Day of the Dead

November 2 is celebrated here as the Day of the Dead.  People visit the tombs of their loved ones and prepare "offerings" for them.  The belief is that the souls of the dead are released for 24 hours, from noon on Nov. 1 until noon on Nov. 2.








In preparation for the arrival of their souls, relatives prepare a table (altar) for the dead.  Essential elements of each table are water (to calm their thirst), bread in the form of a ladder (symbolizing their climb out of the afterworld), merengue candies called "suspiros" (sighs) which symbolize their dying breath, breads, fruits and other favorite foods of the dead person.





Relatives will spend this day talking, reminiscing or singing with their deceased loved ones.  At noon on Nov. 2 they must "send them back".

 What great comfort we have as believers to know that our souls will go to be with Jesus.  He promises to take us to be with Him and we will not be continually sent back to this world of sin and sorrow.

"And so we will be forever with the Lord".

Reformation 2011

"Unless I am convinced of error by the testimony of Scripture or by clear reason...I cannot and will not recant anything, for it is neither safe nor honest to act against ones's conscience.  God help me.  Amen. 

(Luther at the Diet of Worms, 1521)


With these words, Luther rested his faith on God's Word and on His word alone.  He had already suffered much persecution and he knew that these words would bring upon him more persecution and hateful reactions from those who opposed his preaching.  And yet, he remained firm in his preaching of the truth.


His enemies used lies, defamation, false testimony and the civil authorities to try to stop his preaching.  In all this, God continually watched over Luther, blessing him with protection and strength to preach and publish a prolific number of books and pamphlets proclaiming the truth.


We continue to preach the Word, even when we encounter opposition.  

With the same confidence we too proclaim Christ today; we pay no attention to the clamors of the godless and all our adversaries, who complain that our doctrine is seditious and blasphemous because it disturbs the state of public affairs, overturns religion, sows heresies, and in short, is the cause of all evils.  When Christ and His apostles preached, the same clamor was raised by the godless Jews... 


But because we believe, we will speak as long as there is any breath in us, and we will bear the persecutions of the adversaries until Christ, our High Priest and King, comes from heaven.  This, we hope, will be soon.  As a just Judge He will punish those who do not obey His Gospel.  (What Luther Says, #3815)

TIPNIS

La Prensa-TIPNIS

TIPNIS is the name of a national park here in Bolivia.  This jungle area had been declared a protected area by an agreement between the native peoples that inhabit this territory and the national government.  Now the government wants to build a major highway right through the heart of this territory.

La Prensa- Marchers arrive in La Paz

La Prensa-La Paz supports marchers

The indigenous people of this land oppose this new road and to protest against these plans, they walked 65 days from their homes until they reached La Paz.  They were received by a multitude of supporters here in La Paz.  A committee from the city, in an official ceremony, gave the marchers the keys to the city and declared them "Illustrious Guests".

La Prensa-Marchers sleep in plaza

The marchers camped in the downtown plaza in front of the Presidential Palace.  After a few uncomfortable days between the marchers and the police, the president agreed to dialogue with the marchers.  They convinced the president to honor his agreement to not destroy this protected area.  The road will not be finished as planned.

La Prensa-Marchers in La Paz

The marchers went back to their lands happy that they had been successful in stopping the construction of the road, and pleased with the way the people of La Paz had treated and supported them.  About 400 of them were flown back in Air Force planes and another 700 were taken back home in buses.  They received a hero's welcome by their fellow citizens.

Elections

This week we had church services on Saturday.  Sunday was election day (election of judges).  No cars were permitted on the road unless you had requested a special permit.  People could be out on the streets but only to go to vote within your precinct.  After voting, you receive your "voting certificate".  This certificate is required for any banking you will do and banks usually ask for it for up to three months after the elections.

TIPNIS - Diario La Prensa

The indigenous group from the TIPNIS area will be arriving in La Paz on Wednesday.  They hope to get to the downtown plaza right in front of the President's offices.  It has now been two months since they started their march.

Growing

"You did not choose me, but I chose you ..." John 15:16.  Last Sunday we were privileged to be present when a new member was received into the congregation.  Every time the Holy Spirit leads someone to admit their sinfulness and their need for a Savior, we see evidence of the Holy Spirit creating faith in hearts - undeserving hearts that He fills with His grace.  God continues to gather His children and we rejoice and give thanks for His faithful work among us.











Cultural note:

This last week we had another strike - streets closed, no transportation, no school.  The pictures show some of the protesters and also people walking in the streets (no cars!).  The protesters were showing their support for the TIPNIS indigenous people.  This group had an agreement with the government to protect their territory and now the government has made plans to build a highway straight through the center of their land.  They have left their land and are marching to La Paz where they plan to protest in front of the government buildings.

More Walking

Diario - Extra

Diario - Extra

Diario - La Prensa

The day that we arrived back from our trip to the North, there was another citywide strike.  Since La Paz is such a large city, some mayors from neighboring municipalities had proposed that parts of the city be annexed to their areas.  The citizens of La Paz did not agree with this suggestion and as you can see by the pictures expressed their frustration by shutting down the entire city.  All the main roads in and out of the city were blocked as were the main roads inside the city - no buses, no taxis, no cars.  Most people were forced to stay home - no school, most businesses closed.

Diario - La Prensa

Rejoicing

Baptism now saves you (1 Pet. 3:21).  We rejoiced in this promise last Sunday as Pastor Julio baptized a one month old infant.  Trusting in His promises we believe that this child is now a child of God, forgiven and with faith in the Savior.

What makes this baptism even more joyful is that two years earlier the family had been in an automobile accident.  The wife was wearing her seatbelt, but the impact of the crash was so severe that the seat belt cut through her skin and into her intestines.  She was in intensive care and went through several operations to repair the damage.  After she was out of danger, the doctors told her it was highly unlikely she would be able to carry any more children to term.


And yet, here we are today, rejoicing in the baptism of their newborn child.  The Lord not only gave them a child (in spite of the doctor's prediction) He made that child His own through the sacrament of Baptism.

Praise the Lord. 
 Praise the Lord from the Heavens,
Praise him in the heights above.

Walking

Last Sunday was "Pedestrian Day" in La Paz.  All vehicles (except for ambulances) were prohibited on the streets of the city from 12 midnight until 6PM.  We got up early to walk to church.

This is how the streets look on a normal Sunday morning.












This is what we saw on "Pedestrian Day".

It took less than an hour to walk the whole way.  We were able to worship with other "walking" Lutherans and then enjoyed fellowship with some of the members for the afternoon.

Teaching

One of the important ways to strengthen our faith is to maintain contact with the Word by studying the teachings and doctrines so we can discern false doctrines.  To this end, doctrinal classes were offered to the people here. 

Two sessions were held.  The first session was offered to the people who live in La Paz and were able to attend night classes for two weeks.  Invitations were sent to those people who live in outlying areas so they could attend a week of intensive studies.

Many of the people's questions were answered, especially about salvation by grace and about the Bible being the guide for our emotions and heart and not the reverse.

We pray the Lord would bless these classes and produce a stronger faith in the students according to His promise that His Word will not return void.

Santa Cruz

As part of the work here we made a visit to the congregation in Santa Cruz.  The first part of the trip was mostly desert.  Everything was dry and dusty.  Many of the houses were made of mud bricks.  We also saw several herds of llamas grazing on the side of the road.

After about eight hours of desert, we drove through the mountains and came to the other side where everything was green and the air was hot and humid.  The views from the top of the mountain range were absolutely breath-taking.

After another seven hours we arrived in Santa Cruz.  We met with the people there and Philip was able to lead several studies.  They were very happy with the message and appreciated hearing the gospel.  We thank God for such grateful hearts anxious to hear the truth.  Our prayer is that they continue in the truth and grow in grace always looking to Jesus as their only Savior.

Market Days

noodles

cow belly

bread

potatoes

Here are a few more pictures of what it is like to shop at the market.  There are many stands and a large variety of products available.  Someone described it as a treasure hunt!

chicken

beef

noodles

dried hot peppers

fish

nuts and raisins

Anniversary

Redeemer Lutheran celebrated their anniversary in June.  Beautiful flowers decorated the altar and grateful hearts remembered the congregation's history.  After the service, cake was served.






 Pastor Julio is preaching God's Word with law and gospel messages.  We pray that the Lord continue to bless the people with believing hearts that appreciate all the doctrines of His Word.  What a joy to see the Holy Spirit working in the people's hearts.  Please pray with us that their faith and love for His Word continue to grow.