Bolivian National Pastors' Conference scheduled for October 2019 was cancelled due to Presidential elections that left the nation in a social/political tsunami! The election results were not accepted by the populace, so a new round of elections are scheduled for the summer of 2020. The postponed conference was rescheduled for the end of January and the beginning of February this year. The Bolivian Church was shaken from the political turmoil they had just lived through and

Subsistence farmers live in the high, isolated community of Platanal, Haiti. They till their small gardens with hoes and machetes. There is no electricity or running water. In spite of these difficult circumstances, a vibrant congregation of over 250 members supports four church plants and a school for 250 children. But their building, made of rough palm tree boards and a dirt floor, was inadequate. There were gaps in the walls and holes in the rusted tin roof. Today, howe

We just arrived home from our big Western Trip. We took off before any states had shut down in March, and over the next month watched things get cancelled and paused. We had hoped to visit at least six churches and many, many friends and partners. That obviously didn’t happen. We were able to meet up with a couple of friends (you know who you are) and see and stay with family who we hadn’t seen in a long time (thanks for taking us in longer than planned!). But in many ways,

A cruise ship passenger from Italy being treated for heart problems turned out to be the Cayman Islands’ first coronavirus patient. The government set restrictions into place quickly. The last church services held in the buildings in Cayman Brac were held on March 15. Since then, Dr. Woods has been broadcasting services by Facebook Live. A young lady named Tina had been attending the Spot Bay church for a few months. She contacted the Woods and told them that, during the Su

When the year 2020 began, none of us suspected the careening detour it would take. Quarantines, curfews, social distancing. Who would have thought these kinds of words would become part of our everyday language? Yet, even as we find our schedules cleared from many normal activities, our hearts may be flooded with increasingly anxious thoughts. We would do well to remember Jesus’ words: “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16

Where does the money go? This is a question that we all ask, and it’s very relevant in our situation with our monthly budget, and we want to be transparent. The biggest chunk goes toward our ministry and living expenses (including taxes). Another large chunk goes toward health insurance that works anywhere in the world. Thankfully we haven’t needed to use it in PNG/Australia recently, but it has been a blessing in the past and here on furlough. We also contribute to a retire