of our gas stove to melt, bend and form the aluminum, we completed the walker. The metal was light enough (around 4 pounds), and sturdy enough, but the question still remained if it would work for Beatrice. The day after we completed the walker she didn’t show up for church. When we asked the pastor what had happened, he told us that Beatrice’s hips had gotten to the point that she could no longer come.

The next Sunday was the day, and we could hardly contain our excitement. The pastor walked us down to Beatrice’s house on the corner to deliver the walker prior to church. When she saw us she was very down hearted when she reminded us that she couldn’t make it to church. That is when we showed her the walker and explained how God loved her so much that he wanted us to build it for her. She was ecstatic as we taught her how to use the walker as she went from her house to the church. She shared that morning with the entire congregation how God had provided and taken care of her. You can imagine how we felt the next Sunday morning when she walked into church alone with her walker again sharing what God had done.

Reflecting on the verse in Acts now, we see that the main concern for Peter was not to provide a short term result, but instead enable him to be a living testimony to those around him. That morning that Beatrice received her walker, her reaction was very similar to that of the crippled beggar. She may not have been jumping and skipping, but she was certainly walking and praising God.

A New Wives Tale

Today Lisa shared her testimony in Spanish with the pastor's wives in Santa Cruz. Our missionary woman put on an appreciation get together where Lisa was able to read her testimony to the group. It was a small group and pretty low key as the women worked on crafts as Lisa shared. The women seemed pleased and Lisa feels more confident now to share her testimony in the future. It was a time of blessing for all.

It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken...

We were blessed last Sunday night to go over to a Bolivian house for some Cui. In English... Guinea Pig. It is not as common down here in the low lands but more common up in the highlands, cities near La Paz. The food was great. Once you got past the paw and claws that you had to eat around, it was a great meal and good experience. But... it doesn't taste like chicken!!!

Act One, Scene One

Last Sunday, we were stretched a little bit farther than normal. We were asked to participate in a play put on by the church that we are currently attending. The seven churches that we have in Santa Cruz were getting together for a church "Junta" (get together) where many of the churches were asked to put on plays, our church was one of them. We don't necessarily do well at acting, but this play added a new element entirely... it was in Spanish. It all went well and there were a lot of laughs, thankfully not at our expense. Here are some photos from the play: