Shepherding the Nations

Impacting the World for Christ

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The Word of God is Spreading

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“But when some were becoming hardened and disobedient, speaking evil of the Way before the people, he withdrew from them and took away the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus. This took place for two years, so that all who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.” (Acts 19:9–10 – NASB95)

The Apostle Paul was a man devoted to equipping (training) people to go out and impact their world for Jesus Christ (see verse above and 2 Timothy 2:2). Paul would go to an area for a period of time, train up the people, commission them to train more people in their area, and then he would move on to another region. It is that model that STN is striving to emulate with our Bible Training Centre for Pastors (BTCP) institutes. For 5 ½ years we sent teams to India twice each year to train about 100 men in 5-day training conferences (50 in northern India and 50 in southern India). About 80 of those men graduated in 2014, and some of them became STN’s trainers. Because they are able to meet weekly in areas close to where the students live, and teach without needing a translator, they are now able to complete the BTCP training in about 2 1/2 years. What joy we experienced in October when about 240 people graduated from the BTCP training. It wasn’t just the number of students graduating that brought us great joy, it was the fact that not one of the classes were taught by people from the U.S. As we handed out graduation certificates to the students, we rejoiced in the fact that all of them were trained by people from their own country. At this time there are an additional 200+ students who are part way through the BTCP training, and there are a whole bunch of new classes about to begin with hundreds more.

Thank you for your prayers and financial partnership in this vital ministry. These students are growing in their ability to minister to others for the glory of God. Churches are being strengthened, new churches are being planted, and our Lord and Savior is being glorified. It is our prayer that as we train thousands more that once again, all who live in Asia will hear the word of the Lord.

The Teacher Became the Learner: Lessons on Prayer & Worship in India

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It was an incredible privilege for Diane to sing and for me to teach a series on “Spiritual Warfare” from Ephesians 6 at E.S. Church. The people are hungry to learn as evidenced by their willingness to sit on the floor for hours in their worship services. We met with them on 3 straight nights during the week, and then again on Sunday morning. When we arrived on Sunday at 9am they had already been praying and singing for over an hour. The part that we participated in went from 9:00am-1:30pm, then they fed our team lunch while they continued to pray and sing for another hour. During that entire 6+ hour period, the children met in a separate area of the church for their own time of prayer, praise, and study of God’s Word. After that they all went out to talk to people in the community for an hour or so and then came back so the youth could have their meeting from 4-6pm. Their commitment to make Sunday “the Lord’s Day” is instructive and challenging to our American approach to “church.”

The pastor of the church is a humble man that prays and prays and prays. At one point in the Sunday morning service he prayed for about 45 minutes for the people and specific needs in the church. They gave me a tentative schedule before the worship service began, and when I was about to begin the last sermon (there are 3 sermons in each worship service), we were at least 40 minutes late. I was prayerfully considering how to shorten the sermon when my translator said, “Take as much time as you want. If you feel the Spirit is leading you, go even longer.” I preached for an hour and then asked the pastor to close in prayer. He prayed for another 30 minutes over every point I had just made in the sermon. Later, when we were finished with lunch, the pastor and his wife came and asked me to pray for them. We have much to learn about prayer and worship from these precious saints!

A Dream Come True

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By Mika Kaltoft

Missions Trip to Africa

After arriving in Zambia, our team began traveling from village to village preaching the gospel in the open air. Many of the people in the villages had never seen white people or heard the gospel before. By God’s grace, they were eagerly listening to our message and we saw many come to know Christ. I particularly remember a Catholic man who was radically saved after one of our preaching events. The day after the event, the man came back, asking how he could start a church in his village. His face was shining as he told us about his desire to see his friends, family and whole village come to know Christ. I was thrilled about his passion for sharing the gospel, but deep down, I thought to myself, “Who is going to disciple this man and equip him to start a church?” I didn’t have an immediate answer to my question but kept pondering on it in the back of my mind.

A Seed Planted

The mission-trip to Africa had a profound impact on me. The Lord didn’t call me to pack my things, move to Africa and become a missionary, but my time of ministry in Africa kindled a desire in me. I wanted to teach and train men and women in their own country to fulfill the great commission by preaching the gospel and making disciples of all nations.

I kept asking myself, “How can we equip these believers for ministry?” But as life went on, my dream to shepherd the nations slowly faded into the background. Little did I know that the Lord had not sung the last tune on that song.

Discovering Shepherding the Nations

Moving forward about six years, I providentially began working at The Bridge Bible Fellowship in California. As I got to know my new church family, I learned that several of the pastors and church members had started a non-profit organization named Shepherding the Nations (STN) back in 2007.

I went to look at STN’s website and found their missions statement:

“To glorify God by developing a global partnership which trains and supports indigenous pastors, who will be involved in planting healthy churches that know Jesus Christ and make Him known.”

Say what? If I’m not mistaken, it sounds a whole lot like the dream the Lord placed in my heart years before in a small dusty village in Africa. I began to talk with Pastor Randy about STN, and he shared with me the impact the ministry is having in the lives of hundreds of believers in India and South America.

Shepherding the Nations in India

Our talks about STN led to planning and our planning led to the purchasing of airplane tickets and the purchasing of airplane tickets led us to India. In October, I came home from a two-week mission trip to India with STN, where we have been training more than 300 men and women to minister the gospel more effectively through the teaching of the Bible.

National Conference for Expository Preachers

During our time in India, we held a three-day National Conference for Expository Preachers. I was encouraged to see the hunger for God’s Word in India—the same hunger I saw in Africa. The men who attended the conference were eagerly listening as they were learning about expository preaching, and they were passionately engaging in their discussion groups after each session. No one sat passively listening; everyone joined the discussions with much excitement and commitment. There was so much to learn. So much to take away from the teaching. So much to consider, reevaluate and embrace. It was incredible to watch.

The men traveled from far and wide to attend the conference. A couple of men traveled an uncomfortable 25-hours in a train to make it to the conference. Other indigenous men came from a rural and dangerous area where militant Hindus daily persecuted them and where Christians have been burned alive in the past.

Many of the conference attendees expressed their thankfulness for the time, energy and resources we had sacrificed to come across the globe to teach God’s Word on how to become better preachers and leaders in their churches. A man told us the enormous impact the conference had on him as tears were running down his cheeks. He said that he had learned so much at the conference that will help him become a more faithful minister and preacher of God’s Word to his congregation.

BTCP Graduation

The day after the conference, we held a graduation for 200 students who had faithfully spent more than 500 hours working their way through the ten BTCP books to receive a solid biblical foundation on which to build their Christian lives and ministry. The following week, we went to Northern India, where we graduated an additional 41 faithful students.

Several of the graduates will be planting new churches to reach and disciple more Indians in the near future, but their commitment to Christ doesn’t come without a cost. The threat and persecution of these Christians is a daily reality in India, and our brothers and sisters in Christ need our prayers as they remain faithful to the Lord in reaching the lost in a raging storm.

Only God knows the ultimate impact of the conference and our ministry in India, but I’m confident we will see the effect for many generations to come.

The Future of Shepherding the Nations

I’m excited to continue my work with STN in the future. I’m eager to see how the Lord is going to continue to expand the ministry, its reach and the number of believers equipped to teach God’s Word and plant healthy churches.

How Can You Get Involved?

If this article is stirring a desire in you to train believers in impacting their country for Christ through STN, I ask that you take a moment and prayerfully ask the Lord to show you how to get involved with this ministry either by praying or giving financially.

 photo credit: Alan McDole

What happened in Berea almost 2,000 years ago is also happening in India!

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NCEP Prayer Card Cover

Not pictured but joining our team: Ryder and Flory Kumar, David Hegg, and Alan McDole

“The brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so. Therefore many of them believed, along with a number of prominent Greek women and men.” Acts 17:10-12 – NASB95

What happened in Berea almost 2,000 years ago is also happening in India! Not necessarily with Jewish people in synagogues, but with the Indian people who are hungry to learn from the Word of God. If you could go with us to the churches in India, you would see hundreds of people gathering and sitting on concrete floors for worship services that last 3 ½ hours! During that time, they sing, pray, share in communion, and listen to THREE SERMONS. There is a short sermon (15-20 minutes) on worship followed by singing and prayer, then another short sermon (20-30 minutes) on communion followed by more singing and prayer and partaking in the Lord’s Supper, and then a longer sermon (45-60 minutes).

That means there is a lot of preaching! Which is why our India Team is so excited to go to India next month and train pastors at our National Conference for Expository Preachers (NCEP). We currently have over 200 pastors signed up for our 3-day conference. Imagine that many pastors going back to their churches trained to teach and preach the Word of God in such a way that if the original authors of Scripture were listening, they would say, “Yes, that is what I meant and what I want them to do with it.” The ladies on our team are also thrilled to lead two Ladies’ Conferences on our trip (3 days in one city and 1 day in another). Over 100 ladies are signed up for the 3-day conference and over 80 for the 1-day conference. They will be equipped in the Scriptures and go back to their churches to be used by God to train others who will train others.

This multiplication process is what STN is all about (2 Timothy 2:2). We are committed to training and resourcing national leaders to reach their own country with the Gospel. And you can see that in the two graduation ceremonies we will have for the students who have completed our 2+ year Bible Training Centre for Pastors (BTCP) course. Between the two cities there are over 250 graduates who are excited about going out and training others who will train others. Existing churches will be strengthened and new churches will be planted as a result of what God is doing in India and Nepal. It is our hope that through the ministry of STN, the Word of God will spread all over Asia like it did in the Book of Acts (6:7; 12:24; 19:20).

Would you prayerfully consider supporting us? We need your prayers as we prepare for the conferences, graduations, meetings, and church services. We also need your prayers for safety in all our travels. We also need financial support as it will cost about $3,000 per person for airfare, housing, food, etc., and some additional funds for costs related to the conferences and graduations. Total cost (depending on the number of people going) will be between $25,000-$30,000.
If you would like to donate to this specific ministry of STN, please go to our donation page and choose the “Oct 2019 India NCEP Trip” donation designation. We so appreciate your prayer and financial support. If you have any questions, please email me at pbrown@tbbfchurch.org.

Another Momentous Blessing for STN Southeast Asia: Regional Directors!

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By Ryder Kumar, STN International Director

North India Regional Director

What can we call *J.S.? Cobra Killer? Principal of a school of 300 kids? Missionary in one of the most remote areas of Northern India? Ten-year faculty member serving STN India?

While all these are absolutely true ‘titles,’ so to speak, J.S. joined our first batch of equipping and training students in Lucknow and graduated, and was so motivated by the teaching and dedication of the visiting U.S. ministry team that he couldn’t wait to start his ministry of sharing the Good News of the Gospel in some of the remotest areas of India.

His reliance on the Lord in facing the difficult journeys and daunting challenges he has faced every day of his ministry has been an encouragement to all of us over the past several years.

Along with his wife, L.S., son (21), daughter, J.S.(16) is determined to live in the village where he bought a piece of land with his income that he received from the sale of his property in Kerala. Different kinds of venomous snakes, including deadly cobras, menace the area. Surrounding communities worship the cobra and won’t kill them out of fear, but call for J.S. to kill them if they become a danger.

Along with dangerous areas in Odisha, J.S. has dared to go as far as Jharkhand, Bihar and Nepal, in addition to his teaching in his own village in Uttar Pradesh.

Flory and I are humbled and honored to have this brother help STN India and Nepal as its Regional Director starting next month. Many thanks to the international team for recognizing his dedication and approving him for the task.

Central India Regional Director

central india The Lord is amazing in the ways of how He brought people to the Lord’s work who share a oneness of mind and are willing to focus on the vision God has given STN International.

E.Z., our good friend from Dallas Theological Seminary who is serving in Dubai, met P. who was, at the same time, working with the Bible Society in Dubai, but resigned his post to return to India to serve the Lord. P. and his wife, D., a Professor of English, have two daughters, 21, and 20, and would visit our home regularly to participate in our weekly STN prayer meetings.

Flory’s meetings with D., such as at the ladies’ seminar, created a strong bond, while observing the vision and burden of P. led us to accept him as an STN Regional Director in Hyderabad.

P. has studied theology in seminary and has joined me on several journeys I’ve taken to teach BTCP orientation classes. That experience led him to join the faculty of STN India to teach and equip more than 50 students in several remote areas across the country.

As the International Board accepted and approved the candidature of P. as one of STN’s new Regional Directors, Flory and I are very happy that we have a person known for his dedication and servanthood leadership to take up the task and help STN move forward.

South India Regional Directors

Both V.K. and I.K. first joined STN’s equipping and training classes in 2004 when the U.S. team began their regular mission trips to India.

The intentions of these two men were so different when they first stepped into the class. They are both living proof of how God works in people’s hearts.

“For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”- Hebrews 4:12

While the team from the U.S. was laboring with love and commitment, the Lord was doing His work quietly and, as always in ways far beyond our comprehension.

Very soon, V.K.’s original intention of contacting Pastor Paul Brown via email in order to get financial help vanished through the ministry of the Word of God.

He had a change of heart and also brought his brother I.K. for the training and continued faithfully to undergo, and successfully complete, the entire five-year program. This brought about such a radical transformation that both brothers launched a Gospel teaching ministry that extends into five remote regions.  Many of the participants in the brothers’ ministry will graduate this year.

After spending much time observing the brothers’ communication skills, knowledge, and dedication to spreading The Gospel, the decision was made to name V.K. as Regional Director of the area with I.K. serving as Associate Regional Director, as well as STN pastor of a local church.

Flory and I have had several meetings with these brothers’ families and have seen their commitment to the Lord’s work. Flory has personally invested time in these precious lives. V.K. and his wife, P.K. have a son 15 years old.

We are very happy that the International board approved these brothers to undertake this responsibility.

The Ordination of our Regional Directors

A laying on of hands of all these new Regional Directors will be done by the elders, if God wills, in October. Please join us in praying for them as they embark on their new work in God’s service.

*Names and places have been omitted for security.

Shepherding the Nations Women’s Conference

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One of the highlights for me on our short-term trips to India is the opportunity to teach God’s Word to Indian Christian women. If you had told me in my early 40’s that I would be traveling to India and teaching the Bible to women there, I would have laughed out loud! I never saw myself in that kind of role, but here I am, 14 years and four trips later and it has become my passion! Not only has the Lord taught me to study and teach, but He has given me a true love for His daughters in India. It’s this love that motivates me to go back every time there is an opportunity to bring the Word to those who desire to learn.

Women’s Retreat – Indian Style

This banner is used in India to promote the conference – note the headline – “Good news for those who delight to preach nothing but the Word” That’s me!

This year will be a little different from past trips where we have focused on a small group of pastor’s wives from rural villages. This year we will be teaching 125+ women during a three-day women’s conference, and then holding a second one-day conference for 75+ women the next week in a different area.  Our attendees will be Christian women who are coming from local churches. Flory, Tammy and I will all have opportunities to teach and there will be time for small group discussion, singing, testimonies and prayer.

This might sound similar to women’s retreats or conferences here in the states – except for the translation into Hindi and Telegu… and the cultural differences… and the political persecution against believers… and a whole host of life experiences and hardships that I would never experience. To be honest with you, we will really need your prayers and the Holy Spirit to open hearts and illuminate His Word to these precious women. What we all have in common is our salvation, the authority of God’s Word, and a high calling as the people of His church – and that’s everything!

My Topic – Contentment

The Lord has put the topic of Christian Contentment on my heart this year. It was the theme of our College and Young Adult camp this year and I had the opportunity to teach the young women on this topic. As every teacher knows, the first thing I had to learn was how much I had to learn! Praise God that He has changed my heart and helped me to grow in this area of my life and I am so excited to share it with these precious ladies in India.

What is Christian Contentment? According to Puritan preacher, Jeremiah Burroughs,

“Christian Contentment is that sweet, inward, quiet, gracious frame of spirit which freely submits to and delights in God’s wise and fatherly disposal in every condition.”

The Apostle Paul told us in Phil. 4:10-13 that he had “learned the secret” of contentment and that the strength to be content comes from Jesus Christ. May the Lord continue to teach me this secret and reveal it to those I’m called to minister to in India.

National Conference on Expository Preaching

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“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15 – NASB95)

Preaching God’s inspired, inerrant, authoritative truth is an incredible privilege. Teaching others how to do it accurately, communicating the intent of the original author, is a privilege as well. That is what a group of us will be doing in October when we travel to India to lead a 3-Day National Conference on Expository Preaching (NCEP). It will be a whirlwind trip for Randy & Susan Leinen, Pastor David Hegg, my wife Diane and me (there are currently 3 or 4 more prayerfully considering going with us). Randy, David & I will lead the conference for 200+ pastors & church planters from all over India.

What is Expository Preaching?

Preaching in which the content, structure, and emphasis of the sermon reflect and are derived from the content, structure and emphasis of the biblical text. We will walk these pastors through the book of 2 Timothy showing them how to see what the author wrote, what he meant by what he wrote, how it would have been understood and applied by the audience he wrote to, and how they can then apply it to their lives today. After each time of instruction, they will meet in small groups to apply that instruction by studying the book of Titus. They will go back to their churches with a deeper understanding of those two books, as well as the passion and tools to study God’s Word and teach it accurately to their people. Imagine 200+ pastors all over India proclaiming God’s Word faithfully and powerfully to their churches.

NCEP Board in India, meeting to plan the conference

Ladies Conference

While we are teaching the men, Susan, Tammy, Diane, and Flory Kumar will hold a 3-day conference for the ladies. Those ladies will be challenged and equipped to go back and have a profound impact on others in their churches and communities.

Each evening during the 3-day conference, Randy, David and I will be preaching in 3 different churches.

Graduation

The day after the 3-day conferences end, we will hold a graduation ceremony for all the people who have completed our 2+ year Bible Training Centre for Pastors (BTCP) training program. That weekend we will have some important meetings with people associated with STN in India, and then we will preach / sing in some churches on Sunday. On Monday we will travel to another city where Susan, Tammy, Diane & Flory will hold a one-day seminar for the ladies, followed by a special graduation ceremony for all those who have completed the BTCP training in that part of India. We are expecting 268 graduates! 

It is exciting to think how the Lord is going to use the people coming to the conferences, and the BTCP graduates, to strengthen existing churches and plant new churches all over India and Nepal in the coming years. We currently have 450+ students in our BTCP training classes in India and Nepal. Each time we finish training a class of students, we start up new classes with even more students. We hope the next round will have 1,000 or more and grow exponentially every 2-3 years.

Would you prayerfully consider supporting us? We need your prayers as we prepare for the conferences, graduations, meetings, and church services. We also need your prayers for safety in all our travels. We also need financial support as it will cost about $3,000 per person for airfare, housing, food, etc., and some additional funds for costs related to the conferences and graduations. Total cost (depending on the number of people going) will be between $25,000-$30,000.

If you would like to donate to this specific ministry of STN, please go to our donation page and select the “Oct 2019 India NCEP Trip” donation designation. We so appreciate your prayer and financial support. If you have any questions, please email me at pbrown@tbbfchurch.org.

Latin America Update

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by Pastor Eddie Bueno

STN Latin America continues to work with five institutes in Mexico, Honduras and Bolivia.

BOLIVIA

Last October almost 50 students graduated from three different institutes. We thank God because as a result four new churches have been planted in Santa Cruz and they are in the process of growing. These churches were planted by brothers that have graduates from our institute.

Cochabamba has planted two new churches. La Paz planted a new church that is located four hours from the city in a totally secluded place and where no pastor has been willing to go, but a student from the STN institute has decided to go there to preach and plant a church.

We also ask for your prayers for the political situation in Bolivia, this year there will be elections and the current government is a socialist government that is fighting to eradicate religion in Bolivia. Pray that this does not happen, nor affect the on-going training.

HONDURAS

We ask for your prayers for pastor Jose Antonio Pino who teaches at the institute in Honduras, he suffered a serious motorcycle accident and was about to lose his arm, but thank God that after three surgeries they managed to save his arm and he is now recovering and receiving therapy and will continue teaching in the STN institute of Honduras.

India Women’s Conferences October 2019

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When I think about the incredible opportunity and priviledge I’ve been given to travel to India with my husband and the STN team, I am truly humbled and grateful. In so many ways I’ve been ‘grafted in’ among these gifted people. STN’s ministry is to teach and train. So the Lord brought together a band of incredible teachers. The men’s conferences are rich in biblical teaching from Paul Brown, Randy Leinen, Ryder Kumar, and sometimes others. The men come away saturated in God’s Word and deeply motivated to take their training to their churches and villages.

This past trip, as in years past, we have included a women’s conference. Susan Leinen, Flory Kumar, and Tammy Werth brought great teaching to the ‘sisters’ in Lucknow and in Hyderabad. I bring what help I can – in the way of photograpy, practical support to my husband and the team, and ministering in song. What a joy!

Below are some gathered thoughts and encouraging notes from our team and also from a few of the ‘sisters’ to whom we ministered. I hope and pray these give you a glimpse of the work and fruitful fruition of our STN efforts given to us by our Lord Jesus. Also, please enjoy a few photos of our latest women’s conferences and these beautiful women – the ‘jewels of India.’

“My ministry goals for the trip in India were quite a challenge – preparing three messages and teaching to more than 200 women in India, trying to understand the needs of people with a completely different culture, language, and education, and being an example in love, prayer, humility, and team unity. It was clear from the very early planning stages that the only way to operate was in the strength of Christ and the prayers of our supporters. He was able to accomplish all of what we hoped and much more in the lives of these precious women. Please continue to pray for these ladies that they would put in to practice all that they learned and share it with others.” – Susan Leinen

“We all did what the Master had us do. It was an incredible blessing – a treat of the Word. The ladies in the churches normally get textual messages. However, in the conferences, the impact was topical and practical messages filled with illustrations, fun projects as reminders, and encouragement to carry out the biblical teaching on a daily basis. Diane, your singing was appreciated – taking them to the next level of worship. And, as one sister puts it, ‘I was mesmerised by her voice.’ Our staff assistant shared what she had learned about habitual sin to her village Sunday School children. A boy went home and told his mother, ‘my teacher said robbing a pencil is sin. I will not do it again.’ (Villagers don’t have very nice things and tend to envy or rob.)” – Flory Kumar

 

“Our heartfelt thanks to you all for spending your valuable insights, time, energy, and money by coming all the way from the US to us. May God bless you.”

“I personally was so blessed to hear from you these wonderful biblical truths. The topics shared are most needed, yet most neglected, and considered casual. That’s why God sent His word through your team. You all were so humble and stood as an example for us. I thank God for you all. Surely we will live for God s Glory.” – From our Indian sisters

Bolivia Graduation

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I am thankful for all the opportunities the Lord has given me through Shepherding The Nations (STN) to resource and train people to reach their world with the gospel. Pastor Eddie Bueno has been heading up our ministry in Latin America where we have six training centers. At each training center students are working through an intensive two-plus-year curriculum to equip them to better serve as church leaders and/or church planters in unreached areas.

Our First Latin America Graduation

Three of those training centers are located in Bolivia. All three will be having graduation ceremonies this month. A team of five of us will be going to Bolivia, while there, Pastor Eddie and I will preach at special evangelistic services, special youth and church worship services, and graduation ceremonies. We will also meet with key leaders to determine the next steps STN will take to train more future leaders and see how we can help some of the graduates plant new churches in unreached areas. Please pray for God’s wisdom and protection as we serve these precious saints in Bolivia.