6 July 2005
Dr. Lawrence Tan, an Australian doctor in Bolivia, spent most of the day seeing patients with the Bolivian doctor and medical student. Together they had driven 8 hours outside of Sucre along dusty, windy mountain roads to the little town of Finca Esquina.

One mother brought her little girl who was sickly and not eating. The family believed that the child had grown sick because her soul was taken away as a result of her mother not attending her father-in-law's pagan burial. They believed that the dead father's soul was displeased and had taken with him the soul of his granddaughter. The mother also complained of a sore back and showed Lawrence her bruises. It turned out that this family, the only Christian family in their village, had been attacked by a drunken crowd a few weeks ago. They were beaten, kicked and told to get out because the land wasn't theirs when in fact, the husband was born there and had inherited the land from his parents.

Another lady arrived from a village 6-hour's walk away, having been carried on her husband's back all the way to Finca Esquina. She was extremely weak, seemed to have severe anemia, and had enlarged lymph nodes all over her body. Lawrence thought she might have acute leukemia, but the town was miles away from any laboratory that could do a blood count. He tried to convince the couple to return with us to Sucre for tests, but the young couple was afraid. The husband's family had told them she was sick because a lliquichiri got her. A lliquichiri is a creature that stalks lonely paths at night. It looks human, but can suck the fat out of a person's body so that person will get sick and eventually die. The belief is that any meddling from doctors or hospitals will just make things worse.

Pray

Please pray for healing for the little girl and the young woman. Pray also for medical missionaries around the world, such as Dr. Lawrence Tan in Bolivia, as they encounter witchcraft, superstitions, and fears that keep their patients in bondage to false beliefs. Pray for the light and truth of the gospel to break through cultural barriers and bring healing—both physically and spiritually—to many. Thank you for praying!