I Am Back in Santa Cruz!!!

Hello there...I just wanted to write a quick up-date to let you know that once again I'm back into the world of internet and phone service!!! It is good to be home once again after living on a boat with 31 people...sleeping in a hammock...being eaten alive by mosquitoes...eating piranhas (best to eat them before they eat you, so we were told)...etc. However, I don't want to mislead you...I thoroughly enjoyed this experience...and would quickly agree to do it again! I was in charge of the children's ministry. I worked with a few of the youth who went with us to plan evangelistic activities for the kids...and then while they waited their turn to see the doctors in our travelling clinic...I just played with them...showing them God's love! It was great! God used me to present the gospel to close to 200 children...some of them had heard the gospel and accepted Christ in their life previously, but many had not. What a joy it was to share this good news for the first time to many children...even more exciting to be able to pray with quite a few of them so that they too could accept Christ in their lives!





Well...I need to get off the internet for now and get home...but I wanted to get a few pictures and information on here for you to see! I'll be sure to get some more pictures onto the internet and send out the link...there is so much more to share with you!!! Thanks so much for your prayers! They were definitely felt and appreciated!!!

July 22, 2009

Greetings... this is Laura's mother writing to thank all of you who prayed for Laura while she was on her trip up the river in the Beni.

We were in touch with her last night and she had reached Guayaramerin safely by boat. There were thirty people traveling by river together. She said there were twenty people from Santa Cruz and about ten from Guayaramerin who brought the boat down to San Joaquin where they joined them. The team worked well together and her biggest complaint was that she was eaten alive by chiggers, mosquitoes and who knows what in spite of bug spray, long sleeves, pants and mosquito netting.

They were able to minister to several villages where there is no church and hold children's meetings as well as offer medical aid. She was very encouraged by the response and her opportunity to serve the Lord. I am sure she will regale you with stories when she is settled again.

Today they will be flying from Guayaramerin to Trinidad (city). From Trinidad they will be on a ten hour bus ride overnight to Santa Cruz, arriving in the morning on Thursday, July 23. Please pray for the safety of the team and for the lives they touched while on this trip.

Sincerely, Grace Boyce

July 8, 2009

Greetings once again from beautiful Santa Cruz!!! I have to admit the weather has been gorgeous the past several days!!! I love it!!! In the 80s every day, cooling down in the evening...sun, light breeze...wonderful!

As you may remember I wrote a quick up-date which my mom attached last week telling you a bit about the English Vacation Bible School that I was a part of as well as the conference for World Gospel Mission missionaries in Bolivia...in order to teach their kids while the parents were in meetings. You should be able to click on the link below...if not, just copy and paste it into your browser in order to see pictures of those two events. Once the shutterfly window opens, you can click "view pictures", and then "play slideshow".

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8AbNnDNm5btmQ0

I am very thankful for the opportunity to participate in both of these activities! It was a joy to serve the Lord by teaching His children. We had a couple of small accidents at the WGM conference. One of the younger boys bumped his head during a game we were playing...it bled a LOT...but praise the Lord he didn't need stitches. We also had several who got sick with some sort of flu bug...they passed it from one to the other (nausea, vomiting, etc.)...ending with me on Friday night after I got back...but fortunately it was a quick "bug", came and went in about 24 hours! The most exciting thing for me to see was that the kids were actually learning...in both events!!! That of course is the goal and a joy to be able to witness.

Now, I'm back in the city...briefly! This week, I'm frantically trying to get all of my things moved into the apartment behind Virginia's house (as she is due to come back in a couple of weeks...Lord willing...she's still waiting for Him to provide a bit more of her support)...as well as fix things that broke during this year that the house/truck has been in my care...and get ready to go on my next big adventure (I leave early Monday morning)! As you can imagine, I'm certainly feeling the stress of trying to get all of these things done...my body feels the stress as well (headaches and backaches daily, not sleeping well, etc.) Please pray that God will give me the strength I need to get all of these things wrapped up...it will make my next adventure much more relaxing!

So...what is the NEXT ADVENTURE? Each year there is a group (of missionaries and nationals) who plan an evangelistic/medical/exploratory trip to the Bolivian department called the Beni. The Beni is basically jungle and rivers with small towns scattered throughout. This group (led by Enoel Suarez a Bolivian who is a Plymouth Brethren missionary and Toni/Placido Mercado doctors with SAM) takes trips up and down the river stopping at various towns to offer medical relief as well as to spread the gospel to adults and children alike. Each year, they try to plan a different route in order to explore unreached areas. Enoel's desire is that these trips will allow Bolivian Christians to become exposed to this unreached area and possibly sense God's calling to full-time ministry in these areas. This year there are 18 people going, adults and youth. I have been asked to go along and lead the children's ministry team, playing games, singing songs, sharing the gospel with the children in each town where we stop. We will be gone about 12 days total (including travel to the river where we get on the boat)...sleeping in hammocks on the boat...eating lots of fish and fruit (and maybe a little crocodile or other such river creatures). I expect this to be a stretching experience for me, but also a time of spiritual renewal. Others who have gone in past years say the best part of the trip is floating down the river on the boat knowing that nothing can be done about what you've left behind; so you might as well just read a bit and enjoy some quality time with your Savior! I'm looking forward to that!!! I'm also excited about getting know a new area of Bolivia to which I've never been exposed! WOW! Attached below you will see a map outlining the route that we'll be taking! I will be flying from Santa Cruz to Trinidad, then on to San Joaquin. From there I travel by road to the river. Follow the red line on the river to our final destination, Guayaramerin, before flying back. Please pray for safety, health...as well as the spiritual renewal for each of us as team members/our unity as a team. Pray also for those to whom we'll be ministering...that they will come to a saving understanding of Christ.

One other things I ALMOST forgot to mention...since Virginia is on her way back to Bolivia...I am not only looking for a new place to live (as I think I've mentioned before)...but I also will be without a vehicle! As this is a large city and there is public transportation...it isn't a necessity in life...however, in this culture, it certainly makes life easier! So, thankfully, God has provided the needed funding as well as basically placed a vehicle in my lap for me to buy! Another missionary family, who is leaving the field, was selling their Honda Crv...after getting permission from the mission and such...we finally have been able to get the business taken care of and I will be the proud new owner as of Friday when we sign the papers! I'm super excited! Since, I'll be in the Beni...they're going to keep driving it until they move back to the states on the 20th...but it will be here waiting for me when I return!!! Thank you for your generous support that has helped to make this possibility...myself and the many Bolivians for whom I act as a taxi service...thank you from the bottom of our hearts!!!

Thank you once again as well for your prayers!!! I'll be sure to send an email or an up-date when I get back to the city...as obviously, I will not have email/internet/phone service while I'm floating down the river! Blessings to you all!

June 30, 2009

Well, better late than never! Sorry I didn't get around to up-dating my blog last week! I was helping to coordinate and teach a Vacation Bible School at the English speaking church so I stayed quite busy. Needless to say that, plus several other things that I had going on during the week, definitely kept me on my toes! We averaged about 70 children each day plus over 20 workers! We had GREAT material to use this year! The kids loved it (and so did the rest of us)...talking about God's power! There were hands-on Bible lessons for us to use and experiments for the kids to participate in! It was great! Several kids and parents talked about how much they enjoyed the VBS in general...but especially the Bible lessons! That's encouraging to hear!I have some pictures that I had hoped to get into my blog...but it will have to wait until next week!

This week I have accompanied World Gospel Mission at a resort just out of the city in order to teach their children while the parents are in meetings each morning and evening. The lack of pictures at this time is due to the poor Internet connection. It is SUPER slow...basically dial-up speed...this up-date is being sent to my mom in an email so that she can load it onto my blog page!

There are 10 kids...ages 3, 4, 5, 7,8, 9, and 12. The first night they were so hyper and excited that I was afraid it was going to be a REALLY long week! Fortunately, they settled down some this morning and things went really well, thanks to some VBS material that my parents' church in Suffolk gave us. We're studying the life of Joseph and different ways that God is with us such as when we're in trouble; in the gifts He gives us and how He uses those gifts, etc. Please be praying for this week...I'm tired after last week...and find it a bit of a challenge to get up the energy that I need to plan well and to be excited while we're together, particularly with such a diverse age group, pray for strength! Also, pray for the kids...that they will be attentive and open to the lessons God has in store for them! Thank you so much for your prayers!! Stay tuned next week for pictures and more details on these events!!!! Blessings to you all!

June 16, 2009

I sat down this morning to up-date my blog and realized that I'm not sure what to share with you this morning. I certainly feel like I've been staying busy...of course most of it has been through spending time with people. Occasionally people, mostly youth from church, come over for lunch. Yesterday, two of the girls from my Saturday Bible study came over for lunch. One of them was coming from her classes at the university so she brought a friend with her. What a great opportunity and joy it is to be able to use my home not only as a way to reach out, encourage, and disciple believers...but also as a means of sharing the gospel!

Thank you for praying for the short meditation that I was going to be giving to a group of ladies on Saturday afternoon...as it turned out, the leader called on Friday afternoon and asked to postpone it for this week...so please continue to pray for that!

There are also a couple of upcoming events that I'd like to share with you so that you can be praying for those things as well...

1. Next week, SAM's children's ministry team will be hosting a Vacation Bible School for the English speaking community at Trinity International Church (a church near my school). I will be teaching the 3rd-4th grade class and I am also in charge of organizing the Bible classroom (getting supplies together, answering questions for the Bible teachers, passing out materials, etc.). There is still much to be done before Monday, so we would appreciate your prayers...not only for us...but also for the students who will be attending, that God will speak to their hearts and make Himself real to them.

2. In two weeks, I will be accompanying World Gospel Mission to a local resort (Rio Selva) in order to teach their children while the parents are in meetings each morning and evening. It looks like I will have about 11 children...ages 4-10. I know many of the kids as they are students at my school so I'm looking forward to this time with them. Thanks to my parents' church, Westminster Reformed Presbyterian in Suffolk, VA for donating some materials that I could use for this event. We'll be doing a study on Joseph! I am excited about this conference...but I still have a great deal of planning to do!

3. Little by little, I'm starting to move my things to the apartment at the back of Virginia's house (the house where I'm living now). Virginia has told me that she doesn't mind if I stay there until I find another place to live...or the whole school year if I want! I am very appreciative of her hospitality! It is a pretty small apartment, with no stove...so I don't plan to be there all year, but we'll see. For the time being, I'm hoping to get it set up and get moved in there before she returns in the middle of July!

Well, that pretty much explains what I'm up to these days! Thank you so much for your continued prayers! I can definitely feel them right now! This is typically a difficult time for me with so many people coming and going, as I mentioned before, but I haven't felt the struggle like I typically do! So, thank you for praying!

Hello there once again! Sorry I'm a bit late in updating my blog this week, the last couple of days have been busier than I expected! The picture above was taken on Sunday afternoon. The girl in the middle is my friend Esther, from church, a college student who works in an orphanage. She lives there at the home and takes care of this group of active boys!!! On her days off, she frequently comes to study at my house, spend the night, hang out, etc. On Sunday afternoon, I invited her to bring the boys over for a couple of hours, which I have done a couple of times before. I had popcorn and soda for them and they sat (most of the time) and watched a movie, Beverly Hills Chihuahua, which my sister recently sent me for my birthday! Also in the picture on the far right, is my friend Raul from church...he just happened to be here because he needed help with something on the computer! Anyway, it was a lot of fun! I enjoy getting to know the boys better...and I love being able to support her in her work/ministry there at the home! On Saturday I'm going to go hang out over there for a bit to make cookies with them!!!!

One thing I failed to mention in my up-date last week was our Mother's Day event at church to honor the mothers in our congregation! The youth and men were in charge of the activity...fortunately, the cold didn't deter us too much!!! The theme was "Typical Santa Cruz" so all of the refreshments and decorations had to do with that motif. One of the things that was MOST exciting for me...was that quite a few visitors came. On Monday nights, some of the people in our church host a small group...it is held in their home which is in a neighborhood across the main road from the church. They have a great attendance in this small group, most of whom do not attend a church regularly and some who are not Christians. Yet, several of them have begun to come to special events held in our church and we have seen a great deal of Spiritual growth there. I met one lady on Sunday night who said that she would like to continue to come more regularly to our church...that it was through that small group that she felt the need/desire to deepen her relationship with the Lord. Praise Him for the work that is happening there. Many if not all of the mothers from that group came to this Mother's Day celebration! It was exciting to see!!! The pictures below are of the celebration...the first picture of the table where the mother's sat, was taken early on in the evening...soon after, these chairs were all filled! I'm not sure I've seen us have such a good turn out before! God is really moving and blessing this church! What an answer to prayer, as I was asking you to pray only a few months ago since people had really seemed to be dwindling away! Thank you so much for your prayers! Here is the fruit of your labor!!! Please continue to pray, as there is still much "work" to be done!



Before I wrap up this entry...I wanted to ask you to pray as well for me on Saturday afternoon as I have been asked to share a short devotional/meditation in a women's Bible study. One of the women in my church (again, more fruit...) has begun to hold a small group in her home for friends of hers from the place where she used to work as well as other neighbors. Many of the women who have begun to come are nonChristians or nonchurch-going members. I'm excited by her desire to share the gospel and by the opportunity to share in the work that God is doing among them! Last week there were 11 ladies total!!! Not bad for the first meeting! We would appreciate your prayers on this!! Well...I guess that's it for now! May God be praised for all that He continues to do here in Santa Cruz!!!

June 1, 2008

Well....I'm sitting here, in my fuzzy slippers, flannel pajama bottoms, two long-sleeve shirts, still feeling cold, and thinking of warmer days in Santa Cruz! For almost a week now we've had temperatures down around 50 and rain! In this city, it makes for a bad combination! The streets are nasty, the buses and taxis are full, and everyone just feels COLD...damp and cold is the worst! I know, you may be thinking, "it's only 50...and it is winter for you there"...but when there's no heat in the house (or in any building for that matter) and no insulation so that the cement walls just hold in the cold and moisture...it feels REALLY COLD! I'm still waiting for my body to thaw out a bit! Fortunately, I woke up this morning and looked outside at blue skies with the sun shining brightly, and knew it was going to be a good day!!! It's amazing what a little sunshine will do! The temperature is already a little more than 10 degrees warmer than it has been for several days...and it's not even 11:00!!!

I have been told that another "south wind" (which is what brings us the cold) will be blowing in again in a few more days...but hopefully it will give us a chance to thaw out and warm up my house a bit first!

I don't have a lot to report from last week...due to the weather and the fact that my truck hasn't been working...I spent the better part of the week either finishing up things in my classroom at school or working on stuff at the house. I have plenty to do at the house right now, since these are the things that tend to get put on the back burner until I make myself sit down and do them!!! One of the difficulties about being in "vacation mode" is that it makes it really hard to continue "working". Since, school is only part of my ministry here...I still have plenty of other responsibilities, not to mention, I should start working on packing up my things here in the house so that I'll be ready to move out when Virginia returns to Bolivia. Please pray that God will give me the strength and discipline that I need to get things accomplished!

Today, I'm having lunch with my friend Sandra and running a few errands, then I'll be back to take care of more paperwork this afternoon and to plan for my CIET English Class tonight! Praise the Lord that it's a sunny day, as it will make this running around a LOT easier!!! Hugs to all and thank you for your continued prayers! I'll be sending a paper version of a prayer letter out soon, so you can be watching the mail for that!