Culture, Missions & The Gospel Work in Bolivia - Pastor David Larson | Theology, Things & Stuff #025

J. Christopher McMichael was privileged to be raised in a Christian home, attending church his entire life. He surrendered his life to the Lord as a child while at a summer Baptist youth camp in the mountains of Tennessee. As a teenager on his first missions trip, he began to recognize the call of God to ministry. He earned a degree in earth sciences from Tennessee Tech University and enjoyed a successful career as a geologist in geotechnical engineering and mining. In 2007, he and his wife Manda were installed as the pastors of Engrafted Word Church while continuing to consult as a geologist for the next thirteen years. Today, Chris’ focus in solely on the church and world missions. After authoring six books and learning the ins and outs of book publishing, he launched Petra Press Publishing in 2023, with the goal of helping pastors and ministers publish their God-inspired work with the highest standard possible. Chris and his wife have three children they love raising in Tennessee.

Ben Weaver serves at Engrafted Word Church, where he was born and raised, overseeing the recording, editing, and publishing of Theology, Things & Stuff. He graduated from Middle Tennessee State University with a degree in Video Production and a minor in Audio Production. Ben enjoys photography, audio mixing, and videography, and runs a small photography business on the side. He met his wife, Jessica, at church, where they dated, were married in the spring of 2024, and now continue serving together.

Born in Gothenburg, Sweden, in 1966, David Larson is a Scandinavian missionary to the country of Bolivia in South America. He married his high school sweetheart, Violetta, who immigrated from Bolivia to Sweden as a child soon after her father passed away. The couple became born again as young adults and married soon after. As Christians now living on fire for Christ, they felt led by the Lord to attend Rhema Bible College in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It was there that the Larsons began to recognize that God was calling them to return to Violetta’s birth country and serve Jesus as missionaries. In 1999, David and Violetta, along with their two small children, Jonas and Josephine, launched out together and pioneered their church, Palabra de Fe, in Cochabamba, Bolivia. Over the years, their ministry grew and touched countless lives throughout Bolivia before the family was forced to leave during the global COVID restrictions in 2019. Today, David and Violetta are American citizens and live and minister in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. From there, they travel frequently to do mission work in Bolivia. They also enjoy returning to the United States to spend time with their adult children and young grandchildren.