Hit the Ground Running

Hit the Ground Running

We’ve been back in Bolivia about six weeks now, and we’ve hit the ground running. Most people will know what that means, but I’ll give you some details. Unlike the first time arriving, our furnished apartment was waiting for us. Even our plants survived, thanks to our colleagues. People in our apartment, community, the market, the grocery store all knew we hadn’t been around for a while, but were happy to see us.

Pastoring of Pastors—up and running:

I (Bill) had been wondering what would have happened to the Pastoring of Pastors ministry in my absence, so I was pleasantly surprised when a pastor from a group that had only met a few times before we left greeted me with, “Welcome back. You’ll have to visit our group. We lost one pastor but three of us are meeting regularly.” To ensure things were on track everywhere, my second week was spent arranging for a meeting of the Pastoring of Pastors national leadership team—15 leaders from 5 cities. We shared stories from our groups, learned about making time for what’s important, and planned for upcoming events and initiatives. The biggest challenge for pastors continues to be “making the time” for another meeting but I won’t forget the testimonies of two leaders who gave all the credit to their support group of pastors for surviving and thriving after a sudden breakdown of his marriage and another the sudden death of a spouse. When push comes to shove those relationships are not just another meeting. Two new groups have begun since that meeting a month ago. We’re looking forward to promoting PoP at our annual denominational meetings, and of course another week of trainings and a national retreat with Dr. David Kornfield from April 14-18.

Empowering through music—up and running:

For Janice, a top priority was getting back to teaching keyboard to her students. Janice was recently asked to share about someone she had met in Bolivia who touched her heart and mind. Here is what she shared, “Some of my students have really touched my heart. The Foundation where I teach is in the red-light district of Cochabamba and therefore many of the children have moms who are in the prostitution business. One of my students (letʼs call her Alice) is the oldest of five. Her stepfather died last year of AIDS. Her mother is very sick with AIDS and canʼt work to support the family anymore. Alice has the responsibility of taking care of her siblings and that means sometimes having to search for food for the family as well. Yet she is very smart, winning the mathematics contest for the city of Cochabamba in her category. She is also good at reading music and sight-read through two pieces for me recently. She is not without her struggles, as all adolescents are. She has become a Christian and was recently voted-in unanimously to be the youth group president at her church. The leaders there have helped her to grow in her faith and relationship with God. Another studentʼs mom did not want her (letʼs call her Angelica) to take piano lessons because she thought it would take away from time spent on homework. But after a few weeks, it became apparent to me that Angelica was talented. The first time she sight-read a piece of music, I was so excited that I hugged her and had tears in my eyes. I said to her, “You have made me really happy. You have no idea how significant what you just did is.” She just looked at me and said, “Really?” From then on, she has been motivated to keep learning, and is the most advanced of my students to date.

Everything else—up and running:

In addition to the things closest to our heart Janice has also been playing on the worship team at our church, and at the request of the leadership is planning to do a missions fundraising concert, now that the grand piano at the seminary has been repaired. I, Bill, have been making plans to speak at seminary chapels this coming semester, was on the selection committee for the position of rector of the seminary, have been a guest lecturer at another evangelical seminary, teach in the local church’s institute, preached in our local church, and last week spent a lot of time with SENT (short-term mission) team from Whyteridge Baptist Church in Winnipeg. Terry and Pat Janke, former CBM Global Field staff to Bolivia, came with a team. They have been doing retreats and workshops with students and pastors, and also helping out at the Casa de la Amistad (prison children’s ministry) and the Chagas Prevention Project. Last week I also spent a day with one of my pastors whose church, with the help of other churches and OBADES (relief and development arm of the UBB), had been providing over a 1000 meals a day to victims of a massive mudslides in part of our city. So, a lot has happened in six weeks. That’s what we mean by “hitting the ground running.”

Praise and Prayer.

1) Pray for continued strength and energy as we settle into ministry here.
2) Pray for peace and stability leading up to elections on May 2nd and thereafter.
3) Praise God for all the opportunities that keep coming and pray for wisdom in knowing which are the best ones to focus on.

Bill and Janice Dyck
GFS Bolivia

E-mail: bdyck@cbmin.org; jdyck@cbmin.org
Bill Cell/WhatsApp: +591 774 82980; Janice Cell: +591 774 83061
Casilla 86, Cochabamba, Bolivia
Website: http://www.cbmin.org
Donate Online: https://www.cbmin.org/bill-janice-dyck/
Blog site: https://billandjanice.wordpress.com/

 

Thank-You!!!

Dyck CBM Update Dec2019 compressed[2]

Thankful for…no place to go: According to Google I’ve (Bill) been in nine countries and traveled over 50,000 km this past year. I’ve been to Colombia and Ecuador for training related to Pastoring of Pastors. Janice and I took part in a Baptist World Peace Conference in Colombia. We’ve travelled to El Salvador and Guatemala for team meetings on another trip. In the last four months we’ve visited supporters in thirty churches from Ontario to British Columbia. When I returned the rental car after our recent tour of Southern Alberta and BC, in which we made twenty-one visits, the agent asked me, “Did you really turn on 4000 km?” After such a busy year of travel I think there should exist a new beatitude—”Blessed are those who have no place to go…” Maybe that could continue, “…for they shall have time to reflect and be thankful.”

Thankful for…holiday time with family:    Jonathan and Marigan came to see us in Bolivia earlier in the year, but it’s also nice to be in Canada for Christmas and to celebrate it with our son-in-law, Craig, and Jonathan’s special friend, Katrina. Janice was able to make a special trip to Manitoba to spend some time with her Mom also.

Thankful for Supporters:  It was very encouraging to be able to connect with so many people and supporters across Canada. I’ll list churches we connected with, in no particular order: Asquith, Blythwood, Edmonton Prayer Group/Braemar, Elliot Lake, Emerson, Claresholme, Mill Bay, Lacombe, Moose Jaw, Moosomin, Neepawa, Nipawin, Red Deer, Strathclair, Swift Current, Whyteridge, Willow Lake, Yorkminster Park, Summerland (Jason), Calgary First, Pincher Creek, Cranbrook, Penticton, Ward Memorial, First Vancouver, Comox, Qualicum Beach, Emmanuel Victoria, Sechelt, HFAN Calgary, White Rock homegroup.  To all of the above and some I’ve missed (i.e. personal visits) THANK-YOU!  We’ve been encouraged by notes like, “Our Board just met and we’ve approved taking you on as partners in the New Year…thought you’d be encouraged about how positive your visit with us was.”

Another note read, “We enjoyed your sharing during our Soup, Share and Prayer time. That was the best turnout we have had since we’ve started these lunches. Our missions lunches are catching on!”

Thankful that God is in control:  In a season that celebrates peace on earth, it can be disconcerting to realize how little peace there is. We could list multiple points of conflict and protest, Bolivia having been one of those in recent months. We are thankful that we did not have to make a decision on whether or not to stay in Bolivia during recent post-election conflict. As providence would have it, the decision to be in Canada in recent months had been made long before the elections. We are, of course, thankful that things are more stable again in Bolivia, so that we can go back as planned on January 23^rd. God is good. God is in control. We are thankful that we can trust in that at all times and wherever we are.

Thankful for opportunities:  We are so thankful that God continues to give us opportunitiesto serve and to know that we have all of you backing us. Thank you for personal support, but there may be opportunities for you to get involved that you may not even be aware of. Check out CBM’s gift catalogueat: https://hopefulgifts.ca/ ; support one of ourcolleagues at: https://www.cbmin.org/patty-nacho/  or have a closer look at one of our Bolivian projects at:  https://www.cbmin.org/the-chagas-prevention-project/.

Some things to pray for.

Prayer Items:  Pray for us as we return to Bolivia on January 23^rd and settle back into our ministries there. Pray for God’s grace as we and family deal with good-byes and hellos.

Praise Items: Praise God for a safe and successful home assignment and for all of the encouragement we received.

Financial Support:  Please continue to keep us and Bolivian projects and field staff in mind. Thank you for your continued prayers and support.

Contact Information E-mail: bdyck@cbmin.org;  jdyck@cbmin.org CBM Office Contact: Barb Keys, Partners in Mission coordinator at    bkeys@cbmin.org. Click on the following link to support us online. https://www.cbmin.org/bill-janice-dyck/

Bill & Janice

 

 

 

Good-byes and Hellos

Link to September Update

Good-byes are never easy. This time leaving Bolivia would have been a lot harder if we weren’t planning to go back. It wasn’t really an “adios”, just an “hasta luego”.

Good-byes. It was difficult saying until next year to our home church where Janice has been playing on the worship team and where Bill has been doing some preaching. It was difficult saying good-bye to the OBADES (development) team whom Bill has had a class with every week. For me (Bill) it was especially difficult leaving my small group of pastors that meets weekly, and that has become my leadership team for Pastoring of Pastors. For Janice, it was hard to leave her music students who actually came to see her off at the airport. Then there’s our CBM team, the seminary staff, my badminton friends… It’s never easy but it was nice to know that it wasn’t for long.

Feeling good. We feel that our first two years have gotten us off to a good start: a good start in language learning, in building relationships, in finding opportunities to use our gifts. The Pastoring of Pastors ministry has been well received by the pastors. At our national retreat in July we had over 80 pastors attend. We have at least 13 groups going in 5 cities and plans for 5 more groups in the coming year. The denominational leadership is getting behind it and taking ownership of the movement. Janice has been really impressed with her students and enjoys her involvement in the worship team. So we left for our first home assignment optimistic about what ministry will be like when we return to Bolivia in January.

Hellos. On the other side of every good-bye is a hello. For us that was our son, Jonathan, picking us up at airport in Calgary, where he had watched us leave two years ago. This past Sunday we said hello again to many of our friends at First Baptist Calgary. The coming months will be full of hellos with family and old friends and supporters from Ontario to Vancouver Island, as well as an opportunity to make new friends. So, we’re looking forward to meeting many of you along the way.

See you soon. Here’s a quick overview of churches we’ll be visiting in the coming weeks: Lacombe, AB (Sept. 22); Wyoming ON (Sept. 26); Yorkminster Park, TO (Sept. 29); Elliot Lake (Oct. 6); Whyte Ridge Baptist, Wpg (Oct.9); Emerson (Oct.11); Willowlake, Wpg (Oct.13); Neepawa (Oct. 15); Strathclair (Oct. 16); Moosomin (Oct. 17); Moose Jaw (Oct. 18); Swift Current (Oct. 20); Asquith (Oct. 20); Nipawin (Oct. 22nd); Edmonton Prayer Group (Oct. 26); Red Deer (Oct. 27); Norman Dabbs Group, Calgary (Nov. 5); Banff Pastor’s Retreat (Nov. 5-6); FBC Calgary (Nov. 10); Claresholme (Nov. 15); Pincher Creek (Nov. 16); Cranbrook (Nov. 17); Penticton (Nov. 19); Ward Memorial, Vcr (Nov. 23); FBC Vcr (Nov. 24); Olivet New Westminster (Nov. 25); Comox Community (Nov. 26); Qualicum Community (Nov. 27), Mill Bay Fellowship (Nov. 28); Victoria (Dec. 1); Sechelt (Dec. 3). So, hopefully we’ll be saying hello to many of you in one of these places.
Good-bye for now. Hope to see you soon. Before we know it, we expect to be back in Bolivia.

Something to talk about. Check out CBM in Bolivia in general, so we’ll have more to talk about when we see you. Every year CBM sends about a dozen teams from Canada through the SENT program. They work on Chagas projects, visit Integral Mission Initiatives (IMI projects), help out at the Casa de la Amistad, teach at the seminary. The visits of those SENT would not be possible without the coordinating efforts of Patricia Nacho (CBM National Field staff), and fellow Global Field Staff, Tim and Kallie Hutton. So, we’d like you to check out the CBM website and some of the following links to learn more about what else is going on in Bolivia and how you could support these people and projects, or volunteer yourself.

Patty Nacho

The Chagas Prevention Project

Bolivia SENT Trip – June 2019

https://hopefulgifts.ca/ educate a child in Bolivia.

Some things to pray for.
Prayer Items: We have a lot of travel coming up, so please pray for safety, but also that the ministries we are involved in here in Bolivia thrive in our absence, that we will be a blessing wherever we go, that people will be fired up to get involved in God’s mission.
Praise Items: We had asked you to pray for permission to be out of Bolivia for more than 90 days, so that we wouldn’t lose our visa. After waiting over a month we received letters of permission on the last possible day—Friday, before leaving on Sunday. Thanks for praying. Also, everyone’s healthy for now.
Financial Support: Please continue to keep us and Bolivian projects and field staff in mind. Thank you for your continued prayers and support.

Bill & Janice

Contact Information
E-mail: bdyck@cbmin.org; jdyck@cbmin.org
CBM Office Contact:
Barb Keys, Partners in Mission coordinator at
bkeys@cbmin.org.

Note: Please send support to:
Canadian Baptist Ministries
7185 Millcreek Drive
Mississauga, ON
L5N 5R4
or visit the website at cbmin.org to support projects, or click on the following link to support us online.
https://www.cbmin.org/bill-janice-dyck/

Link to Sept Update

 

Celebration of Firsts

Celebration of Firsts

Firsts are just the beginning but can signify an important start…the first brush stroke of an artist, the first cut by a carpenter or surgeon, the first sentence of your newsletter. So, in this update we’d like to highlight some firsts from the beginning of this year.
First visit to Bolivia by our children, Jonathan and Marigan. We had a great time but missed Craig (our son-in-law); but there’s always the next time. We were happy to be together for a time and to have them see where we are.

First time for Janice’s piano students to see a real piano. They were enthralled. We took them to a classical guitar and piano concert. The intent was to inspire them in their lessons. I think it worked. Janice has also started playing regularly with the worship team at our local church. Of course, that leads to being invited to play for other events as well.

Firsts in the Pastoring of Pastors (PoP) ministry. In the past year we have set up support groups in four major Bolivian cities. On February 22nd we had our first national meeting of leaders and co-leaders. We organized the first follow-up meetings for each city. They also chose the first administrator for the program. In Cochabamba we held our first follow-up training event on April 15th. Other cities are following suit. On April 12th we introduced PoP to 15 church leaders from North Potosi. We are looking forward to another national retreat on July 26-27th. My intent is for PoP to be a sustainable national movement, so I’ve been working with national leadership in every event—putting others first, while remaining a catalyst.

First home assignment after getting to Bolivia. It’s already been almost two years since we came to Bolivia, and time for our first home assignment. We will be available to churches and supporters between late September and early December. So far we are booked to visit:
Yorkminster Park Baptist, TO: Sept. 29th
Elliot Lake, ON: Oct. 6th
Willowlake Baptist Church, Winnipeg, Oct. 13th
Swift Current Community Baptist, Oct. 20th.
Banff Pastor’s Conference: Nov. 4-7.
First Baptist Calgary, Nov. 10th.

Others First.  We’re not the only ones working with CBM in Bolivia. Ours are not the only worthwhile projects. Every year CBM sends about a dozen teams from Canada through the SENT program. They work on Chagas projects, visit Integral Mission Initiatives (IMI projects), help out at the Casa de la Amistad, teach at the seminary. The visits of those SENT would not be possible without the coordinating efforts of Patricia Nacho (CBM National Field staff), and fellow Global Field Staff, Tim and Kallie Hutton. So, we’d like you to check out the CBM website and some of the following links to learn more about what else is going on in Bolivia and how you could support these people and projects, or volunteer yourself. https://www.cbmin.org/patty-nacho/
https://www.cbmin.org/the-chagas-prevention-project/
https://www.cbmin.org/bolivia-sent-trip-june-2019/
https://hopefulgifts.ca/ educate a child in Bolivia.

First things last?
We’ll start with some praise items. This year has been off to a good start. Janice’s Mom’s health has been pretty good. We had an excellent visit with Jonathan and Marigan, and they’re doing well. The ministries we’re involved in are progressing. Our language skills are improving as we’re more involved in Bolivian lives. All in all, God is good.

Prayer Items: We have a lot of travel coming up, so please pray for safety, but also that the ministries we are involved in here in Bolivia thrive, that our colleagues manage well without us, that we will be a blessing where we go. Please pray for:
• A team retreat from June 1-8 in Guatemala.
• The Global Baptist Peace Conference from July 15-20 in Cali, Colombia, where Bill is to do a workshop.
• Pray for home assignment plans from September through December.
• Please continue to pray for complete healing for Janice’s Mom’s health.
• Keep praying for Goretty. She is fighting cancer. Janice works closely with her in her ministry to vulnerable children.
• Pray that our upcoming visa renewal process goes well and that we can get the necessary permission to be out of the country for an extended time this year.
Financial Support: Our level of support is typically low for the start of year. It has been finishing well, but we don’t want to take it for granted.
Thank you for your continued prayers and support.

E-mail: bdyck@cbmin.org; jdyck@cbmin.org
CBM Office Contact:
Barb Keys, Partners in Mission coordinator at
bkeys@cbmin.org.

Please visit the website to support us
online.  https://www.cbmin.org/bill-janice-dyck/

 

Steady as she goes…

dyck cbm update jan2019

Steady as she goes…

In the original Star Trek, which yes, I (Bill) am old enough to remember, Captain Kirk often uses the phrase, “Steady as she goes.” Usually that meant, “We’re on our way. Keep it steady.” But inevitably, there were surprises along the way. Steady as she goes would seem to describe our current course of action. A year ago we had finished about six months of language school and felt it was time to ease into more ministry. It was more like, “Here we go.” We didn’t go straight into warp speed, but it still felt like a jump. Janice started teaching music to kids in the “red light” district. I took my first concrete steps toward ministry with pastors.

Steady as she goes…2018
Throughout 2018 Janice has been teaching music to 11 students in three classes at the Emmanuel Foundation. The students have responded well and are so appreciative. Music lessons can build self-esteem, be a therapeutic diversion, just plain fun, and for a few, allow latent talent to flourish. I think Janice is finding all of these to be true for her students. Of course Janice had some other experiences along the journey in 2018, like: a benefit concert for a Brazilian missionary couple going to Paraguay; involvement in leading worship from time to time; evaluating a student’s thesis on worship as a part of his defense at the seminary. So, it’s steady as she goes for 2019, with likely surprises along the way.

Bill saw good intentions in relation to ministry with pastors turn into concrete results in 2018. Four days of training at a Latin America wide summit in Colombia in March, was followed up with a 3-day training event in Cochabamba at the end of May. In June we began the first pastoral support base group in Cochabamba. After further training events in La Paz, Oruro, and Santa Cruz, support groups began meeting in those cities as well. In November we held a 2-day retreat with 35 Pastors representing six cities. So, it’s been a year of taking training, giving training, and seeing pastoral support groups initiated.
In God’s timing, and with the help of a lot of Bolivian and international leaders, in less than a year, we now have base groups meeting in six major Bolivian cities. Additional involvements in 2018 included: doing some teaching in the seminary and with the PRAXIS team, being involved with our CBM team, and speaking at special events.

Steady as she goes…2019 For both Janice and myself it will be steady as she goes for 2019. Janice’s music students are progressing well. I have plans to spend time in Colombia and Ecuador learning from Dr. David Kornfield (an expert in the field), plans to share about our Bolivian experience in Peru, plans to be involved in follow-up training events for existing groups, plans to strengthen and deepen relationships with current leaders, plans to facilitate new groups in three more cities, plans to bring everyone together for another retreat, plans to remain open to how God will lead in this movement.

Detour…Home Assignment   As mentioned, steady as she goes, can mean surprises and detours. One of our detours, necessary for further strength on the journey, will be a three month home assignment to visit our supporters in Canada. We plan to do this from September to December. So we just might be coming your way. Barb Keys, at our CBM office, will be doing much of the planning for this.

On a personal note… This past year has had some difficult times. Janice’s Dad went home to be with his Lord in February. She also went to spend some time with her ailing mother in November. On the upside, her sister and nephew came to visit in October; our children are doing well in their careers and relationships—steady as she goes. Now in 2019, we’re looking forward to Jonathan and Marigan’s first visit to Bolivia! Hopefully others will follow. 

Personal Prayer Items: Please pray that we’ll have a good visit with our children as they come to visit us this month. Pray as well for Craig, our son-in-law, who can’t make it on this trip. Pray for the health for Janice’s Mom who struggles with pancolitis. Pray for healing and peace of mind for all.

Ministry Prayer Items: Pray for Goretty, who heads up the ministry of the Emmanuel Foundation. She is struggling with cancer while continuing to minister to about 45 vulnerable children. Our visas run out in June. Pray that the renewal process goes well and that we can get the necessary permission to be out of the country for an extended time this year.

Bolivian Prayer Item: Pray for peace and political stability as the country prepares for elections in October.

Financial Support: Personally, we finished 2018 with excellent support! Praise the Lord and thanks to you. However, many of CBM’s ministry projects need additional funding. Our Bolivian projects needing support include: Chagas, Casa de la Amistad, and Jireh. Please check out CBM’s website to see which project you might like to support.

Let us know how we can pray for you.

Peace be with you! Happy New Year!

Bill and Janice
Contact Information: E-mail: bdyck@cbmin.org; jdyck@cbmin.org
CBM Office Contact: Barb Keys, Partners in Mission coordinator at bkeys@cbmin.org.

Note: Please visit the website to support us online. https://www.cbmin.org/bill-janice-dyck/

No More Training Wheels

Dyck CBM Update Oct 2018web

Do you remember learning how to ride a bike? I think I do. I remember a little red bike with training wheels. The training wheels were a great help but would also get stuck in the gravel if I turned too sharply. I also remember someone holding onto the back of a bike for me, letting go, and without really realizing it, I was on my own. In a way our time in Bolivia has been like riding with training wheels, speaking for myself anyway.

Training Wheels
About a year ago I (Bill) was one of the key note speakers at a theological consultation on reformed theology. I did it but had to rely on translators (training wheels) for pretty much everything. When they asked the pastors how the conference could have been improved on, someone actually suggested getting a speaker who spoke Spanish. Throughout the last year I have done some presentations, preaching, teaching, in Spanish but always very conscious of my shortcomings. Two weeks ago, it was as though someone let go, without realizing it I was on my own, and actually enjoying the ride. I spoke three times that week and felt good about how it had gone, every time. Like learning to ride without training wheels.

On Our Own
Two people whom we have really relied on are our Team Leaders, Bruno and Kathleen Soucy. They helped get us to Bolivia and get settled in, protected us from over-involvement so we could focus on language learning, and were our constant cheerleaders. After their current home assignment, they will be relocating to Guatemala, and performing their role from there. So, we’re losing our training wheels, our constant supports.

Riding Along
In our last update we reported on Janice’s ministry of building self-esteem through music, with vulnerable children from the “red light” district. That ministry is moving right along. She continues to teach two days a week. As she is inevitably drawn into the lives and struggles of children and staff, they are becoming friends and family.

The expectations around pastoral support groups have been exceeded. Groups have now been started in La Paz, Santa Cruz, Oruro, and Yacuiba. A retreat, that will bring all these groups together for a time of celebration and further training, is being planned for November 12-13, to which we’re going to invite potential leaders from three additional cities.

Bill continues to be involved in the seminary, teaching his first classes in July, taking part in Board meetings and an evaluation of the curriculum along with David Nacho, and has plans to teach again at the end of October. So, Janice and I a riding right along in our ministry involvements.

Riding Off? No. Riding together.
Of course the goal is never to be riding entirely alone. That would be a bit like helping someone learning to ride, only to have them ride off never to return. We’re looking forward to cycling as a team. Bruno and Kathleen will be back at key
times. We’re looking forward to Tim and Kallie Hutton’s return from home assignment and all that they contribute to integral mission initiatives and current programs. We’re very happy to have Patty Nacho on our CBM team, with her unique knowledge of the culture, depth of relations, and organizational skills. We’re looking forward to how we’re going to do God’s work together, here in Bolivia.

Praise and Prayer:
Things are moving along well but we really are still just getting going. The training wheels are off and we are starting to ride.
1) Six pastoral support groups are beginning at the same time. They need to learn confidentiality, transparency, accountability, trust…no small tasks. Pray that the groups gel quickly and function. Pray for Bill as he prepares for a retreat for the groups for November 12-13.
2) Pray for Janice as she continues to teach her music students and inevitably gets drawn into their lives. Pray for Goretty, the director of the foundation where Janice is teaching, as she battles cancer.
Thank you to those who let us know how we can pray for you. Peace be with you!

Bill and Janice

Contact Information
E-mail: bdyck@cbmin.org; jdyck@cbmin.org
CBM Office Contact: Barb Keys, Partners in
Mission coordinator at bkeys@cbmin.org.
Note: Please send support to the CBM address below
or visit the website to support us online.
https://www.cbmin.org/bill-janice-dyck/

P.S. Our support to this point in the year is just short of our expenses. 
P.S.S. Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter

 

 

Believing or Seeing?

Believing or seeing? A Year Ago
Seeing or believing, which comes first? A year ago, we were in a situation of stepping out and seeing what God would do. There were a lot of uncertainties. What would we be doing in Bolivia? We could only vaguely answer that Bill would be working with pastors and Janice would do something music related. Would we be learning a new language at our age? Yes. The elephant in the room, what about Bill’s heart and the altitude? Bill had had a major heart attack and the final delay was because of a large blood clot in his heart. Has the doctor given you a clean bill of health? No.

Seeing that God is Good! A Year Later
We stepped out believing, but it wasn’t long before we began to see that God was at work. Days after arriving in Bolivia, we found a Christian Cardiologist with excellent international credentials. He ran every possible test. All the results were good—no blood clot, excellent stress and blood tests. I recently hiked and climbed to the top of Mt. Tunari, 16,600 feet above sea level, because I enjoy God’s creation, but also to see if it could be done. Seeing is believing. God is good!

Janice: Seeing Her Gifts Used
What would we be doing? We’re beginning to see things fall into place there as well. Music is therapeutic but also builds self-esteem, so when Goretty, who has a ministry to vulnerable children in Cochabamba’s “red light” district was given some keyboards, she invited Janice to give the children music lessons. Now, Janice teaches these special children music two days per week, in Spanish.
When everyone at our church was raising funds for a Brazilian missionary couple, Janice was wondering what she could do. Her idea? A private benefit concert in our home. About 30 people squeezed into our apartment for an evening of music (thanks to Janice), desserts (thanks to Bruno and Kathleen), and prayers and well wishes (thanks to all their friends and ours).

Bill: Seeing His Gifts Used
What about Bill’s ministry with pastors? It turns out that Bill didn’t have to reinvent the ministry. He has been able to learn a lot from David Kornfield, a missionary with years of experience in ministry to pastors in many countries and endorsed by the World Evangelical Alliance. The focus is not just on pastors but on transforming communities through churches transformed by healthy pastors. After training events in Colombia and Cochabamba, Bill has now started his first pastoral support group in Cochabamba. Plans are underway to form a national group consisting of our denominational leaders, and groups in four strategic cities, this year.
Bill also gets frequent invitations to speak. He has been asked to speak at the 113th anniversary service of First Baptist Church Cochabamba, at the annual assembly meetings of our denomination, at the seminary chapel, and about our experience in Indonesia. He is planning to start teaching in the seminary in July. Although our Spanish is far from perfect, we are beginning to challenge ourselves by using it.

Seeing is Believing!
A year down the road, we’re beginning to see what God is doing. Seeing is believing!

Praise and Prayer:
1) Praise for a great first year! Answered prayer regarding health, support, language learning, getting off to a good start with colleagues and national leaders, getting started in ministries, well-being of family in Canada… God is good!
2) Pray for Bill as he begins teaching at the seminary (July 7th and 14th) and as he facilitates the forming and leading of pastoral support groups on a national level and in the strategic cities of: La Paz, Santa Cruz, Cochabamba, and Oruro.
3) Pray for Janice as she settles in to teaching her music students and all that entails—language, patience, creativity…
4) For whatever else God lays on your heart.
Finally, let us know how we can pray for you. Some of you took us up on this the last time. Thank you! Peace be with you!

Bill and Janice

Contact Information:  E-mail: bjdyck@cbmin.org; billdyck26@gmail.com
WhatsApp: 591 7748 2980
CBM Office Contact: Barb Keys, bkeys@cbmin.org. Website: http://www.cbmin.org
Secure Online Donation: https://secure2.convio.net/cbmin/site/Donation2?df_id=2463&mfc_pref=T&2463.donation=form1

Leveling Up!

Leveling Up!
I (Bill) don’t play video games, but I like this definition of “leveling up.” It’s “when a player of a videogame has earned enough experience points to acquire a new level in a skill or skills. Often is accompanied by the ability to wield new weaponry, access new places, or begin new assignments.” (Urban Dictionary) That seems to describe where we are at.

We’re leveling up in our Spanish. After six months Bill can deal with most situations likely to arise while traveling, and recently did a devotional for about 20 pastors, just relying on notes. Janice is comfortable shopping and talking about things familiar to her. We still have a long way to go: realistically, two more levels. But we’ve advanced two or three levels. Until now we’ve focused mainly on settling in and language learning. In the new year we plan to level up by spending most of our time in ministry while still leveling up on language.

We’re leveling up in our ministry involvements.
We always knew that Janice’s ministry here would involve music in some way. Recently, a lady who has a ministry to children of prostitutes approached Janice for help. A kind donor had given her a number of musical instruments. She needs someone to help the children learn to play the instruments. So, this is what Janice plans to help with. This could easily spread to a similar ministry with prison children as there are children there with amazing potential as well.
Bill came to Bolivia with the intention of working with pastors. Plans are falling into place for this kind of ministry. He has had some good meetings with national and international leaders who are already involved in a ministry of pastoring pastors. He plans to attend a summit meeting in Bogota, Colombia in March, which will focus on starting and maintaining pastoral support groups. Too many pastors, their families, and churches are struggling. The idea is that healthy pastors will result in healthy churches, which will bring healing to our society.
Expectations are also on Bill to be more involved in the seminary and to keep doing consultations on potentially divisive theological issues.
We’re leveling up, from focusing mainly on Spanish to beginning to fulfil some of our visions and expectations around ministry.

On the Level, or Better?
Not everything has to be leveling up all the time. In the last update we had a good report on Bill’s heart health. We continue to be healthy, so we praise God for that. An added benefit is that Janice has had some needed dental work done at very reasonable prices.
At the time of our last update Bill was sweating over a theological consultation for which he had been made the key note speaker and which had grown to 80 pastors and leaders.
Around 120 pastors ended up attending and the presentations seemed well received and helpful to the denominational leaders and pastors. One consultation will obviously not solve all problems but we did seem to end up in a better place, with more understanding around the issues.

Levelling up in our support.
We’re learning to use the “subjunctive” in Spanish. It is used when addressing desires, hopes, expectations. Our supporters more than adequately provided for our start up costs, and our level of support was enough to get us to Bolivia, but our regular support remains low. We’re still hoping that our support will level up. With increased ministry involvements, some of which will involve more national and international travel, we will also need more support.

Ojala, Lord willing, and through some of you, our support will level up to an adequate level to keep expanding our ministry involvement.

Please pray:
1) For wisdom and focus as requests around Janice’s musical involvements could quickly become overwhelming, and as we can already see Bill being pulled in multiple directions that could all be full-time involvements.
2) For continued progress in language learning.
3) For family as we leave children and parents behind in Canada, but not easily
4) For increased financial support.
5) For whatever else God lays on your heart.
Finally, let us know how we can pray for you. Love hearing from you too.
Leveling up,

Bill and Janice
Leveling Up!      

Dyck CBM Update Dec 2017

Healthy Start!

Healthy Start!
Please check out our recent update by clicking on healthy start above.

We’re Here! We’re Home!

Dyck CBM Update June 2017href=”http://”>https://1drv.ms/w/s!AiTHRsqZJG2OnxDIBFhpfm-eTeno

Good News! We’re “Home”!
We’re here! Finally! In Bolivia! Or maybe I should say, “We’re home!” In Mexico, I learned of the phrase, “Mi casa, su casa—my home is your home.” People often said this upon entering their home. So, I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised when the Bolivians, quite intentionally, welcomed us with a balloon that said, “Welcome home.”
A Warm Welcome

Their home is now our home and we have received a very warm welcome. The weather has not been as warm as expected but the welcome by representatives of the whole team of people we’ll be working with was heart-warming. All who could, made a point of showing up at the airport at our arrival—our CBM global and national field staff, the president of our partnering denomination, seminary staff, representation from the student body, and staff representing the development organization of the denomination, were all there. It was very encouraging to see the team out in full force to welcome us—not so much for our sakes, but encouraging because of the message it sent about wanting to work together.
The welcome continued with everyone who had been at the airport, and more showing up again, for an official welcome at the seminary.

What a Difference a Week Makes
What a difference a week makes! From having very little to report on from week to week, we now have plenty of news. We arrived here on June 1st. Within a week we found an apartment, found a good cardiologist, found a language school, not to mention setting up our phones, initial shopping, finding a bank machine that works, moving to a guesthouse, etc.

We’re Here, but still Needing Prayer and Ongoing Support

We need prayer for: 1) continued health, 2) patience in the ongoing visa process, 3) help in language learning and in making the cultural adjustments, 4) building lasting relationships.

Off to a Good Start, Now What?
This coming week we plan to start setting up our apartment, start the immigration process, and of course continue with 2-3 hours a day in language classes. Somewhere in there, we’re focusing on getting to know key people and building relationships—with nationals, other missionaries, and short termers from Canada.

We’ve now left our country, our people, and our families and have arrived in a land of God’s choosing (Gen. 12:1-3). It’s exciting to see God’s hand in this new beginning. We look forward to how God’s plans will continue to unfold. (Phil. 1:6) We’re very thankful that you are on this journey with us. Thank-you, once again, for your “partnership in the gospel” (Phil. 1:3-5). We’re here. We’re learning the language. We’re settling in. But this is all only a beginning. Now we’ll look forward to what God will do. (Jer. 29:11)