New guys

Yesterday we had over 40 students at our CineCenter lunch Bible Studies. They were divided into seven small groups of men and women, all studying the last part of Philippians chapter 1. It was great to see everyone thinking through what it would mean to put other people's needs ahead of our own!

I was with a group of three first year students from the Modern Language Department at the state university: Adalid, Jhon, and Emiterio. This Christian stuff is pretty new to them all. Last week Adalid prayed and received Christ and this week he told the other guys about it. Different needy folks often wander through asking for money and we shared a piece of pizza with a young deaf boy yesterday.

Today I went back to the food court for lunch alone. The lady who served me my lunch works at one of the small fast food places close to the tables where our students always gather. She took a look at me and asked, "What do you do with all of those students every week?" I guess we're pretty noticable. I got to share briefly with her how we study the Bible together.

Please keep praying for our pizza lunches!

US Treats for Andrew

I am in Orlando for a meeting of Campus Crusade Area Financial Managers from around the world. Taking advantage of the nearby Walmart, I loaded up on something that just isn't the same in Bolivia: CEREAL. I even brought an extra duffle to take them home in. We'll see what Andrew thinks when I get home.

Dad, where do we live?

Last night Andrew was working on an assigned college application for his Life Skills class. He asked me, "Dad, where do we live?", meaning "what is our address?"

We had to laugh because our dirt road does not have a name and our house does not have a number. The best we can do is:

Kilometer 14 on the old highway to Cochabamba.
Turn in 2 kilometers to the neighborhood call "El Balcon 1"
The white house with the red tile roof next door to the tall water tower.
If you get lost, ask the neighbors where the gringos live.

I am afraid when Andrew gets around to the real college applications that won't fit in the blanks!

Ron

Happy Birthday Andrew

Andrew turned 17 on Friday. The great sacrifice for him about living in Bolivia is that you can't drive (legally) until you're 18. Because of when his birthday falls, he will spend his whole senior year next year as an 18 year old. He is counting the months!

August 2009 letter

Ron and Jeanie Burgin
Campus Crusade for Christ, Bolivia
http://burgin-bolivia.blogspot.com/

August, 2009

Dear Friend,

Greetings from Santa Cruz, Bolivia! I’m sure you’re gearing up for a new school/church year just like we are here. The weather is turning warmer as we head into springtime.

Last week I was having lunch with Darling, a guy in our Bible study and Wilfredo, a guy who we had just gotten acquainted with. As we were studying the passage in Luke 24 where Jesus appears to the disciples on the road to Emmaus, it seemed pretty clear that Wilfredo did not know Christ as his Savior, yet. As we finished studying the passage I asked Darling to share the Four Spiritual Laws with Wilfredo. Wilfredo hung on every word, and at the end of the booklet joyfully received Christ as his Savior. I can’t tell you the privilege it is to serve here in Bolivia and see God work in such tremendous ways.

In my work as the South America representative for the JESUS Film, I get to support and encourage ministry throughout our continent. We supply equipment and 16mm films, DVD’s and projectors to our Campus Crusade staff and other pastors and missionaries throughout the ten countries of South America. I received this story yesterday from Wilson Moreno, one of our staff in Colombia:

“I want to tell you the story of a special pastor that I met a few years ago. I’ll call him Pedro. Physically, Pedro looks small and a little fragile, to the point that I didn’t expect much from him. He lives in a small village, San Martin, about an hour from the nearest town of any size. When I met him, his heart was on fire with the idea of planting churches the length and breadth of the Colombian state of Meta. This of course implied a lot of hard and constant labor to get to really remote locations, many of which were very dangerous because of the ongoing violence in the rural areas. The terrorist factions and the paramilitaries hate the message of love and forgiveness in the Gospel of Jesus.

We loaned Pedro a 16mm equipment set and a copy of the JESUS film. We also trained him in how to share the Four Spiritual Laws. He set off for places that we would not consider very important or strategic, but for Pedro were his top priority. The results have been astounding! Since he started with the JESUS Film, he has planted nine churches in areas where no other Christian has been able to work. He even planted a church in the town of Mapiripán, the site of a terrible massacre by paramilitary forces (right wing) in 1997.

I spoke with Pedro a few days ago and how he moves me with compassion for the people of his community who need Jesus. He has a new goal: he wants to train young people in leadership where they would learn to study the Word of God, how to disciple others, and how to start new small prayer groups. All of this is being done with the prayer of bringing revival to places where people are used to thinking only in terms of war and hatred. He gathered them together in the town of Villavicencio to encourage them and give them vision for what God can do in their villages.

The story of Pedro has been such a lesson to me of a man who made plans of faith, not based on his personal abilities or capacity, not based on his financial resources, but only trusting in the unfailing faithfulness of God.”

I want to thank you for the part you play in allowing us to serve in South America! May God continue to richly bless you!

Your missionaries in Bolivia,
Ron, Jeanie and Andrew Burgin

Prayer requests:
-Pray for Wilfredo and the many new believers in our ministry.
-Pray for Pastor Pedro and the hundreds of pastors like him who struggle against long odds to proclaim the truth of the Gospel.
-Pray for the effectiveness of our ministry to students here in Bolivia and for partnering pastors as they plant churches and build disciples throughout South America.
-Pray for Jeanie and Andrew as they begin a new year at the mission school here in Santa Cruz; Jeanie as a teacher of Social Studies and U.S. History and Andrew as a high school junior.
-Pray for God’s care over our daughters Sarah and Patty (and their husbands, Dustin and Luke). They are expecting in November and February respectively. The babies will be grandchildren number three and four for us.
-Pray for our granddaughter Leah Rose Burgin (four months old). She has been diagnosed with vision deficiencies. We praise God that apart from the vision problem she is a happy, giggling little girl.

Mar del Plata

I am in Mar del Plata, Argentina for the COICOM Conference. Coicom is the Latin equivalent of the National Religious Broadcasters convention in the US, but has grown to include pastors, mission leaders, and educators as well as broadcasters. I am here with several of our key leaders representing the JESUS Film, but more specifically the Magdalena film and strategies for reaching leaders and planting churches.

This is a great gathering place for new ideas and direction. Mar del Plata is kind of chilly in August. It is more like a California coastal city than a tropical resort. I'd appreciate your prayer as we meet together this week.

Back in Bolivia

I am back in Bolivia after 10 days in the US. I went home for a great reason: Mom and Dad were celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary. We had a great celebration in Portland. Congratulations Mom and Dad!

Mission trips and more mission trips

This is the high season for mission trips and we are loving it! We combine three vital forces all under the command of the Holy Spirit: First, a team from a U.S. church with a heart for Bolivia; second, bolivian students from our university ministry; and third, a local Bolivian pastor and a few followers who want to plant a church. The results are astounding!
This week we were in Cochabamba with Christ Fellowship from Miami, 15 university students from Santa Cruz, and Pastor Jorge and friends from Fraternidad Cristiana in Cochabamba. Pastor Jorge is in our T-Net training program and has gotten permission to set up portable tents every week in a plaza in a growing neighborhood of Cochabamba. We got to help set it up the first Sunday.
Here is the photo record:

Watching Wesley in Washington, DC

I had a great day enjoying Wesley in Washington, DC. First a one-year-old birthday party for a friend. about 15 one-year-olds were present. Then we went to National Community Church for the Saturday evening service.

Sarah and Dustin left me alone in charge for a while this evening. Wesley was supposed to eat oatmeal. Things went from Ok to worse (as you can see in the pictures). Sarah came home and Wesley got happy real quick.

Grandpa and Leah Rose

It works out pretty well that the world headquarters for Campus Crusade is only two hours away from world headquarters for my new granddaughter Leah Rose.

After a full day of meetings on Monday, I dashed up to Gainesville to meet Leah Rose Burgin, 2 months old. She is beautiful, inquisitive and cuddly!

Tomorrow I'll go back to Orlando for more meetings.

No easy answers

Still making the issue clear here in Bolivia. But it's tough.

Last night I spent some time talking with Juan Gabriel, a 21 year old university student. We were talking about the amazing love and grace of God. I shared with him that we need to understand that we are sinners to be able to appreciate and benefit from God's grace. I asked him if he believed he was a sinner - as I believe I am. He said yes, but then said, "My worst sin is my anger at God. It is a sin to be angry with God, isn't it?"

Juan Gabriel went on to share about his struggle with epilepsy, only partially controlled by medication. Two weeks ago he had a convulsion in class. Painful, embarrassing, disruptive, humiliating. I can only guess at his pain. He is angry that he should have to deal with this in his life. But he didn't question that God loved him, only that he felt bad about his anger.

David was angry (OK, frustrated?) with God in the Psalms 22: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer”

But he goes on to proclaim God’s dominion in the same Psalm:
“All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him, for dominion belongs to the LORD and he rules over the nations.”

Pray for Juan Gabriel as he struggles with knowing God in His Goodness.

Making the issue clear

What is the Gospel? How can a person be saved?

For someone who has been an evangelical Christian for 38 years, the answer is pretty clear: Believe and be saved. OK, believe what, exactly?

The Word of God gives clear guidance on this issue, but it is a matter that is both "critical and progressive". That is, salvation has a clear beginning point and then a lifetime of growing in grace and understanding.

This week I met with two young men with very different perspectives. The first has a traditional Roman Catholic background. When I asked him if he was sure about going to heaven, he replied, "I hope so, unless there are some sins I am unaware of that will prevent me from entering heaven." His hope is built on his own goodness, rather than on Christ's all-sufficiency. That is a pretty common misunderstanding that people from all kinds of church backgrounds hold to.

The other young man I talked to yesterday had a background of Bible studies with Jehovah's Witnesses (he had since fallen away from them). He said, "The Jehovah's witnesses talk only about God. You Christians talk only about Jesus Christ." Wow. Where to begin.

I am learning that the place to begin is with humility and compassion. The Gospel really is Good News. I love this verse:

Mat 11:28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

These young men both need rest. Pray for us that we would make the Good News clear to them.

Ron

Pastors in El Alto

Last week we went to El Alto in the highlands of Bolivia to visit pastors involved in our church planting project. The project includes training through T-Net, proclamation of the Gospel with the JESUS Film and follow-up using the audio Bible from Faith Comes by Hearing in Spanish, Quechua and Aymara.

It was astounding and moving to hear the pastors' stories. People's lives are being transformed! This is a picture of Julia who was paralyzed for much of her life. God has healed her to be able to minister to other Aymara women. We met Julia in her home along with several of the women she ministers to. They gave us a traditional lunch. Please pray for Julia and the pastors in El Alto.

CineCenter Invasion

The biggest multiplex cinema in Bolivia is right here in Santa Cruz. It also the biggest hangout for kids in town, since we don't have a real mall. The CineCenter, does, however have a big food court. It is sort of like a big mall, minus the stores (OK, it has a FEW stores).

I have been meeting with a couple of small groups of guys for lunch there for a year and a half. We have pizza and talk about Jesus and His word. Well, this school year (just started), I decided to make the CineCenter lunches an incubator for new small groups and also to start inviting the girls.

This week we had a total of 60 students, divided into 15 small groups eating pizza and studying what Jesus says about worrying in Luke 12. There were 8 girls groups and I had 7 guys small groups. Can you imagine the joy of seeing 15 new small group leaders caring about the guys in their groups, leading discussion and praying with them? I am excited! Please pray that the groups will continue to multiply and that many students will come to know Christ as Savior.

Also ... please pray for the management at CineCenter. They are a little overwhelmed by our numbers. I guess as long as we keep buying pizza they can't throw us out :)

What would Jesus ask me?

Wow - Back home in Santa Cruz after a week or so in Gainesville, Florida. We were awaiting the birth of our second grandchild: Leah Rose born to Stephen and Rachael. She is beautiful!

Jeanie stayed the extra day to see the long awaited Leah Rose (nearly a week overdue), but I came back on schedule to be with our son, Andrew and get to work. Two hours after getting through customs I was leading a Bible study for 24 university students, both men and women.

We eat pizza and divide into small groups to learn more about Jesus. We'll do the same with a different group of students today. This week we studied the story in Luke 10 of the man who asked Jesus what he had to do to inherit eternal life. Jesus' reply includes the story of the Good Samaritan.

I was struck by how Jesus answered his question with a question based on all the teaching God had already provided the man: "What is written in the Law? How do you read it?"

How often do we cry out to God with a question or doubt (or even a challenge) demanding an answer? I wonder if we shouldn't be still and listen to Jesus' question in reply:

"Child, do you remember my faithfulness last year?"
"What did I show you yesterday in the Psalms?"
"Son, do you already know the right thing, the thing that honors Me?"

I am going to be listening more for His question.

Ron

On Baby Watch in Gainesville

This week Jeanie and I are in Gainesville with our son and daughter-in-law, Stephen and Rachael, awaiting the birth of their first child. We had a beautiful Resurrection Day service at their church and then dinner at the home of friends. Here is a picture of Stephen and Rachael just a few steps down the patio of their friends house.

Jeanie shows Magdalena

This past week we had a group of 34 from LSU with us in Santa Cruz. We did campus ministry, door to door evangelism, and high school outreaches.
On Tuesday evening, Jeanie had planned an outreach for Bolivian women at our church. This is Holy Week and people are more aware than normal of the reality of Jesus' death on the Cross. The women showed the new film from the JESUS Project called Magdalena: Released from Shame. More than 120 women came to the event and the girls from LSU helped with comment cards and conversation after the showing. It was a great success and many of the Christian ladies were moved to purchase the DVD to show in their own homes and churches.

Overall the team from LSU, together with our staff and students presented the Gospel to more than 1500 people with more than 600 praying to trust Christ as their Savior!

One of the last of a generation

I am in Curitiba, Brasil for a Call2All conference. The conference challenges Christians, churches and organizations to adopt one of the last unreached and unengaged people groups. The worship has been amazing, once you get used to the Brazilian style.

Last night Loren Cunningham, founder of YWAM, spoke. His message of vision and commitment to a cause really struck home with me. He is one of the last of a generation of leaders who founded organizations and movements in the post-war era, including Bill Bright. I have the impression that my generation has largely kept the light burning after these fellows have cast the vision. The current and coming generations will have to do much more to trust God for revival. We need new ideas, new structures, maybe a break with the past. I am excited to see it coming.

A Wedding in our Leadership Team

This weekend Paola and Christian were married. Paola is a Bolivian staff member and Christian is an associate staff member from Switzerland. They have been dating for a year or so. For Christian it was love at first site. It took a little longer for Paola. :)

Here are a couple of pictures, first of the bride and groom, then of the parents meeting for the first time.

You know what's exciting?

I'll tell you what's exciting: Having student leaders who are growing and taking charge. I have been leading two men's groups on Monday and Tuesday every week for a year and a half. This week my two disciples, Dennis and Darling, will start taking over. I'll still be there for a while, but they're ready! Each group has 8-10 men. I'm thinking that after that, I'll start over with a new group.

I'll tell you what's NOT exciting: Jeanie just sent me a note saying that we're going to be confined to the house on Saturday, by government edict. We are in the midst of an epidemic of Dengue Fever, about 40,000 cases so far. It is a mosquito borne illness that can be very severe, even fatal (about 40 deaths so far). We are using lots of insect repellent - graciously left behind by our Christ Fellowship team from Miami last summer. The enforced closure of the city is for the purpose of cleaning up around our houses: eliminating trash and standing water that can be a breeding ground for mosquitos.