Tag Archive for: Bolivia

Medicine opening doors for ministry

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When we arrived in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, we went straight from the airport to the hospital. No, we weren’t in need of a doctor. But we were there to see one—a doctor who’s also planting a new church in that city.

Eduardo Milanesi is a maxillofacial surgeon who started studying with Academia Cristo five years ago. As he advanced through his studies, by God’s grace he was able to gather a group to study God’s Word with him in his home city of Cochabamba. The group grew and is now a church that belongs to WELS’ sister synod in Latin America, Iglesia Cristo WELS Internacional. Eduardo leads them every Sunday in worship.

But last year, God opened a door for Eduardo to start another medical practice in Santa Cruz, Bolivia’s largest city. Eduardo saw that as an open door for the gospel too. Medicine and ministry go hand in hand for him; each patient is an evangelism prospect. As he treats them, he can’t help but share the gospel with them.

And the gospel is bearing fruit in Santa Cruz. When we got to the hospital, Eduardo introduced us to Luis. Luis was in recovery. The day before, Eduardo and his wife, Ingrid—also a surgeon—had removed a tumor from Luis’ face. The surgery saved his life. But the more important work happened in the weeks leading up to it. Eduardo had been sharing God’s Word with both Luis and his family—and the Holy Spirit had worked saving faith in their hearts.

They aren’t the only ones. After changing out of their scrubs, Eduardo and Ingrid took us to meet the rest of the group God is gathering in Santa Cruz. More than 30 souls came together for worship. Eduardo led the service. Two leaders of Iglesia Cristo WELS Internacional who were traveling with me—Pastors Henry Herrera and Julio Ascarrunz—shared the Word with them. Many in attendance were Eduardo’s former patients and their families. Others were friends and colleagues. All were eager to hear the good news of forgiveness in Christ.

Eduardo travels weekly between his practices in Cochabamba and Santa Cruz. But he can’t be in both places at once. So, he’s encouraging men in both groups to take the same path he did and study in Academia Cristo, where they’ll receive training to help lead worship and Bible studies when he can’t.

In the meantime, he’ll continue in both of his callings—saving lives as a surgeon and sharing the soul-saving gospel.

Written by Abe Degner, missionary on the One Latin America Team




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A celebration in Cochabamba

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The streets were packed with tourists, vendors, and colorfully dressed dancers. It was carnival weekend in Cochabamba, Bolivia, and thousands had flocked to the city to celebrate. We were there to celebrate, too – but not because of carnival. We had something so much better to celebrate: the planting of a new church.

This is the goal of Academia Cristo. We give free online Bible studies to students all over Latin America, but the end goal is not online Bible study. Those studies help us identify and train people to plant biblical, Lutheran churches where they live.

That’s how a new church was born in Cochabamba. In April of 2020, a maxillofacial surgeon there named Eduardo Milanesi saw an Academia Cristo ad online and began studying with us. The Holy Spirit used the gospel he was learning to bring newfound peace and purpose to his life. He wanted to share what he was learning with others. He started bringing his Bible with him into check-ups and surgeries and telling his patients about Jesus. In less than a year, Eduardo finished the 13 courses in our discipleship program, confessed doctrinal agreement with us, and started gathering a group in his medical office to study God’s Word. We call groups like these “grupos sembrador” – planter groups.

It wasn’t easy. Eduardo was still working full time as a surgeon while leading his group in worship and Bible study. His group wrestled with COVID restrictions, addiction problems, and marital struggles. Academia Cristo provides study and worship materials for our church planters like Eduardo to use with their groups to help ease their workload, as well as a “consejero” – a missionary who counsels them as they navigate tough situations.

For the next two years, Eduardo’s group met every week, and by God’s grace, they began to grow – not just in numbers, but in faith and knowledge of the Scriptures. In January, they completed the studies we’ve prepared for planter groups and were received by WELS’ newly formed sister synod in Latin America – Iglesia Cristo WELS Internacional – as a congregation.

That’s what brought us to Cochabamba on carnival weekend. Representatives of WELS, Iglesia Cristo WELS Internacional, and our sister church in La Paz all traveled to celebrate. It wasn’t a celebration of our work or Eduardo’s work at all. It was a celebration of God’s saving work in the hearts of all present – especially in the hearts and lives of the new believers in Cochabamba. As Eduardo likes to say: “A Dios sea toda la gloria.” To God be all the glory.

The new church in Cochabamba is the first one planted through Academia Cristo. But over the past three years, God has blessed us with 51 other church planters and 21 planter groups – all on the same path Eduardo and his church took. God-willing, there will be many more celebrations like the one in Cochabamba in the future.

Written by Rev. Abe Degner, missionary on the Latin America mission team stationed in Asunción, Paraguay. 

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