An All-Knowing God Puts Together a Great Team!

The Aurora Colorado team had planned on coming last October, but due to a political situation they were forced to postpone.  Instead, God assembled a brand new team of 13 who arrived in March, ready to tackle the Gueseche project.

Due to the fact that the project had been delayed for so long, both the Gueseche church people and the team were anxious to get started on the building.  One by one the blocks were laid, and within four short days, the mountaintop building was complete with roof and floor.  It was a blessing to see the snow-capped Chimborazo volcano in the distance and to be surrounded by the green, patch-work mountains everyday as they worked.

Evangelism for the children was held during lunch because the children were working alongside the adults.  During this time the team introduced stacking cups and the Evange-cube. When a different team visited in October, they introduced the Evange-ball, and they had no idea of how big an impact it would make on the children.  One of the fathers shared that his three-year-old son explained to him the symbolism of the ball.  He remembered each of the colors and what they represented.  God speaks to and through the youngest children!  The team brought evangelism tools and used them in two other services that we attended on Sunday.

 The team all visited the orphanage in Riobamba again.  When they were here three years ago they started saving clothes and toys to bring back to the orphanage, so they had a large amount of items to donate.  They presented a program and were pleased with the family feeling of the orphanage.  They were delighted to know that some of the children they had visited before had been adopted, but it was still just as difficult for them to leave them behind.

On the last afternoon the team had a small time of prayer and fellowship with their new friends, and presented a few Bibles and items to help in their evangelism.  At the close, prayer was said in Spanish, Quechua, and English.  Although they prayed in three different languages, and no one understood all three languages, God heard and understood all three prayers.  Praise the Lord that we have an all-knowing God!

The Nyssa, Oregon, team gave of themselves unto the Lord

Recently, a team from Nyssa, Oregon, came to Ecuador and built the Emaus church.  Previously, the church met in a very small rented building and had been waiting for its own building for a very long time.  The team worked very hard and was able to get the columns and walls up with the help of the church people.

A highlight of the trip was holding service at the project site even though it didn’t have a roof.  It was great to get to know the church people better.  At the end of the service, the team made balloon animals for the children and passed out candy to all.  That same evening, District Superintendent Mario Paredes, took the team up to a church in the mountains.  There, they worshiped together with more than 100 indigenous men, women and children.  They treated the team to beans and cuy (guinea pig) afterwards.

Thank you to the Nyssa church for giving of yourselves to the work of the Lord.

God Picks HIS Team for HIS Glory

Arizona Team

When a recent team from Arizona came to work in Ecuador, there were several special things about the team.  First, Bruce and Cinda McKellips, former W&W Coordinators were on this team.  On top of that, Kyle, the Mission Corps volunteer that works with teams, found out his mother, Jaynee, had booked a flight to visit him and it turned out she arrived the same night as the team.

Kyle and Janee

The team of 14 from Arizona, Jaynee, and a staff of five headed for Riobamba to stay and work at our District Center.  We would be working in the Sierra Centro District with District Superintendent Mario Paredes.

This project was different.  Instead of shovels and trowels, the team used a ramset, which drives nails into concrete, hammers and electric drills.  They put up drywall to make dividers for offices at the District Center.  Not too many knew much about hanging drywall but that is where Jaynee came in.  She knew how to tape together and plaster the drywall and had many good suggestions for us all.

Each person found a place to fit in, with all the measuring, hanging the drywall, taping, and plastering.  They added a texture to the drywall and then started painting.  By the end of the week there were eight or nine rooms with bathrooms and closets to the side of some of the rooms.  The team finished and painted one room in a cream and terracotta color.  It looked like a real office!

While most of the team was busy with the construction there were some in the kitchen purchasing the food, preparing the meals and doing laundry for the rest of the team.  Thank you to the Arizona team, Jaynee from MN and everyone that supported the team.  God bless you for giving of yourselves.  God put together this team in HIS way, and we give Him all the glory.

From Calgary Canada to Guayaquil Ecuador

Recently a group of ten from Calgary First of Canada served in Guayaquil, Ecuador.  At the Milagro (Miracle) church, they put on a roof structure and poured a cement floor for classrooms.  In addition, they ministered to the children and showed the Jesus Film, and about 50 people came forward to accept Christ.  At the Rosa de Oro (Rose of Gold) church, they poured cement for a second floor.  They also worked on columns and walls.   The team also held a kids ministry event with over 100 in attendance.

At the Costa District Center they put on a new roof, installed new doors, and painted the entire upper floor.  There they held a second Jesus Film showing in a poor neighborhood of Guayaquil where about 35 people accepted Christ.  The goal is to start a new mission work from this group of people.  We praise God for all the work that the Calgary First team did, and pray that God will continue to use their experiences to further their walks with Him.

Spring Hill, Kansas, Team: an answer to prayer!

The small little town of Mendez didn't know what to think when a team from Spring Hill, Kansas, came to minister in their town.  Mendez is a little village of about 1.000 people that is located at the beginning of the jungle.  The team was made up of adults and teens.

The people from the Mendez church had built a rather large Sunday school room and had started the construction for the church building but just didn't have the money to continue.  They had been praying for help, and the Spring Hill team was an answer to their prayers.  Despite the heat, the team worked alongside the church people to lay block walls and pour the church floor.  In addition, they held a Kids Club every afternoon.  They started with 15 children and had over 30 by the last night of the program.  The team also taught the church how to use the EvangeBall so that they can continue to share the gospel.

A highlight of the trip was that the team left the church Sunday School books for all ages so that they could start their Sunday School classes.  The team was impacted by the church people of Mendez as well.  The team will never forget the smiles and loving hugs of the Mendez adults and especially the children who were frequently by the teens’ sides.

The owner of the hotel where the team stayed inquired many times about the team and their activities.  As it turns out, his grandson won a hacky-sack EvangeBall for bringing the most children to Kids Club.  Now his grandson can share the gospel with him!

Go Tell It on the Mountain

Sod Hut Church:

 

Church Women Singing for the Team:

A team of 17 youth and sponsors from Grand Rapids, Michigan, recently came to Ecuador to work in the jungle town of Santa Elena.  The indigenous congregation of about 60, which mostly spoke Quichua, was excited to receive this team as they have been meeting in a sod hut for the past two years.  Every day the team drove an hour up into the mountains to reach the site of the church.  They worked at an elevation of 11-12,000 feet each day surrounded by the beauty of the Andes Mountains.  The drive was educational as they observed the nationals herding sheep, planting food, walking to school, tending to their cattle, and walking from one place to another.  The nationals‘ lives required much work and many sacrifices.

On Sunday night, when the team first arrived, they crowded into the hut and had a church service.  The nationals and the team share songs with each other, and Pastor Phil from Grand Rapids shared a devotion.

Church with roof (the walls were there when the team arrived):

It took three days to finish building the roof.  While some of the group worked on the church, the other half of the group prepared for Bible School held everyday around 3:00.  The team taught active songs in Spanish, played relay games outside, presented puppets with skits, and always had a craft for them to do.  The children especially enjoyed the puppets, which were new to them.

The children and their crafts:

The church people from the village didn’t have a lot that they were able to share but they wanted to show their gratitude to the team.  On the last day they cooked a meal of potatoes, aves (a large meaty bean), and cuy (guinea pig) for lunch.

On the last day the church people gathered with the team to dedicate the church building.  Everyone stood inside and held hands.  Words of thanks and gratitude were spoken to each other, and it was immediately a moment the team would cherish for years to come.

On the last night team members testified that these experiences will shape their lives from here on out.  As we continue to remember the church people of Santa Elena, we welcome you to join us in prayer.  Also, we need to remember and pray for the youth members from Grand Rapids that they would keep seeking the Lord daily.

Canadian Mennonite Team Returns to Bless Ecuador Once Again!

Recently a Mennonite team from Alberta, Canada, was with us in Ecuador.  Dana and Sherry Howard were the host missionaries for this group.  During this time, we had an outreach for children and adults in a town about an hour from Quito in the rainforest.  Many people participated.  Then the group worked for two days in a new church in north Quito called Northern Hills Church.  We helped put in a floor of paving stones for the church.  On Sunday, there were over 100 people in the celebration of the new church.

But the group wasn’t finished!  They also worked five days on a construction project on an indigenous church (Quechua) in South Quito.  We were able to help them with a cement floor, new roof, doors, and windows.  Over 30 different indigenous persons co-labored with us, many of which were women and children.  Soon, the church will be able to move out of their portable chapel that holds about 60 people and move into their new building that should hold close to 160 people.  Pastor Hugo of “City of God Church” is thrilled about his new building and the possibility of reaching more people for Christ.  We want to thank Henry Fehr, the leader of the group, for organizing the team and raising the funds for these projects.  May the Lord bless you.