Final 3 Days in Ecuador

Our last Christmas Party was approximately 1500+ with another amazing partnership called Remanso De Amor (Haven of Love). They are truly doing Kingdom building in their community and it is wonderful to come along side them as an ER partner and help them in their ministry. Mike and I have been truly blessed to have been able to come on this journey and see what all ER does in person. Thank you to those who helped us to get here through your prayers and support. Last night the Church for Life group that was staying on our floor asked if they could pray for us and it was such a refreshing time. They lifted us up in all areas of our lives and we were extremely humbled. Chris, one of the pastors, had a vision while we were praying that he sees us as a bridge between the people who want to help and the people who need to help. This is right in line with the same vision John Thomas had when we left living hope that we would be a conduit or a channel for which thousands would serve others. We believe God is ever present in our lives and we give Him all the Glory. We are so blessed to be able to fulfill our calling and excited to get started serving Him in January with Extreme Response.
We had a little contest on Friday called the Great Cheese War between the men and the women. We set up an assembly line and had to make 3000 cheese sandwiches for the party on Saturday. Call it what you want but the women won. We made 1800 sandwiches in 1 hr 30 minutes. It was really a lot of fun as there was a lot of “jawing” going back and forth between the teams.
Our final day here in Quito was a day of rest and we got to go have a little fun. We went to a little tourist town outside of Quito, called Mindo. There we got to go on a canopy tour, better known as a zip line. This is 11 cable wires strung out through the trees in a rainforest and you are harnessed in and they attach you to the cable wire and send you flying across the rainforest above the trees. We had a lot of fun but were worn out from excitement. Mike and I both got to be strapped in on one of the zip lines so that you actually flew flat on your stomach and your arms out. They called it Superman style. From there they took us to this great little restaurant then loaded the bus and brought us back home.
We are waiting to board the plane in Quito which signals the end of this journey and our re-entry into life in the states.

Party, Party, Party, Party

We have had 4 parties over the last four days and served lunch one day at the dump for the people who work there. We have reached almost 6000 people and have one more party to go. Tomorrow’s party should be 3000+/-. This has been an incredible week of ministry and we have been stretched as usual. The enemy is always at work when you go on a short term mission trip and this week has been no exception. Our Canadian team arrived in time for the second day and their luggage is still arriving but we have managed to have just what we needed for each day. God is so faithful in His provision.
We have been challenged this week about being a Good Samaritan and following Jesus’ parable to love God with all of our heart, soul, strength, and mind and love our neighbor as ourselves. (Luke10:25-37) Yesterday Russ Kline, part of the management team, gave us all a 50 cent coin and told us to find a way to utilize the coin as a reminder to pray for the people of Ecuador and to bless someone with it. It will be interesting to hear how the Holy Spirit led people to be a Good Samaritan on Monday.
Our second party at Carman Bajo Church, the pastor asked us all to get into the center of the church after clean-up and the people from the church that helped us clean up surrounded us in a circle and prayed for us it was such a humbling experience for us.
We have used our morning times to prepare the crafts and bags for the next day of parties and this has been an opportunistic time of getting to know so many new people. As I sat and threaded a lot of cross medallion necklaces to be painted at the party, I wondered if the kids would really appreciate the hard work that was put into the preparation when they sat and colored their medallion and strung their beads. The answer is yes! But not the way I thought. We were cleaning up at the end of a party and this man was helping me pick up trash, when all of a sudden he laid down his bag and picked up one of the necklaces on the ground. He was so excited and stopped what he was doing until he had succeeded at getting the necklace around his neck. God shows up and reminds us of His presence when we least expect it.
We have 2 more days before we head back to the states and I am excited to see what else God is going to do with our team. There have been so many great stories I wish I could write them all but you’ll just have to come on a trip with us next Christmas!!

Christmas in Quito Ecuador

We arrived on Saturday evening and got to spend the day indoors on Sunday as the whole city of Quito was shut down for a census. It was a great time of fellowship with new friends and co-workers and some much needed rest from the week before. Monday we began preparing for the week and learning our new roles at Extreme Response. We will be “Shepherding” a team of 25 for the 10 days we are here and learning how they run their Team programs. Today we spent most of the day setting up one of the locations where we will be having one of the Christmas Parties and we have had our volunteers coming in from various places around the world to participate. Unfortunately, we have 15 Canadians stuck in Atlanta due to bad weather and they told them they couldn’t get them here until Friday. Please pray with us that they will find flights for them tomorrow as we have parties planned for over 3000 people/children before their new arrival date. They are not only coming to serve with the various parties but they are bringing a lot of the supplies that we need. We know that Satan doesn’t want us to deliver the message of Jesus to all these people, but we also know that Jesus has already conquered Satan and we must go on. We will be severely handicapped but will continue to persevere during our trials and sufferings. It is going to be an amazing week to see how the partnerships on the ground and ER work together to further the Kingdom. We are excited to be a part of this ministry. Please pray for safety and many people to accept Christ as their Lord and Saviour this week.

Tough Love

I am sure everyone has gone through some sort of tough love in their lifetime. Whether you have been the recipient of it from your parents, or have had to be the one giving it. Either way, it is never easy. Mike and I have had to be on the tough love giving end and I think it has been tougher on us. My parents have had their living situation turned upside down. Mom fell and broke her hip on Sunday and had surgery to replace the ball of the hip on Wednesday. We had a mission trip booked for Quito Ecuador for 10 days leaving on that Saturday. We went down early to get their accommodations sorted and to pack clothes for them to go and my brother came in after the surgery to put my dad into an Alzheimer’s care facility and handle their finances. All over Thanksgiving holiday of course. We had to leave on Friday to drive back to Nashville but it didn’t come with a blessing. We knew God called us to serve in our new positions with Extreme Response and we had to go. It has been tough I know for my brother and nephew to have to handle the difficult circumstances but it also gave them an opportunity to see how tough it has been on my mother to take care of my dad for so long. A scripture that comes to mind is (Romans 8:28) And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. I believe prayers have been answered in a very difficult way but my parents can now have a much better quality of life. It certainly may not seem that way at first but God has a way of bringing about His perfect will for their lives. I was able to call the care facility where my dad is and they say he is doing well and fitting in with all the other folks there and my brother has some peace about all of it. Perhaps someday there will be forgiveness and understanding. Please pray for our family during this holiday season.