Dear faithful partners in ministry,

I wanted to write a quick update because I realize not everyone gets these emails. I have been told that some of my emails for some reason are being sent directly into people’s spam or “promotion” folders. Please add this email to your contacts, or mark it not as junk :).  I will make sure this is also shared on the IM website. If you’re reading this on the website, please subscribe to my emails if you would like to receive them.

In my last newsletter I wrote that I was not changing my last name to my married last name due to my US passport, Bolivian residential visa, and other paperwork in Bolivia being under my birth names. Since Bolivian elections were held around the time that my visa would expire, we have prayerfully decided and with the advice from International Ministries to wait until things settle. Plus with COVID, we find it best to wait to begin ministry on the ground in Bolivia. Because of this, I will need to apply for a new visa. The good thing is now my husband Luis and my visas will have the same renewal date on it! This will make our lives easier when having to deal with Bolivia immigration.

As you can see, my work email and my name on the IM website has changed. All memos on checks to International Ministries should now say “Support for Sarah Matos.” If you give by card you will not have to change anything. Also, IM Donor Services are aware of the name change and will make sure support for Sarah Nash and or Sarah Matos will go to me. Thank you for your continued partnership in ministry! I am very grateful for your prayers and ongoing support!

We get asked this question a lot. It’s hard to answer that because of all that is going on. You will be the first to know once we get the okay from International Ministries and purchase our plane tickets.

Here are some factors that we are waiting on:

1)We are waiting until it is safer to travel due to COVID. Bolivia is having their second wave of COVID cases. Please pray for Bolivia and the health of my ministry partners.

2)For the new Bolivian president to be inaugurated and political tensions to settle. Please continue to pray for peace and democracy in Bolivia. They had elections on October 18th. The former government party has won, which has created some shock and protests.

In the meantime, I continue to do my ministry through my computer, Zoom, and WhatsApp. This would be the same due to COVID even if I was in Bolivia currently. Similar to a lot of the world, Bolivia is still practicing social distancing and doing most things virtually. As many of us are learning, ministry is still able to be done via technology! 

On the ground ministry through Fundación Proyecto de Esperanza (House of Hope) is still on pause until further notice. The Director of House of Hope Cochabamba and Lead Dentist are discerning when it would be safe and helpful for our communities to begin mobile clinics. We would appreciate your prayers. Currently, meetings are being held through Zoom and WhatsApp. 

There is light at the end of the tunnel! Thank you all for your prayers and support during this season of the project. Because of quarantine/sheltering in place for the last 7 months, Barb Bolick and I are approaching the end and finishing the final manuscript of the new Talita Cumi Girls’ Club curriculum.

Because of the pandemic, Barb and I decided that we needed to do the training for the mentors of the clubs virtually. We will start recording ourselves teaching the training material in January in order to train and pilot the girls’ club in Santa Cruz in the Spring of 2021. This will be all done in Spanish. Recording myself in my first language is intimidating enough, so I’d appreciate all your prayers.

Moving the training to a virtual platform will be very beneficial not only in times of COVID-19, but also this will open doors for women leaders to be trained in other Latin American countries in the future without traveling to train them.

In the midst of COVID and figuring out the best use of my time, I have prayerfully discerned to further my theological training. I have been accepted into Palmer Theological Seminary for their Openseminary (online) Master of Divinity.

I look forward to applying what I will be learning in my seminary online classes into my ministry with the Girls’ Club project and Fundación Proyecto de Esperanza.

Lord willing, I will begin January 2021. 

As we deal with a constant change in our lives and our world today. I’m thankful that my financial support from you and my supporting churches have remained constant and for that alone, I’m deeply grateful.

Blessings,

Sarah Matos

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