Welcome to our third missions spotlight! Bolivia is May’s focus country and I hope you enjoy our little trip to this South American nation!

Country: Republic of Bolivia

Continent: South America

Population: 11,673,021

Capital: La Paz and Sucre (yep, two Capitals!)

Largest City: Santa Cruz de la Sierra

Motto: La Unión es la Fuerza (Unity is Strength)

National Anthem: “Bolivianos, el Hado Propicio” (Bolivians, a most Favorable Destiny)

Current Leader: Juan Evo Morales Ayma

Language: Spanish is the main one, but they have multiple native languages recognized as well!

Bordering Countries: Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, Chile, and Peru.

Religions: Catholic (70.0%); Protestant (includes Baptist, because for some reason Wikipedia is confused on that, lol! We’ll forgive them I guess 😉) (17.2%); None (9.3%); Mormon/JW (1.7%); Other Religion (1.2%). Approximately  83% of the population is involved in false religion, and probably more have never heard a clear Gospel presentation from the Bible.

Animals of Interest: Spectacled Bear, Giant Otters, Capybara, Guanaco (a llama type animal), Viscacha (rabbit), Andean Condor, Chinchilla Rat, and Giant Armadillo, just to give a sample!

Famous Foods: Sopa de Mondongo (veggie and tripe soup), Sajta de pollo (Chicken with onions, tomatoes, peas, and yellow chili peppers and, with an array of seasonings, including cumin!), Arroz con queso (Rice and Cheese), Anticucho (beef heart, usually, kabobbed),  Silpancho (white rice, boiled or steamed potatoes, beef or chicken, and fried eggs), and Majadito (rice, dried meat, chopped onions, and tomatoes).

Fun Facts: Bolivia was named after Revolutionary Simon Bolivar, the first president of the country! Bolivia was home to the ancient Incan civilization! Bolivia has 37 official languages! Bolivia is one of two land-locked countries in South America!

Missionaries: (coming soon!)

Prayer Requests: Pray that the light of the Gospel will reach this nation and turn it around from an idol worshiping nation to followers of Christ. FBN is heard in this country, so please pray that God will bless the broadcast and that the Bolivian people will hear the Gospel. And above all, pray for laborers to go and serve!

Don’t forget to check your list of missionaries at your church for Missionaries to Bolivia! Encourage your family to pray for them and perhaps send them a note of encouragement!

It’s officially Fall (has been for over a month 😉)! My favorite season of all! I love the cold weather, the leaves, the scents, the colors…*happy sigh* I can finally enjoy the long-sleeved shirts that I’d packed away months ago! And I have much to share today, so let’s hop right in! (P.S. Happy International Redheads Day to all my Ginger friends out there!)

October Favorites

Bible Verse: Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. Psalm 46:3

This verse has been special to my family for many years, especially when my dad was going through some health issues. (He’s fine now, btw!) Sometimes, we need to step back and just be still and know that He is God. It’s easy to say, but when the truth of that verse really gets into your heart, it’s so special. HE IS GOD! He is in control!

Song: I know I have shared about this song before, but my sisters and I just learned God of Wonders by Adam Morgan, and I absolutely love it!

Event: Attending the Ark Encounter in Kentucky!!! During a Missions Conference in Ohio, we were able to drive over to see Ken Ham’s Ark replica, and oh! It was breathtaking! I hope to do an entire post on it soon, so stay tuned for that!

Book of the Month: Three People by Isabella Alden. 5 STARS!!!! This is my favorite book by my favorite Author! I reread the book this past month, and I enjoyed it so much! It’s the story of three young men, born the same day and how the world seeks to destroy them with the demon rum, but how God has other plans. It shows how we are called to temperance, and while you may have help held out to you, not all will accept it. Oh, read this book!

Ministry: I have 3 events to report on! First, our Ohio Missions Conference! It was such a blessing! We got to mingle with our fellow missionaries, meet the Church members, listen to sermons by Dr. Don Sisk 💚 and got to help the church with a canvasing mission (we picked several streets and went door to door inviting people to church and gave them special edition John and Romans booklets and FBN material)!

Next was our Fall Share-a-thon! The Lord blessed mightily, and we were able to raise enough money to cover us through March, plus we were able to raise enough money to pay for over 5,000 bibles to be printed and sent to countries asking for them, including Myanmar, Russia, Mexico, Africa, and Haiti!

And finally, we come to the Ambassador Baptist College Missions Conference. The guest speaker, Bro. Ron White was such a blessing, and getting to share FBN with the students at Ambassador made for an enjoyable time. I was asked to give my testimony in the ladies’ dorm devotions, which I had never done before, so I was quite nervous. I also was getting over Laryngitis, which gave me a lovely voice, as you can imagine 😂 But God helped me through it, and I enjoyed the opportunity!

Writing Update: WE ARE EDITING AGAIN! Consistently, my mom has been finishing chapters and turning them over to me! A Song of Home is getting closer and closer to the finish line! It’s so exciting to see the story taking shape into something that actually looks like a book! 😉 And Book Five is in the drafting stage and making steady progress! For those who love Jeremy Calling…well, I’m working on his scenes! You’re welcome 😉

A Book I am Anticipating for November: I’m really looking forward to reading The Real Lincoln by Thomas DiLorenzo (Author of Lincoln Unmasked). And I can’t wait to start finding some Christmas books to check out. I love the Christmas season, so I’m eager to start early getting in the mood!
 
And Now, Some Writing Prompts…

That's all for Now! Have a Lovely Week and I'll see you Friday!
In Christ,
Ryana Lynn
Jude 22

Emoji art supplied by Emoji One

Just popping in to let you know that October 14th through 19th is the Fall Share-a-thon for the Fundamental Broadcasting Network, a ministry of our Sending Church, Grace Baptist Church of Newport, North Carolina.

We would really appreciate your prayers that our next 6 months of funding would come in and that we would be able to take on a missions project at the end of the week! Please tune in (click here!) on our website or by way of our free app! And PLEASE tell others you know about the Share-a-thon! We have so much fun! My dad will be speaking on the radio daily and if you happen to call in a pledge, chances are, you’ll catch me in the phone room. If you do call, please say hello!

Again, your prayers are appreciated! God is so good and we are privileged to have been heard in 230+ countries and territories! We truly are the missionary that never sleeps and only heaven will reveal how many have come to know Christ through hearing the gospel on FBN!

Our School year has officially started and it’s going well thus far! Yay, Homeschooling! Hard to believe I’ll have a sister graduating this coming Spring and my little brother is in high school! The baby of the family just started middle. Hard to believe they are all so grown up! And Fall is right around the corner!

August Favorites

Bible Study: I am currently reading through the book of Exodus, and the story of the Israelites fighting with Amalek was part of my study. I’m reading a commentary on Moses and I am enjoying the study greatly. It showed how the raising of Moses hands was symbolic of lifting our hands to God in Prayer and also how it represents the power of God. And it shows that God keeps His promises. He promised to destroy Amalek, to wipe their nation off the face of the earth for their sin against God and for their hatred of the Jews. There are no descendants of Amalek today. It’s time for America to wake up to the seriousness of antisemitism (racism toward Jews). God doesn’t take it lightly and we shouldn’t either. The retributions could be fatal! “And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” Genesis 12:3 (King James Bible)

Did you know that you can help others by praying for the peace of Jerusalem? “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee. Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces. For my brethren and companions' sakes, I will now say, Peace be within thee.” Psalms 122:6-8 (King James Bible) Don’t allow mainstream prejudice to mar your view of Israel and her people. God’s hand is upon them and it is our duty to pray for them, that they will hear and accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ, in Whom they can have true Peace.

Song: Every Good And Perfect Gift by Adam Morgan. It’s a Thanksgiving Song, but I think it’s appropriate for everyday life! We need to remember where our daily supplied needs come from.

🎼 “Every Good and Perfect Gift comes down from the Father of lights, Who remains unchanged, forever reigns, Who makes His face to shine upon His Child!” 🎼

Event: My Grandparents’ 60th Wedding Anniversary! Both of my married sisters and their families came in for it so we had all six of the little ones in the house! The time spent with friends and family was amazing. Also amazing that we are still sane after having so many people in the house at one time! 😉

Book of the Month: It’s a tie between Let’s Roll by Lisa Beamer (Review coming soon!) and Protecting the Poor by Amanda Tero! (Click here for my full review!)

Ministry: My dad has had many opportunities to preach and share about FBN this month! We had a missions conference for one, but even our drop-ins have been a blessing, especially one specific Wednesday Night prayer meeting we attended a couple weeks ago. Now that was a Real prayer meeting!

Writing Update: We are back into the grove of editing! Mom has been hitting the chapters hard, and I’m just ahead of her, fixing a few things that have changed due to prior edits! God is good and we are moving forward towards the finish line 😊 And Y'all! The Land of Cotton is currently having it's 5th printing printed and bound!!! Thanks to all of you who made this possible!

A Book I am Anticipating for September: I did not finish Auschwitz Escape, but I did make progress! But I am looking forward to reading a series of books I am proofing for my brother, Soldier Dogs. There are four books I think (more coming) and I have all but #3. I know, reading out of order…I’m still looking for it. The books are set during WWII and spotlight the different uses of dogs in the service! So, yes, I’m looking forward to that!
 
And Now, Some Writing Prompts…

Have a Blessed September!
Ryana Lynn
Jude 22

Last month I mentioned that July was a crazy busy month for us, telling others about the Fundamental Broadcasting Network. Well, it certainly was! We had the Southeast Old Threshers Reunion, our church’s VBS, The Sword of the Lord Conference, and additional meetings in between!

July Favorites

Verse: Again, a specific verse didn’t jump out at me, but reading through Genesis has been very enjoyable! I love the story of Joseph, and every time I read it, it’s like I’m there, watching it all happen, wishing I could prevent some things, rejoicing with Joseph at other times. And seeing how God worked it all out for good is so thrilling!

Song: Complete in Thee. I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned this one before, but it has been such a blessing to me this month.

🎼Yea, justified! Oh, blessed thought! And sanctified Salvation wrought! Thy blood hath pardon bought for me, and glorified I too shall be.”🎼

Event: The Majesty Music Conference! I was able to attend the conference in Raleigh this year, and it was worth every penny! I, at last, learned precisely what I need to work on in singing and learned techniques to take care of my voice. After all, we should be good stewards with everything God has given us, and while I’m by no means an expert singer, I want to be all that I can be to honor Him. I also received free music and purchased more. Can’t wait to put it to use! And who wouldn’t want to sit and learn from the crew of the Jolly Roger️?⛵ (If you aren’t familiar with Patch the Pirate...you are missing out! 😉)

Book of the Month: Enemy Brothers by Constance Savery. I’m not quite finished with it yet, but it is sooo good! (Review to Come!)

Ministry: As I mentioned earlier, we set up for FBN at Threshers (a tractor show) and Sword Conference. I look forward to both events every year. Last year, our representative, Rep. Ted Budd, came to Threshers to hear my dad preach! We had a wonderful time at both events, sharing about our ministry! God is so good!
Writing Update: Because we had the opportunity to do VBS at our church again this year, we didn’t get as much editing done as we had planned on, but my mom did get some solo edits done! Now to meet…But I did get some writing done on side projects, and when I added it up, it was over 41k! I wasn’t planning on having that much done this month, but it happened and I’m grateful!

A Book I am Anticipating for August: Last month I mentioned Jefferson Davis, American and I am still working through that one, but I also hope to finish The Auschwitz Escape by Joel C. Rosenberg. It’s a Holocaust story and very moving so far. Definitely not recommended for children, but oh! So eye-opening!
 
And Now, Some Writing Prompts…

Well, that's it for now!
Have a blessed week!
Ryana Lynn
Jude 22

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