BY BRIAN WILKINSON

Brian Wilkinson describes why a network in Bolivia proved to be an answer to prayer for an authority leader.

Visiting the smallest network that partners with Viva, high up in Llallagua, Bolivia last month, I was so impressed that they had excellent relationships with the authorities.

I attended the launch of the network’s health campaign at a school to attempt to irradiate parasites in the stomachs of children from drinking bad water. The local authority, the education officer and the health officer were all in attendance at the event.

As I talked with the vice-mayor of the local authority she told me that she did not attend church and did not consider herself a Christian – but that she read and prayed with her daughter each night.

The daughter had asked her to read about Solomon, which she did. Touched by the story, the vice-mayor, who had just started her new role, actually prayed to God to give her wisdom in her new position.

The very next day she was visited by the Viva network co-ordinator, told about the work of the Christian network and the health campaign – and she immediately agreed to support, seeing it as an answer to her prayer the night before!

We should never underestimate what God is doing in the personal lives of people in authority. And we should pray that God will be ahead of us granting us favour.

Talking next to both the education and health officers in Llallagua, they expressed their inability to get both child protection and health messages out into the community due to lack of people and resources.

They were delighted that the network was in effect doing their job for them, taking these messages into every school in the area. They were in full agreement and giving the network every support they could.

We know the authorities will welcome the network’s activity if it has a common goal.

Join us in praying for Viva’s partner networks – that they would be bold and be encouraged to seek out and meet the relevant authorities, ask them about their needs and priorities and share the network’s objectives. With prayer, our hope is that God will open new doors for our network’s work in changing the lives of vulnerable children in their city.

Brian Wilkinson is Viva’s Head of Network Development

Photos: Olivia Snow, pahowho, gabisworld.com,