Evangelism project is casting a big NET

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Above: In this 2009 photo, six men stand with
Onesimo Rojas, right, and Pablo Chuve, left.
Fifteen couples participated in a Bible study based
on the film Fireproof. The Nets project includes discipleship as well as evangelism.

Earlier this year, LATCOM’s national missionaries Onesimo Rojas and Pablo Chuve launched the NETS Project––an evangelism and church planting effort in Bolivia’s Lomerio region. Redes is the Spanish word for nets, and REDES is an acronym for Relationship, Evangelism, Discipleship, Training (“entrenamiento” in Spanish), and Serving.

The first stage of NETS involved training local Christians in how to evangelize their communities. Onesimo and Pablo report that 80 believers from the area churches have been trained for evangelism using a material titled “Reaching Your World,” written by Bill Bright. With financial help from LATCOM supporters, they have been able to equip the churches with small portable generators, a television, a DVD player, and the video of “Reaching Your World.” They ask that prayer be poured out for these believers as they begin to reach out to their communities and then communities beyond.

Community halls built

Thanks to the loving gifts from LATCOM supporters and work teams, our national missionaries have been able to complete the construction of two dining facilities for our church communities in El Púquio and Monterito. These buildings allow the churches to host major events for both the church and their communities. This year we also anticipate building a new church in the village of San Lorenzo with the help of a team from First Baptist Church of Saint Cloud, Florida.

Samuel Chiqueno (an Ayoré leader) and Pedro Charupaz (a Chiquitano leader living in Zapoco) are now directing the church in the village of Zapoco. During the week they are holding a New Testament Bible study with six leaders utilizing a small solar recording device called The Proclaimer. To see this device, go to their website. Also the Sunday School materials provided from a church in the USA is the curriculum being used by the public school for their required religion class. (Religion is taught in the Bolivian public schools.) .

National missionaries make a move

Pablo and Felicia Chuve, after ten years of living in the Lomerio area, have relocated to the town of Concepcion fifty miles to the north. The move was motivated by several circumstances and in no way implies they are leaving the work among the Chiquitano people. Last year Felicia was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. For a year they sought to stay in the remote village of Surusubí, but it became impossible to provide Felicia with the vegetable and fruit diet needed to keep her sugar levels in balance.

Furthermore, Pablo had done an excellent job of training the area leaders for the churches and he and Onesimo felt it was time to let them stand a bit more on their own. So Pablo and Felicia moved to Concepcion where they will continue to work with the Chiquitano, but from outside. Pablo will be based in Concepcion and continue to help the area leaders and oversee with Onesimo the development of the Nets Project.

Zapoco report

Onesimo and Elodia Rojas, who continue to oversee the ministry in Zapoco, ask for specific prayer for the Ayorés who have moved temporarily into Concepcion to look for work. The logging industry has taken a nose dive due to the world recession, and they have been unable to sell their logs from their sustainable forestry project. Unfortunately this puts many of the youth at risk of falling into the vices the world has to offer. “I was heartbroken,” writes Tim Ramsey, “when Onesimo and Elodia shared with me that an Ayoré young lady can be exploited for the mere price of between three and ten dollars depending on her age and “beauty.” The young men stand around sniffing glue or getting high on other drugs.

“This is unfortunately part of the disaster brought on by the secular anthropologists who moved back into Zapoco five years ago. They have since pulled back out, but in their wake have left a moral and spiritual disaster. Pray with us that we can once again pick up the pieces of the community that had done so well up until 2006 when the anthropologists decided to move back in (Zapoco).”

Fireproof Bible study

Onesimo and Elodia Rojas report as well that along with the Viera family they have been holding Bible studies for couples using the materials developed with the movie Fire Proof. They now have 15 couples attending the weekly studies. They also help out the church in the satellite Chiquitano community of Porvenir.

But in their wake have left a moral
and spiritual disaster.