Go Therefore and Make Disciples of All the Nations...

Blessings! Please allow us to introduce ourselves. Lynnette and I (John) are lifelong residents of Ohio. We have been married for over 30 years and have been blessed with two grown married daughters, both of whom are serving the Lord.

One day my life was drastically changed, which totally redirected my walk with the Lord. While being employed as a Deputy Sheriff, I was injured during an altercation with a suicidal subject, who was high on heroin and cocaine. During the altercation, my right knee was badly damaged. After two surgeries and much therapy, it was determined I would no longer be able to continue my career. To many, this would be a devastating blow, but my wife and I have used this opportunity to follow the Great Commission, which is not a choice for us to consider, but a command for us to obey…. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19).

Since that injury four years ago, the Lord has been preparing, training, and equipping us to follow His command. We have become heavily involved with “short term” missions, including helping those in “immediate” need after natural disasters. We have served those in need after tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, and fires in the United States. We have made three trips to Haiti to build an orphanage after the earthquake, traveled to Nigeria to work on a desperately needed hospital compound, and ventured to Bolivia to improve a youth camp. We have made three trips to the remote Eskimo villages of Alaska to build churches and had the honor to help build the camp in Port Alsworth, Alaska that participates in “Operation Heal Our Patriots”. We then participated in serving our wounded veterans and their spouses. Locally, we helped develop “Our Daily Bread”, a feeding program in our home town. Both of us serve in a prison ministry called “KAIROS”, and we are both riding members of “Bikers for Christ” motorcycle ministry. We are compelled to love others and long for others to come to the saving knowledge of Christ, and the hope that comes only through Him.   

Therefore, after much prayer and consideration we feel that it is time “to get out of the boat and walk upon the waters wherever God calls”; we believe that the place for us right now is in Bolivia working with LATCOM, which is where I was blessed to be part of a project rewiring many of the buildings at Monte Blanco Christian Camp & Conference Center from February-March 2013. During this time, I was introduced to the many different projects that LATCOM leads as part of its ministry efforts, and the sharing of the hope and love that comes only through Jesus Christ. My wife and I are taking this step of faith into “long term” missions, knowing that there is no greater joy than the joy that comes from helping others and to see them come to accept Jesus as their own Savior!

This step of faith will require both of us to leave our family, friends, church, and jobs. We trust that the Lord will take care of us… through others. We do not enter into this lightly, but with great trust – the trust that comes without borders or limitations to be able to see the mighty hand of God! Will you embark on this call….will you help your brothers and sisters of other nations? Prayerfully consider helping us financially to reach Gods desire. Thank you.

Ordinary people who serve an Extraordinary God,

John & Lynnette Garrison

If you have questions or would like to support John and Lynette, you can contact LATCOM at (724) 924-9070 or email jrgboat@gmail.com.

My Faith Journey - From Jamie Anderson

Written by Jamie Anderson, a LATCOM mission participant who feels called to return to Bolivia as a missionary with our organization

I grew up in a Christian home, the middle of three children. My parents not only spoke the word of God, but they lived it out in front of us. They sought opportunities to help us learn about Christ and His love.

One of the things they saw could be a great benefit to teaching us was church camp. They signed my siblings and me up each summer for our respective weeks. Although my first two summers were difficult, eventually I grew to love it. The summer between my 7th and 8th grade year, I committed my life to Christ at camp and was baptized. Camp also served as a vessel that opened my eyes to something else that has been a great passion of mine for years – team-building activities – which even influenced my choice to major in outdoor recreation.

After becoming a Christian, God continued building my friendships with other Christians at my public high school. During my sophomore year of high school, a small group of us took over leadership of our school Bible club. Through this I learned to write and teach Bible lessons, grew deeper and stronger in my faith, and began to understand the importance of Christian community. 

God led me from my home in Indiana to college in New York State. At Houghton College, my love for God, horses, and the outdoors were combined and enhanced through my classes on campus. I also spent time off-campus in special focus programs. Beginning with the first student I met at college, God started drawing me closer to missions. 

I had no intention of being a missionary (even though I have an aunt and uncle who minister in Japan). I always thought that would be for other people, not an introvert like me. This thought even continued after I spent a semester overseas in a program that qualified me for a minor in missions. I went on the program for the spiritual growth and adventure components, accepting the missions and culture classes as a bonus. I left the program thinking, “God will never call me to do missions. He just hasn’t made me to do that, and I’m ok with that.” 

About a year and a half later, I was a month away from graduating and still had no idea where I would be working. Then one day, one of my professors called to say there were some visiting missionaries (Tim and Ceci Ramsey) and I should meet with them to hear about a camp (Monte Blanco) they had started in Bolivia. I decided it wouldn’t hurt to listen to what they had to say. 

I met with them that afternoon. I thought it sounded like a wonderful ministry, but again, I thought I had figured out that God had not intended me to be a missionary in a foreign country. I did agree to pray about it and let them know an answer within a couple weeks. As I prayed and talked with others about the opportunity (to which most responded, “That sounds like just the thing for you!”), it became apparent that God did intend for me to spend six months at Monte Blanco helping with programming for the camp’s horseback riding and environmental education programs. 

Once I decided to go, I only had a month to raise the $3,000 I would need for the six months. I was nervous about having so little time, but believed whole-heartedly that God had called me. God confirmed this by raising up the needed support (and many prayer warriors) within two weeks! I was overwhelmed by His provision. 

The months I spent in Bolivia at Monte Blanco changed my mind and heart in a way that made me see I was wrong. God had made me to be an overseas missionary; I just hadn’t found the place He was calling me to until I reached Bolivia. Through the struggles and victories of those months, God inspired me to grow and allowed me to touch a few lives through Him. Most of all, He planted a seed of love and vision of glory for Bolivians.

Since that time, I have known that I am to return to Bolivia to help the ministry at Monte Blanco grow. The road back has taken many unexpected twists and turns. At times, it has even felt like I hit a dead end, but upon praying for God to confirm or reject me returning, He has always confirmed it through things like people unexpectedly asking when I was going back or one time giving me an ornament that had the word “Hope” on it the day after I had told God that I had no hope left of returning. As I look back, I can only see how He has been using each job, each relationship, and each experience to train me and mold me into the person He needs me to be when I return for full-time ministry.

The time for me to return is now! My desire to be in Bolivia, working along my brothers and sisters in Christ, is stronger than ever. I miss Bolivia and the people there as if it were where I had grown up.   Would you please help me return by offering up prayers as I enter a new spiritual battlefield and by considering financial support? God provided $3000 in two weeks before, and I know He can do it again, if He chooses and if those He has appointed to be my support team will step up to His calling.

Thank you for the opportunity to share my faith journey and why LATCOM’s ministry efforts have become such an integral part of my life. I wish all of you God’s blessings in 2014.

If you have any questions or would like to support Jamie, you can contact LATCOM at (724) 924-9070 or email her at jmeanderson@gmail.com.

Monte Blanco Camp in Concepción

LATCOM’s largest ministry to youth, Monte Blanco Christian Camp & Conference Center, went on the road to host a camp for over 200 youth from Concepción, the Lomerío region, and Zapocó.

The camp was held from Nov. 21-24 in Concepción and featured activities and recreation designed to enhance teambuilding, fellowship, and healthy ways to have fun. The youth spent 3 days enjoying food, fun, and fellowship. When asked if the teens would like to have another camp next year, all responded with a resounding “YES!” Nearly every teen also said they would bring friends, and 14 made the decision to accept Jesus Christ into their hearts.

Onésimo Rojas, one of our national missionaries, was thrilled at the turnout. He shared that it was a total team effort and was grateful to several local churches that participated.

Praise be to the Lord and for our donors, who made this camp possible!

LATCOM – Our Ministries and Where We Serve

Some of our donors and supporting churches are familiar with the areas we serve in Bolivia, but chances are you may be confused about the location of the towns we mention in our newsletters and update materials.

(credit: countryreports.org)

At LATCOM, we want you to know the names of important cities in Bolivia, as well as the towns where we have ministries at work through Jesus Christ. Knowing the names and locations will help you to pray more effectively. Secondly, you will be able to put the towns into context with one another. Thirdly, if you decide to go on a work trip with LATCOM, you will know where you are traveling and approximate distances between your stops.

About Bolivia

Bolivia is divided into 9 departments (similar to states in the United States):

Department, Capital

Pando, Cobija
La Paz, La Paz
Beni, Trinidad
Oruro, Oruro
Cochabamba, Cochabamba
Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz de la Sierra
Potosí, Potosí
Chuquisaca, Sucre
Tarija, Tarija

(credit: revivalinbolivia.org)

While Sucre is the official capital listed in Bolivia’s constitution, La Paz is the governmental capital. Santa Cruz de la Sierra is the largest city and the capital of the department of Santa Cruz. It is located in the lowlands of eastern Bolivia and is the educational and economic center of the country. Santa Cruz is the 15th fastest growing city in the world. It has an approximate population of 2 million, which is expected to double by 2020.

Santa Cruz

(View of the plaza in Santa Cruz)

When LATCOM was first founded in 1984, Santa Cruz was a very small city. It has exploded in recent years and now is the largest city in Bolivia. Santa Cruz is home to EPLABOL, our sister organization. Just like we have a Board of Directors for LATCOM in the U.S., EPLABOL has a Board of Directors as well. We provide funding to EPLABOL and communicate about ministry efforts in Bolivia and throughout Latin America.

LATCOM also has a Mission House in Santa Cruz. Among our full-time devoted employees are Omar and Ana Vasquez, who maintain our Mission House and prepare meals when we have people or mission teams staying there.

(EPLABOL Office in Santa Cruz)

Most of LATCOM’s ministries are located in the Department of Santa Cruz. Departments are divided into provinces – similar to counties in the United States. LATCOM has a significant ministry presence in the province of Ñuflo de Chavez.

Concepción

The town of Concepción is located in the department of Santa Cruz and is the capital of the province of Ñuflo de Chavez. It is about 155 miles northeast of Santa Cruz de la Sierra (about 5 ½ hours by car on paved roads).

Concepción, sometimes shortened to “Concé” in conversation, was founded in 1699 by the Jesuits. The town square, large cathedral, and general layout reflect its Jesuit mission heritage. The main economic focus is industry and cattle ranching. Tim Ramsey (current Executive Director of LATCOM) and his wife, Ceci, lived in Concepción for 4 years.

(View of the plaza in Concepción from www.trialx.com)

Lomerío

Our national missionaries (Onésimo and Elodia Rojas, and Pablo and Felicia Chuvé) live on the outskirts of Concepción and plant churches among the Chiquitano and Ayoré people, as well as the rural villages of the Lomerío. A large portion of their ministry efforts is in this region, an area encompassing 28 villages around Concepción. The community of Porvenir is one of the villages closest to Concepción.

One of our ministries to the Chiquitanos is the REDES Project, which provides for the physical and spiritual needs of area Christian leaders, empowering them to reach their own people.

The villages of the Lomerío range from 3-5 miles between one another. The roads leading from Concepción to these villages are unpaved and take several hours to traverse. Most of our short-term mission trip members love riding through the jungles from village to village, as they get to see one of the most rural areas in the world.

Of the 28 villages in the Lomerío region, Christian leaders have established evangelical Christian churches in:

• Porvenir – Evangelical Church of Maranatha
• Monterito – “Christ Is Coming” Evangelical Church
• Coloradillo – “The Light of Christ” Evangelical Church
• San Lorenzo – “Strong Tower” Evangelical Church
• Púquio – “Christ Is Alive” Evangelical Church
• Surusubí – “God is Love” Evangelical Church
• Palmira – “Christ is the Hope” Evangelical Church

Other communities we have begun to reach include Fátima, Florida, San Simón, and Santa Rosario. Our national missionaries and church leaders are working to reach all of the villages in the Lomerío area, as well as the other 46 villages surrounding Concepción.

Zapocó

Our national missionaries and REDES leaders also work closely with another village in this area, called Zapocó. It is home to the Ayorés, an indigenous tribal group. The Ayorés have a different language, history, and culture than the Chiquitanos. For that reason we typically mention them separately from the villages in the Lomerío. Zapocó is located approximately 40 miles southeast of Concepción and takes about 4 hours by truck on unpaved roads to get there. Chuck Ramsey (founder of LATCOM) and his wife, Jean, lived and worked in this isolated village for 23 years.

Monte Blanco Christian Camp & Conference Center

Our largest ministry to youth is Monte Blanco Christian Camp & Conference Center, which is located in the Andes Mountains. It is still in the Department of Santa Cruz, but is situated about 80 miles west of Santa Cruz – about halfway between Santa Cruz and the city of Cochabamba. Many teens and students travel from Santa Cruz to be campers at Monte Blanco throughout the year.

The road to Monte Blanco winds through the Andes and is partially paved. It is subject to landslides during the rainy season. A normal trip to Monte Blanco from the city of Santa Cruz takes about 5 hours.

Monte Blanco lies in a high desert area of 5,200 feet above sea level. Temperatures are moderate year-round, which makes it an ideal location for a camp. The area around Monte Blanco is primarily used for agriculture – especially vegetables and strawberries.

(Overhead shot of Monte Blanco Christian Camp & Conference Center)

We also have several other ministries, including secular and Christian leadership outreach, national missionary training, and more. 

Coming Soon: Watch for future blogs on the Chiquitano and Ayoré cultures!

An Update From the Mission Field

Our ministries are constantly at work in Bolivia and across Latin America, and we love sharing updates from the mission field with our stateside friends and supporters.

October was a very busy month for our national missionaries, REDES Project church leaders, Monte Blanco staff, and EPLABOL (our sister organization in Bolivia) leadership. Here are just a few updates to share:

• Our national missionaries and REDES leaders hosted its annual Women’s Conference in the Lomerío in October. They also held Vacation Bible School for the children of Concepción and six Lomerío communities – reaching over 800 children! 

• EPLABOL and Alteco continue to work with indigenous tribal leaders. Alteco will host a conference for indigenous tribal leaders in Bolivia and Brazil at Monte Blanco in February 2014.

• Monte Blanco welcomed youth from San Simón and Gloria schools in October, where they learned about the Lord through food, fun, and fellowship. Of the 251 teens who attended the camps, 216 made the decision to accept Jesus Christ into their hearts!

Additionally we are in the midst of planning our mission trips for 2014. We will be sending a work team to Monte Blanco in February (tentatively February 15-28). They will be will be continuing the process of upgrading the electrical wiring in several buildings, doing some carpentry projects, and making other needed repairs to camp facilities. A team will also travel to the Lomerío to help with a few construction projects, do outreach in unreached communities, and minister to the REDES churches from July 3-17. Stay tuned for more information coming soon, including full trip details and links to application forms.

Praise be to God for allowing us to continue to minister to the people of Bolivia and beyond. We pray that He will provide guidance and wisdom as we seek to do His will.

Extreme Makeover: Monte Blanco Edition

An update from Ceci Ramsey at Monte Blanco:

Busy... busy... busy…  That's the best way to describe to last two weeks… and rewarding--fun--awesome--a blessing. Some of the women worked hard to spackle, clean graffiti and paint the boys' dorm, which has 16 bedrooms, plus a living room, a long hallway and a bathroom. Each of the bedrooms had cream-colored walls, white ceiling, and one colored wall (blue, green, eggplant, orange, etc.). We made curtains to match the colored walls. The long hallway has a dark taupe bottom, a 2-3 inch deep red horizontal stripe, and the cream top with white ceilings.  The living room which you can see coming down the hallway has the same deep red for a wall around the fireplace. It looks lovely... if I do say so myself!

Team Member Blogs About Trip

The Monte Blanco electrical team is being blogged about here:

http://itecmonteblanco2013.blogspot.com/

Hooking to the Grid: the Camp Gets Connected

LATCOM is hosting an electrical team at Monte Blanco. Here is part of a report sent from Monte Blanco from LATCOM missionary Ceci Ramsey:

I have been amazed at the amount of work this team hopes to accomplish… I did not realize the extent of it as I thought it was just a matter of putting in a few lines and connecting to the electrical grid.  Not so!  They have to consider the future plans of camp (how many campers/placement of pool/which lighting for which area) then put in poles, lines, new connections, etc.  Many of the walls in the buildings will have to be cut as new lines are installed... which means repair, painting, etc. The entire dining room and kitchen is to be redone, including the ceiling and light fixtures as well as most of the roof replaced. This is not to mention the sheer logistics of hosting such a large team.

Above: The quad of Monte Blanco. The electrical team
is working on connecting the camp to the Bolivian
electrical grid.

Equestrian Team Encourages Everyone

Last month (December 31--January 11) LATCOM sent to Bolivia a small “equestrian” team to Camp Monte Blanco. Joining LATCOM missionaries Ceci Ramsey and Jamie Anderson were Houghton College professor JoAnne Young and Houghton student Hannah Compton.

Above: the Team visited a local orphanage and passed out
desserts and Houghton College t-shirts.

Although the team specifically went to care for the camp's three horses, they were a huge encouragement and help throughout the camp.

Monteblanco: “Your Best Decision is Today”

I had heard a lot about Monteblanco… but because something always came up, I was never able to go – until my church had the opportunity to go… I didn’t think twice to sign up. There were still difficulties to go, but thanks to God, I went, and I learned that it was the correct time and moment that God intended for me.

Monteblanco: "Born in God's Heart"

We keep saying that Monteblanco is a special place. Since 2005, thousands of middle school and high school students have gone through our camp. Many return as volunteers while they are university students. Here is a volunteer staff member, in her own words:

Since I came to Monte Blanco, I have praised and given thanks to God for this place, which for me is an awesome ministry that has unique worth. As a staff member in Monte Blanco I learned to serve God with a sincere heart, because everything I do is unconditional – I do it without wanting anything in return, and I realized that I was serving God in a different way, something that came straight from my heart.