Zapoco

In the past decade, LATCOM has been behind plan to restore the Ayore community of Zapoco to a God-centered life. LATCOM is doing this through leadership development in these areas:

• Spiritual: revitalizing the Church
• Economic: becoming self-sufficient
• Health: providing primary health care
• Education: improving their school
• Government: helping them establish a voice in their country.

LATCOM is doing this through the ministry of Onesimo and Elodia Rojas, Bolivian nationals who have left their lives in the city of Santa Cruz to minister to the Ayore people. It is our prayer and goal to make Zapoco an example to the other Ayore communities in Bolivia. In five years, the village has begun their transformation. The church is growing again. Lumbering and cattle raising have begun, laying an economic foundation. Ayore families who had left the village years before are now returning, and Zapoco has nearly doubled its population.


After seven years of work, Zapocó is emerging as the indigenous example of transformation at the local level. They have begun to reap the fruits of a fledgling economy through forestry and cattle programs, their infrastructure is unparalleled in eastern Bolivia, and their spiritual leaders have begun to impact their small community in positive ways. Work team volunteers, who never dreamed they could reach people in another nation and tongue, have been instrumental in Zapocó. Both those of the community and those from the USA have been transformed. The most visible sign of transformation of the village is the new 2-room houses that have been built with the help of LATCOM Work Teams. Eighteen have been built so far, and 12 more families are eagerly waiting for new homes. Each house costs $3,800 to build.•

Lomerio Region

More U. S. churches have expressed interest in working with LATCOM, and Tim Ramsey has been considering other areas in which LATCOM and these churches can help. The Lomerio region near Zapoco has been chosen because of close ties with a local man, Pablo Chuve. He has been serving as a missionary to his own Chiquitano people. This region has about twenty-eight villages. Thirteen to fifteen of these villages have not had the Gospel presented to them consistently or with a concentrated plan.

In 2001 missionary Ray Rising approached LATCOM about the need to broadcast the Bible in the Chiquitano language to the Lomerio region. LATCOM missionary Tim Ramsey contacted Pablo Chuve about installing a solar powered recording studio in his home to record the New Testament and also chronological Bible studies.

In 2002 a team from a U.S. church helped to install the studio. While at Chuve’s home, Tim saw the great spiritual need of the region. He talked with Pablo and Miguel Ípamo, a local pastor and the voice of the new Chiquitano Bible recordings, about their vision of reaching their people with the Gospel. In the summer of 2004, Tim took three U.S. pastors and one lay leader on a fact finding mission through the Lomerio. They agreed that the Lomerio was the place to begin a new ministry, much like LATCOM’s current ministry in Zapoco.

This new outreach will begin in 2005-2006. EPLABOL’s National School of Leadership will be available to train community and church leaders. U. S. Work and Ministry Teams may participate in construction projects and ministries such as Daily Vacation Bible Schools. It is our goal to be a bridge between U. S. churches and the Lomerio.

If your church may be interested in this new outreach, please contact LATCOM. For now, the Chuve family is in need of financial support, and LATCOM is committed to helping them. If you would like to donate to this ministry, or would like more information about Pablo, please contact us.•