Christmas with Family

We had the joy of spending the time from Christmas to New Years with our whole family, 19 of us in the mission house of Central Baptist Church in Crossville, TN. It was an amazing, unique, new experience for us. To be with our six children, three sons-in-law, and eight grandchildren was a blast! Joy's parents live nearby and shared many meals with us for a four generation reunion. We were too blessed for words!

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.

Carla's Surgery

One big purpose reason for this time in the States is for Carla to have her heart repaired. On October 8 she had open heart surgery at University of Virginia Medical Center in Charlottesville, Virginia. This picture with the surgeons was taken about 72 hours after surgery. She has been progressing toward being able to leave the hospital. She has several weeks of recuperation ahead. God has been good in working through the prayers of his people.

Trip Northeast

Teddy and Tony made a quick trip to the Northeast and visited three churches in Massachusetts, New York, and New Jersey. The trip resulted in the addition of one new supporting church, and we reported to two of our long-time supporting congregations. It was Teddy's first opportunity to visit New York City. Here he is at the 9/11 Memorial at the World Trade Center. It is quite an impressive and meaningful experience! We saw a number of other New York landmarks during our visit.

Being in the States this fall means being able to attend Missions Conferences! It is great to serve churches that are excited about being part of the Great Commission--taking the story of Jesus to the nations. One of my favorite things about these conferences is meeting the other missionaries from around the world. We also enjoy hearing terrific preaching about missions. Getting to know the people in our supporting churches, those who make our ministry possible through their generous offerings, is another excellent part of the conferences. Our batteries are recharged for the opportunities ahead. Recently we've been with two congregations, one in Virginia and another in New Jersey. They both would like to join our team of supporting churches, and we would like to be part of their team of missionaries. These meetings are missions revivals for our hearts!

New Presentation Video

 Link to our latest presentation video on YouTube: Anzalone Ecuador 2013

In Acts 1:8 Jesus promised that the disciples would be empowered by the Holy Spirit as his witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the uttermost part of the earth. He challenged the disciples by the geography of their mission, and also by the cultural divides this commission implied.
The video presents a similar challenge by the analogy of the porch, the yard, the field, and the forest.
We hope you enjoy a look at our family and ministry as well as receiving the message we hope to convey.

Date for Carla's Surgery

Please be praying for our daughter Carla, age 9. She will be having open-heart surgery to repair an atrial septal defect on October 8. She will be at U Va Medical Center in Charlottesville, VA. We are very thankful for the doctors that God has provided for Carla. We also have strong local support from the Mountain View Chapel church family that has been extremely generous in taking care of us while we are in the Charlottesville area. We are greatly blessed by our extended family and our wide-ranging team of supporters who hold us before God's throne in prayer.