Serving Quevedo

This past week we partnered with Bethany Covenant Church of Berlin, CT, the Iglesia del Pacto de Missionera de la Valle of Sangolqui, Ecuador and the Covenant’s Merge Ministry in order to hold a Medical Caravan in Quevedo, Ecuador where the Missionera de la Valle church is planting a new work.  We came alongside them and collaborated with Bethany Covenant to hold a two-day medical caravan for the underprivileged in the area.  It was incredible to see how when we work together, we can offer so much more as the team brought with them a pediatrician, a psychiatrist and an occupational therapist.  It was a wonderful couple of days in partnership through service!

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Called Deeper

Maybe it’s just me, but sometimes I unconsciously think that I’ve kind of paid my dues.  I tell myself, “I’m a missionary ya know?”  I have sacrificed, my family has sacrificed.  We live in a foreign land, we struggle in different areas, we miss family weddings and funerals and have to figure out creative ways to support family and friends from a distance.  I have said YES to the call God has placed on my life to GO!  I am here.  Some days I feel myself leaning towards saying to God “what else do you want?”  “Haven’t I given ENOUGH?!”  GEESH!  I am not saying this is what I SHOULD say, but, let’s be honest, I’m human, to the core!  I’m just giving you a glimpse in to how that looks some days.

This whole last week, we had a dental team.   There were some difficulties for sure and at the end of the days, I was so tired and exhausted (as well as the rest of the team).  I typically rode back to Cayambe with one of my friends and fellow missionaries, Annalea Egging.  Each day, she had the same playlist in her car and each day, no matter how long or how short of time we were in the car, the same song continued to play each day.  The main thing I liked about the song is that it helped me relax.  After feeling stresses of the day, I would just sit back and listen and talk some and just be.  However, it wasn’t until THIS week, when we were back home in Quito, going through our daily tasks, for me, I was washing the dishes and wondering about this song.  So, I listened to it again and again.  The main themes I pulled from this song,

 

And I could hold on
I could hold on to who I am and never let You
Change me from the inside

AND

But You have called me higher
You have called me deeper
And I’ll go where You will lead me Lord
You have called me higher
You have called me deeper
And I’ll go where You lead me Lord
Where You lead me
Where You lead me Lord

 

I really felt like God spoke to me through this song.  It doesn’t matter what I have sacrificed to be where I am, God is calling me to go DEEPER with Him.  He wants more and although I may not like that always, that is what He wants.  He wants more OF me and more FROM me!  He isn’t satisfied with mediocre and I shouldn’t be either.  It doesn’t matter that I’m tired and that I’ve sacrificed.  Jesus did too!  He understands that, but calls me to more!

Here are some of the verses that this song is based around.  It was interesting to me when I read this that the 2nd verse, from Isaiah 6 is the passage that God called me with to full time missionary service.  It holds a special place in my heart and again, God is using it to mold me and direct my life.

Psalm 119:105: “Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.”

Isaiah 6:8: “Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us? Then I said ‘Here am I. Send me!'”

Hebrews 11:8: “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.”

In what ways, like Abraham am I heading out, not knowing where I’m going?  How am I going deeper and higher and allowing Him to change me from the inside?  Well, some days, if I’m honest, I’m not!   I really don’t bring a whole lot, if anything to the table between God and I.  The great thing is He doesn’t ask me to.  He asks me to have the faith to trust that HE has it all under control, not ME!  I’m nothing, but if I come, come to HIm and allow HIM to change me and guide me and call me, we together can go deeper!  I pray that for all of you today!

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Happy Birthday Simeon!

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!

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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.

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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.

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Ecuador Elections

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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/

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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!

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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!!!

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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.

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This year’s theme was “Strengthening the nets on our knees before Jesus”

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We had the most people at the Annual Meeting that I had ever seen, 220

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Leaving President Henry Burbano addressing the assembly

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The voting taking place for the new President

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Simeon having fun in a boat on the river with friends

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Leaving President Henry Burbano commissioning the new leadership team of IPEE

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Pastor Henry praying for the new president, Franklin Reira

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Our friend and fellow long-term missionary, Cheryll Clark, with Breck Hoskins and the Restrepos

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Erik Amundsens giving the kids a tour of the plants on the campground property

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President Franklin praying for the new ordinands

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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.

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Our friends and Regional Coordinators, Eugenio and Pia Restrepo, with Dr. Abimeal

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