The Bostics – January 2010
2 youth conferences, hundreds of miles apart in the Amazon… Yes we did!! What a busy time the last few weeks have been. First, some old friends came down from Texas. Michael, Nathan, and Stephen rented a fast boat, and we headed up the river. We presented the Gospel of Jesus Christ with individuals and taught powerful biblical principles to young people from dozens of towns and villages spread out through the mountains and jungles of Peru! A few days later I went hundreds of miles in the opposite direction down river. There I joined up with other members of the Amazon Xpeditions team to do a conference for indigenous young people. I helped by teaching about receiving the blessings of God, and leading exciting games for the first ever youth conference in the area! On the last night the electricity went out in the village, and everyone was discouraged about not getting to make a big finish. But God had a plan.
I led the way as we marched through the night, and found the church full of people sitting and singing in the dark, waiting on God to do something. And He did! I preached an energized message using only flashlights for illumination! The people responded enthusiastically to the ministry and were totally convinced that God could give them a great victory when the lights came back on the moment I finished preaching!! I also got to help baptize several believers from different people groups on the last day!
What a privilege! Amazon Xpeditions supervisor George Gonzalez invited me to participate with him in a once a year ministry training and Bible school for people from very remote areas. I was so excited! Training young people to take the Gospel to the farthest corners of the world has always been our passion. The legions of biting insects, the overwhelming heat, and the sticky humidity had no power to dampen my enthusiasm about teaching this next generation of pastors, teachers, and evangelists! We had our share of challenges with the language. My notes were in English, I taught in Spanish, an interpreter on my right spoke in the local language, and another interpreter on my left spoke in the most common indigenous language. We were all depending on the spirit of God for the message to be understood, and it was! The people drew close to God through tears of love and joy.
