The North Pacific Union Conference (NPUC) sponsored an evangelistic campaign in Bolivia March 9–25. Teams from Northwest churches preached at 30 sites around Santa Cruz the first week. Jere Patzer, NPUC president, followed up with a week of meetings at an arena in downtown Santa Cruz which were satellite uplinked to all of Bolivia as well as South America and Inter-America.
Other activities included medical clinics, church construction by students from Montana's Mt. Ellis Academy, Weeks of Prayer in four area academies, a trip to an ADRA orphanage, local church involvement and home visitation.
By the closing Sabbath, 5,781 people had been baptized across the country of Bolivia. During the next six weeks church leaders expect this number to rise to 10,000.
Among those baptized was the mayor of El Torno, a suburb of Santa Cruz. He had been very impressed by the Adventist message and members, especially the young people. While attending the meetings in his area and later the arena meetings he was convinced of the Bible truths and accepted the message. A few days before his baptism he gathered his city council and told them he wouldn't be working on Saturdays anymore, and if they all started work 30 minutes earlier each day they could all take Sabbath off. They agreed.
Also baptized was the widow of a former Bolivia National Soccer star. She saw a poster about the arena meetings in the hotel lobby where the team was staying. It caught her curiosity and she wound up translating for one of the meeting sites and being baptized at the arena meetings.
Next year's NPUC trip will be to Kenya or Uganda in East Africa. For more information on NPUC mission trips contact the NPUC at www.npuc.org or (360) 816-1430.
Jere Patzer, NPUC president, spoke for the reaping meetings at Sonilum Convention Center in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. The meetings were transmitted by satellite to many meeting sites in all of Bolivia and throughout South and Inter-America. Ramon Canals, NPUC assistant to the president for Spanish affairs, was the translator. (Dan Serns)
The Toborochi congregation was started by lay members in December 2004. They hold evangelistic meetings twice a year and now have more than 100 baptized members. Their new church was built by Mt. Ellis Academy students and the Montana Conference in cooperation with the Bolivia Construction Ministries. It was also the site where Sue Patzer was the speaker. (Dan Serns)
Plan 3000 is a neighborhood of Santa Cruz and was a typical site of the 30 preaching centers where Northwest people assisted with the meetings. There were 1,450 preaching centers across Bolivia where meetings were held for 14 nights leading up to the main satellite meetings. (Dan Serns)
Baptisms took place nightly in the 30 neighborhoods around Santa Cruz, Bolivia, where evangelistic meetings were held. (Loren Bordeaux)
Alphonzo McCarthy, NPUC assistant to the president for regional affairs, spoke for a week of meetings in El Torino, a suburb of Santa Cruz. Roger Beltran, Veneta/Santa Clara Church pastor, was the translator. (Loren Bordeaux)
People from the neighborhoods of Santa Cruz boarded trucks and headed to the meetings. (Loren Bordeaux)
Plan 3000 is a neighborhood of Santa Cruz and was a typical site of the 30 preaching centers where Northwest people assisted with the meetings. There were 1,450 preaching centers across Bolivia where meetings were held for 14 nights leading up to the main satellite meetings. (Loren Bordeaux)
Using a DVD program called "Faith of Jesus" speakers presented Bible studies to the audience prior to the main evangelistic sermon in the neighborhoods. (Loren Bordeaux)
Many people who attended the reaping meetings in the Sonilum Convention Center in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, gave their lives to Jesus during the call made by Jere Patzer and translated by Ramon Canals, NPUC assistant to the president for Hispanic affairs. (Loren Bordeaux)
Todd Gessele, NPUC associate communication director, created the graphics for the billboards displayed throughout the city. (Loren Bordeaux)
Veruschka Wanderley had accepted the Sabbath a month before the meetings by reading her Bible. She saw the poster advertising the meetings, asked how she could help and became the translator for Bryce Pascoe, NPUC executive secretary. She was baptized by Ramon Canals. (Loren Bordeaux)
A large crowd gathered in the 5,000- seat Sonilum Arena in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, for Sabbath School. (Loren Bordeaux)
Jere Patzer, NPUC president, spoke for the reaping meetings at Sonilum Convention Center in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. The meetings were transmitted by satellite to many meetings sites in all of Bolivia and throughout South and Inter-America. Ramon Canals, NPUC assistant to the president for Spanish affairs, was the translator. (Loren Bordeaux)
