Well, we had a jam packed weekend but the definite highlight to our weekend was the visits with three Covenant Churches. We visited Covenant Community Church of Fairfiield, OH, Redeemer Church of Hamilton, OH and Faith Community Covenant Church of Youngstown, OH. Thank you to all three of you for our time together and all of your love and support!
Thank you Covenant Community, Redeemer and Faith Community Covenant Church!
Categories: Home Assignment, Ministry, Prayer Requests, Updates
Tags: Churches, Evangelical Covenant Church, Ministry, Travel, Trips, Updates
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Busy Times
Safe to say… we’ve been busy!!!
Just to update you all on what has been going on with us, especially since we have not been especially good about blogging updates here recently…
Two weeks ago we started moving out of our rental house and into Joel’s parents to be able to help out there and to start getting set for our move back to Ecuador. Well, we completed that process at the beginning of this week.
Joel took a load of donations and personal belongings to Coshocton in a U-Haul on Sunday, February 8th.
We’ve been making frequent trips to Chicago for Ruthie’s appointments and time in the hospital.
Tonight, we are visiting with two Covenant churches in the Cincinnati area of Ohio. The names of the churches are Community Covenant Church and Redeemer Church. We’ll be staying with Joel’s brother and his family tonight.
On Saturday, we will be driving up to Coshocton to take more donations/personal belongings to the container loading site as well as having our Quarterly Business Meeting for the Santiago Partnership.
On Sunday, we will be speaking at Faith Community Covenant Church in Youngstown, OH and then traveling back to Goshen.
And then we’ll be heading back to Chicago to help finish up Ruthie’s time in the hospital.
Your prayers for us during this time are critical but please especially lift up Ruthie to our good and faithful Father.
Categories: 501c3, Home Assignment, Ministry, Prayer Requests, Travel, Updates
Tags: 501c3, Churches, Evangelical Covenant Church, Home Assignment, Ministry, The Santiago Partnership, Travel, Trips, Updates
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Update on Ruthie!
Joel’s whole family (parents and siblings) and Kim and Simeon all traveled out to Chicago yesterday. The positive thing on the day is that we were able to get our Visas for returning to Ecuador. Praise the Lord for that!
More importantly, we were all heading out there to meet with the doctors at Northwestern Memorial Hospital to see what they recommend for treatment for Ruthie.
What we have found out is that the tumors are even more extensive than what we had previously thought. They wrap all around her neck. The doctors said that surgery isn’t an option at this point because the tumors are so extensive. Radiation also isn’t good because it causes so much damage and the neck is such a delicate area. They decided that chemotherapy is the best option at this point even though chemotherapy often isn’t very effective on these types of tumors. We are hoping and praying that since the tumors are so aggressive that chemo may be more effective now.
Ruthie will be getting a tracheostomy, which is recommended by the physicians preventatively so that it doesn’t have to be done in an emergency. The tracheostomy will not help her breath at this point. It is basically just in place for the possibility in the future that she would have difficulty breathing. At this point she will and is able to breathe on her own and will be able to speak and swallow as she has been able to, although this has been a struggle for her since the first surgery in 2011. Their other recommendation was for a g-tube or feeding tube placed. Because chemotherapy is so draining, they want her to have the best nutrition she can. She will still be able to take in what she has been, but she will just be getting additional nutrients to gain weight and be in as good as condition as possible for treatment.
Because of these developments, we have decided to postpone our return to Ecuador so that way we can care for Ruth and Earl during the chemotherapy. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR HEALING! We ask that God’s presence and love be felt throughout this whole ordeal but also that He heal Ruthie, if He so chooses to provide healing on this earth.
Categories: Home Assignment, Ministry, Prayer Requests, Updates
Tags: Ecuador, Ministry, Prayer, Prayer Requests, Reflections, Updates
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A Prayer Request for Ruthie
We would like to ask for prayer for Ruthie, Joel’s mom, pictured about with her husband, Earl, and all of their grand kinds. Some of you who have followed along with us for a while may remember praying for Ruthie in the past. Ruthie had a malignant tumor removed from the back of her neck in May of 2011. Regrettably, the cancer has returned and she now has 5 tumors in her neck with one large one on the left side that wraps around to the back of her neck. We are pursuing and deciding upon the best treatment option for her. We are thankful that we haven’t left for Ecuador yet and are able to support them during this time. Please pray for healing for Ruthie and for God’s comfort and love during this time for Ruthie, Earl and the rest of the family.
Categories: Home Assignment, Ministry, Prayer Requests, Updates
Tags: Ecuador, Home Assignment, Prayer, Prayer Requests, Ruthie, Updates
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Supplies needed for Ecuador
On February 22nd, 2014, we will be loading a shipping container in Coshocton, OH and sending it off to Cayambe, Ecuador. The container will carry medical supplies for our first clinic, as well as construction materials and supplies for our first home for at-risk kids. We already have some great supplies ready to go, but we need your help. Please contact us atinfo@santiagopartnership.org if you are able to donate any of the following supplies:
Clinic Supplies Needed
- Exam table(s)
- Suture Kits
- Sutures
- IV kits
- IV catheters
- Growth Charts, pens
- Measure sticks for height, head circumference
- Vaccines
- Bandages
- Tongue depressors
- Dentistry equipment
- Chairs for waiting area
- Otoscope, speculums
- Ophthalmoscope
- Stethoscopes
- Thermometers
- Blood pressure cuffs, adult and child and baby
- Scales
- Refrigerator and freezer
- Hand-held doppler with Ultrasound gel
Construction Supplies Needed
- Shovels
- Wheelbarrow
- Hammers and pliers
- Cement mixer
- Cement trowel
- Rebar cutter
- Rebar bender
- Angle grinder
- Table saw
- Circular saw
- 6,000 watt generator
Home Supplies
- Children’s clothing in good condition
- New cloth diapers
You can read all about it here: https://www.santiagopartnership.org/
Categories: 501c3, Home Assignment, Ministry, Updates
Tags: 501c3, Ecuador, Ecuador Info, Home Assignment, Ministry, The Santiago Partnership, Updates
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A Gift from the Heart
As part of the container that will we be sending down to Ecuador in February, we will be sending a riding lawn mower (similar to as is pictured) to the campgrounds as a gift from some good friends at the Dawson Covenant Church. If you have ever been to the campgrounds, you know that it is a pretty big place with a lot of grass. Well, they currently cut the grass using a push mower that is about a 3 day process for one person to complete. This gift will be a tremendous help for the campgrounds and all the work that they have to complete. But please.. ssshhh!!!… keep quiet… this will be a surprise for Ruben and his family.
Categories: Home Assignment, Ministry, Santo Domingo, Updates
Tags: Evangelical Covenant Church, Home Assignment, Ministry, Santo Domingo, The Rocha Family, Updates
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Auction Results
THANK YOU to everyone at Northwest Covenant Church and the church’s Mission Board for your support of the Santiago Partnership with this weekend’s auction! The auction was a huge success!!! And it was a lot of fun! Over $5,000 was raised at the auction which puts us at slightly over $20,000 in fundraising efforts towards all that we are planning to accomplish this year. See some pictures from this weekend!
Everyone had fun with delicious food and fellowship as people placed bids on the silent auction items.
Kassie’s reaction when she won this American Girl doll was unforgettable.
A perfect ending to the evening as we worshiped together during Northwest’s Contemporary service.
List of Items to be Auctioned off Saturday
For this Saturday’s auction at Northwest Covenant Church in Mt. Prospect, IL, there will be a bunch of great items up for sale. Here’s what they will be selling:
Here are some of the items for the auction:
handmade wooden nativity puzzle
American Girl doll
Handmade shawl
6 homemade cheesecakes plus 1 cheesecake that night
Swedish Christmas supper prepared for 8-10 people
AMC movie package
Heavenly Spa massage gift certificate
One night stay at Hyatt Itasca
One night stay at Geneva Bay Center
Two night stay at Hotel Indigo on Gold Coast
Yard/Garden work
Tastefully Simple gift basket
Painting of one room
Babysitting
Half day fishing trip in Lake Geneva
Two hours of home staging
Pool table in good condition
Fitness 19 three-month membership with
two personal training sessions in Arlington Hts.
Two Bulls tickets January 27 (Bulls vs. Timberwolves)
One year free oil changes at Grandt’s Shell
Dinner for four at Avanti Italian Cafe
$20 coffee gift basket
31 handmade gift bags
and various other items!
There is something for everyone!
Again, the auction is Saturday at 4:30 p.m. at Northwest Covenant Church (300 N. Elmhurst Ave., Mt. Prospect, IL). Please come out and support the Santiago Partnership and buy something great for a great cause!!!!
Categories: 501c3, Ministry, Travel, Updates
Tags: 501c3, Ecuador, Evangelical Covenant Church, Home Assignment, Ministry, Northwest Covenant Church, The Santiago Partnership, Travel, Trips, Updates
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Ministry Schedule
- January 11: Auction to benefit the Santiago Partnership – Northwest Covenant, Mt. Prospect, IL
- January 11 & 12: Northwest Covenant Church, Mt. Prospect, IL
- January 19: New Community Covenant Church – Bronzeville, Chicago, IL
- February 2: Kim’s last day of work!!!!
- February 21: Covenant Community Church & Redeemer Covenant Church – Farfield, OH
- February 22: Packing container for shipment to Ecuador – Coshocton, OH
- February 23: Faith Community Covenant Church, Youngstown, OH
- February 27: Off to Ecuador!
Categories: 501c3, Home Assignment, Ministry, Updates
Tags: 501c3, Churches, Ecuador Info, Evangelical Covenant Church, Home Assignment, Ministry, Northwest Covenant Church, Travel, Trips, Updates
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The Santiago Partnership