I'm sorry I'm unable to post pictures at this time, but I will as soon as possible of the inauguration and the work this month. We were happy to have 120-130 visitors at the inauguration.. (abolut 100 were from Sucre). God is moving and doing great things. We also rejoiced with 5 that gave their lives to Jesus this month.. Their names are Ernesto, Jhaqueline, Cynthia, Ines, and Miguel. I will post pictures as soon as possible.
I'm sure that many of you have been praying and have been watching news or checking online the crisis Sucre, Bolivia encountered this past weekend. Things have seemed to calm down instead of escalate and we are thankful to God for that and to you for your prayers.. I know that many of you are part of our prayer chain that we began Tuesday at midnight... it has continued for three days now.. totalling 65 hours of constant prayer for the souls of Sucre, the church, the crisis at hand, and the leaders, especially David Sanchez who is the governer of the state of Chuquisaca. Thank you so much for your love and willingness to join with us in this prayer time.. We know the best thing we can do, is place it in God's hands. I have copied a news article below in English so you can read a little about the crisis that escalated this past weekend.. and be familiar with what is at hand. Please pray for this country,and that many hearts will open up to the Gospel because of this.
Citizens on patrol as police desert Sucre's streets
From correspondents in Sucre, Bolivia
From correspondents in Sucre, Bolivia
WORLD powers urged Bolivia to maintain calm as citizens patrolled the city of Sucre deserted by police, inmates took over running their prison, and the death toll from a weekend of political violence rose to four.
Calls for calm came from the United Nations, the Organization of American States (OAS) and the United States, as residents removed barricades erected during the clashes that sent the regional governor and the police force fleeing Sucre, a colonial city of 350,000.
Violent protests broke out here at the weekend over leftist President Evo Morales' planned constitutional reforms, which were being reviewed by pro-government delegates inside a military academy in this southern-central city.
In the absence of police, citizen groups patrolled the streets, and 70 of 120 prisoners who had fled from a Sucre prison returned voluntarily, according to prison services director Daysy Aguilar.
With officers out of town, inmates were running the prison, Ms Aguilar said.
The protests took a violent turn late Saturday when a 29-year-old protester died of a gunshot wound. Another demonstrator and a police officer also were killed in the violence.
A fourth person, a protestor, died early Monday after being injured in clashes with police, local officials said.
UN urges calm
In New York, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged all sides to refrain from violence.
"In order to strengthen democracy and respect for human rights in Bolivia, the secretary general urges all political and social actors to remain calm, to abstain from using violence and to seek a consensus on the pressing issues affecting the Bolivian people," his press office said in a statement.
OAS Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza stressed the need end the violence and the confrontations and that "the parties, given the democratic legitimacy of the Bolivian government, reinstate talks to reach a constitutional decision that harmonizes the interests of all".
"The confrontations reveal a worrying division of Bolivian society which seriously affects the environment that should reign during the drafting of a Constitutional Charter," Mr Insulza said in a statement.
In Washington, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the US government deplored the violence and urged the Morales' administration and the opposition "to show restraint and tolerance during this critical period".
"An environment that encourages inclusion and open debate is vital to the success of any democratic reform process," McCormack said.
Also from Washington, Brazil's foreign minister Celso Amorim urged opposing sides to cool off.
"The likely problem is the lack of dialogue," he said.
Boycotts
Opposition lawmakers have boycotted the assembly reviewing the new proposed constitution, accusing Morales of trying to grab more power.
The reforms would allow the president to seek reelection as often as he wishes.
The protesters also want the government's legislative and executive branches to be moved from La Paz to Sucre, the country's capital in the 19th century.
Morales has said he would put the draft constitution to a referendum, but did not set a date for the vote.
The Chuquisaca department Governor David Sanchez said protesters had looted his house and set fire to his belongings on Sunday.
