Have you ever felt that there was so much to share that you didn’t know where to start?  This is one of those moments for us as well, so we will start with an announcement and some recaps

Beginning on Sunday, April 15th and continuing until  June 15 (or when the matching fund is depleted, whichever comes first), any new or increased gift to a global servant can be DOUBLED!  Due to a generous donation of over $150,000, all new or increased giving to a global servant during this time will be matched.  Although we are doing well, we could still use your support to help us do God’s work, both here in Bolivia and all throughout Iberoamerica and the Caribbean.  Here are some guidelines from the International Ministries website so you can know if your gift would apply to this Matching Gift Challenge:

For this year’s Spring Matching Gift Challenge, we want to encourage new commitments to supporting global servants, so new and increased gifts will be matched. Specifically, these gifts will be matched:

• Your first one-time gift to a global servant. (100% will be matched!)
• Your first recurring monthly pledge to a global servant. (100% of your first month’s installment will be matched!)
• An increased one-time gift to a global servant. (The amount of increase will be matched 100%! For example, if your most recent gift was $100 and you give $150 now, $50 will be matched.)
• An increased recurring monthly pledge to a global servant. (The amount of increase in your first month’s installment will be matched 100%! For example, if you increase your monthly gift from $25 to $75, $50 will be matched for the first month.)

If you would like to give to this matching grant, double your investment, and partner with us and the work that we are doing, please follow this link to the IM site and give today!

As normal, we have had a busy spring where we and the House of Hope welcomed some wonderful guests.  Our first guest was a spring break trip for the Baptist Campus Ministry (BCM) of West Virginia University.  The team joined us and helped us build bathrooms in a church that we have worked with for over a decade, Iglesia Samaritano in Villa Porvenir.  We started with clearing some land, and then they built the brick walls, helped pour cement on the floor.  They worked very hard and had a great time making relationships with the people in the Villa Porvenir community.  Special thanks to all the students and leaders for the WVU BCM group!  If you are interested in getting their perspective on the trip, follow this link to their blog page.

This group was followed by Kayla Kanosky, a nurse from North Carolina who came down and volunteered with the house and participating in the many medical and dental ministries we support in Cochabamba.  Even though it was Kayla’s first time with us at the House of Hope, she is definitely no stranger to the ministry as her mom, a nurse in Morgantown, WV, has volunteered with the ministry a number of times.  She was a wonderful addition to the work that God is doing here and we look forward to her return (hopefully with a team) soon!

Our Bolivian Cohort

J.D. has been working hard on his new role as a Regional Consultant to Iberoamerica and the Caribbean in the area of Theological Education, where his primary focus is with the Masters of Theological Studies (MTS) in Latino/a Ministries at Palmer Seminary.  At the end of February, we had our first MTS group in Bolivia get started and they are almost finished with their first class at the writing of this journal article.  There are currently 12 students participating in this cohort group who bring our current student total to just over 80 students throughout the Americas.  There are six from Cochabamba, five from Santa Cruz and one student all the way from Santiago, Chile.  Say a prayer for them as they work hard over the next two years.

The only way that these pastors and leaders in Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, and Mexico and other Majority World countries can participate in this program is through a scholarship that IM provides.  We need the help of individuals and churches like you and yours to help us ensure that these pastors and leaders can lead their churches and ministries well.  Would you consider partnering with us to help them get the ministry training that they need?  Follow this link to the project page and join us as we train pastors and leaders to make a difference in their local communities. (P.S. – the matching gift challenge can only be used for personal support, so it won’t be applied to gifts to the scholarship fund)

Many of you know and have been asking about Rhonda’s health.  We recently sent out an email and shared with each of you about her heading back to the US for an indefinite amount of time to deal with some lingering health issues.  To read that email, click here.  We are excited to share with you that later this week, Rhonda will be returning to Bolivia after just over 6 weeks in the US.  She has been able to get a good handle on her health during this time but is anxious to get back to the family.  We wanted to take a moment and say thank you to all of our friends and supporters who have been praying as she has been in the US.  She shared with me that this time has been very humbling for her as she realizes how many people are praying on a daily basis for her, our family, and the ministry we are doing here.  We are truly blessed by each and every person that partners with us in God’s ministry.  Without each of you and your participation, we wouldn’t be here.  Pray for safe travel this week for Rhonda, and also for her health as she gets back to life here in Bolivia.

Well, that should just about to it.  As always, we love you all and pray for you regularly.  Don’t forget to take advantage of the Spring Matching Challenge!

In Christ,

J.D. and Rhonda Reed (and the kids)