Category Archives: Bolivia

A glimpse of Jesus

How was your Christmas? Good? Everything you wanted? Amidst the hustle and bustle that often occurs over the holidays, did you encounter Jesus and find the peace and joy that only he can offer? We did, in the hectic portions of the celebrations and the quiet moments.

One such quiet moment that brought great joy to my heart was seeing the pictures of the children from our mission in Bolivia. Some of you might not know that Go Light Our World (GLOW) is not just a daily inspirational blog but also a 501c3 nonprofit ministry that supports other ministries in the USA and across the globe. Currently, 100% of donations (Select DOnate from upper menu) go directly to the mission field to promote literacy, improved health and nutrition, and opportunities to experience worship and celebrating life together in Jesus’ name. We also sent funds to purchase Christmas gifts for children who would otherwise have few or none.

Their grateful hearts make the giving all the more enjoyable. But that’s not what struck our heart.

It was seeing the children being taught to give to others out of their poverty. The leaders took the children into the streets where they found children who had even less than they did. And they gave them gifts…and hugs. That is what spoke to my heart and why I am so excited about this little mission in Bolivia.

It reminds me that if we have Jesus in our heart, then others ought to see at least a glimpse of him in our lives. They should see instruments of peace and love and joy. Here is to letting His light shine though us in the simple gestures of our lives. Here’s to celebrating Christmas every day!

Go Light Our World – Investing in lives

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Go Light Our World (GLOW) works through the local church to provide accountable services to the needy, including beautiful people like Benita and her daughter Mariah who participate in the Josias program in Cochabamba, Bolivia. Benita is one of the faithful helpers at Josias as are most of the mothers whose children come to the program. Benita has five children (ages 2-12). The oldest, Christian, is also a leader in the program. That is one of the things I like about this program. It is not just about giving away goods, but it teaches literacy and leadership to help develop skills that will one day break the poverty cycle. Like many Quechuan families, Benita’s sells fruit and ice cream at the market and on the streets to earn money. Her husband, a brickmaker, sometimes has work, and sometimes doesn’t. Benita is also learning to sew at Josias, gaining more skills to support her family. Together, they live in a small two room house made of simple materials. Josias helps also with the fees so the children can go to school. $50 is all it takes to provide the materials for one semester of school for a child. When you give to GLOW, your $50 of designated funds go directly toward needs like this with no money deductible for administrative fees.

The literacy program now includes a mobile education unit where several students can work at once with caring instructors to learn basic academic skills.

Would you consider dedicating some time on a particular day each week to pray for the Josias project and those who attend? Will you ask God to help you see others through His eyes? And as He leads you, would you consider making a one-time or recurring monthly donation to support this vital ministry?

May God enrich your life as you look beyond it and care for His children.

‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ Matthew 25:40

Go Light Our World – Giving

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In addition to the daily blog and active ministry work, Go Light Our World supports vital ministries with financial giving.

In Vetren, Bulgaria, one gift helped sponsor the first Public Christmas pageant since the fall of communism in that town. Gypsies who are segregated in that society were included in the pageant, along with the public. The mayor asked all the school children to attend with their families. When the children portraying Joseph and Mary walked into the auditorium carrying “the baby Jesus,” everyone attending spontaneously knelt down saying, “Hallelujah. Praise to God.” Another gift sponsored a child literacy program that continues to this day, with hopes of breaking the cycle of persecution and poverty. Related to this, another gift helped to sponsor the purchase of “Abraham’s Flock.” A sturdy stable was built, goats and chickens were purchased, in addition to a cherry tree grove. The gypsy children and their families are taught to work in the project, with a goal of having enough milk and eggs for all the children.

In Cochabamba, Bolivia, children like Esdenka who have no running water receive a warm shower, a hot meal, Christian and academic literacy training, preventative health care, and of course worship and prayer support. GLOW also works to support and encourage healthy families in a land where many families experience dysfunction and abuse.

In New Orleans, GLOW has supported discipleship efforts to grow effective leaders who also can shine the light of Jesus where they live.

GLOW also supports AIA, Athletes in Action, across 29 college campuses. This region’s AIA mobilized 70 college students in missions across the globe in 2013.

You can partner with GLOW by praying and by giving. We have no paid staff so your financial gifts directly benefit those vital ministries in the USA and across the globe. ($50 for food or medicine buys $50 of these supplies.)

Click on the Donate link to learn how you can make a tax-deductible gift to Go Light Our World, by check, PayPal, or credit card. Choose between a one-time or recurring monthly gift and enjoy the satisfaction you experience when you Go Light Our World!

Go Light Your World- Ministry

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In addition to the Daily blog, we (Bryan and Marcia Thayer) created Go Light Our World to encourage people to partner with us in our ministry (we are volunteers). We also encourage others to intentionally seek out ways to share God’s light with the world around YOU!

Like you, our work focuses where we live. That’s our first mission field. Our mission also extends to Bolivia, South America where we were headed and where we plan to return when my leukemia allows me to travel again. In the meantime we work weekly to encourage ministry efforts in Cochabamba, Bolivia, working with the disenfranchised, and poorest of the poor. The efforts of local workers help meet spiritual and physical needs. Examples include literacy, nutrition, hygiene, preventative health care, worship, prayer, and self-sufficiency programs. In Vetren, Bulgaria, we work with local ministry leaders to help bring ostracized Gypsy children out of the cycle of poverty. Programs include self-sufficiency training, literacy, and worship and prayer.

GLOW also works to encourage and support Athletes In Action, a ministry of Campus Crusade (CRU) and other select ministries that are working to shine the light of Christ across the world.

We will describe some of these projects in more detail in tomorrow’s post.

In the meantime, think about your potential to being light to the world around you.

Go Light Our World – the blog

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God has given each of us light to bring truth and hope to others around us. Jesus said, “You are the light of the world.” Our job is to make sure our light stays lit, encourage others, and to let our light shine in the darkness of others’ lives.

The primary components of the Go Light Our World Ministry are:

The daily blog – bringing truth and hope to others around the globe
Daily outreach – touching the lives of those nearest us
Funding worldwide ministries – spurring on ministries to reach society’s most marginalized people with the light of Jesus

This blog is one component of the ministry. The intent is to encourage others to draw closer to God and discover His best for them. You can click on a link to visit the original blog which started with our 2011 mission to Cochabamba, Bolivia, one of the ministries sponsored by GLOW. We will add other ministry pages in the coming weeks. There is also a link to previous months posts where you can browse a topic of interest to you. Additionally, you can share your comments and reflections with the Go Light Our World community of friends by clicking on ‘reply’ above or below this post. Finally, you can click on the link in the upper right to have the posts automatically sent to your email inbox. (Your email address, while required will not be displayed.) Over 150 people around the world have Go Light Our World blog posts sent directly to their email inboxes. People from about thirty nations stop by the site each month.

If you’ve enjoyed this blog, we hope you will share it with others: www.GoLightOurWorld.org. This website should be ready in the next week. Until then, the link to www.GoLightYourWorld.org is still functional.

By sharing this with others you may bring light to encourage your friends and family and also help build the Go Light Our World community. Our hope is that the blog posts will inspire folks to draw close to Jesus and BE His light into the world.

“When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12

Do What Jesus Said: Feed the Hungry…

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Jesus said, “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.” Matthew 25:35-36

The context of this passage (verses 31-46) is Jesus, sitting on His throne, separating out people into two groups: 1) those who fed the hungry and quenched the thirsty, invited in strangers, clothed the naked, looked after the sick, and visited those in prison and 2) those didn’t. The reward for those in group one is eternal life but not for those in group two.

The interesting thing about this is not about good deeds per se. It is about loving Jesus. He says, “For I was hungry, I was thirsty.” The second group protested, saying “But WHEN did we see you hungry, thirsty, etc). Jesus replies, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ Jesus so loves us that He associates our pain and suffering with His own. We don’t simply minister to others because they have needs. But when we minister to others we minister to our Lord.

We realized this when we first started mission trips to post Katrina New Orleans. Confronted with miles and miles of destruction, the overwhelming immensity of the needs was immediately apparent. We had the same revelation working with the local church in Bolivia: so much desperate need and so little resources. But the objective was not simply to help people. The objective was to love those Jesus loves and so show it in practical ways.

Someone said, “Think globally, act locally.” The way I see it we must do both. Who do you know who needs practical encouragement (resources, time, compassion)? Perhaps they aren’t actually hungry or thirsty in the physical sense, but you know they are emotionally. Look at people through Jesus’ eyes and you will see a very different world than the one you have been looking at.

Are you partnering with a reputable nonprofit agency to minister to others in Jesus’ name across the globe? Go Light Your World supports a mission in Bolivia that provides a hot meal, showers, literacy programs, well child clinic, and worship and prayer for about $2 per day per person. And also literacy and self sufficiency education for Gypsy children in Bulgaria. (See Giving link above.) Compassion International and World Vision are two large nonprofits that rescue moms and children from trafficking and cycles of dependency and abuse. Prison Fellowship helps care for children and families of the incarcerated. We have so much to give and so many ways to let our light shine while doing what Jesus said. Don’t wait. Start today. Ask God to show you the world through His eyes.

“I am only one; but still I am one. I cannot do everything; but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.” Author, Edward Everett Hale

Are You Drinking Enough?

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The popular adage is “drink eight glasses of water per day.” You may need more depending on your body, the amount of exercise you do, your condition. But it is clear: we need water, and plenty of it.

When we were in Bolivia I read that altitude affects the need for more water consumption. We were told to drink lots of water each day, which combined with the lack of public restrooms, became a stressor of its own! 🙂 Nonetheless, we were advised to drink water before we became thirsty. By the time your brain tells you that you are thirsty, your body is already suffering. And so we are all advised to drink water throughout the day to stay hydrated. This will increase our ability to think clearly and our stamina. Whether you are healthy or have Leukemia, your body requires plenty of water to make healthy blood cells.

The same is true of our spiritual thirst. If we wait until our soul is parched, our thinking becomes clouded and judgment impaired. In fact, if we wander long enough in the desert of our own thinking, we can lose our ability to find or even desire the ‘living water’ that Jesus freely offers.

Don’t wait until you feel thirsty to come to God. Drink regularly throughout the day. Drink without stopping. Be refreshed.

“Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.
Revelation 22:17

A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To Bolivia

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You know the experience… you plan and work toward a goal, and just when you think you are close, life throws you a curve ball and changes the plan. In our case, we were following the call we received to pursue full-time ministry in Bolivia, when a week ago Bryan (who never gets sick) was unexpectedly diagnosed with a rare form of Leukemia.

Disappointment or HIS Appointment? One letter makes all the difference in the world! We are of course heart-broken at what we believe is a delay in God’s call to Bolivia. But almost immediately we understood that had we pushed this door open more quickly than we should, we could have been in a third world country without the ability to quickly diagnose or treat this condition. Disappointment was replaced with HIS appointment …God’s plan to protect and provide for His children.

God has also reminded us that EACH of us has a mission field right where we live. We have always stated this on our Go Light Your World website, but now it has become a reality. What does it mean to shine light into the darkness of others’ lives right where we live…to bring hope and encouragement where it is desperately needed every day?

These posts will reflect our journey. We invite you to add your thoughts so we can learn from each other.

Bryan and Marcia Thayer