Work & Witness Team Stories

God's Plan Is Never Plan B

2009-11-06T09:40:00.000-08:00

In September, a team of 18 arrived from Joplin, MO. While the Fischers were at the airport waiting to pick up the team, they got a telephone call from the District Superintendent informing them that due to complications the team couldn’t work on the planned project, and that he had another project in mind. So although it was plan B for the team, it turned out NOT to be God’s plan B. God had a wonderful surprise in store.

The team worked at the District Center in Riobamba for a couple of days and put the roof on the conference center area, poured a ceiling and put up the walls on the guard’s quarters. An opportunity for evangelism arose with the children as one team member cut hair and others created new hairstyles for the girls using pretty ponytail holders. Many of the mothers wanted their hair cut also. (See photo 1.)

While working at the District Center, some of the indigenous church people worked alongside the team. Then on Sunday night, the team went up into the mountains to worship in the church of the indigenous brothers and sisters that had been helping. It took an hour to wind along the narrow, dirt roads to get to the church, which was the next project. They didn’t have a roof so they worshipped in the cold mountain air. While singing, there was a rainbow in the sky, and everyone could see it because there was no roof. The church cooked and served llama afterwards to warm the team up. (See photo 2.)

During the next couple of days, the team helped the church put up a roof. The indigenous people proved to the team that carrying roofing and blocks is so much easier when you carry them on your back. Believe it or not, it is! The roof was finished just in time before it began to hail. (See photo 3.)

Part of the team had another evangelism opportunity in a little school at the bottom of the mountain. One lady on the team is a teacher, and the kids in her school had collected a lot of school supplies. The parents of the indigenous children came to the mountain school and thanked the team over and over for the little bags of supplies, probably worth $2.00 each.

The Fischers found the team to be a joy to work with because they were so flexible, humble and appreciative of everything. The team saw a need for the floor to be put in the mountain church so they raised over half of the money needed before they left. When the team returned home, one of the members shared in his church and they took a love offering and raised well over what was needed for the floor, doors and windows. Praise God! Furthermore, the little mountain church been praying and waiting for help to put a roof on their building for over 20 years! The team shared that working in the mountains was exactly what they needed. Praise God for putting the Joplin District team with the mountain people and for orchestrating plan B. Everyone was blessed beyond measure.

McKellips Return to Lead Arizona Team

2008-05-16T10:25:00.000-07:00

Bruce & Cinda McKellips, former W&W Coordinators in Ecuador, recently returned to lead the Sun City Arizona team along with Fischers. (See photo 1.) The team made great progress on the Sierra Centro District Center. They finished laying block on the second floor, installed the beautiful front doors and built the kitchen wall. Also, there is now hot water and working bathrooms. (See photo 2.)

God's hand is always evident in how He puts a team together, but several special things occurred with this team. Ken performed magic tricks for the local children as they passed by the project after school and at an orphanage. (See photo 3.) One team member turned out to be the mother of a special friend to the Fischers who has made numerous trips to Venezuela and has hosted the Fischers a couple of times while they were in the States. In addition, God blessed two recent widows by putting them together as roommates.

One special day was spent visiting a church in the mountains. Whey the team arrived, about 50 children playing soccer welcomed them. The team sang a few songs with the children. When it came time to pray with them, all the children removed their hats in unison. The team was touched beyond words. (See photo 4.)

Thank you Sun City Church for partnering with us in this long-term project. The District Center will be a place of pastoral training and for the fellowship of District brothers and sisters. May God richly bless you.

Construction/Medical Team from Calgary First

2008-05-16T10:05:00.000-07:00

In April, a construction/medical team from Calgary First Church of the Nazarene came to Riobamba, Ecuador, to work on the Sierra Centro District Center and to hold medical clinics on the district. (See photo 1.) The construction team laid blocks, poured floors, installed plumbing in the bathrooms and did a lot of cleaning. The kitchen ladies took their jobs seriously as they had 35 people to feed each day.

The medical team united with four national doctors from our coast district. Missionary Nurse Carolyn Rich, along with others, translated for the doctors. They held clinics for 4 1/2 days seeing over 200 patients each day. One clinic was held way up in the mountains. They treated stomach aches, colds, aching muscles and dispensed a lot of vitamins and medicines. Of course, prayer was the number one remedy as they prayed with most of the patients. (See photos 2 & 3.)

One of the highlights for the team was attending Sunday morning services in a tent and being warmly received with flowers and gifts for all. On the day of touring, they rode an open bus, visited a waterfall and took a cable ride across a deep ravine.

Thank you to the Calgary First church for giving of yourselves to further the Kingdom of God. May God bless you richly.

Mennonite Canadian Team Partners with Us

2008-05-14T19:52:00.000-07:00

In March, we hosted a Mennonite Canadian team. Henry Fehr, team leader, brought 15 team members including his wife and three daughters. (See photo 1.) We were deeply blessed that another denomination would partner with our church to help with our building project. They worked in Riobamba on the Sierra Centro District Center, which is an on-going Work & Witness project. (See photo 2.)

At first, we were confused by their Canadian "accent" but then realized that they were speaking German! We became a trilingual team. The team worked very hard at laying blocks, pouring floors, and working alongside our indigenous men and women. We handed out invitations to the Jesus Film showing that has held on a cold night in front of the newly finished church at the District Center. (See photo 3.) About 20 people warmly accepted the invitation to receive Christ into their hearts that night. Teens from the mother church were there to talk with the new converts to get names and addresses.

One afternoon, the women took time out from cooking to hold a Bible School for area children. They heard the story of Noah and then pasted animal crackers, with frosting, on the ark that they had brightly colored. The group also invited Diego and his family to share his testimony and then encouraged them by praying for the family. Diego testified how the Lord had delivered him from Satanic worship. He went to a Jesus Film showing when invited by a friend.

We say "thank you" to the hard working Mennonite team for partnering with us in our building of the Kingdom in Ecuador. May God richly bless you for your giving.

Recent Team Partners with National Nazarenes

2008-03-25T17:47:00.000-07:00

The recent team comprised of folk from Pennsylvania, Kansas and Michigan had a rough beginning as some team members’ arrival was delayed due to weather and mechanical difficulties. (See picture 1.) Finally everyone arrived and the team was ready to work on the Sierra Central District Center in Riobamba despite an overwhelming amount of rain and cold temperatures. Over fifty brothers and sisters from area churches worked alongside the team as they lay over 2000 blocks and poured 17 large columns for the second story of the building. They also cleaned an underground water tank, made a lid for it, wired lights and cleaned up the new church at the district center. (See picture 2.)

The kitchen ladies always had a hot meal ready for the workers to eat. At lunchtime the women, along with the help of Javier, stopped the children on their way home from school and taught them some songs. On the last day they shared the evange-cube with the children and over fifty children prayed the prayer of forgiveness,

Harry and Marion Rich, the parents of Dwight Rich (Field Strategy Coordinator), led this team. It was a blessing to see the father-son team share the Word of God in two languages, sometimes three, when Harry’s French came to him from previous years serving as missionaries in Haiti.

The team attended the dedication of property, donated by a NAF partner, for an addition to the Christian School at the Bellavista Nazarene Church. This school has over four hundred students from K-High School and needs a lot more space. (See picture 3.)

On the last Sunday night, the team visited a church that was holding services in a tent. The team was invited to a home of one of the church members to eat roasted guinea pig and potatoes, a delicacy for Ecuador. The team became burdened for the tent church people and are now praying and raising money for property for this church. We thank God for His servants that have open hearts and are willing to do what God asks them.

Colorado Team Continues Work at Guamaní Church

2008-02-04T14:58:00.000-08:00

On January 12, the Work and Witness team from the Colorado District arrived in Ecuador. This group had many different talents, gifts and professions: a woodworker, retired art teacher, retired biologist, a home-schooling mom, a pharmacy tech, a real estate agent, a llama farmer, two pastors, a nurse, two teenagers, a pilot, a potato farmer and a boy with a missionary call. (See picture 1.)

On Sunday they visited two churches. The first was the Mount Sinai church where some of the team members or family members of team members had worked at in the past. The second was the Guamaní church, an indigenous church in the southern part of Quito. We enjoyed a special time of worship in three languages: Spanish, Quechua and English. The worship set the tone for the relationships and friendships that would be built during the next two weeks while the team worked to finish the second floor of the church. Although the work was long and hard, the team was encouraged knowing that God’s plan will be accomplished through this church and its people. (See pictures 2 and 3.)

The team, along with some women in the church, held Kids club twice a week for the neighborhood children. One day the local school allowed them to tell the Bible story. The retired art teacher on the team drew a beautiful chalk drawing for the kids during the story depicting Jonah and the Big Fish. It was a great opportunity to open doors between the church and the school, and we look forward to hear how God uses this opportunity to build relationships in this community. (See picture 4.)

The highlight of the trip occurred at the end of the last day when everyone gathered to share in worship in this new place. It was a beautiful time of sharing and praising the Lord. Afterwards, the churchwomen announced that they had a surprise. They proceeded to thank each team member by putting a scarf around their necks as a reminder of their work. The team was profoundly impacted by the generosity of these brothers and sisters in Christ who had so little. It was a reminder that “Little is MUCH when GOD is in it.”

Eldon, Missouri, Team Returns

2007-12-19T08:03:00.001-08:00

Recently, the W&W team from Eldon, Missouri, came with a lot of work experience and enthusiasm to prepare the Seminary campus for the first semester of NILI. They built and welded new desks and other furniture, painted, installed new lights, and built a new classroom. They also touched many lives through their generous spirits.

This was the first time to Ecuador for four of the members; the other members have made multiple trips to Ecuador in previous years. We praise God for the support these team members have given and continue to give to the North Andean Field.

The team is shown here with the Felix Vargas family who shared an evening with the team.

Texarkana 1st Team

2007-08-29T09:02:00.000-07:00

Saturday, July 28, began with much excitement for the W&W team from Texarkana, Texas, but it was to become a day of frustration for most of the team. Due to a series of complications, one person arrived Saturday, three more on Monday and four more on Thursday. After so many days of frustrating travel, the team really worked hard when they finally made it to the job site.

The team was also joined by Mission Corps volunteers Al & Dianne Wright. Their trip here was also a medical miracle for Dianne. Al writes about his time with the team: “Sometimes things don't go as planned, or even hoped, but through it all, God works miracles. The Sunday services in the newly painted and occupied sanctuary were nothing short of blessings beyond measure. The evening service completely packed out the facility. It was such a privilege to work under the leadership of Bruce and Cinda. I was so privileged to be able to work with the Texarkana team and to accomplish what we did with so few there, yet to get as much accomplished as we did. It is just so neat to be able to work with people one has never met before and instantly feel the bond of Christ's love. He is in control!”

Team from Jesus Film Harvest Partners

2007-08-01T13:34:00.000-07:00

From July 14-21, 20 people from all over the US traveled to Ecuador with Jesus Film Harvest Partners, a ministry of the International Church of the Nazarene. The team showed the Jesus film in three different barrios of Ecuador. 600 Ecuadorians showed up with 181 people making decisions for Christ.

Team member Sharron Sankovich did a great job of documenting the trip at the following website: http://web.mac.com/sankovich/iWeb/jfhp/Welcome.html. At the top of this website you'll several links:

Click on "Photos" and then on the link "The various Jesus Film Churches visited on the journey" to see pictures of the Jesus Film church plants visited by the team.
Click on "blog" to read Sharron's journal of the trip.

Sharron also did a good job of sharing how to get involved in the ministry of Jesus Film Harvest Partners. Click on the "Get Involved" link on the first page to read more.

Thanks Sharron for your excellent work, and thanks to the entire team for their desire to share Jesus! May God be praised.

Team from Mississippi, Louisiana and Kentucky

2007-07-31T13:59:00.000-07:00

A Work & Witness team made up of people from the states of Mississippi, Louisiana and Kentucky enjoyed their time of ministry in Ecuador. (See photo 1.) They continued construction work on Sierra Central District Center in Riobamba, Ecuador. Their work included making forms, pouring concrete and laying concrete block. They poured a roof over the sanctuary and storefront areas of the building. (See photos 2 & 3.) In addition to construction work, they also held a VBS and visited an orphanage. (See photo 4.) We thank God for their hard work and willingness to serve.

Marysville, WA team

2007-07-31T13:35:00.000-07:00

A Jesus Film team from the Marysville, WA, Church of the Nazarene recently spent time in Ecuador. (See photo 1.) During their visit they attended a Kid’s Club at our Chillogallo church and visited several of the Jesus Film church plants in the Quito and Santa Domingo areas. (See photo 2.) More than 80 people attended their first Jesus Film showing in the town of Llano Chico, and 22 people accepted Christ. Later that week another Jesus Film showing in the same town was rained out; however, 11 of the 22 who were saved showed up and the pastor was able to meet with them and begin to disciple them.

During a Jesus Film showing in the town of Rumiñahui, approximately 150 attended the showing and 50 children and 39 teens/adults were saved. At the beginning of the evening a gang of young men tried to steal the video equipment. After the film, two gang members made decisions for Christ. Praise the Lord!

For team members Rev. Don and Cheryl Cox, former missionaries who served in Ecuador, this trip was also a time of closure. Over ten years ago, while serving in Quito, Don was kidnapped. After his release, his family left Quito and served in Central America. They now serve with Jesus Film Harvest Partners in Kansas. This trip was the first time for Don and Cheryl to return to Ecuador. Don and ten others hiked up to the site where he was held hostage. (See photo 3.) The experience evoked many memories and emotions for the Coxes, and later that evening, they shared their testimony of the power of prayer and of God’s protection. It was definitely an evening of celebration.

Canadian Team Continues the Work

2007-05-17T17:56:00.000-07:00

The recent Canadian team from Grande Prairie and Calgary continued the work on the Chillogallo church. Their main task was building the walls on the 2nd floor. Pictures 1 - 3 are of their work and their results. They also enjoyed meeting the church people and providing some activities for local children as shown in pictures 4 & 5.

Beside the construction work on the church, several team members also blessed some of the missionary families by working on their homes and/or appliances. God is always good to send the right people to do the necessary jobs!

Detroit, Michigan Team

2007-04-26T16:06:00.000-07:00

We are thankful for the team from Detroit First who continued the work on the Chillogallo church in South Quito. They moved block, tied rebar, welded, and poured cement.

Detroit, Michigan Team Continued

2007-04-25T18:36:00.000-07:00

Despite a few days of bad weather and some illness among team members, a lot of accomplished! We know the Chillogallo church family are so thankful for the teams that have invested in their ministry.

Baker City, Oregon team

2007-03-22T13:09:00.000-07:00

We praise God for the Baker City, Oregon W & W team as they served and ministered recently in Riobamba, Ecuador. There were several teenagers on this team that had the opportunity to minister to school children as they walked by the job site on their way home from school (as shown in the first picture above).

The team helped prepare and pour the second floor and stairs of the District Center in Riobamba. The remaining pictures show their achievements.

They had the exciting experience of watching the activity of the Tungurahua volcano in the distance while they worked. they also enjoyed worshipping with their new Ecuadorian brothers and sisters in Christ each Sunday.

Group from Orangewood, AZ

2007-03-02T07:11:00.000-08:00

The team from Orangewood, AZ, continued the foundation work on the Chillogallo church. The first picture shown above shows the tedious, but necessary, work of straightening nails. This group also moved a lot of dirt and brick as shown in the other pictures. The last picture is the team posing with thankful church members.

Ohio Team . . . a Surprise and a Blessing!

2007-02-22T11:09:00.000-08:00

Recently the team from Circleville, Ohio, came as a surprise . . . and left as a blessing. They were originally scheduled to go to Bolivia but there were complications in which they could not enter that country. We received a call from HQ to see if we could accommodate this team with less than two days notice. And we could!

Because of the short notice, the usual supplies that are ordered for a project had not been ordered, so the team spent the first few days with many projects. Some painted the comodore (dining hall) at the W&W center, some repaired a leak in the comodore's kitchen sink, some built new cabinets to replace the ones ruined by the leak, and some worked in the Seminary's library cataloging English books. God definitely sent us a blessing because the team was willing to help with whatever we needed -- and we definitely had several needs!

Eventually, the team left the Quito area to continue foundation work on the newly started church in Chillogallo (south of Quito). These pictures show the hard work required. We praise God for sending this team to us!

Lewiston, Idaho Team

2007-02-03T18:30:00.000-08:00

Recently the Lewiston, Idaho First Church was here to begin construction on a new church in Chillogallo, a city in south Quito. The team began by clearing the lot and the adjoining lot of trash, debris, etc.

The woman with the shovel in this picture is the pastor of the church.

The team continued with foundation work as shown in the following pictures.

Digging for the Foundation

2007-02-03T18:22:00.000-08:00

Bucket by Bucket

2007-02-03T18:20:00.000-08:00

Towards the end of the digging process, the team cleaned up the loose dirt and lifted it out of the ditch, bucket by bucket.

Foundation Construction

2007-02-03T18:13:00.000-08:00

The team tied rebar for the foundation and then poured the concrete, one wheel barrow at a time.

2nd Anniversary of Los Eucalyptos Church

2007-02-01T06:09:00.000-08:00

Because of the hard work of several teams on Los Eucalyptos church, the congregation was able to celebrate its 2nd anniversary in grand style.

The Kansas/Michigan Team Continues the Work

2007-02-01T06:01:00.000-08:00

Recently a team from both Kansas and Michigan continued the work on Los Eucalyptos church. Although this was a smaller team, they got a lot accomplished. One of the women painted a dove on the cross in the sanctuary. If you look at the picture above (see "2nd Anniversary in Los Eucalyptos"), you'll see the dove in the center of the cross.

Eldon Team

2006-12-07T17:00:00.000-08:00

Eldon Team
Originally uploaded by S Hall.

A team mostly made up of people from Eldon, MO, was here to work on the new construction at the Eucaliptos Church in North Quito. The team was divided with 8-12 men working at the seminary property building trusses (shown here), 7-8 men working at the construction site, and, of course, several women working in the kitchen and laundry.

Installing a Truss

2006-12-07T16:57:00.000-08:00

framing
Originally uploaded by S Hall.

Here's a picture of one of the trusses being installed.