Our Slideshow - Mission Ecuador '09
This was right after we arrived. We were waiting in line to eat lunch.
Everyone's back! Thanks for all the prayers and thanks to all those who helped us get home from the airport. Please continue to remember Steve and Carol Thompson and their ministry in Ecuador in your prayers. Continue to check this site for pictures and reflections from our trip.
There are a few of us still in Quito this morning. Our flight last night was over-booked and some of us (Norm, Seanda, Bentley, Amanda, & Kevin) accepted the offer to fly out this morning. We will connect in Miami about the time the rest of the group gets to Dallas. Should be back in Paris between 9 & 10 pm. A mission group from Wichita Falls is currently here at the airport. Seanda is visiting with them. They have been working in Quito. Pray for the work that is being done here. This is a beautiful country with beautiful people. See you soon...
I just thought I would let you guys know that we are in Atlanta waiting for a connecting flight. I am very tired having awakened Friday morning in Patate, Ecuador and only slept an hour and a half on the flight from Quito to Atlanta. Its been a wonderful week, and I'm somewhat sad to be back, but glad in another sense as I missed my boys this week not getting to talk to them. It seems that I always leave a piece of myself in Ecuador, being apart of the ministry there and investing in the people. My prayer on our last day was that God would let me return to Ecuador, again.
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Well this is our last day on site, I'm sad to say. We've grown attached to the kids as well as the people. This is God's country and he created it so beatifully. The people here are amazing, and God is doing great things here. Please be in prayer for Steve and Carol Thompson, the missionaries here for 22 years. The work being done here is something the church in the states needs to see, and be a part of. There are still very cold and dark and dangerous places in Ecuador, but praise God His light shines in this place! True discipleship and churches planting other churches, evangelism and the spread of the gospel is an everyday occurance. The church here in Patate is actively planting and discipling 6 other churches, they have more people in church plants on Sunday mornings than in their own service! Now that is investing in people! Relational evangelism is exactly what our Savior did in His ministry here on the earth, and how the disciples grew the early church. we are called to go and make disciples, not make a great church service or a great schedule of events, we are called to take the gospel to the ends of the earth, but most christians back in the U.S. can barely make to church on time once a week. We as followers of Jesus Christ and His Way are called to live our lives in wreckless abandonment to our God who saves and who redeemes, who calls us out of our comfort zone and into His marvellous light, who is and was and is to come! Please pray for Ecuador, for Patate, Banos, Ambato and the people and the believers here!
Hey guys its Meagan!! I am finally finding time to get on here and share a thing or two!! Its been an awesome trip!! The volcano started to erupt the other night and we saw lava coming out it was soooo amazing! The purpose of this trip was to grow as a person and share the good news with these amazing precious people!! I will say it gets very frustrating not being able to communicate with the kiddos or just the people period. If one thing melts my heart, its those precious kids. I can't talk with them but I make sure i give them all a hug and say hola!! =) Sometimes I wish our church and community and town were more like this...They are so so loving. The church we visited were so excited to see us they made sure they all gave us hugs and greeted us. They even gave us roses to show "their love" for us. This is what its about....Showing love to everyone no matter what their background is or no matter what the situation us. These people here are no different than us. We may have more necessities in life but that makes us no different. We won't take those things to Heaven with us...we will have each other. Let me challenge you to have more of an open heart...Love EVERYONE! I see no divisions around here. Its comforting...Everyone is looking at you with eyes of Love. So next Sunday, anyone who comes in your path at church give them a BIG hug and say hello!! Its the God thing to do...Thats my spill on what has been taking place with me! I have attempted working out here by jogging and such around...and let me tell you...flat land is definitely missed right now :) I pray everything is going well with everyone in Paris. Well, dinner is starting and i'm blogging so i better go eat:) Expect changed people when we get back...I hope to see the same!! Remember...Love is the key!!!
This morning was our first Mission Track where we go out to different sites to do VBS with the kids and you also do PCY (painting, construction, & yardwork) As soon as my bus pulled up infront of the school my heart melted for all those little children! When I stepped off the bus i was immediately surrounded by the childrens hugs and kisses and handshakes and welcoming "Hola", it was such a blessing! The children were so eager to be a part of you, and even though i couldn't understand anything they were saying, i automatically fell in love with them. We will be with those same kids everyday this week so we will be able to get to know them all really well. But leaving them on Friday will be a heartbreaker! I feel so privileged to be a part of this mission team, and i know without a doubt that God is moving in a tremendous way! I have had some reservations about being so far away from home but two nights ago i was reassured by the Almighty God that we were all going to be taken care of and truly blessed. I was writing in my journal and on the bottom of each journal page is an encouraging bible verse. Well, on the bottom of the page that i was writing on, on the particular day that i was really struggling with, the verse was Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." It was then that i realized that God was speaking to us in a tremendous way, and i can honestly say after this trip, i will never be the same. Thank you all for the thoughts and prayers, we greatly appreciate them all! Please continue to keep us and these amazing people of Ecuador close to your hearts!!
God Bless...
Posted by: Logan Moree
June 22, 2009
How awesome our God is. First off I just want to say how thankful I am for the sacrifice and obedience that my church has gave. The people here are so thankful that we have come. On the bus from Quito to Patate I put in my head phones to my ipod and was listing to some of my favorite christian artist, while I was looking out the window and God took my breath away. I was in amazement of his creation, after landing I was caught up the excitement that I never slowed down to take in all of God's glory and grace. I started to cry realising his power. Sunday morning we visited churches in Ambato. When I walked in the front door I felt God. As we sang I realized we were serving the same God though in another country and in a different language God heard us both and understood each language. Our services have been awesome! And the children are so loving!
God bless,
Josh
Its 7:30 here in Patate and we've just finished breakfast. Its cloudy and almost cold. The mountains this morning are covered in clouds and Tungurahua is quietly rumbling. We are headed out to our sites this morning with 5 buses going to 12 different schools. A couple of the schools are above 10,000 ft and will probably be in the clouds this morning. the concensus last night was that everyone was a litte scared and feeling inadequate. I met up with my Ecuadorian friend Mauricio yesterday and one of his first questions to me was "how is your spanish?" Everyone wishes they had studied more spanish, so hopefully this will spark interest in getting it done before next year. We will be doing VBS in the schools this morning and painting and cleaning in the afternoon. At least 3 of the schools we are going to have never been visited before, so we have a grand opportunity to share Christ's love this morning. Unfortunately this week will be over soon, so we want to be all we can be for His renown this week.
It's been a good day. After departing Quito this morning, we traveled south. Up, down, left & right. A lot like a rollercoster, except it lasted much longer. We eventually crossed over the Andes Mountains at about 13,000 ft. Breathtaking does not begin to describe the scenery we have been privileged to witness. We arrived at Camp Chacauco around 12:30. Lunch was ready, then we proceeded to get settled in. We had a few hours to explore (though some chose to rest) and get to know some of the others here. It's raining now, so we are getting ready for tonight's activities. The altitude here is around 7,400 ft, so climbing stairs or steep inclines can be a bit strenuous. We will attend a few local churches in the morning. Please continue to pray that God's name will be honored, praised, & glorified.
Juan
We have made it to Atlanta Intl. airport. We had a very smooth flight from DFW to Atlanta GA. We're not tired yet but we have a 5 1/2 hour flight to Quito ahead of us. I am sending these via my blackberry phone so once we leave Atlanta we won't be able to update until we get to Patate. Its been a good day but greater things are yet to come, and greater are still to be done.
John
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Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone with SprintSpeed
John
Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone with SprintSpeed
Wow! One more day. With all the excitement that's building, I'd like to remember the families that are staying home. I'm sure it will be hard for them, but knowing we are participating in the great story of God's redemptive plan will hopefully bring confidence and peace. That's a prayer I'd like to ask for. That our families rest assured in the goodness of God's grace. May His name be praised.
Hey, here is where we will be (I think). You can click the image to make it larger. Google Earth says it's 2,646 miles from Paris to Camp Chacauco, so make sure you don't forget anything. Most importantly though, make sure you keep in mind the reason we are going. Para la gloria de Dios (For the glory of God). At the time of this post, the current temperature in Ambato is 55 degrees. I can hardly wait.
