Bolivia
Evangelism Training
Equipping young people in Bolivia to strengthen their faith and share it with others
Education & Training
The Need
Young people growing up in Cochabamba, Bolivia face a great deal of pressure from their families and peers. Substance abuse and teen pregnancy are common, and many young people end up dropping out of school to be part of gangs. Most families practice a fusion of Catholicism and traditional superstitious belief, and many youths who profess to be Christians lack a true understanding of the gospel. In fact, our partners in Cochabamba discovered that around 65 percent of the young adults they serve were not actively living out their faith or sharing it with others.
Releasing children and their families from spiritual poverty is a key part of Compassion’s holistic development program. Without a real understanding of God’s love and truth as revealed through His Word, young people grow up lacking the deep conviction they need to resist the negative influences around them. Tragically, many end up falling into destructive behaviours that lead them to repeat the cycle of poverty of their parents.
9 of our church partners in Cochabamba have been working with young people aged 15 to 18 and 19 to 21 in Compassion’s youth programs. By providing a special gospel camp and following up with evangelism and discipleship activities, our partners strengthened and encouraged young adults in their faith and equip them to share it effectively with others.
Our Response
With your support, 9 churches in the Cochabamba region were able to run special gospel camps that reached 525 young adults between the ages of 15 and 21. After experiencing a nearly year-long delay due to COVID-19, church leaders were excited and ready to launch this initiative in 2021.
To limit the risk of spreading COVID-19 between communities, each Compassion centre organized its own camp for local beneficiaries rather than running a larger collaborative event. Compassion’s local partnership facilitator met virtually with centre directors to begin planning the camps. Responsibility was then passed over to local church committees to rent facilities, hire speakers, organize workshops and purchase food and any other materials needed. All camps were held in August and September 2021. In total, 525 young people gathered to hear the gospel message, experience times of worship, rejuvenate in prayer ministry and enjoy games, contests and other community activities.
Later in October 2021, youth-aged beneficiaries who had participated in the camps had the opportunity to work with local church leaders to organize their own evangelistic events and campaigns. These events were aimed at children from their local Compassion centre, with a focus on sharing the Gospel message in an accessible way.
Centre staff then met with their local church leadership teams to develop discipleship strategies for children and youth who had accepted Christ for the first time at the Gospel camps or evangelistic events. In the coming months, churches plan to offer weekly discipleship opportunities for anyone who has made a first-time profession of faith as well as those who have come back to faith.
Activities
Gospel camps: Young people aged 15-21 attended camps organized by their local church, where they heard the gospel message, prayed and worshiped together and learned how to share the love of Jesus with others.
Evangelism activities: Following the camps, young people worked with church leaders and staff to plan and run evangelistic events and campaigns for the younger children at their local Compassion centre. They were also encouraged to share the gospel with their families and friends.
Discipleship: To help children and youth continue to grow in their walk with God, churches plan to follow up weekly with those who made their first profession of faith and those who have recently returned to their faith at the camps and evangelistic events.
Your Gift Provides...
● Gospel camp for young people, including:
○ Rental of premises
○ Meals and transportation
○ Staff and speakers
○ Sound equipment and instrument rental
○ Teaching material and supplies
○ First aid kit
○ Materials for games
○ T-shirts and awards
● Training workshops:
○ Speakers
○ Teaching material
○ Snacks
● Monitoring, follow-up and report writing
ReportA message from a pastor
As a church we noticed the impact in the lives of the participants immediately. During the times of ministry through worship and the Word of God, our children and youth were ministered to by the Holy Spirit. Many of them were broken and made the decision to accept Jesus as their Lord and Saviour, going from death to life. Young people who were rebellious before are now attending youth services and leading evangelism activities within the church. Many have made the decision to be baptized in the near future and become regular members of the church, in order to be discipled and develop their gifts and talents in the service of the Lord. These young people are now active members of the youth ministry.
The church has benefited from this intervention in a great way. With young people in its service, the church has a team that will support and back up all the activities that are organized. Thanks to this intervention, we have a new group of teenagers who are willing to be discipled and develop their gifts and talents according to their calling. The church members and leaders now have the task of caring for and watching over the lives of these young people, so that in a short time they can lead their own ministries and further expand the work of our church in the extension of the Kingdom of God. We hope that these same young people can organize evangelistic activities that are attractive to other young people and children and can reach a greater number of lives.
As pastor of the church, it is a great blessing to be able to share new experiences with these young people. To get to know them and be able to deal with them is a very important challenge which is helping me develop a more effective plan of action to involve them in our pre-youth program. My goal now is to encourage and guide these young people to continue their discipleship and lead new ministries in the church. This intervention has also touched my heart. Each testimony from these young people has shown the great need that they have to be loved and protected. It has also made me understand that we need to organize more activities like this to bring Jesus’s light into many young people’s lives and reach their families.
I would like to thank each donor and their families for the great support they have given by planting a seed of hope in the lives of young people. Activities like this help us to bless the lives of young people, the church, families and our community. Thank you!
ReportA message from those your gift helped
My life before the camp was not happy. Although I had moments where I had fun with my friends and my family, there was always a big empty space in my heart. I had difficult times where I felt very lonely, and this last year has not been easy because of the pandemic. I felt very afraid for my life and that my family would get sick – even that someone could lose their life. I was a person without hope, and the worst part is that I was separated from the path of the Lord. I no longer felt like going to church. I went to the pre-youth services a few times, but I felt nothing in my heart and eventually I finally stopped attending church completely.
Now after attending this great activity, I can say that there is a total change in my life. My faith and my hope are now placed in Jesus my Saviour. I no longer have anxiety in my heart for my life and that of my family, because I have full confidence that God takes care of us and sustains us. I am no longer afraid of the future or what comes in the following years, because I know I have a promise of eternal life next to my God where there will no longer be suffering, sickness and pain. Understanding and believing in the promises of our God has brought peace and happiness to my life. I now attend church services and youth services, where I am learning much more of the Word of God to be able to teach and share with other people. I know that God has a purpose for my life, and I am preparing myself to be able to fulfill his will.
For my family, this change means hope and union. Before, I was a little rebellious. Now I realize that my behaviour generated much sadness in my family. The fear of my parents was that over time I would become a bad person, that I would leave my studies and end up on the streets with addictions like alcohol. Now, they have noticed the change in me. I can show the love of God to my family, and this helps them to get closer to God. Now my parents are convinced that one day I will be a great professional and I will be able to support my family. They believe that we will have a better future, and God willing, we will no longer be in economic need as we have had to live until now.
The most important lesson I have learned during this time is that God is a God of love and mercy. I did many bad things that took me away from him, but God never left me. He was always waiting for me with open arms. He took care of me and protected me from everything that could hurt me and hurt my family. I also learned that one can be restored and changed, so we no longer hurt our loved ones. I also learned that God has a plan for each person and that we are special to him. In the church, we learned more about the Word of God and his promises and that we should share with our families, friends and anyone who needs it. There is much suffering in this world for those that have turned away from God, and we as young people are salt and light.
Thank you for the love you have for teenagers and young people. Thanks to your help, we are challenged to follow the Lord and bring his Word to others with the talents and gifts he gave us. May God watch over you, bless you and give you wisdom always. Thank you very much for your help.
ReportThank you for your generosity
Thanks to you, 9 of our church partners in Cochabamba, Bolivia, were able to reach 525 teenagers and young adults with the gospel message. Many of the students who attended the camps were deeply touched. Some made a confession of faith for the very first time, while many others renewed their commitment to Christ. As they engaged in hands-on opportunities to share the gospel with others, even more lives were touched. Many young people are now actively involved in various ministries at their local church. They are motivated to continue growing spiritually and are discovering how to use their God-given gifts and talents to serve others. Those who had felt hopeless and lost are now being filled with a sense of purpose. This is the kind of radical change that only the love of Jesus can bring!
Limbert, a centre director in Cochabamba, remarks that youth “were impacted by the teachings of the gospel program at the camp, and are now making better decisions regarding their lives with the Lord and their ministries. At the end of this intervention, more young people are seen to be motivated to serve in the work of the Lord. All this encourages me a lot as a leader to look for ways to support the progress of our young people.”
Thank you for providing our church partners in Cochabamba, Bolivia, with this incredible opportunity to share the hope of the gospel with so many young people. They will never be the same!