October 2014
Here are seven
encouraging items from our ministry:
1) Joy and I received permanent residency visas. This will
save us time and money since we won’t have to renew missionary visas annually,
plus it make our presence in Ecuador less dependent on bureaucratic whims from
year to year.
2) We taught a couple of exciting Bible study series as part
of the Thursday night Leadership Training courses at the church in Manta. Both the
men’s and the women’s groups were very faithful in attendance and in getting
homework done each week. Some have even taken the course material to teach
others what they learned.
3) One of the men who was baptized in April came to follow
Jesus through the testimony and influence of his young daughter and his wife.
Now he is sharing his faith in Christ with others at work, in their
neighborhood, and among their relatives. He consistently brings people to
church, usually filling his pick-up truck, some have become believers, and he
is teaching them discipleship lessons.
4) Three young women were baptized in August. It is very
encouraging to see new believers following Jesus and being identified as His
disciples. One of those baptized is a teenager from the Montañita Verde
Children’s Home.
5) The church has been growing in giving and generosity. One
project has been the support of orphaned and needy children in Uganda in
partnership with a church in Virginia and another in Kampala. The people of our
church in Manta have given three and four times as much as our original
commitment each month. Tithes and other offerings have increased along with
that special project.
6) Volunteers have been working on the church building. The
pastoral office area is nearly done. Volunteers have prepared walls and painted
Sunday School classrooms. They have also been working on a second nursery area.
Recently the men have been learning to make windows. There are lots of windows
needed around the building so this will be a big help.
7) One Saturday afternoon we held a teacher-training seminar
for the children’s ministry workers. Over 20 people came including four new
volunteers. Plans are underway to reorganize and expand to be able to minister
more effectively to the growing number of children.
Thank you for encouraging us. We hope that you’re encouraged
too!
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