The month of May and part of June, we were still dealing with lockdowns, curfews, and strict regulations in Bolivia. It was sobering to hear about different missionaries, Bolivian pastors, and friends dying or suffering severely because of COVID. Thank God, our family has not been infected. Please pray that God will continue to bless our family with strength and good health to fulfill God’s will for our lives.
I am now daily walking through and around different neighborhoods, begging God to lead me in my search for the new location of our church. Knocking doors and winning souls in these areas has helped me meet new people. I will continue to pray, devour God’s Word, win souls, and search. Please fast and pray with me that God would show us where to give birth to this baby church to begin rearing a new generation of sold-out, on-fire-for-God soldiers for Christ!
During July, a ministry from the U.S. called Medical Missions Outreach brought 21 doctors, nurses, and helpers to Santa Cruz. For 4 days, we attended to 1,071 people, and 507 of those people trusted Christ as their Saviour! It was a group effort between different missionaries and Bolivian pastors, who all worked together to win souls and interpret for the medical team. Please pray that the new converts would be followed up on, discipled, and plugged into good churches, where they can find God’s will for their lives.
In my last prayer letter, I asked you to pray that God would provide the money to buy property for our church in La Paz, “Iglesia Bautista El Faro.” A huge thank you to those churches that have already given towards this project! We have saved and raised $32,000 but are still short $37,000 to accomplish our goal. Please pray that God would provide the funds to help us buy property to establish this church. With a sense of contentment, a tear comes to my eye when I consider how our babies in Christ are faithfully serving together as a lighthouse of hope and salvation to a lost and dying world.
God has continued to open doors for me to preach. In one church, the pastor asked me to train his people on soul winning and discipleship. For four Sundays, I ardently taught and preached! Afterwards, about 40 people from the congregation went soul winning. That afternoon, we saw 8 people saved, and 7 new soul winners won their first soul to the Lord! Please pray that this church would keep the fire burning and continue to grow in their soul-winning efforts!
A missionary named Kenneth Ellzey invited me to preach in his church about two hours outside of Santa Cruz. Four adults responded to the message and got saved. The church had already scheduled to baptize seven people that afternoon, so after the service, we walked down to the river, and they baptized. Still standing in the river, Bro. Ellzey asked, “Does anyone else want to be baptized?” One of the ladies who had just trusted Christ quietly raised her hand and, without hesitation, walked into the water without changing her clothes. It was moving to see her determination to obey the Lord as the church cheered and broke out singing. Please pray that this lady and her family would become faithful members of the church.
August 12-15, I am scheduled to preach a revival in another church here in Santa Cruz! Please pray that God would touch my lips with His love and power to cleanse, change, and call new recruits into His full-time Christian service to help carry the burden to reach Bolivia with the Gospel!
These are very exciting days to serve the King of kings! Please pray that God would multiply our efforts to win souls, plant churches, and train people for full-time Christian service!
Thank God, I’m on the winning side!
Xavier Lopez
