As Busy as a Bee

After several of us spent a few hours one afternoon clearing a small corner of the property, one of the men decided to save us all a lot of time and blisters. He enlisted the help of a friend with a heavy equipment service. Okay, so we missed the joy of fellowship of men working together, but what would have taken us a couple of hundred man-hours, took just a few. All of the trash, debris, and dry brush is now ready to be carted off. There were a couple of delays because of angry swarms of yellow-jackets. The equipment operator had to abandon the driver's seat on one occassion, but he escaped with only one sting. We waited for about an hour for the insects to calm down. In spite of their ferocious activity they did not defeat the orange monster that had invaded their territory. Soon the driver could get back to his perch at the controls, and in no time the job was done.

Backwards or Forwards or Both

Young people's Bible study has seemed like a weak point in our current ministry. Recently we re-started it with a different emphasis and with the assistance of a young married couple in the church. I am really pleased with the changes made and with the results so far. The meetings emphasize daily devotions, church attendance, prayer, and scripture memorization. Since there isn't loud music, sports, constant outings, and "anything-but-Bible-study!"; it isn't all that appealing to a lot of kids. At my age, and with a thousand responsibilities, I can't deal with the entertainment aspects of youth ministry. Yet, we are seeing the kids who do attend consistently really blossom. Some of them are helping or teaching in the children's ministries on Sunday. Others have become regular attenders of the Sunday morning Bible studies and worship hour. More are reading the Bible on a daily basis. During the Saturday afternoon meetings we try to answer the questions they have that arise from the reading during the week and we talk to them about making application of the Scriptures. We want to allow God to influence their lives at home, school, work, and among peers.
A couple of weeks ago, I noticed that a couple of younger teens who come to church on Sunday AM with their parents hadn't come to the Saturday meetings. I suggested that they try it out. They didn't come the first time so I encouraged them again. They seemed very shy about it, and I remembered how hard it is for kids their age to break into a new peer group--the fear factor. I smiled and asked them to try it, "Please." Last Saturday they came. They quietly participated in the opening game time, smiling, saying a few words, and starting to come out of their shells. We all shared and learned their names. The challenge lately has been to learn the names of the books of the Bible in order. I joked with one of the regulars about whether or not she could say them backwards yet. Everyone laughed. On Sunday the new kids were at small group Bible Study and worship. "How'd you like it yesterday?" "It was good. We want to go all the time now." Big smiles from really shy kids. Yesterday I got a text message on my cellphone. "Pastor, it's me, J... I know all the books now. Backwards and forwards. I'll be saying them on Saturday.'' Awesome. I can deal with that.

A Time for Work and a Time for Rest

On Sunday we had 90 in church and had our first work day at the new property later in the afternoon. There is a lot of dried brush and trash on the lot. Clearing it gives us a chance to work as a congregation, have fellowship, and build a sense of teamwork and unity. I believe that holding regular "mingas" (an Ecuadorian term for community workdays) at the property and on the building as it goes up will be very positive. Several of the faithful men got together this time, and I expect the number will increase in future opportunities.
Work is a good thing. Too much work is not. God gives us the ability to work and to produce, but he also expects us to take a break. The principle of the sabbath involves both rest and worship. Step away from your labors and give thanks to God, remember who He is and what He has done. Refresh yourself and recharge. In our ministry I have seen people who struggle because they do not have the ability or the opportunity to work, to use their abilities, and to provide for their family's needs through their labors. God always comes through somehow to prove that he will not leave them or foresake them. Others struggle because they work too much. They are afraid of what might happen if they took a break, rested their bodies, and spent time nurturing their families or serving the needs of others. Could God supply if they acknowledged their need for sabbath rest? God has his ways of getting their attention.
What is your attitude toward work and rest?

Chicken?

This past Sunday (Oct. 7) we had a special time of fellowship after the morning service. We prepared and served lunch to everyone present who cared to stay. This is the first time we have done this at our church in Manta, but we hope that it becomes a frequent practice. A couple of the church members had been planning it for the past few weeks. They planned a menu and enlisted the help of several good cooks. They served rice, a delicious vegetable salad, and a very tasty chicken dish.
Because our rented space is spread over three stories there was some inconvenience in serving the meal. The kitchen is on the bottom floor and the large gathering area is on the top. Eight or ten of the men hustled up and down stairs with styrofoam containers. We don't have enough tables for everyone, so we just ate with our styro-plate on our laps. No one complained. It was great to see a high percentage of the adults work together on something like preparing and serving the meal. It will work out much better when God blesses us with a facility designed for church food and fellowship. Meanwhile, God has blessed us with people willing to serve in less-than-ideal conditions.
Many people were invited to visit the church because of the lunch and we had 115 people in attendance. We believe that the love and service were a good testimony to all.

Further Updates

On September 23, we enjoyed a beautiful sunny Sunday. After the morning service a group from the church gathered on the beach to baptize a young married couple. They gave testimony to how their lives have changed since they began to follow Jesus. They were happy to have the opportunity to provide a living symbol of Jesus's death, burial, and resurrection.

On September 30, Ecuador held nationwide elections to fill the 130 seats of an assembly to write a new constitution. It appears that an overwhelming majority of the representatives will be from the political alliance formed by President Rafael Correa. Many Ecuadorians hope that the nation can change its reputation of corruption, bad government, and instability. We pray that all things will work to open doors for further ministry and freedom for the Gospel.