A Sunday Send-off

On Sunday (October 23) our church in Manta gave us a great send-off before our trip to the USA. In the morning several church ministry groups made presentations, special music, and skits. The church presented us with some very special gifts of remembrance and expressed appreciation for our ministry in starting the church in 2005 and leading it until the present time.
In the evening a delegation of people from the church were at the airport to see us off with many blessings and warm embraces.
We will be spending some time in the USA visiting ministry partners and planning the next stage of our work in Ecuador. We ask for God's guidance and wisdom for the next steps of our journey. We also pray for God to bless the ministry of Iglesia Bíblica Bautista de Manta under the leadership of Pastor Darwin Moreira.

Six Weeks in USA

Winter weather! Family flu! Renewed relationships! Faithful fellowship!
Those phrases summarize our six weeks of travel in the USA from February 4 to March 18.

The weather was a big change for us, as you might imagine. Snow, ice, freezing rain, sub-zero temperatures are not part of our daily life in Manta. We had sweaters, coats, and jackets in storage, and friends even had some of our clothing waiting for us in a duffle bag when we arrived. The winter weather made interstate travel slow and treacherous sometimes (stopped completely for about 2 hours in Kentucky), but we traveled with God's care and protection everywhere we went, back and forth through 9 states. A family in Virginia had generously loaned us their family mini-van. It was a perfect vehicle for us, very reliable; and we were extremely grateful that by God's grace we were able to return it without incident.

Carla and Teddy started getting sick early in the trip with sniffles, coughing, headache, and general yuckiness. Their symptoms seemed to hang on for a few weeks. Then Tony and Joy were hit hard. Joy had an especially awful case, even had to miss church one Sunday and go to an urgent care clinic in Michigan. Eventually back in Tennessee, Carla and Teddy were getting well, and Tony, Joy, and Matthew went to our family doctor. We are almost well now.

We were blessed to visit with family and friends in Virginia, Tennessee, Missouri, Kansas, Michigan, and Ohio. Renewing these precious relationships is very important to us. We got to spend time with our kids and grandkids! What a blessing! We had the privilege of ministering in 3 churches in Tennessee, including a couple that we believe will be new partners for our work in Ecuador. We visited one of our partner churches in the Kansas City area that will be sending a missions team to Ecuador this summer. In Michigan we had the rare privilege of ministering in our sending church, Great Lakes Baptist Temple, during the annual missions conference. The people at Great Lakes are very special to us, and it was a joy to have fellowship with them. Lastly, we got to spend time with Mountain View Chapel near Charlottesville, VA. The amazing church family of MVC has been God's special instruments of grace in our lives, and we love them dearly.

While in Charlottesville, Carla had a follow-up cardio appointment at University of Virginia Hospital Medical Center. After her basic tests and imaging were completed, her cardiologist smiled and said, "I don't think I'll need to see Carla for two years."  Her heart is working beautifully. She still has a small amount of pulmonary valve stenosis, but right now that is not causing any problems. The doctor said that it may never cause her any difficulty, and he does not expect her to need major surgery in the future! We are amazed and grateful to God, and to many of you for your prayers on behalf of Carla.

On Wednesday, March 18 we flew back to Guayaquil, Ecuador via Panama City, and by Thursday afternoon we were at home in Manta. Thanks for praying for us, and please keep praying as we get back into our active ministry here.

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.

Seventh Anniversary Services

We celebrated the Seventh Anniversary of the beginning of this congregation on February 5, 2012. The morning service was very exciting, and we had a record attendance of over 200. Then on Sunday evening we had another terrific attendance of around 210 with many, many visitors. We are very thankful for all God has done through this church in Manta, Ecuador since 2005.

Baby Shower

On Sunday afternoon the ladies of the Manta church held a baby shower for two expectant mothers (pictured with Joy). All of the women enjoyed the fellowship and many gifts were provided to encourage Jessica and Elizabeth. Jessica has been a part of the congregation since the first year, and Elizabeth began to attend the church recently.

Sixth Church Anniversary

Men's Retreat and Father's Day

Thursday through Saturday several men from our church and I had the privilege of joining about 50 other men from churches throughout our region for a men's retreat. The theme of the retreat was Be a True Champion. It was a blessing to the men both as a time for fellowship with other Christians and as a time for learning solid, biblical principles for the family. I'm sure we will see some good results in their homes, just as we did last year as a result of a similar retreat. Since the retreat involved missing a couple of work days, not all of the men could go. Some of our leaders had to miss it, but a number of our newer believers were able to go. I was one of the speakers, and my messages were about The Heart of a Champion. The other speaker talked about "Champions are not those who never fail, but those who never quit."

We had a good crowd for our Father's Day service, 109, the most we've ever had on Father's Day! I think there were 18 dads present. Lots of families don't get to come to church on this day, so we are glad for those who have learned to make every Sunday the Lord's Day. It is especially rewarding to see families that have gone through severe crisis, but are on the path to healing their homes make a special effort to be in church as an entire family! Please pray for God's blessings on them all.

Fifth Anniversary for Manta Church

BBFI missionary Cliff McGhee was a our special guest speaker. He did a super job. His sermon directed us to continue to take the next step in our walk with the Lord and in the mission of our church. We recognized those who have been baptized during the last several months and those who have completed courses in the leadership training ministry. Afterward, we all had lunch together. Many worked hard to make the anniversary service a success.

Christmas Sunday

December 20th was a big day for our church, the first Sunday that we were able to use the space on the second floor of the building. It was awesome! Besides enjoying all of the space for our Sunday morning service, we had an evening Christmas party with food, fun, and fellowship. The cooks and servers did a great job with grilled meat, rice, salad, bananas, and cupcakes. At least 170 people showed up to eat. What joy to be able to serve so many!

Anniversary in Manta

Cake, empanadas, and bocaditos were the menu after church in Manta. The church celebrated its 4th anniversary. In spite of pouring rain right up until church time (a rarity for us), we had a great crowd and an even better time. We recognized the 18 disciples who had been baptized during the past 12 months, and all of them were present! We had a little bit of special music from Joel and Mark, two young men who are visiting Ecuador from the USA and have been working with a team of evangelists who attend our church when they aren't on the road. The sermon was about a praying church from the book of Acts. Then we prayed. It was a terrific morning!

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.

Sun and Sand Saturday

On Saturday we had a men's activity--football (soccer) and volleyball (ecua-volley) at the beach. When we schedule outings for the men's group, we never know how many men from the church will be able to get off of work in time or will remember the starting time. This was the best-attended men's activity so far. Sixteen showed up! Several of them were newcomers to the church. The team leaders did a good job of contacting the guys. We had a lot of fun, considering how many of us are somewhere over the proverbial hill. Ecuador has it's own style of volleyball. Each team has three men and they play with a soccer ball. It is not easy, and is especially tough on sand. The soccer was fun, and I even scored a goal! My first goal since elementary school! Besides the sports, we enjoyed ceviche, and had a short devotional time. It was a hot afternoon. Everyone was worn out by the time the sun went down. More than a few of the guys mentioned sore legs, backs, and shoulders on Sunday morning, but they also asked when we could do it again.

Family and Friends

At the end of June we got together with family and friends for our daughter Ashley's wedding. She and Shane Coston tied the knot in Knoxville, TN. I don't have pictures of the wedding to share yet, but may get them uploaded soon. This picture shows our family where we gathered a few days before the wedding in Pigeon Forge, TN. Left to right: Ashley, Shane, Lexi, Tony, Teddy, Joy, Johnny, Mike, Ioan, Amanda.
It was neat to spend time with our daughters, sons-in-law (present and future), parents, friends, brothers and sisters in faith for such a special time.
By now, July 13, we have been back in Ecuador for 5 days and are getting our feet on the ground. Today was our first Sunday back. It was awesome. We got to see the new apartments the church has rented for meetings. The building is slightly larger than our previous space, is more nicely finished, and costs considerably less each month.
We also got to meet several new friends who recently began attending the church. Some are brand new believers, and others who have gotten more deeply involved in the work during our absence.
Today a special lunch was prepared for everyone who came to church so that we would have lots of time for fellowship and conversation. We had a great time. I heard that there were 112 people present! God is good, and He is great!

East to West and Back

I'm finding it difficult to remember to post something each week. Since my last post we went to Bremerton, Washington which is located in the beautiful Puget Sound. From there you can take a ferry to Seattle. Pastor Craig Houston and his family took us to see some of the sights of the city and we spent a few hours enjoying the educational experience of the Seattle Aquarium, one of the best I had ever visited. (In the picture, we are in front of some fountains at the waterfront sampling Seattle favorites: rain and Starbuck's coffee.) Our host family, the Vinosky's were great! They gave us a driving tour to see some of the natural wonders of the Sound and its islands. Westside Baptist Church in Bremerton is an exciting and growing church that obviously enjoys great fellowship. Most people stayed around for a while after services talking with one another. We were the objects of great hospitality, food, and friendship. It was terrific to get to know this church that has been a faithful part of our support team for almost 20 years. We are happy that our relationship with them has grown and will continue. The church also pledged a generous contribution to the building project for the church in Manta.

We returned to Tennessee and enjoyed being there for the week prior to Easter. Our daughter Ashley took her vacation from school to visit us. It was great to see her! Then on Easter we had the privilege to attend services at Gospel Baptist Tabernacle in Crossville, TN with Ashley and Joy's mom and dad. Now we are in Michigan, preparing to visit two churches in Southeastern Michigan on Sunday, and another one on Wednesday.

20 Days!

It doesn't seem possible that 20 days have passed since my last post. My "short" trip ended up being 3 days longer than I expected, and I have been behind ever since. The trip was successful in that I was able to make contact with a number of our supporting churches and pastors; I had the privilege of presenting our ministry and reporting to a few churches in their services; and enjoyed spending time with some of our family and friends.
Meanwhile, church attendances have been good the past few weeks, with more than 90 present on Sunday morning on average.
One Sunday morning we recognized the teens that have been most faithful in attendance, Bible reading, and Scripture memorization. We handed out four Bibles as prizes. The top boy and girl received an excellent Study Bible with notes, references, concordance, and dictionary. We are proud of the work these young people and others in their group have done in recent months. One of the youngsters, a 7th grader, sent me a note of thanks. In part, he said, "I never imagined I would have such a Bible in my hands so that I can learn more of God's Word to share with my family and friends."
We enjoyed American Thanksgiving with a house full of friends. The Mock family, missionaries from Cayambe, came to visit us for a few days. The Tignors from Portoviejo, an American friend who lives nearby were here for dinner as well. There are always many, many reasons to be thankful, and gratitude should be one of our prime motivations for service. "Thank God for his indescribable gift!" said Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians.
Today, Joy began a journey that will take her (by God's grace and blessing) to Uijongbu, South Korea, where our oldest daughter, Amanda, and her husband Mike await the birth of their first child and our first grandchild. I would love to be there too, but I am tremendously happy that Joy is able to go. She will be a blessing to Amanda. I look forward to seeing pictures and video.

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.