Dear Praying Friends,
We have been in Bolivia for 2 of our 3 months. Our time here has gone well, but quickly.

The first few weeks were spent promoting our sign language classes in several churches. I think I spoke with 12 different pastors during that time. Then we did a 2-day introductory class with a church in which 80 people came! That was encouraging.

Main Sign Language Class
Our 4-week class started April 6 and goes through May 1. We have about 15 who have stayed faithful to the classes and are learning really well. But, as you may know, one month of classes is not enough to learn everything there is to know about another language. The idea of the class is that the students are learning enough to be able to communicate with the Deaf and start building relationships that will help them learn much more in the coming months.

Next Steps
Our deaf friend, Pastor Rodolfo from Santa Cruz, will be coming to town in a couple of weeks to help us host a deaf fellowship. We are inviting the Deaf to a time of games and fellowship. This will be a time to get the sign language students together with the deaf community. Pastor Rodolfo will also give a Gospel presentation that Saturday (May 9). We are excited to have him stay for the weekend and he will be preaching in one of the hearing churches Sunday morning.

One of the churches here has two hard of hearing teens who both know signs. This is the church we are mainly focused on that will host a deaf ministry. That said, four of our students who are doing really well in the classes are from one of the other churches in town. It may be that the Deaf will have a choice of two very good churches to attend in the city.

Upcoming Summer Events
We get home at the end of May to get prepared for our typical summer activities. I will be speaking in 4 deaf camps for the Bill Rice Ranch this summer. We also have our missionary Enrichment Week at the BIO office. Stephanie and I will be teaching as well as interpreting for our deaf missionaries. We look forward to these activities every year, but they also take a lot of energy to accomplish. We appreciate prayers for health, strength and patience.

The time in Bolivia and the upcoming summer activities have been possible because of your prayers and financial support. We don’t take that lightly. Thank you!

You can download a PDF version of this letter for printing.