hello from south america

Greetings from a lonely, but cozy, hotel room in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Outside, the noise of a city that seldom sleeps rings into the breezy night. I believe that’s a cat in heat that I hear. Anyway, after a week and a half of incredible outreach in Bolivia and Peru, I am on my way to rendezvous with Dylan & Cheri Harris in Bariloche, Argentina tomorrow morning. So much has happened, the Word of God going out in abundance and the Lord again proving Himself faithful and sovereign. I haven’t had a decent night’s rest in three day’s, and I have to be at the airport in eight hours. Therefore, now is not the time for a detailed update. Nevertheless, I covet your prayers for the days ahead. I will be with the Harris’ until March 7th; and then I will return to Santa Cruz, Bolivia for a couple of days to finish up an evangelism training at a local church. Lord willing, I will return to the States around March 10th.

Please join me in praying for God’s continued provision along this missionary journey. Things are expensive, and I’ve already had to fork out for some unexpected expenditures. Today, for example, I had to throw down $131.00 to get into Argentina because of a new reciprocity law that went into effect back in December. It didn’t cost me a dime back in 2006 when I came here. Nevertheless, one cannot put a price tag on the proclamation of the Gospel message and the saving of souls.So much happened in Bolivia since my arrival on February 7th. A full missionary journey has already transpired with much fruit, and I am completely exhausted. Yet, another chapter awaits, and I need to find strength and resolve. Pray for me in this. Upon arrival in Bariloche, it’s immediately off to the Cochamo Valley in Chile to target a world-renowned climbing festival (February 18-20) with the Good News of Jesus Christ. Pray for us in this, that we might have boldness to speak the Word and that hearts of those searching will be open to receive it.

Please continue to pray for my wife and two daughters at home. Jamie is dealing with the last months of pregnancy and is battling weariness. Please lift up my family while I am away. Selfishly, I covet your prayers that our son will wait to be born after I return home. Jamie’s due date is March 27th, so Lord willing, I should be home in plenty of time. Truly, my wife is a precious jewel that understands the calling of the Gospel and the prize of raising children in the fear and admonition of the Lord. I have been blessed.

Stay tuned for a more detailed recap of what transpired in Bolivia and Peru. Hopefully, I will have time to pen a more extensive update in the next week or so. For starters, however, let me again say that the Gospel went forth in abundance. Open-air preaching in the plazas, large-scale Gospel tract distribution, and the exhortation of believers unto boldness were par for the course. Bruno Benoni and I targeted the large jungle city of Santa Cruz (his home) and both national capitals (Sucre & La Paz) high up in the Andes. Hopping buses and hitchhiking was routine for several days as we traversed the high altiplano and gave out the Word in places like Potosi, Miraflores, Oruro, Viacha, Copocabana, and Tequina. The Lord also opened the door for us to go into Peru and proclaim around Lake Titcaca in Deseguadero, Zepita, Unguyo, and Capani. In Capani, some young folks said that they had never seen gringos in their village. Oh, there is so much to tell, but I really should get some sleep.

One little tidbit: Desperate to get closer to La Paz, we were hitchhiking outside of Oruro late one afternoon. Finally, someone pulled over to give us a lift. As it turned out, it was a pastor and his wife headed for a major Christian gathering in La Paz the next day. That night, they would be staying in Viacha in the home of a friend of a friend of a friend (or something like that) whom they had never formally met. These invited us to join them, so we slept on the floor and enjoyed the hospitality of complete strangers. The woman of the house, a Catholic, proved to be very confused about the things of the Lord, so Bruno was bold to preach the Gospel. The next morning, the lady of the house started asking a bunch of questions and had us all over for breakfast. As a result of Bruno’s initial boldness, I believe, the pastor and his wife (i.e. those that had given us the ride from Oruro) waxed bold themselves, sharing their testimonies and praying over the husband for healing in his back. I also was given opportunity to proclaim truth, and before I could totally grasp what was going on in that home, the husband and wife repented and cried out to the Lord to save them. Soon thereafter, both daughters came into the room and started asking some questions themselves. They seemed very open and will undoubtedly soon follow in their parents’ footsteps. Please pray for Desiadero and Beti, new believers in Viacha, Bolivia. Thanks to Pastor Valentino and his wife, Celestina, a bridge for follow-up is already in place. Pray that these will grow in their faith and go forth to preach to others. Hopefully, we modeled this for them, having saturated Viacha ourselves.

Truly, like Joseph in Genesis 20, I can look back and say that what man meant for evil, God used for good. Had it not been for the attempt on my life while riding my bicycle up in the Yukon Territory this summer (and the subsequent trials, discouragements, and delays that immediately followed), I never would have gone into that supermarket on the edge of Whitehorse for a coffee as the “Jesus Christ is God” flag flapped in the wind on the back of my parked bicycle. Bruno Benoni would have never seen that flag; and he never would have come over to encourage Ricky and me. We would have never met, so none of the past ten days would have transpired, including our involvement with Desiadero and Beti in Viacha. In other words, I praise God for the ATV that ran me over. That man hated the Gospel and tried to put a stop to my spreading of it. Ironically, his actions ultimately resulted in friendship with a bold servant of the Lord, the Gospel going forth into remote corners of the globe, and the salvation of two souls in a Bolivian village. The omniscient and sovereign hand of Almighty God never ceases to humble and amaze me.

Well, I must hit the sack. Stay tuned, and please continue to pray for Full Proof Gospel Ministries as we endeavor to make the glorious Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ an unavoidable issue for as many people as possible all around the world and just around the corner.

For the Word of God and the Testimony of Jesus Christ

Jesse Boyd

Buenos Aires, Argentina

P.S. Thanks to those of you who sent me kind birthday wishes on FPGM’s Facebook site. I must say that I almost completely forgot about that day (2/15) as most of it was spent hitchhiking and saturating villages in Peru. Nevertheless, your words were kind and encouraging.