Easter Sunday in Manta

Our dear friend, missionary Jeff Davoll, was invited to speak at Iglesia Bíblica Bautista de Manta, on Easter Sunday. He shared this picture with us, and said there was a full house! We're happy to hear a good report and to see some of our dear brothers and sisters in the photo. It is reassuring to know that the church belongs to Jesus Christ and he is building it whether we are there or in the USA.

11th Anniversary of IBB Manta

On February 7, 2016 Iglesia Bíblica Bautista de Manta celebrated the 11th anniversary. Our first Sunday service was in 2005. We met in a living room in the Aurora neighborhood. 31 people attended. Over those first couple of years in rented homes, we had some services with just a handful of people. We're thankful for the way God has grown the congregation and led us all toward maturity in Christ.

A highlight of the anniversary service was praying for Pastor Darwin Moreira and his family, along with some of those who feel led to join them in the church planting effort in La Revancha. La Revancha is a large, community outside of Manta where we have felt led to launch a new congregation. Please pray for this new work.

Updating Our Position

A lot of time has passed since the last post. We have spent lots of time in the car. We have also enjoyed the opportunity to see family, friends, and supporting congregations around the USA. Right now I am in Springfield, MO. We have a few more days to be with our daughters, sons-in-law, and grandson who live here. BTW, our grandson Curtis is doing very well. He has been out of the hospital for about a month now, and has been growing fast! We are so happy and thankful.
During the past several weeks, we also visited our daughter, son-in-law, and grandkids in Ohio. The new baby there, Saranna, is doing great! It is so much fun being grandparents. It is going to be tough to return to Ecuador and be far away from them, but we are thankful for all of the ways we can communicate and travel these days. Imagine what it was like when one said good-bye to loved ones to go on a journey or to be a missionary, knowing it would probably be the last time you saw them! In reality, we never know when it will be the last time in this life, so we should enjoy the times we do have to the max!
We attended the annual BBFI missionary family reunion. That was a good time of fellowship with other missionaries from around the world, most of whom we had never met before in person. We had a good time. There were a few fun activities, and some information we needed, but the best parts were the testimonies from fellow-missionaries and the biblical teaching from Pastor Lewis Mclendon.
August 10-12 we had the great privilege of celebrating the 50th wedding anniversary of Joy's parents, Ted and Verneta Wille. We were able to arrange a luncheon and overnight stay for them and several of their friends and family members at a beautiful place in Tennessee. It was neat to see them with some of their life-long friends who have also been pastors and Christian ministers. What a testimony of faithfulness!
All along our journey of these weeks we have visited supporting churches and even a couple that don't support us yet (we always hope and pray they will). We have had some opportunities to share, and even to preach in services or teach adult Bible study groups. The response is always friendly and sometimes there is obvious interest and appreciation for our work. We are thankful for these opportunities. It is especially exciting when we realize that at least some people are trying to pay attention to what is going on in our work in order to pray or participate somehow. I am conditioned to expect to hear nothing more personal than, "How are things in Ecuador?" or "So what's Ecuador like?" When my answer goes beyond "Things are going well," people tend to look for a way to escape or change the subject. It is cool when someone in a church lets you know that they have been praying for some specific aspect of the work, have read my blog posts, or even seen the pictures or video I've posted on the internet. I thank God that there are some of those people whom God uses to encourage me.
Please be praying for us, especially for Joy. We recently learned that Joy must have surgery before we return to Ecuador, so we are changing our return plans. Instead of our return to Ecuador on September 10, Joy will be having surgery on September 16. We will be able to return to Ecuador after she has fully recuperated. Please be praying with us about this.
We receive frequent news from the church in Manta. A couple of babies have been born to church families, the services have been good with fair attendances and sufficient offerings, a few of the necessary steps in construction have continued (a security apartment, wiring, bathroom fixtures), the Thursday night class is almost ready for the test, and the leaders continue to meet for prayer and planning. There are some very positive reports from Portoviejo where Gustavo and Lidia are doing a good job and have reached out to some new people. Please keep praying for all of these things.

Big Holes

This is a hole. How exciting! It is the first of 24 similar holes that are the beginnings of the building for the church in Manta. We have been waiting for this for quite a while. We are so thankful to God for bringing us to this point. There is still a long way to go, but we believe the entire project will be completed. May God receive the glory and praise. We trust that he will supply the financial and manpower needs for the job to continue.


This is part of the construction crew that began work on Monday, March 9. Besides digging holes they are assembling thousands of pieces of re-bar that provide the steel reinforcement for the building's concrete foundation and columns. Please be praying for this building project. That would be a big help. Thank you for being part of our construction team!

Past Couple of Weeks

Let's catch up on a few things.
On the 10th through the 12th we enjoyed the visit of our friends Patricio, Sylvana, and Kyara. They are in the lower picture. They are from the city of Santo Domingo. They stayed with us for a couple of days of their vacation. They went to the beach even though it was rainy. They are a sweet family who love the Lord and are serving Him in a number of ways. We think Patricio would be a great pastor for the church in Portoviejo. Please join us in prayer about that.
On Friday the 13th we showed a movie at church, Fireproof. We had a group fo about 50 people for the movie and they loved it. We had planned an intermission at the halfway point for food and socializing, but the crowd didn't want a break. They were into the story. We have heard a number of comments regarding the impact people felt. They could really put themselves into what the characters were portraying. We pray that their are long-term results. Several have asked to borrow the DVD or asked how to get one.
The rest of that weekend we went to Santo Domingo. The top picture shows Joe and Sylvia Wells, our good friends and co-workers in that part of Ecuador. One of the churches from their ministry invited me to speak at a banquet and at their Sunday church service. We always enjoy staying at the Wells' house. Teddy has a wonderful time playing games and enjoying their attention.
Javier, Darwin, Juan, Wilda and others substituted for us in Manta that weekend and did a great job. We are blessed with good workers.
We had a good weekend in Manta (this 20th to 22nd) with our regular services and special study groups. There was a ladies ministry meeting at out house too. Of course we had church in Portoviejo on Sunday afternoon as well. This is a big holiday weekend in Ecuador that extends through Tuesday. On Thursday we will start a short vacation Bible school for kids.

Happy Thanksgiving! Merry Christmas!

We have a lot to be thankful for. We enjoyed a super Thanksgiving holiday with some missionary friends--Joe and Sylvia Wells, and Stacey Smith. Our traditional turkey dinner was awesome!



Meanwhile, Christmas activities have begun at the church in Manta. The ladies held a five-hour seminar/luncheon/Christmas party at a local restaurant. Sylvia Wells was the guest speaker. There were games and a holiday choir. Everyone had a great time.

In Manta

The people of the church in Manta are picking up the slack in our absence: preaching, teaching, planning and directing services, workin in Travesía, etc. We are thankful that we have so many who are willing and able to serve in these ways.

The attendance this past Sunday was excellent: 86, near our recent average of 90.

Pray for the situation regarding the border with Colombia. Our people desire peace and good relations with our neighbors. Also pray for Manta and the Manabí province. The season of heavy rains continues. Even Manta, usually very dry, has experienced unusual amounts and severity of rainfall. Many homes have been destroyed and the general health of citizens is threatened because of flooding and disease. I know that they are grateful for your prayers on their behalf.

This week 10 young people from our church are attending camp at El Prado. Please pray for their safety in travel and for blessing in their lives.

Thank you.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch ...

We were absent from the church in Manta for two Sundays, but everyone pitched in so that regular services continued as usual. We are happy to have many people who are willing to do their part and are consistently involved in the ministry. Sunday School, village ministry, youth meeting, adult Bible studies, and Sunday services were all taken care of. I am truly grateful for the privilege we have of working alongside fine Ecuadorian Christians who are willing to use their gifts in service. We are all imperfect but redeemed; and we were unworthy and unusable, but we are now of great worth and very useful. There is a neat illustration of this in the little New Testament letter to Philemon where Paul describes the servant Onesimus, whose name means useful: "He was useless to you, but now he is useful both to you and to me."

Public Service

This year of political campaigning in Ecuador continues at a frantic pace. Right now more than 1,000 candidates are wrestling for seats on the assembly to write a new constitution for the country. The constitutional commitee will meet in Montecristi, a small town just 10 minutes from Manta.

We recently saw a terrific example of public service as the USNS Comfort spent a week in the port of Manta. Comfort is a hospital ship. The officers and crew colaborated with local doctors and hospitals to see thousands of patients and to do hundreds of surgeries during their stay. It was our privilege to thank some of the men and women of our US Navy for their outstanding service.

This past week we were invited to the home of a family that had made a couple of visits to our church services. They expressed great appreciation for the preaching and teaching of the Bible, and for the classes for all members of their family. We learned that the husband and wife are professional mourners, providing music and prayer at funeral services and masses. Both husband and wife confessed that they wanted to open their hearts to Christ and hope to learn more of God's word. They prayed, trusting Jesus as their Lord and Savior. They ask us to pray that the Lord will provide another way for them to earn their living.

Progress on Land Purchase

In an earlier post we mentioned a small plot of land that we are raising money to buy for a church building in Manta. Last month we received a number of special offerings for the fund. Please continue to pray for this purchase. The opportunity and need are very great.

Three Adults Baptized

Last Sunday, May 27, three adults were baptized because of the ministry of the Iglesia Bíblica Bautista de Manta. We are very thankful for the two Marcos and one Bárbara who gave testimony to their faith in Christ through believer's baptism. God has been very good to us! Each of them gave a lovely verbal testimony about their walk with Christ, thanking those who have been instrumental in bringing them to personal commitment to follow Jesus. Each time we step into the waters of the great Pacific Ocean to observe this ordinance I give thanks to God for his work in creation and in the new creation of a life transformed.

Mother's Day

We had an exciting Mother's Day at the church in Manta. First at 9:30, there was a reception for all of the ladies. Joy served cinnamon rolls and mocha bars along with a devotional. There were more than 40 ladies present. Then in the service at 10:30, we had a small gift for each of the 35 moms present. We had a total of 99 in the service. Afterward we offered to take photos of each mother with her family. That will make a nice memento for many of them.

Property for Church Building

Our son Teddy is standing in front of the property where we believe God is opening doors for us to build a church building in Manta. We are praying that He will allow us to raise the money for the land and buildings. You can help us by contributing any size gift to the Baptist Bible Fellowship International's Project Offering Fund, designating your gift to the Anzalone's church building in Manta, Ecuador (C-3202-062). The address is Baptist Bible Fellowship, PO Box 191, Springfield MO 65801. All gifts through the Baptist Bible Fellowship are tax deductible and 100% of your gift will be applied to this project. E-mail us if you have any questions.

The Big Tuna

Last weekend we received a new addition to the art and culture of our city. I imagine that the giant tuna will be quite a tourist attraction. Seriously, all kinds of industry, business, and construction is going forward in our little city. Last week there were international meetings about commercial fishing and cross-continental transportation. Plans are underway to greatly expand the volume of the port and of the transportation system from Manta to other areas of South America and the world. We believe we have a part in taking the Gospel to the nations in and through the our town.

Shoeboxes

Last Friday we received a couple of large boxes in the mail. They were filled with brand new sneakers in various children's and youth sizes. They were a gift from the youth group of Ocean State Baptist Church in Smithfield, RI for the children of a home for street kids run by a local charitable foundation in Manta. The Rhode Island youth had ministered in the home one afternoon last summer during their mission trip to Ecuador. In a letter accompanying the shoes they wrote:
"While in Ecuador, we went to an orphanage to perform our skits for the children there, hoping and praying that God would touch their hearts in a life-changing way. But in the end, God unexpectedly touched ours. While some of the guys played soccer with the kids, we noticed they had no shoes and it broke our hearts. Seeing this really opened our eyes to how spoiled we were; we knew most of us owned way more than five pairs of shoes. And as a youth group, we decided to save up money and buy shoes for the Ecuadorians who couldn't. We hope these shoes are a blessing."