Baptism and Men's Fellowship

While we are in the States the ministry of Iglesia Bíblica Bautista de Manta is going strong under the leadership of Pastor Darwin Moreira and the great team of servant-leaders that God has put in place. One way we measure the health of the church body is in discipleship of new believers. Jefferson and his family came to the church a few months ago and soon became believers in Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Others in the church have encouraged them to learn to walk with Jesus as disciples and have led them in a period of Bible study to get started well in their Christian life. In this picture, the family was ready for baptism by Pastor Darwin.
Another core value of the church is fellowship. Here a group of the men are getting together on Sunday afternoon for some sports at the local beach. The church is a family that encourages one another.

Carla's Surgery

One big purpose reason for this time in the States is for Carla to have her heart repaired. On October 8 she had open heart surgery at University of Virginia Medical Center in Charlottesville, Virginia. This picture with the surgeons was taken about 72 hours after surgery. She has been progressing toward being able to leave the hospital. She has several weeks of recuperation ahead. God has been good in working through the prayers of his people.

Trip Northeast

Teddy and Tony made a quick trip to the Northeast and visited three churches in Massachusetts, New York, and New Jersey. The trip resulted in the addition of one new supporting church, and we reported to two of our long-time supporting congregations. It was Teddy's first opportunity to visit New York City. Here he is at the 9/11 Memorial at the World Trade Center. It is quite an impressive and meaningful experience! We saw a number of other New York landmarks during our visit.