My name is Tim Gerz. I am 20 years old and a member of the Bielefeld–Dingerdissen congregation. Ever since I was able to reaffirm my decision to accept Jesus as my Saviour about four years ago, I have had a desire to serve God on a mission for a year. A short time later, I was able to join a building mission at a children’s home in Romania and lend a hand there. During that time, I saw just how much help is needed in such mission fields and similar ones. Over time, my desire grew ever stronger – whether at this children’s home or elsewhere. I spoke to other young people who had also taken part in such missions in the past, and my heart began to burn ever more for this cause
Why do I want to serve God here for a year?
God has given each of us a great deal of time in life. He has given us the freedom to choose how we use that time. My desire is to give a part of my time back to Him, and I believe that a year like this can be a good opportunity to do so.
When this question became more concrete, I prayed about it for some time and was subsequently led to Bolivia. I have been in Bolivia since September 2021 and am privileged to serve here in the congregation in Manitoba. There are two main areas in which I help out. Firstly, there is the school work. Here, I am able to teach German in all four year groups. In Years 3 and 4, I also teach music, where we practise songs and learn music theory.
The other area of responsibility is the music work in the congregation. I have a few pupils learning the piano and the violin. There are also three guitar courses with people who’d like to learn to play the guitar. I’ve also been able to get involved in the choir work and am now helping the choir to make progress with polyphonic singing. In addition, a children’s choir has been set up, which I’m able to run together with another young man.
It’s not always plain sailing. Sometimes there are setbacks in my work, but God remains faithful and gracious, and provides me with everything I need.
