Our School of Christ
Director for Bolivia

Brian Larsen

Bolivia Index
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Bolivia Report

Report by Dr. Marion Dodson   SOC Director

Bolivia   Pastors Juan Bohorquez and Mario Ticona

I arrived at a time of great spiritual opposition. It was the month in which one can observe the activity of the Aymaran priest (Indian culture). The rituals performed were to Pachamama (mother earth) and are seen in the Presidential palace where the mixture is obvious. For this type of ceremony the president invites the catholic priest, evangelical pastors and this Aymaran priest. All this is done in belief that all religions should be represented in government.

At this time, the SOC coordinators had already cancelled the beginning of the first school for lack of enrollment. In talking with Dr Dodson on this issue, he felt in his heart that my duty was to go and teach the school to those who were willing to receive it. We began, by visiting groups of pastors and city leaders; encouraging them to receive the school. For a week, I was very sick in my stomach. But the Holy Spirit gave me wisdom to pray for this. I asked God to give me a "Bolivian stomach" in this distant country.

We began the first SOC on Nov. 9th, 2009 with 38 students consisting of 30 pastors and 8 leaders from various congregations. God honored us with his presence. Pastors Mario Tecona, an Elder in the Assemblies of God, in the city of El Alto La Paz, Bolivia, and Pastor Milton Calle were given the task of preparing for the first school. I expressed our thanks on the behalf of the entire school of Christ for their work. Once the school started, each lesson was like a sword to each participant. In the third class on "the person of Jesus," one of the pastors told me he wanted to express publicly his sin before God. He also called the other pastors to recognize that they were wrong before God. The presence of God was felt like a flowing river. The prayer went deeper and deeper into the soul of those that were hungry for the word.

A pastor of many years, Mario Quizpe, testified as follows: "The SOC is a blessing that has transformed my life. I recognize that I have been making many mistakes in ministry." Seeing what God was doing, we glorified God for persevering in prayer; so that the heavens opened to us and transformed us by the glorious Holy Ghost. Each testimony followed in the same spirit of gratitude to God. We concluded with a graduation of 38 students. It was a blessing to have birthed the first SOC in La Paz, Bolivia. I personally started two schools in this city for a total of 76 gradiuates. 85% of which were pastors. We left some workers there to manage the school. Since I left, the school has even reached into the indigenous zone. We must return to motivate and to impart the vision to other pastors of La Paz. The student and Presbytery of the Assemblies of God express their most sincere gratitude to the directors of SOC.

Please pray for us as the next two nations where we want to establish the School of Christ are Ecuador and Peru.

In Christ,
Dr. Marion Dodson