Connecting people with God and Neighbor
Bridging the Americas in the Name of Christ
Bolivia and Oklahoma Methodists entered a unique partnership in 1989 wherein we sought to "Bridge the Americas in the Name of Christ." The written partnership is between the Oklahoma Annual Conference and Bolivian Methodists.
Our faith is being manifested in the form of the "Home for the Elders" which began construction in August 2011. Edmond First has already sent mission teams which have assisted this ongoing project. This is an "Assisted Living" facility for the elderly poor Methodist Bolivian people. There are currently no nursing homes for anyone but the elite in Bolivia.
Those who go on Mission trips often say that they received more than they gave; that they went intending to help 'those poor people,' but came back realizing that they had received far more than they gave. All they did was help build a church or hand out some medicine. But in return they received a deeper faith, a world perspective on politics and life, and sometimes even a decision to change lifestyles. In most cases, this faith journey and these transformational experiences come without any intentional planning or preparation, except for a few 20 minute devotions and a few open ended questions like, 'Where did you see Christ today?' thrown at the team at night, when they are exhausted.
Encountering Christ in the Andes will help you to structure opportunities to exchange life stories with the Bolivian Methodist people you will be working and living with. You will hear of their lives, their joys, their struggles. The goal of a Mission trip is NOT to simply bond as a team --- it is to bond with our Bolivian Methodist brothers and sisters.
But ultimately, Encountering Christ in the Andes is striving to help you and your team to encounter Christ himself. And then to take that experience and let it transform your life.
Edmond First’s 2015 mission trip will be from October 15, 2015 to October 24, 2015. We are asking those going on the trip to sign-up as soon as possible, as tickets for individuals signing up later will be more expensive. Please contact Associate Pastor Don Vaught at the church to sign up (cell 513-2601; don@fumcedmond.org), or contact Joe or Jacque Emperly, jemperly@cox.net or j_emperly@cox.net. Join our mission team! We also welcome college students who may choose to join this team.
If you cannot go on the trip, please consider contributing to this very worthy cause to help support our mission team. We hope your Sunday School class or other small group in the church will pray about what it can do to help, then let us know.
Blessings to you,
Don Vaught
Associate Pastor
The local people in the picture worked every day probably longer than we did! The building is two stories and will house about 32 residents. The 1st floor will have a large meeting area, a bathroom, a storage area and two rooms to house people that will be working in the building. The 2nd floor will have all of the bedrooms as well as bathroom facilities and a small meeting area.
The building behind us is the Home for the Elders. The people on our mission trip in the picture are: (bottom, left to right); Patrick Emperly, Jacque Emperly, Stephanie Coit, Polly Riddle. Middle row, Left to right – Marge Gilligan, Mike Heister, Matt Borum. Back row, left to right – Steven Luttenberg, Joe Emperly.
We went from 21st September 2012 to 30th September 2012. We are planning another trip this September; from the 20th to the 29th. The fees last year were $2165 per person for 10 people; the fees should be about the same as last year. The fees included round trip airfare, visa fees, and food. If you would like to participate in this year’s mission trip to Bolivia, please contact Joe Emperly at 664-1603, Jacque Emperly at 613-6053 or a member of the church staff.
Ayllu
Missions going Both Ways!
For too long Missions has been a one-way street: from the Developed World to the Developing World. It has come from a Spiritual/Theological self-righteousness by the Developed World, and a “Poor-me” attitude by the Developing World. Enter this website and learn about a new paradigm in Missions: Ayllu.
Ayllu is an Aymaran word that means something between ”community” and “extended family”. Once you are a part of the Ayllu, although you may move far away, you are ALWAYS a member of the Ayllu.
The Bolivia/Oklahoma Ayllu began in 1986 when the leadership of the Iglesia Evangelica Metodista en Bolivia (IEMB) (Evangelical Methodist Church of Bolivia) felt a need to be in mission to another part of the world beyond the borders of Bolivia. And they believed (still do) that the place with the greatest need to be evangelized is the United States.
The Oklahoma Conference has benefitted dramatically from this Ayllu:
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Creation of Conference VIM office, largest in the country, suggested by an IEMB bishop in 1990
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Hundreds of lives transformed by the faith and witness of the Bolivian Methodists,
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Medical Teams returning from Bolivia deciding to start indigent Health clinics in several rural situations around Oklahoma
However, the greatest benefit has been a renewed commitment to serve Christ, who lives among the hungry, the thirsty, the homeless, and the oppressed.
And now, the IEMB and the Oklahoma Annual Conference have jointly appointed the first-ever “Missionary-In-Reverse”: Rev. David Stephenson. David preaches and teaches about the significant theological differences between Bolivia and Oklahoma, and represents the IEMB in Oklahoma for fund-raising and support of IEMB projects.
At this site, you will receive news and information of the work of the Methodist church in Bolivia and of Oklahoma’s partnership in that work. Spend some time. Look around.
Join us in this historic partnership, bringing together Methodist people from two different continents to transform the world for Christ.
Thank you,
Rev. David Stephenson
“Missionary-In-Reverse”
Executive Director of Engineers In Action andMission Interpreter of the Bolivia/Oklahoma Methodist Ayllu;
a ministry of the Oklahoma Volunteers In Mission