Grace in Trials

The impact of major forest fires on the work in Bolivia.

The children have been back at boarding school with us since February, and they can now hear God’s good news every day of the week through devotionals and children’s services. A heartfelt “thank you” to everyone who has been a part of this work through their support and prayers!

Last year was very turbulent and stressful for us. For one thing, we were very understaffed. What’s more, there were significant requirements to fulfill for the labor bureau, in just one month. This included installing fire alarms, fire extinguishers, and various directional signage; running brightness testing and evacuation drills; and preparing numerous files and supporting documents. In retrospect, a lot of this was probably a good thing to have done. But it was a huge mountain of work, and we often wondered how we’d manage it all. We thank the Lord Jesus for carrying us through!

We were plagued by major forest fires in Bolivia and Brazil for weeks. The sky stayed shrouded in smoke for days, and the sun looked like a pink moon. Lots of people were suffering from breathing problems, coughing, and irritated eyes. The school administration switched to distance learning, which placed additional demands on us at the boarding school. For example, homework had to be submitted via WhatsApp. This took a lot of time to record and submit, when 15 children in each group had a poetry assignment. Additionally, no planes could land in Riberalta. This resulted in my parents, Eberhard and Rosmarie Hanisch, and a volunteer having to endure four canceled flights from Cochabamba before they eventually reached us via a detour. The volunteer arrived by bus, and my parents flew to another city 11 km (7 mi.) away.

Despite these challenges, we can only marvel at how the Lord was still working in all of this. And, we’re praising Him for it! These two reports from the boarding school testify to His faithfulness.

Raquel Sanjinez reports: “Franco was often waking up terrified at night because he saw hands trying to grab him. It turned out that he’d played occultic games a few times with other boys at the boarding school. Pastor Apolinar Rodriguez held an information session on occultism and occultic games and films. Shortly after that, Franco came to faith in Jesus Christ. Praise the Lord! Since then, there’s been a change in Franco. He himself says, ‘Now I can sleep soundly again.’”

Emilie Bergen writes: “We’re sitting comfortably in front of the boarding school, trying to rid ourselves of lice and dirt from fingernails. Melissa suddenly asks if I’m a child of God. I say yes, and she wants to know how it happened for me. I tell her how God changed my life, and ask her if she’s asked Jesus for forgiveness yet. ‘No,’ she says, ‘I do want to but I’m not sure how.’ When I ask her why she’d like to be converted, she replies, ‘Well, Romans 3 says we’re all sinners and need forgiveness. But don’t I need to let a pastor lead me?’

“While I’m explaining the gospel to her as simply as possible and pointing out that she can ask any member of the staff for help, Zoe interrupts our conversation. ‘Well, I did that already. I wanted to finally get the thing cleared up.’

“The next evening, almost in the middle of the night, Melissa gets back out of bed and asks, ‘Can I do the thing you talked about yesterday at nighttime?’—‘Yes,’ I say, ‘it doesn’t matter what time it is.’

—“‘Okay,’ says Melissa, ‘Then I’m a child of God now. I just talked to Him about it. I just wasn’t sure if it counts at night.’”

Midnight Call 10/2025