For those of you who are not on Facebook or heard via other means, I definitely want to let you know that I am now engaged to Dalmiro Oritz. Dalmiro is a pastor at my church and also works with the church association of which our church is a part as missions pastor. We plan to be married in Santa Cruz on October 22. I am looking forward to our future ministry together...some of which comes very soon as you will see.
Firstly, I need to say that the school year finished well. We were all very busy with the end of the year activities, but we praise the Lord for what He accomplished at school this year. As a result, I haven't had the time to write as much as I would like.
Secondly, my older sister, Janet had her first baby on May 3 in Arlington, TX. Miles Lee Nye was 8 lbs. 11 ozs. and 20.25 inches. I praise the Lord for his safe arrival and look forward to the day when I can see him.
I leave this evening (Sunday, May 29) for a missions trip to the Beni. Some of you may remember that I went on this trip in the past. It is a medical/dental/evangelistic trip, traveling initially to a city near the river between Brazil and Bolivia in the department of Beni. From there we take a boat and travel on the river, stopping at villages and providing medical care, dental care, children's meetings and showing a film. We also do follow-up discipleship with people who have come to Christ at stops from previous years. We won't be on the exact trip as I went on previously, but other teams may have stopped at some towns in the past.
We are are mixed group, the two medical doctors are a couple with SAM who serve in Santa Cruz. The dentist is Bolivian. We also have nurses and some teams have other medical personnel join them as well. There are other missionaries and youth going along also. I am on the first of three trips planned for this year. At first I wasn't supposed to go on this trip as it came so close to the end of the school year, but when I got bumped it made things very hectic at the last minute.
What is very exciting for me is that Dalmiro is also going on this trip. He will be doing the devotionals for the team as we begin each day and also doing some of the evangelistic work in the evenings. The living conditions on the boat and in the villages are very primitive. The men/boys sleep in hammocks on one level and the women/girls sleep in cots or hammocks on another level. We do bring some food (some of it still living) and catch fish along the way.
Please pray for physical strength and safety in travel, both to and from the site and along the river. The team is comprised of folks from different areas, cultures and ministries. Pray that we will have a God-centered focus on serving Him and working together. Most importantly, pray that many will come to a knowledge of the Savior and be encouraged to grow in their walk with Him. We should be back in Santa Cruz on June 10.
Thank you for your partnership with me in Bolivia.
