We have reached the three -month mark here in Quito, Ecuador on April 14th! What a month it has been since our last post. Long days, long nights, long trips, long weekends, and all totally worth it! Three months have flown by and we are looking forward to many more. We thankfully have received our visa extension for our initial six months here. We ask you to continue to pray as we are working on a longer-term visa to continue our ministry here in Ecuador!
This past week we had a wonderful time with our NILI students in Shell, Ecuador. We were able to visit the Amazon jungle multiple times, including white water rafting, incredible viewpoints, and swimming through a waterfall! The most incredible thing for us though, was the opportunity to stay in the Saint House, the actual missionaries whose story is captured in the movie The End of the Spear. Andréa and the students got to actually visit the Huaorani tribe and hear their testimony! It was absolutely incredible!
Our students in the spring semester sadly only have a few weeks left here as they depart for the U.S. May 1st. We have thoroughly enjoyed the journey with them to discover this beautiful country! As we are sad to see them go, we are also preparing for the upcoming summer semester in which we have 5 incoming students!
Our prayer request this week is that we would continue to be safe here amongst the Covid-19 virus. We are in a second wave and ask for prayers for the newly elected president (Guillermo Lasso) here in Ecuador to have a solid plan in place for acquiring vaccines for our friends and neighbors! We also pray for our own personal return trip to the U.S. as Matt is getting ordained May 14th in the Anaheim District in Southern California! God Bless you all and thank you for your participation in our missions journey!
“The command is plain; you go into the whole world and announce the good news…. To me, Ecuador is simply an avenue of obedience to the simple word of Christ. There is room for me there, and I am free to go…. The will of God is always a bigger thing than we bargain for.”- Jim Elliot, missionary with the Ecuador Five and Operation Auca
Prayers continue for clear direction from the Lord – and SAFETY!! Hope to see you in May as we ALL rejoice.