A visit to our home church, Northwest Covenant
Categories: Esther, Home Assignment, Ministry, Travel, Updates
Tags: Churches, Evangelical Covenant Church, Home Assignment, Ministry, Northwest Covenant Church, Updates
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The container is on its way!
After much prayer and patience, the container of supplies is on its way to Ecuador! Thanks to all who donated medical supplies and other items to send in the container, and thanks to those who helped to pack the container this week!
Categories: Clinic, Ministry, Prayer, Prayer Requests, Travel, Updates
Tags: Answered prayers, Ministry, Prayer Requests, The Santiago Partnership, Updates
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Container approved!!!!
We just heard from Rolando, our project coordinator with FACE, that he just got done with a meeting with the Quito Custom’s officials and the container has been approved to be sent down! PRAISE THE LORD!!! It sure has taken a long time but we are just happy to know that we can finally send all of those medical donations down that have been sitting and waiting to be sent. Now, we just need to setup a day to pack and load the container with the good folks from Coshocton, OH. God is good!!!!
Categories: Clinic, Ministry, Updates
Tags: Ecuador, Ecuador Info, FACE, Ministry, Updates
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Dreams Really Do Come True, I’m proof
I knew at the age of 10 years old that I wanted to be a medical missionary after visiting Kenya, Africa and being exposed to medical missionaries. From that early age, I wanted to help people-to work with Jesus to heal. This has been a dream for SO many years, and this past week, it became a reality.
After a medical/dental team came down to work in the clinic in Cayambe a few weeks ago, Pastor Jose and I talked about why I wasn’t seeing patients in the clinic. I didn’t think I COULD see patients in the clinic. He seemed to think that it wouldn’t be a problem for me to see the kids in the Compassion Center. I starting wondering too why we hadn’t thought about this. We talked through it together with others, reviewed what Compassion International expects, talked to a doctor here in Ecuador to see his thoughts. After all of this, it seemed clear that it would be OK for me to practice, seeing only internally within the Compassion International center and its children. So, last Wednesday was my first week in the clinic seeing patients, by myself! It was quite a busy time that I didn’t take a whole lot of time to reflect on just how big of a day this really was in my life. But, thinking and reflecting, I was reminded of Phillipians 1:6:
…being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
God placed a call on my life SO many years ago and it is Him who has been with me through the years to bring me to this point. However, it is an interesting feeling to think that THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING! God has so much more to do and I am excited to be along for the ride. I am excited and humbled that He would choose me for this BIG task. It seems pretty overwhelming sometimes. However, God has brought me this far, keeping the call He has placed close to my heart and I know He is here through it all. On those days I doubt I can do it, the days long ago when I didn’t know if I would make it through tough graduate school classes, the days raising support, the days of waiting, waiting, waiting. All of it has lead to this! Is it worth it? Absolutely!
So, today I take a minute to reflect. Reflect on God’s mercy and grace. To be thankful for the YEARS it took to get us to this point. I am SO thankful for the journey which seemed to take a lot longer than we expected, but realize that it has been God’s PERFECT timing. Thanks be to God for not giving up on His and for beginning His work in me so many years ago. Thanks be to God!
Getting a good history
Say AHHHHHH!
Fun with Friends
We had a wonderful few days visiting, reconnecting, traveling and just spending time together in fellowship with friends Fabio and Johnna and Sophia Muniz. They are currently raising support with the Evangelical Covenant Church as short term missionaries in Japan. They will be working with Latinos in Japan. To find out more about their ministry, click on their names above. Johnna and Joel went to seminary together, ran a marathon together with another good friend Jodi Moore and we have been friends since. It was good for our souls to be with old friends. Share life together, even if for just a short time. It was difficult to say goodbye as we know we will not see them for a long time. Such is the life of a missionary. Friends, good friends all over the world. It does seem to make the world smaller somehow. We are thankful for good friends who encourage and love us and who we can pick up right where we left off as if no time passed. Although it was the first time meeting Fabio and Sophia, it seemed like we knew them a long time. It was great to get to know them better. The kids enjoyed playing together. As Johnna and I watched the girls together laying on the play mat, I realized that these girls are similar. Both pastor’s kids, missionary kids and sweet girls. Life won’t be easy, but it is special to know there are others out there that are similar. They are not alone. So, we thank God for sweet friends who encourage us and love on us (they brought us goodies from the U.S. and took us out for Joel’s birthday). It is good to know we are not alone in our missionary journey.
Sophia and Esther
Sophia and Esther
At Crepes and Waffles
Fabio and Joel at the teleferico
Esther’s Dedication
Yesterday we had Esther dedicated at church. Our friends Henry and Olga are her “padrinos”. Both families came up on stage and our pastors were wonderful in the dedication. Here are some pics!
Dedication of Esther
ROAD OPEN!!!
We’ve gotten some great news in the last couple of weeks: the road is open!!!! That’s right! The Pan-american Highway heading north of the city to Cayambe that had been closed since the big earthquake has recently been opened. It’s not totally open as they are still working on it during the night, but at least it’s open during the day. This has made our trips to Cayambe much, much quicker. We just wanted to let you know the good news!!!
The past week in pictures…maybe a few words too!
This past week, Esther and I (Kim) went up to Cayambe to observe and help as we could with a Medical/Dental team from Florida. This team has been coming to Cayambe for many years so we were excited to see how they did things and take some notes. The members of the team were very kind and for some it was their first visit to Ecuador! Around 590 patients were seen during the 5 day trip. For me, it was SO exciting to see the clinic open and helping those in the community of Juan Montalvo which is the vision and mission of the clinic. It was a privilege to be able to serve next to great doctors and nurses and to see the heart to help those in need. Additionally for me it was wonderful to create deeper relationships with those at the Compassion center at Iglesia Imanuel as well as parents and other family members of the kids. It was truly a blessing and I am grateful for the opportunity we had to go. Here are some pictures from the week!
My new friend showed me how to carry Esther on my back just like she carries her daughter. This is how the Quechua usually carry their babes
I had the awesome opportunity to visit a rose plantation with the team. usually this is prohibited, but we were able to go because Pastor Jose has friends in high places!
Nurse Melissa and Nurse Joyce doing well-child checks
Dr. Bill and translator Jose seeing patients
Volcano Cayambe
Article on the IWU Alumni Page
Here’s an article that was recently posted on he Indiana Wesleyan University Alumni Blog:
http://iwualumniblog.com/?p=894
Categories: 501c3, Cayambe, Clinic, Ministry, Reflections, Updates
Tags: Cayambe, Ecuador, Ministry, Reflections, The Santiago Partnership, Updates
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Update on Kim’s Licensing
If you recognize the document pictured here, you are probably either a missionay or at least have lived internationally at some point. This week we received some documents from the States with this form of legalization called an Apostille. An apostille is basically a legal notarization that says that the document attached can be recognized internationally. A normal notary is only good within the State that is notarized. The apostille gives the document international notarization.
Back to the news… we received this week some paperwork from Rush University that explains what all Kim accomplished in her internship while at Rush. We are hoping that providing this documentation will make it so that she doesn’t have to do her one-year Rural (internship) here in Ecuador for her licensing. We will see this next week when we go back to the Ministry of Health to see what they say. Your continued prayers are appreciated!!!
Oh and Special Thanks to Eugenio and Pia Restrepo for all of their help in getting us these documents with all of the legalization!
Categories: Licensing in Ecuador, Ministry, Prayer Requests, Updates
Tags: Ecuador, Licensing in Ecuador, Ministry, Prayer Requests, Updates
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The Santiago Partnership