Bowen Arrow The

News from Lizet and Andy Bowen

The Art of April 2019

&
Failing
Well
One of the unintended consequences of studying language is a lot of opportunities to make Andy Lizet Bowen
mistakes! Some of these are merely unclear or confusing, some are funny, but some cause Casilla 1338,
offense and hurt. A couple of my students spent a few frustrating weeks in the middle of one Asunción, Paraguay
of this last kind of language and culture messes. Though they had tried, they were at a loss
for how to make things right. A few weeks ago, I was asked to preach at a Saturday- Cell: +595 971 338 682
afternoon service in a little neighborhood church in the town of Escobar. I spoke on forgiving Skype: +1 859 305 1859
and seeking forgiveness from others. In a culture where interpersonal tranquility has a very andy.bowen@wgm.org
high value, it's difficult sometimes for people to confront one another lovingly and patiently
to seek reconciliation. (In our culture it's hard too, but perhaps for other reasons!) I gave
some Biblical guidelines for facing the words and actions that have damaged relationships. /bowensinparaguay
There weren't many people present, but my students' neighbor—the one they had
offended—took what I said seriously and went the next week to several neighbors to seek
reconciliation. She also called my students and asked them to come over, and they were able
to talk about the
accidental offense
and ask each other
for forgiveness. World Gospel Mission
L a n g u a g e P.O. Box 948
learning, lets Marion, Indiana 46952
missionaries United States of America
demonstrate that
though they often +1 765 664 7331
can’t yet master
the social niceties www.wgm.org
of cultural
appropriateness,
they can humbly
do the hard work of
promoting right
Above: The three missionary families that have been studying Guarani
r e l a t i o n s h i p language with Andy since August, and the Paraguayan language
through seeking helpers. L to R: Language helper Migdonia Centurión, Samuel
a n d g i v i n g McDowell, Kate McDowell, Mark Bosscher, Jodi Bosscher, Aaron
forgiveness! Bryant, Becky Bryant, Samuel Bryant, language helper Yolanda Sosa.
It comes around we're introducing a new element to and camps, but we would love to come to
Coming a r o u n d our routine. Instead of home schooling your church and report on the work you've
North a b o u t through the year, all three of our boys will been a part of in Paraguay! Please email us
at the address above so we can schedule a
every five attend public school. They're about equal
Again years: it's parts enthusiastic and apprehensive about visit.
t i m e f o r o u r H o m e l a n d M i n i s t r y that prospect. Would you please pray for Please pray for us as we pack, organize,
Assignment again. On June 5th, we'll fly them? This is going to mean a new and say our good-byes. And pray for our
out of Asunción at about one in the paradigm for us, too, as Andy will likely be last few weeks of language study and for
morning and, around 20 hours later, arrive doing a lot more traveling by himself. the Bosschers, the Bryants, and the
in Lexington at 9:20 p.m. We'll be living in We’d love to see you, if we can! We have a McDowells as they move to the next places
Wilmore, Kentucky again, but this time handful of services scheduled in churches they’ll be ministering in rural Paraguay!

Teams Help
Us Serve
Paraguayans
2018, and the first months of 2019, have
been crazy busy! After having no work
teams for some time, we had three teams
visit in the course of four months. The first
came from our home church, Wilmore Free
Methodist, in March-April and worked in
our community on a very exciting project.
In a project initiated by the neighborhood
church, this youth team helped build a
home for Estela, a widowed mother who
had been living in a ramshackle structure
that let rain in from every direction. (You
can read more about it at
www.wgm.org/issue/handprints-of-god)
The second group, in May, came from
Asbury University. These five students
along with their leader ministered at
Asunción Christian Academy and then
joined me and Peter Ratcliffe and a
Paraguayan couple on a three-day ministry
trip to First Nations people in the depart-
ment of Canindeyú, in northern Paraguay.
We visited two remote communities and
presented a clear, simple Gospel message to
them. Many responded in each location,
and we even saw people healed! In June-
July, a youth team from Harvest
Clockwise, from left:
Church team came to
Lizet and missionaries Paraguay last March-April,
Susana Donahue, Gabi the group got to visit
B l e e c k e r, a n d K a r i Asunción Christian Academy,
Showers periodically an English-language school
organize a retreat for of which WGM is part owner.
missionary ladies. This
Kristin Hiatt, a teacher, was
April, WGM missionary
Katy Beth Coppedge and really captured by the exciting
her daughter Abby were work they were doing there.
special speakers. The When I visited Wilmore a few
Harvest House will weeks later, I met with Kristin
provide a place for and her husband Luke and
missionary Guarani
u rg e d t h e m t o c o m e t o
students to live. Kristin
and Luke Hiatt are Paraguay and investigate
making an impact at ACA! whether God would like them
to spend a year here working
Community at ACA. They came for a quick visit, fell in
Church in Kittanning, Pennsylvania, came love, and were back in Paraguay as mid-
and helped put in the foundation for the term volunteers with WGM three weeks
Harvest House, one of two dwellings we're later! We have loved having them here, and
building for the families of missionaries
who come to study Guarani with us. Each
they have even committed to a further year
at ACA, where Kristin is teaching third
of the teams was so willing to serve and so grade and Luke is discipling students and
joyful that it was a real delight to have coaching, and is building an outreach
them. program for students. We're thrilled that
The they plan to return for a second year!
Thank you for the way that you pray for us
10-2 and generously give to World Gospel
Challenge Mission to make it possible for us to be in
We have been working hard on growing our Paraguay! Thank you for your love and
team here in Paraguay. A couple of years friendship, and your interest in what God is
ago, at our leadership get-together in doing here in Paraguay! We hope to see you
Indiana, we were encouraged to take over the next year and share a cup of coffee
&
seriously Jesus's instructions to his or a meal!
disciples in Luke chapter 10. Pointing out
the needy people that are like fields ready to
harvested, the Master says in verse 2, "The
harvest is plentiful, but the workers are
few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, Joseph
to send out workers into his harvest field.”
So, at 10:02 every morning, the alarm goes
off on our phones, reminding us to pray this
prayer! We're asking specifically for
couples to mentor pastors in Paraguay, for
teachers for Asunción Christian Academy,
and for workers to disciple new First
Nations believers in Paraguay.
When the Wilmore Free Methodist