May 2015 Prayer Report

We have been working with our church in Manta, Ecuador to get two new ministries off the ground. These are outreach and service ministries designed to put “Love in Action” around our church and community.

One of these is called Bolsas de bendición, (Bags of Blessing). Women of the church make small diaper bags, receiving blankets, and bibs. They fill the bags with other needs for newborns. Then they visit maternity clinics and local hospitals to give these gifts to moms of newborns, to pray with the mothers, and share some loving kindness. Doors have already opened for sharing God’s love and the message of the Gospel. One of the local clinics has invited the women’s group for weekly visits to speak to needy moms.    

 The church has also started a food pantry. The ministry is called Bendecidos para bendecir, (Blessed to Bless). Needy families are invited to receive a generous amount of 20 to 25 basic food items once each month. On May 3, we served our first group of 20 households. Besides food, our clients receive an evangelistic message, personal prayer and counseling, and a warm, loving welcome from those who serve. Both givers and receivers experience immense joy!

Please pray that these ministries and other service and outreach projects would bring a spiritual harvest. We would be very grateful for any special monetary donations that you may be led to give for these projects. Please contact us to find out how to be a partner with our church in putting “Love in Action” in Manta.

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.