Baptism, September 25

I haven't been very good about updating here. I'll try to do better. On Sunday,. September 25 the church had the privilege of witnessing the baptism of Javier. We have been praying for him for three years, through many ups and downs. He made a public profession of faith in Christ, and was baptized. He gave thanks to God for a friendship his daughter made with a girl from our Sunday School who invited his family to church. That girl and her parents have been used to bring Javier's whole house to our church and to a living relationship with Christ. What a great testimony to answered prayer!

Auditorium Construction

More walls were added to the auditorium this past week. Doorways, windows, and office space are being defined. It's exciting to see things take shape!

Baby Dedication

We are always happy to see families grow in their faith and commitment to follow Christ. Here is one of the couples that we have prayed for and worked with over the past few years. It was a blessing to present their baby Abbey during a Sunday church service and to offer a prayer of dedication for her and her parents.

Marriage for Life

Five couples from our church completed the Marriage for Life course and received certificates. We are thankful for Alfredo and Wilda, a mature Christian couple, who lead this group, and are an excellent example of service for others in the church.

Father's Day at Church

On Father's Day we had a breakfast for the men before the service. Thirty men attended. We showed a video of testimonies from several international soccer stars who are Christians. There were several visitors for the morning service and a good response to the message. It is always good to see families change as men live as followers of Christ.

Baptisms

Sunday we had the privilege of baptizing five believers. Two are young teens, one young lady is the daughter of a dedicated young couple, and the other two are a young couple, recently married, who each came to know Jesus during the past month. It always brings joy to our hearts to see new believers following Christ and fruit of the ministries of the church. Completing the Great Commission involves evangelism, baptism, and teaching. Thank you for praying for us as we serve Christ in Ecuador.

Puppet Ministry

Last weekend we had BBFI Missionary Jenny Carpenter come to Manta to train our children's ministry workers, and others who were interested, in the use of puppets. She did a great job in workshop sessions on Friday and Saturday and the folks were excited to get started. We organized four groups that immediately began working on songs and skits. On Sunday, the first group presented a skit and songs to the children during the worship and preaching service. It was a big hit with the kids. We look forward to this being a fruitful ministry in both evangelism and education.