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Serving Christ in Ecuador |
This weekend we’ve got a couple of big things that you all can be in prayer for. We have a meeting with the Consejos (the Advisory Councils) on Saturday at 9:30 a.m. We’ll be meeting with them to discuss our long term plans and what we would like to do. It will be a pretty open ended meeting so we are really looking forward to exploring the possibilities of future ministry together.
Also, Joel will be preaching at our church El Salvador this Sunday. Your prayers are also appreciated for that.
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This past weekend we traveled to Santo Domingo for our first Ecuadorian wedding. Flor (whose name translates “flower”), who works in the snack shop at the campgrounds, was getting married and had invited us. It was a wonderful experience as it was a beautiful wedding and a great cultural experience. There are many similarities with weddings here as compared to the States but there are also many differences. It was also neat to see many of our good friends all dressed up as a lot of the Rocha family were involved in the wedding. Here are some pictures so you can get a glimpse:
The beautiful wedding aisle.
After we got there, we found out that for the wedding we'd be using our car to deliver the bride to the end of the aisle. Here's Joel helping her out.
Simeon and Lisseth, the oldest Rocha daughter who was a bridesmaid.
Simeon and Karin, the second to youngest Rocha daughter.
The Rochas, Ruben and Amaparo, looking all snazzy.
Simeon and his partner in crime from Santo Domingo, Rubi, the Rocha's youngest daughter.
Us, happy with good food at the reception.
We just wanted to let you all know of some big news on a topic that you all have been praying for. Today, Ruthie (Joel’s mom) was able to get her feeding tube out. Praise the Lord! This is a huge blessing for her (and for us!) because it has been such a bear dealing with it and receiving nutrients through it. Though she is not swallowing anywhere near perfect yet, she is swallowing enough at this point that the doctors allowed her to remove it. Now, she is not even close to being out of the water yet (she is only able to swallow non-thick liquids and some soft foods with the help of a liquid) but she is able to give herself enough nutrients on a daily basis by way of her mouth that the doctors agreed to let her take out the feeding tube. This obviously helps bring some sense of normalcy to her life even though her eating habits are not yet any where near normal. We just asked for you continued prayers that she will keep making progress on her swallowing and get back to her normal fully food-enjoying self.
Also, just to let you all know, Earl (Joel’s dad) has FULLY recovered from his hip replacement. He is back to doing all of the activities that he loves and is even playing tennis at 100%. With a newly renovated heart (triple bypass surgery in January) and a new hip, he feels like a new man! With all these good things, they both give thanks and praise to the Lord for the extension of their lives and their ability to recover. Praise the Lord!
Last week the Covenant Campgrounds here in Ecuador (in Santo Domingo) found out that we have been selected to be presented to the Covenant Camps of the ECC (U.S. and Canada) as the 2012 Camp Project donation. This means that if the Camps decide to go with our campgrounds as the project for 2012 then we can receive a very large donation that will go towards the projects that are included in the Super Camp plan that was earlier approved. For example, the money can be used to construct the pool, renovate the kitchen and begin the process of constructing the family cabins. All of this will, of course, be a huge support for the camp. We’ll keep you updated once we receive word from the camps in the U.S. and Canada and their decision.
Kim and her fellow kitchen workers. Kim loves working in the kitchen with these ladies during the retreats. She gets to practice her Spanish a lot, learn how to make Ecuadorian dishes and build awesome relationships.
A shot of one of the conference workshops for the pastors.
Lot's of folks like to camp out while at the Pastor's Retreat.
One of the awesome games the kids were playing - Water Bottle Soccer Ball Bowling!
Simeon with his first Jack-O-Lantern
Happy Halloween from the Delps!
Kim and Simeon celebrating the Ecuadorian version of Halloween, El Dia de Difuntos ("The Day of the Dead") with Kim's Spanish teacher (Janina), our babysitter (Valeria), and our babysitter's daughter (Kelli). They are drinking the traditional holiday drink Colada Morada, which Simeon enjoyed thoroughly.
We are off to the camp in Santo Domingo but not for our normal work. This weekend the National Church is having their annual Pastor’s Retreat which the camp is hosting. Kim will be helping out in the kitchen and Joel and Simeon will be helping out with entertaining the young children. We’re leaving on Friday, the 28th, early and will be returning later in the evening on Sunday, the 30th. As always, please pray for safe travel back and forth.
We just wanted to update you all on the prayer request for the repair of the vehicle for the Rocha Family. They were able to get the car repaired and were able to get it back from the mechanic late last Friday afternoon. Praise the Lord!
They still owe quite a bit of money to the mechanic for the repair but at least at this point, they have the car and are able to get the family back and forth from Santo Domingo and are able to do the necessary work for the camp. Thank you all so much for your prayers!!!
La Familia Rocha
“A Man of Honor — Inspiration and Wisdom to Celebrate Fatherhood” is a good read for all you fathers out there. It’s filled with lots of quotes, bible verses and stories about parenting and fatherhood. There is a lot that can be learned from this short but inspirational book. I recommend it for those of you who would like to add book on parenting/being a father to your devotional reading.
The Santiago Partnership