Slideshow image
Slideshow image
nav image
nav image

Bill and Janice

Back to Bolivia The Good News!

A Goal Reached

When we last wrote to you in September, we were just returning from our first exploratory trip to Bolivia— having seen the range of ministries in Bolivia, full of excitement about the upcoming ministry possibilities for ourselves, and with a proposed schedule for how we would get back to Bolivia. Two and a half months later, we are pleased to report that some things are going as planned. We had planned to be at 50% of our support level by the end of October and are happy to report that we have exceeded that amount. We are now fulltime CBM global field staff, so we can focus exclusively on raising our support. We need to be at 80% to go to the field, so that is our next goal.    Challenges Along the Way   It would be nice if everything went according to our plans, but then again, maybe not. What we’re learning is that we need to be moving according to God’s plans. God has been working in the unexpected. On October 2nd, Bill preached in the morning service at Penticton First Baptist, and was preparing for an evening presentation when he experienced a mild heart attack. He still finished the evening presentation, endured the pain for the night, and went to emergency in the morning to have it confirmed. Long story short, he received excellent, immediate care, in Penticton and Kelowna, and emerged with two stents in his heart.  In God’s plans the “stent” in Penticton seems to have been not just about fundraising but a “changed” heart, and all joking aside, an opportunity to grow deeper with God as we experience His presence in uncertain circumstances.  We have no doubt that God is good, the Holy Spirit is present, and that Jesus still has plans for our future.     If one surprise was not enough, God allowed another. On Sunday morning, November 13th, Bill’s father passed away, quickly and unexpectedly.  He was 93 and seemingly healthy. He was “healthy,” sharp mentally, reasonably mobile and independent till God took him home, while preparing to go to church. It would have been nice to be at his side, but he was not alone. God and a home care worker were with him. All of us siblings had recently talked to him, and apart from not being there personally, there were no regrets. Again, we trust that God is good and trust in God’s timing.         The Call Remains In all of the unexpected events of late, we do not sense that the plans for Bolivia have changed, except maybe the timing. We still feel that God is calling us to Bolivia,                         that He will make a way, and that what has happened is a part of the plan. It does, however, require some adjustments. We were very thankful for the good care Bill received in B.C. Activities in December will now include cardiac rehabilitation and cardiologist appointments, as well as continuing to meet with, and communicate with churches and supporters. We trust that the results of tests and the pace of rehabilitation will not delay our departure for Bolivia for too long. Bill has felt fine since having the stents inserted, so we trust God for good test results.      Through all of this we have only missed three Sundays of scheduled meetings with churches.  In the past three Sundays we have been at Faith Community Baptist Church in Claresholme, AB, Bonavista Baptist Church in Calgary, and the Filipino Evangelical Church in Winnipeg. To date we have at least 17 sponsoring churches and are in communication with at least 6 more.    We are happy with how the plans are going. Although there have been some unexpected twists in our plans, we trust that God is in all of it, and look forward to how the logistics, the health concerns, and the finances and prayer support are going to come together in God’s good plans and in God’s good time.   What Part Might You Play? We continue to do our part in raising our team support. We know God is doing His part.  We ask you to prayerfully consider what your part might be.  We continue to need prayer for a clean bill of health, for family whom we will leave behind, for the visa process and for logistical concerns (having things in order here, getting things in order there), and for the remaining financial support to come in. Please keep praying and if you’re not doing so already, please consider supporting us financially. We’re looking forward to how God is going to get us there.  We appreciate having people like yourselves along with us on the journey.  

Bill and Janice Dyck GFS Bolivia