Summer Mission Teams

Summer is the season for church mission trips and other very short-term mission teams. In an exciting twist we enjoyed having two of them involved in our work at very nearly the same time. First, a medical team from ABWE was making a tour of Ecuador, and our sister church in Sangolquí (near Quito) was kind enough to send them our way to do a weekend clinic at the Travesía village mission. The visiting physicians and nurses saw well over 100 patients and helped to enhance the connection between the local population and those from the Manta church who minister in Travesía each weekend. They attempted to share the Gospel of Christ very simply with each patient. That same weekend a group from Capitol City Baptist Church in Lansing, MI arrived. Pastor Daryl Franzel and 16 other people from the church worked with us for a full week. Among the many ways they blessed our church and community was in building six tables for use in our Sunday School. The picture shows some of the younger children putting the tables to work as they fingerpaint. We are thankful for the service rendered by both groups. They were a blessing.

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!

Father Abraham

I haven't had a lot of time to blog lately; and if I had, many of the entries would be about the thousands of miles we have traveled, hundreds of restaurant meals, dozens of different beds, and visiting churches that are involved in or interested in our ministry in Ecuador.

One recent highlight for me was the arrival of our daughter Amanda and grandson Ioan from Korea. I hadn't met Ioan yet, and I was thrilled to hold him for the first time and have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know him. He has a great personality, is easily amused, smiles and laughs at people, and only gets mad when the food bowl is empty, the bottle runs dry, or someone else has ice cream and doesn't share it with him!

Father's Day was neat in that I was with my wonderful wife Joy, daughters Amanda and Ashley, son Teddy, and grandson Ioan. My other daughter Lexi is busy studying and working in Kansas, but I heard from her by telephone. God has been very, very good to me!

I was thinking about something Saturday night that really made an impact on my heart. The biblical story of Abraham begins with him being called Abram, which, I have learned, means exalted father. Later, he is called Abraham, meaning father of multitudes. How ironic that a man with such names arrived at old age without children! Introductions must have been somewhat awkward:
"Hi, I'm Exalted Father."
"Oh, really? Nice to meet you. How many kids do you have?"
"Er, none, at the moment."
It probably caused him more discomfort when he switched to Father of Multitudes. I can imagine his mumbling and sheepish expression. I believe that he was often reminded of God's promises, and only through the eye of faith could he embrace the people called Israel and the huge of family of faith of which he eventually became the Patriarch. His grasp of God's promises makes him the head of a multi-generational, multicultural household of faith through Jesus by whom God has indeed blessed all people, and made Abraham's descendants like the stars of heaven in number.
I trust that he had a wonderful Father's Day too.

Church Needs to Move

Please pray for an urgent need of our congregation in Manta. We have met at the same building for over three years, but the owner has asked for us to find another location. We have been good tenants, paying the rent and utilities promptly, cleaning and maintaining the appearance of the two apartments and terrace. However, the landlord has been showing signs of wanting us to move for the past several months. The church has decided to find another meeting place as soon as possible and to vacate the building as the owner has requested. I am proud of them for not "fighting for their rights" and being willing to trust God for a suitable location. Please pray that God will quickly lead them to another site, and that the leaders will continue to grow in grace and wisdom during our absence.
Also be praying that this will create a greater urgency to build on the property that God has provided us. Joy and Teddy and I will be traveling for about five more weeks, visiting churches in the USA and attempting to raise funds for the building project. Please continue to pray that God will open doors and supply all of our needs. He has no shortage of resources and uses many channels to bless us for his own purposes and eternal glory.

Ashley Graduates

Ashley graduated from Baptist Bible College on May 15 with a BA in Missions and a minor in Children's Ministry. We are so proud of her! She has worked hard at her studies and to pay most of her own bills during her college years. Prior to attending BBC in preparation for church-related ministry or work in foreign missions, Ashley completed three semesters of study in nursing, gaining knowledge she has used in working at a local nursing home. Ashley and Shane plan to get married on June 27 in Knoxville, TN and will be living in Springfield, MO while Shane completes his studies at BBC. Please be praying for Ashley and Shane as they seek God's guidance for their pathway.

Mother's Day

On Mother's Day we were in Springfield, MO with Ashley getting ready for her graduation. We had plans to attend Seminole Baptist Temple in Springfield with Ashley and her fiancé Shane Coston. We were happy to learn that our missionary friends from Ecuador, Jim and Sharon Smith, and their daughter Stacey, would be at Seminole as well. Jim was to be the guest speaker in the Sunday AM services at the church. We had a further blessing when our daughter Alexis arrived to surprise Joy! She and her fiancé Jonathan Taylor had driven from Kansas City early in the morning to attend church with us. It was terrific to spend Sunday morning and afternoon together. We are very thankful to God for the strong, loving family he has provided us. In many ways Joy is the key member in holding us all together and encouraging us to build great memories and family traditions. I am very thankful for her.

Field Trips

During the past couple of weeks we were able to squeeze in an off day to visit a couple of interesting and fun places. While visiting friends in South Carolina, we took the opportunity to visit the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, NC. It is an outstanding place to learn about the great 20th-Century evangelist, his ministry and his message. I was impressed by a few things at the library. First of all, it is filled with Scripture: every wall and even the beams of the barn that houses the museum is covered with it. Secondly, Rev. Graham has had a ministry focused on the very essence of his calling to share the Gospel of Christ with as many people as possible. That is reflected in the use of video throughout the museum featuring clips from his messages at campaigns. Thirdly, his ministry has been powered by prayer from beginning to end. I'll admit that I have a special place in my heart for Billy Graham and his work because I gave my heart to Jesus at a Billy Graham Crusade at Shea Stadium in NY in 1970.
On a lighter note, our friends Tim and Debbie Gunter made it possible for us to take Teddy to Disney World's Magic Kingdom. We had a great time! It was fun to enjoy everything through Teddy's eyes. We are grateful to have friends who would encourage us to take a break from our usual travel routine.