The Hands of God and Winds of Change

For the past two weeks we have gone to Spanish speaking churches, which has been really fun and interesting. However, we were all relieved today when we went to a church that was half Spanish and half English this morning. The church was called Cochabamba International Church or CIC for short, and it was comprised of missionary families and people from the local community. 

Upon our arrival at CIC, we were quickly taken on a walk down memory lane when we saw some orphans from Casa De Amor Dos in the seats with us. These were orphans from one of the local orphanages that we had been too, and they were very happy to see us. We also saw the missionaries who run the kid washing on Saturdays that we have helped out with, and we saw Tim, the man who ran the CBA clinic, and his youngest son. Seeing so many familiar faces sure was delightful, and it put into perspective all that we had done since arriving in Cochabamba. 

After worshiping half in English and half in Spanish(the words would switch between the two languages on the screens at the church) one of the pastors at CIC got up and began to deliver his sermon. He also recognized many of the different missionaries and ministries that were taking place around the city. Once again, I was very excited to see all that God was doing and is doing in Bolivia. We often walk into experiences like the one I am currently in hoping to make a great difference. And, I will be honest, I still do hope to have the biggest impact I can with the time that I am here. However, we often forget that God is moving and working all over the world all the time. I saw today that there are hundreds of Americans, Europeans, and even Bolivians that God has called to work in an around Bolivia for the purpose of spread the gospel and glorifying his name. Then, it dawned on me that God doesn't need me. In fact, he doesn't really need any of us, yet we are given the privilege of sharing his love with others in the U.S and throughout the world. Indeed, we should make the most of every opportunity that we are given, and we should certainly feel a burden for the lost people of the world, but we should also remember that it is not all on our shoulders. Because the Lord is the master gardener, and he knows what he's doing....

On another note, things around HOH are getting ready to change for the volunteers. Just recently, two new guest house hostesses arrived, and they are eager to implement some new ideas that should make us more effective in our ministries within the hospital and the city of Cochabamba as a whole. I am nearing the halfway point of my time here, so I am excited that the change has come at this time. Please pray that God will use these changes to aid the volunteers at HOH, and pray that we will continue to be pushed outside of our comfort zones and love the people of Bolivia with great courage and compassion. The winds of change are blowing. Stay tuned for what lies ahead.....

Kevin Quinby