Earlier this month, Simeon turned 7 years old. We had a big party for him in which all we did the whole time is play soccer like he wanted to. Here are a bunch pictures from the party as well as a few from earlier in the year. Happy Birthday Simeon!
Indiana Wesleyan Serves Cayambe
This past week we hosted our first team of Occupational Therapy Students from Indiana Wesleyan University. It was an incredible experience for us, the team as well as those whom we spent time with this week. We helped the student team connect with a local school in Cayambe for kids with special needs as well as the Movement for Disabled Persons in the Cayambe area. We thoroughly enjoyed hosting our first team of OT students with hopefully many more in the future.
Categories: 501c3, Cayambe, Clinic, Ephraim, IWU, Ministry, Updates
Tags: 501c3, Cayambe, Churches, Clinic, Ecuador Info, Indiana Wesleyan, Ministry, Partnerships, The Santiago Partnership, Travel, Trips, Updates
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Thanks Natasha!
This past week we hosted a visit from Natasha Westerhoud, our friend, a pastor, a Santiago Partnership Board member and one of the heads of Ecuador missions for the ECC Canada. It was a lot of fun and a real encouragement to have her with us. She was able to participate in counseling in San Antonio de la Pachka, a medical caravan with Kim, an Ecuadorian Birthday party, a visit to the project in Cayambe where she turned in donations from her church, a trip to Otavalo to purchase items to resell for the SP, a church visit to a church she last visited 10 years ago on her first trip to Ecuador and the opportunity to celebrate “carnaval” in the park with friends. I think she had some fun and we had a lot of fun spending the week with her.
Categories: 501c3, Cayambe, Clinic, Ephraim, Esther, Family Fun, Home, Ministry, Simeon, Travel, Updates, Volunteers
Tags: 501c3, Cayambe, Churches, Clinic, Ecuador, Ecuador Info, Ephraim, Esther, Evangelical Covenant Church, Family Fun, Ministry, Partnerships, Simeon, The Santiago Partnership, Travel, Trips, Updates
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Ecuador Elections
Shortly after seeing the U.S. elect a new president and then in January our denomination here, IPEE or the Covenant Church of Ecuador, now we are seeing a new president elected for the country of Ecuador. On February 19th, we had our national elections and were electing a new president after three terms with a president, Rafael Correa, who has brought a lot of economic stability to the country. There was a lot of uncertainty with the election and the days following. We are a smaller developing country who went through a lot times of economic and political instability in the 90’s and 2000’s. The current president has had us more on the right track even though the low oil prices have thrown us into a recession. It looks like we’ll be having a second day of voting in April between the two candidates who received the most votes as no one received the necessary 40% needed to win. Please be praying for Ecuador and these elections as we are going through a time of great instability. Read more here:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/ecuador-electoral-body-formally-orders-presidential-runoff/article34116584/
Categories: Prayer, Prayer Requests, Reflections, Updates
Tags: Ecuador, Ecuador Info, Prayer Requests, Reflections, Updates
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Missionary Retreat
Earlier this month, our Ecuadorian missionary staff gathered together for a time of rest and relaxation and time to be together. It was nice as we were meeting new missionaries and spending time to get to know one another at a deeper level with no particular agenda or really set schedule or anything like that. It was a very nice time to be together without having to worry about needing to accomplish any ministry during our time. Enjoy the photos of our retreat!
Categories: Ministry, Updates
Tags: Ecuador, Evangelical Covenant Church, Friends, Ministry, Travel, Updates
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Thank you Tara!
This past week we had a visit from a friend and Santiago Partnership Board member, Tara Euler. She had said last year when she came down to volunteer that if we ever wanted her to come down and visit for a week and help with the kids and around the house. So, we took her up on her offer and so she came down this past week. It was such a blessing to have her with us as she helped Kim with a medical caravan as well as took care of all of us around the house. Tara has the gift of photography so below are some of the pictures that she shot this past week. Muchas, muchas gracias Tara!!!
Categories: 501c3, Cayambe, Clinic, Family Fun, Home, Ministry, Travel, Volunteers
Tags: Family Fun, Ministry, The Santiago Partnership, Travel, Updates
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A New President is elected
A week ago, Simeon and I (Joel) traveled to the Covenant Campgrounds in Santo Domingo in order to attend IPEE’s (The Covenant Church of Ecuador) Annual Meeting. This is the season of elections and so this is the case with IPEE as well. President Henry Burbano has completed his second term in office (5 years in total) and so the presidency was changing hands. The new President was elected and his name is Pastor Franklin Reira, pastor of Betel Covenant Church in Ibarra, Ecuador. We also had 130 students graduate from our Seminary’s Certificate Program as well 3 pastors were ordained. It was an exciting time for all of us, especially Simeon as you can see he got to play in a boat in the river as well he and I went camping in a tent for the weekend while we were there. That was Simeon’s first time camping outside. Please be praying for President Franklin and IPEE’s new leadership as they transition into their new positions and guide our denomination.
This year’s theme was “Strengthening the nets on our knees before Jesus”
We had the most people at the Annual Meeting that I had ever seen, 220
Leaving President Henry Burbano addressing the assembly
The voting taking place for the new President
Simeon having fun in a boat on the river with friends
Leaving President Henry Burbano commissioning the new leadership team of IPEE
Pastor Henry praying for the new president, Franklin Reira
Our friend and fellow long-term missionary, Cheryll Clark, with Breck Hoskins and the Restrepos
Erik Amundsens giving the kids a tour of the plants on the campground property
President Franklin praying for the new ordinands
Categories: Cayambe, Family Fun, Ministry, Prayer Requests, Santo Domingo, Simeon, Travel, Updates
Tags: 501c3, Evangelical Covenant Church, IPEE, Ministry, Santo Domingo, Simeon, Travel, Trips, Updates
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Restrepos pay us a visit
A little over a week ago, we received a visit from our “bosses,” Pia & Eugenio Restrepo, from the Covenant Offices in Chicago. They are the Latin American and Carribean Regional Coordinators for the Evangelical Covenant Church and thus they are our superiors. However, they are more our friends and partners in ministry and for this reason, we were so excited to have them come see our project, meet with our ministry partners and learn about the needs that we have as a project. They hope to help us in promoting our project to volunteers and groups that would like to assist in medical caravans and other ways to support the ministry of the medical clinic and home for at risk children. See the pictures from our time together.
Our friends and Regional Coordinators, Eugenio and Pia Restrepo, with Dr. Abimeal
Categories: Cayambe, Clinic, Home, Ministry, Prayer, Updates
Tags: 501c3, Cayambe, Churches, Clinic, Ecuador, Evangelical Covenant Church, Ministry, Prayer Requests, The Santiago Partnership, Travel, Trips, Updates
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Santiago Partnership 2016 Year in Review
We will provide a year in review of what all transpired in 2016 through pictures. Each picture can be clicked on to follow the link to read about it. Thank you for all of your support in 2016!!!
Categories: 501c3, Cayambe, Clinic, Construction, earthquake, IWU, Medical Caravan, Ministry, Reflections, Travel, Updates, Volunteers
Tags: 501c3, Cayambe, Clinic, Coast, Ecuador, Ecuador Info, Evangelical Covenant Church, Ministry, Mission Teams, Partnerships, The Santiago Partnership, Trips, Updates
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Christmas Fun
It was a little sad for us that we could not be in the States this year for Christmas to be with family and enjoy snow and the fun Christmas traditions we have up there. We did make the most of it and we had a very full December with many Christmas activities for the kids as well as some we created on our own. Enjoy the pictures!
Wearing Christmas pajamas to school
Esther was a reindeer in her Christmas program.
Our church’s ladies choir sang Christmas carols on Christmas day.
Simeon was an angel in our church’s Christmas drama.
Christmas cookie making fun.
Simeon’s school Christmas program.
Post school Christmas program sillyness.
Simeon’s soccer team had a big end-of-year soccer tournament.
We got a surprise delivery of pizza from Santa.
Categories: Ephraim, Esther, Family Fun, Simeon, Updates
Tags: Ephraim, Esther, Family Fun, Simeon, Updates
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The Santiago Partnership