What is the University Residence?

Sucre, with 30,000 university students, is a place of opportunity for educational and professional advancement for young people in the southern part of Bolivia. It also is a place of many secular distractions.

Pastor Sergio and his wife, Fanny, have a dream for a Christian University Residence. It will house university students from surrounding rural communities and other parts of Bolivia and will be a refuge that will provide adequate lodging and spiritual discipleship for these young people.

The discipleship program will focus on nurturing in the students a love for God, a love for others, and service to the world.  

This building will also strengthen the national church district of Chuquisaca as a place for continued education for the local lay pastors.   

HOW THE KERNEYS ARE CONNECTED TO THE UNIVERSITY RESIDENCE PROJECT

God has put it on our heart to be facilitators of the University Residence Project, serving alongside Pastor Sergio and Fanny. Our part is to raise money to buy the land and build the first floor of the building. We will help research and prepare a discipleship program for the students. We will also work with Pastor Sergio to formulate functional culturally appropriate lifestyle guidelines for the residents.  

At this time, we are in the USA but will return to Bolivia in August of 2013. Our main ministry focus will be the purchase of the land and the construction and inauguration of the residence. We plan on living in Santa Cruz and will travel to Sucre as needed. God is also opening other areas of ministry for us with the national church, at Santa Cruz Christian Learning Center, and with field administrative responsibilities.

HOW CAN YOU CONNECT WITH THE UNIVERSITY RESIDENCE PROJECT

We are ready to return to Bolivia, but we need your partnership. We have the money to purchase the land! We still need to raise $35,000 to build the first phase of the building. Can you give toward this project?

We have 78 percent of our monthly support, but we are praying for the 22 percent still needed. Could you step out in faith to help us go to Bolivia?  

We need people who will commit to pray that the University Residence will go from being a dream to being a reality.  

Your partnership is important. Will you pray about how God would have you be a part? You can respond through the links on this blog.    

David and Rachel Kerney 

Visit Bolivia

Tour of Sucre

Even though our family is presently in the USA, we would like to invite you to take a quick trip to Sucre, Bolivia, with us.  

Sucre, a city in the center of Bolivia, is surrounded by mountains and has a number of colonial buildings. It is the judicial capital of Bolivia and a historic city with a population of more than 224,000.

Weather

Sucre, 9,153 feet above sea level, is on a ravine on the edge of the Andes mountains and has a mild climate. Usually, it gets from 25 to 29 inches of rain yearly and the temperatures range from 57 to 68 degrees.

Universities

Sucre has been called the Athens of South America because it features San Francisco Xavier University, which dates to 1624. Today, the university has about 30,000 students, many of whom study law or medicine.

“Facts About Sucre, Bolivia.” Travel Tips - USA Today, n.d. http://traveltips.usatoday.com/sucre-bolivia-21603.html.   

Spiritual Needs in Sucre 

Sucre is an interesting place to visit, yet it is a place of great spiritual need. 

Pastor Sergio and his wife, Fanny, live there. They have a great burden for the university students. Secular curriculum and university culture have many negative traps and distractions for students.

Pastor Sergio and Fanny have a dream for a University Residence. Here is their dream in Pastor Sergio’s words, which we have translated. “This will be a great support for the students academically and spiritually. Many students have little guidance on where to go or what to do. We want to give them that guidance based on God’s principles and help them become good students and leaders. The world has many bad things that that can harm the students. We need to do this project for the university students.”

God, thank you for little things too

All the things I am thankful for can be scaled from big and eternally significant to very minute.  

The first one is not a “thing” but I am so thankful for “my” God.  The better I know Him, the closer I want to be to Him.  He is SO big that He can be “mine” as well as the personal God of every other person that accepts Him without exceptions.  He is SO great!  

On the little end, I am thankful for garage door openers.  

“Yeah right,” you say. 

“They are great,” I respond.  

In Argentina, when we left the garage one of us had to slide the large iron gate open (like a pocket door) and then close it and lock it. 

In Bolivia, we had two big gates that opened like French doors, it was a challenge to keep in the rambunctious dogs who were mad about getting out. There were often strong winds blowing dirt or rain to contend with as well.  

In the USA, we park in a garage and push a button to open the door.  That was super until I lost the garage door opener.  I bought a new one.  Then I ask, “How do you make the new opener “talk” to the machine that operates the door”?  Fortunately, the manufacturers thought of that option and programed the machine for that too.  David figured it out in a few minutes with the instruction book.  

Okay, I have lived overseas a long time, but among all the great blessings that I enjoy, I  am thankful for garage door openers.  

The birth of the University Residence dream in Sucre

Pastor Sergio and Fanny with family 

We arrived in Sucre, Bolivia, in 2003 to help in the ministry of the Bolivian district of Chuquisaca. Knowing that we were in Sucre, a Bolivian city known for its universities, parents of young people from different churches in Bolivia asked about lodging their children in our home while their young people studied. They knew they would be in good hands with our family and in God’s hands. The house we had did not have much space, but we did accommodate a young lady and two young men, sharing rooms for five years with our family, including our three children who were also young people. The students who stayed with us are now graduated from the university and considered professionals. The young lady is a licensed nutritionist, and the young men are teachers who already have jobs. They are also good leaders in their churches.  

Seeing this need and having this experience, we know it is possible to do this ministry for the Lord and prepare leaders for His church. This will be a great support for the students academically and spiritually. Many students have little guidance on where to go or what to do. We want to give them that guidance based on God’s principles and help them become good students and leaders. The world has many bad things that that can harm the students. We need to do this project for the university students. We prayed to the Lord a lot about this and waited patiently until one day missionary David Kerney came to our house. We shared our burden for these needs with him. Every year more students are coming to study in Sucre, and more parents from different parts of Bolivia are requesting lodging for their sons and daughters.

We are thankful to the Lord that the Kerney family can help give this project a “jump start” to make it possible to realize this dream for a University Residence. We appreciate everyone’s prayers and support in this project. May God bless you, and may you keeping moving forward in ministry for our Lord Jesus Christ who can do all things.

“Dios les bendiga mucho y gracias hermanos”  (God bless you abundantly and thank you, brothers.)  

“Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:58 NIV)

Pastor Sergio and Fanny Coaquira 

The president of the World Gospel Church in Bolivia, Pastor Rafael Flores, has expressed that as a national church they see that Sucre has a real need for this residence. They are supportive of the University Residence Project.  

Thankful for ...

Thanksgiving is in season not just in November when we are with our family around a table filled with turkey and and the trimmings.

A place in which live We are grateful for a completely furnished home in which to live in Marion, Indiana. It is place for needed restoration and renewal.

Wheels We were able to purchase a used but good second vehicle for Rachel to use while David is visiting churches and partners in other states.

Micah going to Bible college Thank the Lord for how He is working in Micah’s life. Micah had plans to go into one of the branches of the armed forces, but in July, Micah told us that God was directing him to go to Bible college at Kentucky Mountain Bible College. God has helped us put all the requirements together in a short amount of time.

Leah’s school Thank God that Leah has had a good start to the school year. She is in the 10th grade in a local high school. She enjoys their highest level Spanish class with the seniors. 

The opportunity to visit you David has gone to Iowa to begin visiting our partner churches and friends. This year will be good time to reconnect with friends. 

SCCLC being able to start classes The Santa Cruz Learning Center in Bolivia had to delay the beginning of the school year because several teachers were delayed due to visa problems. Ila Ordoñez, Rachel’s sister, has been ask to be the elementary principal this year. Pray for her in this responsibility. 

Journal on an Open Door Project Trip

This is one of many evangelistic trips we made into the Andes Mountains. There were furstrating moments when our plans where changed.  God worked through our team in ways beyond what we could see.  God also also impacted each of our lives.  

To tell the truth, I was not looking forward to the trip with my team into the Andes Mountains in July 2010. I had been involved with each team that my husband, David, took out, helping with lesson planning, preparing visuals, and printing invitations and verses. Now it was time for me to go with my team of Alan, Carina, and Micah. David goes on all of the trips as the driver, leader, and contact person. After a frenzy of preparation at home and with the team, we began the trip into the mountains early one morning. I asked God to help me change my attitude and to help me be open to what He wanted to do in my life on this trip.

At our first stop in Brealito, a delightful and serene place closed in by red mountains, we waited for the children to come to school. They all arrived about noon when school starts. The director gave us permission to present the program before the children started the school day. We shared our planned program of games, an introduction skit, songs, the lesson, and a Bible verse. It all communicated the importance of God’s Word, since that is how God speaks to us. The director and teacher invited our team to join them and the school children for lunch, and we were delighted since that was one more step in which they expressed their confidence in our group.

We drove up, down, and around more mountains along long stretches that were barren, desolate, and rocky. No cell phone signal could be reached there. We stopped at a place called Cieneguilla and had planned to spend the night there in the adobe community center. David went to let Elvira, the lady in charge, know that we were there, and when he came back, he found one of the rear tires was flat! We planned to change it and continue on to the next town, but the anti-theft nut on the tire became the anti-removal nut. It was impossible to get it off without more tools, so David, Alan, and Micah started to walk to the next town to look for tools. Fortunately, they got a ride in a tractor that was transporting hogs. They were able to borrow tools and found a ride back. It still took a while, but they finally ground the stuck nut off and changed the tire. They put the spare in place, but it was very low on air and it was too late to do anything about it.

Carina and I set up the place where we were to stay. Mattresses were available to use on the dirt floor in the adobe building, so we arranged a place for the guys and another for the girls. The bathroom...well, it was outside and made of canes that were tied together. The builders had forgotten to install a door, but, hey, you couldn’t beat the majestic mountain view from the bathroom. Can you believe there was running water in a faucet outside the house? We had electricity when we ran the generator. The adobe building kept the cold mountain air out, so we couldn’t complain. We were very grateful that we had the tire problem there and not at some totally isolated place.

The next day, the event on everyone’s mind was the big game of Argentina versus Germany in the World Cup games in South Africa. How do you watch the game in a remote part of the Andes Mountains? Answer: with satellite TV and a generator. Maybe we should not have watched the game, because it was agonizing to watch Germany not just beat Argentina, but cream them. Now what? We needed air in the tire. A local merchant had stopped to watch some of the game and David asked him to take the tire to the next town to get air in it. It was about then that the grocery store came rolling by. Carina and I agreed that it was nice to have the grocery store come to our door. Mobile grocery stores are merchants who load up goods in big trucks and drive around the mountain communities, selling produce. Elvira bought a chicken and some salad items. About an hour later, Elvira came in with a grilled chicken, steaming rice, and a salad. We were amazed and enjoyed the delicious meal. The afternoon was slow as a children’s program had been planned and announced, but with the activities like the Argentina game and local football championships, only a few came to the program. We also had to wait for the tire. Around 10:00 p.m., a truck stopped and David went to talk to the man who had taken the tire.

He said he couldn’t find anyone to put air in it. David exclaimed, “What will we do now?” The man laughed at his own joke and pulled out the tire filled with air. On the final day, we were all ready for the activities. We arrived in Villa el Monte and found out that the community leader would let us use the sports complex for our presentation. Our team divided up to invite children to the program. A 7-year-old girl named Magali walked with us through the whole town with her younger sister in tow. She was enthusiastic about the program and wanted to make sure everyone was invited. She pointed out each home where kids lived. She made sure no one was missed. My heart was warmed. We had prayed as a team for someone who would respond to God and seek Him. Was this eager little girl that person?

After that program, it was time to drive home to Salta. It had been a good trip and we were confident that all parts of it, including the delays, had been orchestrated by the Lord. As a team, we had presented God’s Word and had blessed others, and now we were also full and blessed as we returned home. The drive home seemed short as we joked, laughed, and listened to music. Maybe it was also the prospect of a shower,clean clothes, and our own bed that had us excited. One of the songs we listened to on the way back was a ballad about the parable of the sower. That song hit home because we had been intentionally sowing the seed of God’s Word in a hard and thirsty land. I believe God will bring fruit from our labors.

Has God been calling you to serve in a way that you aren’t really looking forward to? Matthew 25:40 (NLT) says, “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’” Take time today to ask God to change your attitude and ask Him to work through you. God will bring fruit from your labors too.

There are no "accidents" in God's realm

Gaston's mom with our family 

There are no “accidents” in God’s realm  

It could have been a tragic accident but thanks to God answering prayers, it had a good ending. God also used it for good in the lives of the family and the church people.  God can turn a bad situation around and use it for good!  

He was a bright eyed 7 month old baby boy.  We will call him Gaston*.  He was speedy and agile in his stroller, actually too much so, because one day when his mom was distracted he went rolling past the barrier off the first floor and plummeted to the cement on the ground level.  It could have been a tragic accident.  The Lord was merciful in that the stroller took the initial impact. Gaston didn’t have any broken bones. He did have a hard blow to the head.  His aunt rushed him to the local community health center and they quickly got him to the children’s hospital.  He was put in a medically induced coma in the intensive care unit so that the neurological situation could be evaluated.  It was a very serious head injury.  His father was called from his job in another province.  The family and believers from the Berea Church began to pray earnestly.  The parents sat outside the intensive care unit praying, singing and reading God’s Word. Around them other parents waited as well as this was a place where life and death hung in the balance. Some children went into the intensive care unit and came out lifeless.  This was the place for the most serious cases.  

How could God turn this situation around for good as stated in Romans 8:28: "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”   God gave amazing healing to little Gaston so that within a month he was once again a normal, bouncy, baby boy. However, God also did a deeper  work in profound spiritual levels.  The household of extended family where Gaston lived began to seek God more earnestly.  His parents were reconciled in their relationship with God.  An aunt sought God’s forgiveness in her life.  The extended family now sets aside each evening to pray together. God was glorified through this accident, the Berea Church witnessed it and praises God for how He can take a situation, dangerous and critical, and turn it around for good!   

* named changed