Back in February the pastor of our church, Alberto, began experiencing sharp pains in his lower right back. It continued on and off for a few days until late one night, he was rushed to the emergency room! The doctor said he was passing several kidney stones, and the largest one was blocking the passageway, so he recommended surgery. Some of the people in our church began to fast and pray for him. Imagine a large, cold, white room with one dimly lit lightbulb suspended over an old, rusted metal table. There’s a tired, overworked doctor with messy hair, leaning over the table grumbling and frantically sharpening his worn knives (“shink, shink”) in preparation for the surgery. Before operating, they wanted to confirm the location of the biggest kidney stone. It was then that the doctor froze, and his eyes grew open wide with astonishment! In disbelief, he could not explain how the kidney stones had miraculously disappeared! If you didn’t know any better, you would’ve thought Bro. Alberto had won the lottery! That night he was beaming with an uncontainable smile, encouraging the people in the church because God had answered their prayers. He preached with a fire and enthusiasm that melted the congregation and moved us to fall on our knees and trust God with our lives! Please continue to pray for Pastor Alberto and his family.
Please don’t send us any mail, because since the government nationalized the postal system over a year ago, they still have not figured out how to efficiently deliver it yet. Once we get settled in Santa Cruz, we will open a new post office box to hopefully begin receiving mail again.
Because it continues to get more expensive to send our prayer letters through the U.S. Postal Service, I would prefer to cut down on sending hard copies and mainly send our letters through email. If this would be possible for you, please send me an email letting me know. If you would just like to be added to our prayer-letter list, please send me your email, and I will begin sending you our prayer letters.
A living, breathing story of the prodigal son! The 25-year-old young man in the middle of the picture to the left is John. This was a blessed day, because it was when he decided to get saved and baptized. Little did he know that this decision would revolutionize his life. When John was 11 years old, he began fighting violently with his dad and defiantly ran away from home. He told me he was so rebellious that he began living with different relatives and friends to spite his dad. John began working and thieving to make ends meet and was pulled into a gang. He was so bitter towards his dad that he would find ways to humiliate him. We met John’s dad Gregorio because we began renting his bus on Sunday mornings for a new bus route. He and his wife Lucia were invited into one of our services, and they both got saved and eventually baptized. They brought their daughter Penelope to church, and she got saved and baptized. Soon after, they convinced their son John to visit as well. Because of the deep-seated animosity that had shattered their family through the years, they felt it was hopeless to try to mend the broken pieces. Then Jesus came! Once a situation of grief and severe dejection, Jesus came into their lives and brought healing, joy, and peace! God has given them a family unity they once thought absolutely impossible. Now all of them are a dependable and productive part of our church. They hold a Bible study in their home every Friday night, and Bro. Gregorio faithfully drives his bus for the Lord to bring people to church Sunday mornings. Please pray that God would use this precious family to help other families know the Lord and fulfill God’s will for their lives.
Thank you for loving us and praying for our family and ministry. Your investment of time and money is an investment in the lives of countless other people whom we influence for the cause of Christ. Please pray for our family as we pack and make preparations to move to Santa Cruz, Bolivia.
Bro. Xavier Lopez
