Kimi and Meafou Aukino returned to New Zealand on June 6 after 28 years of faithful service in Peru and Bolivia. Their work with churches in and around Santa Cruz has produced much fruit.
Here are a few of the hundreds of stories from their time in Santa Cruz:
Arriving home in a taxi, Kimi challenged the driver to reconcile himself to God. As Kimi prayed, he heard switches being turned off and on. “Did you see the light?” the driver asked. “What light?” “A very bright light filled the cab!” The driver had been trying to turn it off, but couldn’t. He, along with his wife and daughter committed themselves to the Lord.
Old bits of timber, corrugated iron and debris from demolition were offered to a congregation that Kimi ministered to. The people laboured away with nails and wire to build a church seating 50. Two missions meetings were held and 20 young people followed Christ. … Their commitment to mission has led to planting another congregation. It’s common for Bolivian evangelical churches to grow in this New Testament way.
Kimi and Meafou always kept their eyes open for new believers who didn’t own Bibles. Thanks to the Bibles 4 Bolivia Project, young people in rural areas who can read are given their own. This is a huge need.
In some areas evangelicals are not welcome, and once when vandals destroyed billboards advertising a meeting, the believers filled the road with chairs and members from another church came in support. Kimi preached using his iPad because there was little light. Over two evenings 35 came to Christ.
Hicieron bien, siervos buenos y fieles! (Matt. 25.21)
