A Few Photos

The bridal party after the ceremony. Alexis and Jonathan Taylor are the happy couple in the center. Our other daughters Ashley and Amanda are left of Alexis.

Joy and I with Alexis before the wedding.

Uncle Teddy with Ioan (our grandson).

Still Here

Tons happening--very little time for blogging and usually no internet service.
I'll recap some of what's been going on in this post and then I will try to add some more in the next few days. I intend to get back to posting at least once per week as was my original intention.

First, our church had a number of Christmas activities. The ladies had a luncheon event. The Travesía ministry had a meal and gave out gifts in the village. We had a Sunday School program and the kids did a great job. The children's ministry workers had a Christmas party for more than 70 kids and 30 adults.
Joy, Teddy and I made a trip to the States. We got to be with our family for the holidays and got ready for Lexi's wedding (which was beautiful). I hope to get a few pictures from the wedding on the site. We had a marvelous time with friends in the Orlando, FL area and from around the country. We were able to visit supporting churches in Florida while we were there. Friends even took us to Disney's Animal Kingdom. An awesome time!
Our dear friend Pastor Loyal Carlson had heart by-pass surgery and had a rough time of recovery. We got to spend time with him. Pray that he will continue to recover. When he was well enough, Pastor Carlson took Teddy fishing. That was a great treat.
Back in Ecuador, the church went through a roller-coaster of emotions and had to pull together to minister to one-another. Zonia Marriott when to the presence of the Lord. We have asked prayer for Zonia many times. We are grateful for her testimony of joy and patience. That same week, Zonia's daughter Melanea gave birth to a son named Aaron. Luis and Melanea are very special to us. The church held a funeral with praise and preaching, and then helped welcome Aaron.
We returned to Manta on January 16. There are lots of things going on. We'll be keeping you posted. Later this week I want to get a few pictures posted as well.

New Dirt

Just a couple of weeks ago dump trucks were taking dirt away from the property. Now dump trucks are bringing new, better dirt to the property. This is important because Manta's soil is very sandy and it is located on a major fault line. We get to pay for getting rid of the old dirt and bringing in new dirt! It's exciting because we are getting closer to actually building something.

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.

Clearing Land

The land is cleared and ready for the next step! It was encouraging to see the dump truck drive away with the last load of unwanted rubble. Now we are ready to see dump trucks drive in with loads of things we need. Please continue to pray for the building project for the church in Manta. We would love to be meeting on the property by June of 2009.

Not All Things Seem Good

In the past couple of months we have had at least our share of the flu. One week in particular the germs passed from Teddy, to Joy, to me and sent us each to bed in turn. It is no fun to be sick, to feel weak, and to have to be still.
Lately, one of the men in our church who had seen some tremendous changes in his life has struggled to stay free from the grasp of drug use. He has had a few set-backs. His wife is battling despair and fear that he is on another downward spiral.
Two of the couples who were important parts of the beginning of our church in Manta have been notably absent from the unity and fellowship with the rest of the congregation. The church continues to change and grow, and maybe that's an excuse from their point of view, but it is painful for me to see some of those who worked and contributed to the first steps in starting this church missing out on the joyful results and the excitement about the future.
All of these things seem negative in themselves, but I believe in the power of prayer and in the promise that all things, even those that seen bad, work out for good through God's providence. We count on your prayers for each of these concerns.