A New Vision for Bolivia
“The vision awaits its appointed time . . . if it seems slow, wait for it; he whose heart is not right becomes proud, but the righteous will live by faith . . . for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea (Hab. 2:3-4, 14).
The prophet Habakkuk couldn’t understand why God, who abhors sin, allowed the evil to prosper. But when he glimpsed God’s purpose, he was consoled and encouraged to expect great changes in his society because a day will come when all will know God. Those who despite adversity remain faithful to God will live.
Like Habakkuk, we who serve God today must trust the work God is doing in our society. Even as we witness governments seeking to banish God from their lands, moral decadence and evil being called good, the church must accept the challenge to be salt and light in our nations, to awaken a new generation committed to serve our Lord.
This was the vision that brought together more than 250 young ministry leaders from all over Bolivia in the highland city of Cochabamba August 15-17, 2008, for BCM Bolivia’s first National Sunday School Teacher Convention. The following overheard conversation was typical of their enthusiasm.
“Isn’t it beautiful how with such a diverse group, we can feel so united as one body in Christ?”
“Yes, no one asks about our church or denomination. All that counts is the love of Christ we share.”
But just how did BCM get started in Bolivia?
For much of its history, Bolivia was known best for its constant military coups. But the 1990s saw both a new level of political stability and openness to the gospel. So much so that the Association of Evangelicals in Bolivia (ANDEB) was able to host breakfasts and summit meetings with presidents and their cabinets. Churches were multiplying rapidly. By the last census, the evangelical church had grown to an estimated 16% of Bolivia’s nine million inhabitants.
At the same time, churches were filling up with people who called themselves Christians but knew little of God’s Word or Christian life. Pastors became concerned at a lack of Bible teaching and discipleship. A new generation of Christian urban professionals were demanding church leadership with higher levels of preparation and who could respond effectively to spiritual and ethical issues of their society.
In 1991 North American missionaries Claudia Moore and Ellen Steele invited to Cochabamba a team of believers from Michigan, headed up by Mrs. Susan Sanderson, to train a group of Bolivian children’s ministry leaders. Among them were Dionicio and Lidia Ajhuacho, a young pastor and his wife with a passion to reach children. The result was a new ministry among the children of Bolivia called the Bible Club Movement.
Back in Michigan, the Sanderson family and fellow believers continued to support the Bible Club ministry in Bolivia. Among them were David (deceased) and Dorothy Hoffer, one-time missionaries to Bolivia, who were now working with BCM in Michigan. In 2000 this group of believers formed the Michigan Committee, specifically to encourage the Bible Club ministry in Bolivia, the beginning of a formal affiliation with BCM International. BCM Bolivia set as its key objective the systematic teaching of God’s Word from Genesis through Revelation. A second objective is partner with local churches in training their leadership and children’s ministry teachers.
The years from 2001-2005 saw continued growth of BCM Bolivia, including its recognition as a legal organization by the Bolivian government, its first candidate school, which graduated eighteen new missionaries, and the first BCM Latin America Conference, uniting more than sixty BCM ministry leaders from Brazil, Peru, Mexico, and Bolivia. That conference resulted in the Declaration of Cochabamba, which continues to serve as a strategy plan for BCM ministry throughout Latin America.
Children have always been the focus of BCM Bolivia. This has involved many young people as volunteers, who as they themselves were trained, started Bible Clubs throughout the Cochabamba region. In the last ten years, more than seventy clubs have been organized, reaching more than a thousand children with the systematic teaching of Scripture. Most of these have been plugged into neighborhood churches. Two clubs have grown into churches, each now with a pastor of its own. Evangelistic campaigns and camps have reached thousands more.
New pool at BCM camp in Tiquipaya, Bolivia
With the backing of the Michigan Committee and Sanderson Family, BCM Bolivia was able to acquire two properties to build camps. The main property of 3000 square meters in the small town of Tiquipaya, a university community on the outskirts of Cochabamba, was originally a local spa, well-known to residents for its sizeable pool, sauna, and sporting fields. On August 13, 2006, with Mrs. Susan Sanderson representing the Michigan Committee, the cornerstone was laid for a three-story multifunction building with a 120-bed capacity to serve as BCM Bolivia headquarters as well as training, retreat and camp center. To this point, the first floor has been finished, along with a conference hall seating 250 people. With its convenient location, BCM Christian Camp Tiquipaya is already in heavy demand by churches and ministries for spiritual retreats, children and youth camps, pastoral and denominational conferences. BCM missionaries Isaac and María Condori oversee this ministry, a heavy work load for only two people. A future goal is to see short term mission teams with a vision for camps coming through to help meet the goals and objectives of our mission here.
Because of their own life changes, many young volunteers who went through our training and worked in the Bible Clubs are no longer involved directly in BCM ministries. But the discipleship and training they received with BCM has opened doors to other ministry, whether as Sunday school teachers in their local churches, some in full-time Christian service, others as Christian adults serving God through their professions.
Since 2006, Bolivian Christians have seen growing on the horizon of our country political and social storm-clouds that menace our faith and liberty. BCM Bolivia missionaries have personally experienced that adversity, and it has sometimes been difficult to view adversity as opportunity. But today we give thanks to our God for the freedom we have to serve as part of the BCM team. Though much territory remains to be covered, we are confident that with God’s help, we will soon see the ministry of BCM Bolivia offering blessing and spiritual renovation in every corner of our homeland. May we raise up faithful workers who handle correctly the Word of truth (2 Tim. 2:15)!
