We are David and Monika Zacharias and we have a son, Elias, who is two years old. We come from the ‘Neues Leben’ church in Hohenau, Bolivia.
David:
I was born on 17 July 1993 in Paraguay and came to Bolivia with my parents when I was a toddler. At the age of 15, through testimonies and personal conversations, I realised that I needed Jesus and that he had died for me on the cross. Nevertheless, I carried on living as before, because I thought I was actually a good person and was leading a good life. It wasn’t until I was 18 that I realised I was lost without Jesus. I was able to turn to the Lord and surrender my life to Him. Soon afterwards, I was baptised and was able to serve the Lord in the choir and during children’s sessions.
Monika:
I was born here in Bolivia on 6 June 1999 and grew up in the Hohenau settlement. I had a happy, carefree childhood until I turned 12, when I truly heard the Gospel for the first time and knew straight away that I was born in sin and needed forgiveness. But I couldn’t bring myself to do it, because my friends weren’t believers, and neither were most of my family. My life has changed a great deal since then: waking up every day with fear and without peace, knowing that I was lost. It was simply awful. But I am so grateful for His grace – the Lord has drawn me to Himself time and again with love. When I was 15, I was able to go on a retreat. It was my first retreat and by far the best. There I was able to be converted and start a new life. A few years later, I was baptised and served the Lord in the church.
Our desire and prayer was to serve the Lord wherever He wanted to use us and wherever we could be a blessing. The Lord has led us here. By God’s grace, we are able to serve Him here at the Bible Centre Arche.
I (David) work as a caretaker, looking after the grounds and facilities. The tasks here are very varied and rewarding. I (Monika) am mainly involved in housekeeping.
We are grateful to be able to serve a wonderful and great God.
