Family in Manta Ecuador

Family in Manta Ecuador
January 2015

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

La Sequita

On Friday, October 10, a group of about 15 people from our church responded to an invitation to visit the town of La Sequita, about 30 minutes east of Manta. A family from the town attends our church and is interested in helping their neighbors learn about Jesus so that their lives can be changed just as theirs has been by the power of the Gospel. The family opened their home to host the children and young people, their neighbors and friends. The picture shows one group of children working on a coloring sheet. They also made bracelets and enjoyed a puppet show. The adults and teens watched a movie and had refreshments. We are proud of the way our church responds to opportunities to take the Gospel to others. We want to grow into a church with a missionary heart!

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Prayer Report October 2014

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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