The James Family
Recent Blogposts
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Kep & Debbie March 2021 Prayer Requests
* Pray for Kep who will be visiting a ministry in Cairo, South Sudan, Chad, Ethiopia and Senegal for 4 weeks, and will be back in the USA on March 15. Pray that the Lord will give Kep wisdom and favor to know how best to help the church planters being trained.
* Pray for Kep and Debbie as they return to Bolivia in April. This has been a good Home Assignment, and the Lord gave them a wonderful time with family and friends at Parkside Church.
* Pray for Debbie as she plans the 2021 ILC Church women’s ministry with the team she works with. One of the key leaders of her ministry has left La Paz, which makes ministry more difficult. Pray for gospel impact in many lives as they evangelize and disciple women in La Paz.
* Pray for the 2050 ESI (Equipping Servants –Disciples Making Disciples) participants in 175 groups meeting in 15 countries. Pray that the participants will grow in their commitment to honor Christ by being true to His Scriptures with the gospel at the center.
* The ILC church in La Paz is back to virtual meetings only, as COVID-19 cases have dramatically increased in Bolivia in recent weeks. Pray for Pastor Pepe and the elders that they will be passionate about Jesus, focused on the gospel in their preaching and teaching, and growing in gospel outreach.
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James January 2021 Update
Greetings from Cleveland!
Debbie and I have had a wonderful Home Assignment in Ohio. Since Christmas, it has been especially nice to have our whole family together–something we do not get to enjoy very often living on different continents!
Debbie and I look forward to returning to Bolivia shortly. Before that happens, however, I’ll be spending a month (Feb 11-March 15) in Egypt and several countries in N Africa visiting a church-planter training ministry that Parkside Church supports. Please pray for my time with the African church leaders, and specifically that the Lord will allow me to encourage these believers seeking to impact this important region with the gospel. After I return to Cleveland on March 15, Debbie and I will fly to La Paz the following weekend.
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Kep & Debbie February 2021 Prayer Requests
*Pray for Kep and Debbie as they finish up their Home Assignment at Parkside this month and return to ministry in Bolivia in mid-March. Kep will leave on February 11 to spend 3 weeks with a pastoral training ministry in Africa. Please pray for Kep as he meets with pastors in several African countries. Pray that God will give him wisdom to see how to encourage and help this ministry as it seeks to honor Christ raising up church planters.
*Praise for the 5 ESI (Equipping Servants –Disciples Making Disciples) groups meeting in Guatemala. They report good progress in their study through the book of Romans. Many of the 50 participants in Guatemala give testimony of how God is speaking deeply into their lives, and how they are getting serious about Jesus and the gospel as the passion and center of their lives and ministries.
*Praise for good reports from ESI participants in other countries studying through the Bible. Even with Covid restrictions, ESI still has 2200 participants meeting in 176 groups in 15 countries. Pray that the Lord will use the study of God’s Word to increase gospel impact in many churches, and that the result will be churches motivated to make Christ known, since no one should live or die without having the opportunity to hear the good news of Jesus.
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Kep & Debbie January 2021 Prayer Requests
• Praise that the 5 ESI (Equipping Servants –Disciples Making Disciples) groups in Guatemala are making good progress in their study through the book of Romans. Many of the 50 participants report that God is speaking deeply into their lives, and that they are getting serious about Jesus and the need to get His gospel into the center of their lives, churches, teaching and preaching.
• Praise for good reports from ESI participants in many of the 15 countries where we currently work. Last month many of these pastors and church leaders completed the three year process. Pray that the Lord will use their gospel centered preaching and teaching to impact their churches -- that the result will be people in their churches motivated to tell people about Jesus, since no one should live or die without having the opportunity to hear the good news of Jesus.
• Pray that the Lord will give us wisdom as we continue planning to expand ESI into parts of Africa and North America in 2021.
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Kep & Debbie Christmas Greetings!
Download Kep & Debbie's Christmas 2020 Update Here
Hello from Cleveland!
We send you Christmas greetings! Thank you for praying for our ministry, as we pray for you!
The Lord's best to you -- our prayer is that He will help each of us keep our focus on Him and His gospel as 2020 finishes and we begin a new year!
Kep and Debbie
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Kep & Debbie December 2020 Prayer Requests
• The Evangelical church in Bolivia faces unique challenges: 1) many Bolivians are struggling from Covid, and 2) Evo Morales’ MAS party (Movement To Socialism) the recent election. This will very likely limit freedom to evangelize openly in cities as well as access to Aymara and Quechua villages where we have shared Christ in the past. Please pray that the church will not walk in fear or lose its focus, but will learn to honor Christ by staying true to Jesus, teaching and preaching the Word of God.
• The ILC church in La Paz has returned to physical meetings. Pray for Pastor Pepe and the elders that they will be passionate about Jesus, and focused on gospel transformation in their preaching and teaching.
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James November 2020 Update
Greetings from Cleveland!
We are at Parkside Church on our Home Assignment. Thank you for praying for our church in Bolivia and the work of ESI (Equipping Servants – disciples making disciples) in 15 countries. We value your partnership in the gospel.
* The ILC Church leadership reports that the first physical services since March went well yesterday, at about half the normal attendance. Please pray that the Lord will help us as a church keep our focus on Jesus in the midst of turbulent times. Pray that God will keep our heart passionate for Jesus, pressing on to do His will and to finish His work in discipleship and evangelism – so that no one would live or die without having the opportunity to hear the good news of the gospel.
* The Bolivian presidential election took place October 18. Evo Morales’ MAS party won. Luis Arce assumes control of the government later this week. I will keep you posted as things unfold about what this means for the church in Bolivia.
* The ESI groups in Guatemala started well. The 5 groups report that God is impacting many participants as they study Romans.
* Please pray for the Lord’s guidance, as we hope to reschedule ESI Facilitator Trainings in the USA and Mozambique in 2021. We had a big setback when the Bolivian pastor (Carlos) helping us organize the training in Virginia died from Covid last Monday.
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Kep & Debbie November 2020 Prayer Requests
* Please pray for the church in Bolivia that it will not lose its focus, but continue to honor Christ by staying true to Jesus, teaching and preaching the Word of God and evangelism and discipleship. The result of the recent presidential election in Bolivia means that MAS (Movement Toward Socialism) is back in power. The government transition will take place this month. This means Evo Morales will return to Bolivia and most likely, it will mean challenges for the church. Please pray that like rescuers at sea saving people in the peril of a storm, this will be the finest hour for the church in Bolivia.
* Please pray for the ILC church in La Paz as it returns gradually to physically meeting together in November. Pray that we will be able to ground believers in the Word of God and their relationship with Jesus.
* Pray for the ESI (Equipping Servants –Disciples Making Disciples) leaders and groups in the 15 countries where we currently meet. Five ESI groups started Module 1 in Guatemala last month. Pray that the Lord will encourage and transform these pastors and church leaders as they begin studying through Romans. Pray that they will become gospel-centered in their thinking, passionate about Jesus in their living, and faithful in their outreach – because no one should live or die without having the opportunity to hear the good news of Jesus.
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Kep & Debbie October 2020 Update
Download Kep & Debbie's October 2020 Update
Hello from Cleveland.
Attached is our October Update about what's happening recently in Bolivia. Also new expansion with Equipping Servants (ESI) in Guatemala.
Thank you for your prayers,
Kep
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Kep & Debbie October 2020 Prayer Requests
* Please pray for the ILC church in La Paz as it considers starting services after so many months of doing everything via Zoom. As life starts to return to normal in Bolivia, pray that the Lord will give wisdom to the ILC Church elders to know the best way to begin meeting. During the months that Covid caused so many deaths in Bolivia, many people came to faith in Christ. Pray for the ILC Church as it helps ground these new believers in their relationship with Jesus.
* Pray for the ESI (Equipping Servants International) leaders and groups in the 15 countries where we currently meet. Many of the 180 ESI groups never stopped meeting since March, as they were able to continue via internet. So now, please pray for all the ESI groups as they return to physical meetings over the next weeks. Pray especially for ESI Guatemala as they plan to start ESI with 6 groups in October. Pray that the Lord will continue transforming the lives of many pastors and church leaders studying Romans. Pray that these men and women will become gospel-centered in their thinking, passionate about Jesus in their living, and faithful in their service – because no one should live or die without having the opportunity to hear the good news of Jesus.