Thank you for investing your time in prayer for our family and our ministry. Thank you also to those who gave extra financially during the holidays. In the bank of eternity, your generosity will be rewarded with eternal dividends as we work together to reach more people for Christ.
After the first of the year, I had the privilege of going soul winning with my pastor, Pastor Mike Ray, and seeing my first soul saved in 2021! I sensed a feeling of nostalgia as we teamed up one more time to reach people, just like when I was a teenager. I talked with many people before I found 23-year-old Luis Hernandez, who trusted Christ as his Saviour! Please pray that Luis would find God’s will and spend his life for the cause of Christ.
At the end of January, God opened the door to bring our family back to Bolivia! Through the years, God has used us to change lives for His glory, but at the same time, the Bolivian people have also been gradually changing us. Foods we disliked, we now enjoy, and certain codes of etiquette we once thought silly or unnecessary, we now accept and loyally practice. Bolivia is our home, and we thank God for helping us arrive here safely.
The week before we left the States, we went out to eat with my mom and my brother. After we picked up our food, I got into my car, and it would not start. It was raining, so we decided to eat in our cars. I was praying for God’s help when I turned the key, and it started! I left it running for a while to let the battery charge, and then someone came up with the bright idea to get ice cream. I turned it off again, figuring if it didn’t start, I would just pray and God would start it again. We bounced down the street to enjoy some delicious ice cream on a rainy day. When we came back, the car would not start. A man in the store in front of my car kept asking questions about my car. Rebecca and my mom took “The Lopez Little Ladies” (Abigail and Alyssa) into his store, where my mom bought shirts and toys for our girls. I was in my car praying when the man from the store knocked on my window and asked me to pop the hood. He took a screwdriver and tapped on the starter, and when I turned the key, the car started! On our way home, we thanked and praised God, and I apologized to my girls because we did not get to do everything we had planned. They both said, “We thank God the car broke down because Grandma bought us all of these great things.” The next day I took out my tools and YouTube and changed my first starter, with God’s help, and the car is now running fine! I gave the man $20 but did not get to witness to him, so please pray “the man from the store” would get saved and that God would bless his life for his help.
Now that we are back on the field, we are searching for a place to live. Please pray that God would provide a secure place near a shopping center. During the last lockdown here in Bolivia, everyone had to walk to the nearest store to buy groceries once a week, and no one could use their vehicles. In case of another lockdown, it would be a blessing to live near a store.
Please pray for our health and especially for God’s protection against COVID-19. It is sobering to hear of so many people who have died from the virus here in Bolivia. People are scared and more open to hearing the Gospel message. Please pray for God’s wisdom and discernment concerning reaching people here during these uncertain and trying times.
Xavier Lopez
Our family