Dear Prayer Warriors,
As the special focus on Thanksgiving seems to fade into the Christmas hustle and bustle, we continue to be very thankful for so many things. Your prayers are at the top of our list! We feel answered prayers everyday!
Thank you so much for praying for Gerry Carnill and his family. We received news today that he was released after paying a sizable fine. We're not exactly sure how much the fine was, even though he was not at fault. But he is out, and we contribute his release to all the prayers being answered!! There were also two other accidents last weekend. One of the accidents was a head-on collision between two Ecuadorians. One of their cars slid into a missionary car. As the other two drivers discussed the game plan, the missionary was taken to jail and is still there today. Please pray for Mr. Bear!
Thanksgiving Day was quite unusual as Cindy and the boys attended school for a half-day. Cindy was finally able to see Isabel since school has started. We spent the afternoon with Isabel, and met her children for the first time. What a blessing! On Friday, we had the traditional Thanksgiving with our OMS Quito family at the guest house. We ate turkey with all the trimmings and had a wonderful time of fellowship.
This Saturday, our family plans to participate all day in the 10th annual Christmas party in Quito's city dump (Zambiza). We are scheduled to hand out snacks and Christmas gifts, and love on these precious people. This includes serving the people that live in the dump, and those that come to pillage through the trash in an attempt to survive each day. They are expecting attendance near 2000. Teams and volunteers are coming from all over to help with this ministry. When we first moved here, we introduced you to Alex and his sister. They stop by our house each trash day to pick up our recyclables and we provide a little treat. Recycling is how they make their living. The people that live in or near the dump, get the "leftovers" as they can't come into the city for varies reasons. We would greatly appreciate your prayers this Saturday. We also hope to have some photos to share in our next update.
We are currently looking for another place to live as our blessing of "house sitting" will come to an end on January 23rd. Please pray as we seek to be where God wants us. Our prayer is that we will be located where we can minister to those that live around us.
The last round of presidential elections were held this past Sunday. Raphael Correa will be the new president of Ecuador effective Jan. 15. This causes concerns for many Americans living in Ecuador. Our prayers have been and continue to be that he will receive salvation and lead this country in the glory and honor of Jesus Christ.
As the busy time of Christmas is upon us, we pray that we will all remember the true reason for the Christmas season. We are so very thankful that "...God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son (Jesus), so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16 NLT).
Blessings to You!
Doug & Cindy
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Sunday, November 05, 2006
Update 11/05/06
Dear Prayer Warriors,
"How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you." 1 Thessalonians 3:9
WE GOT IT!! WE GOT IT!! Actually, Doug got it. After four months, and tons of red tape (lots of learning for us), Doug has obtained an Ecuadorian driver's license. We praise the Lord for going before us. From blood work, to 4:30 in the morning taxi rides, to legal representation, to house rental contracts, to photo copies with notaries and more copies, to waiting in long lines ~ well, Doug can legally drive in Ecuador. Thank you for your prayers! However, we ask that you continue your prayers for safety as he is driving in this chaotic city. (You can click on any photo below, to view an enlarged image.)
As we continue to transition and adjust to another culture, another language, and a ministry that the Lord has prepared for us, we can only trust in God's calling on our lives. The transition, adjustment, and language learning seem mundane and routine and we feel that we can not report all that God is doing because we really don't know. So, we trust in His plan and call on our lives, knowing that He is always at work, always preparing His people for His will and using those with willing and obedient hearts, even though we may not be able to see it.
October was filled with many blessings and answered prayers. Our family has been safe and healthy, which is always one of our primary concern in Quito. We celebrated Cindy's birthday at the beginning of the month and went to the top of a mountain to look over the city. What a burden to look out and think that 97% of the population doesn't know Jesus in a personal way. For Cindy's birthday,
we were also surprised to receive a visit from our language instructor and his family. They had brought a cake complete with candles. The following weekend, we attended a retreat for the staff of the Alliance Academy. We were blessed by getting to know our fellow workers and the call that the Lord has put on their lives. During the retreat, we had the opportunity to experience our first Ecuadorian Earthquake, however it was only 4.1 on the Richter scale. No major damage, but it felt like sitting on a boat as is crossed the waves of another boat.
Our OMS-Quito family has increased. We welcomed a young family from New Jersey: BJ and Andi Williamson along with their 6 month old, Elijah. They are working with an OMS Extreme Walker named Kalan who also recently arrived. We look forward to how the Lord will use this OMS-Quito team for His glory. We plan to begin our weekly OMS-Quito prayer meetings very soon. Please pray as we build new relationships and minister to one another.
We have been able to visit a few of the churches that Doug will be working with, and now that he has a license, we may be able to begin to expand our visits to the churches outside the city. A couple from one of the churches invited us to their school and ministry that the Lord has laid on their hearts. They are trying to
provide a Christian Education to 20+ poverty stricken children. The language is still a huge barrier to our communication. Please pray for our learning.
Please pray for our upcoming presidential elections in Ecuador and the USA. In Ecuador, we are down to two candidates. Please pray that the right man will be selected, and that they would truely have a heart for the people's best interests. If our God can make a donkey talk, He can change the hearts of these men.
The boys have completed their first quarter of school and continue to do very well. David finished well in his soccer season. He was one of two players that received the Ideal team award during their tournament. His soccer season is over, but he has been requested to begin practicing with the varsity team to gain more experience. Jonathan has joined band, playing the clarinet and hoping to
eventually play the saxophone. After three weeks, he can play Mary Had A Little Lamb and is beginning to work on Christmas songs. Jonathan is also continuing to work on improving his skateboarding skills. David and Jonathan are both involved in a CSO (Christian Service Outreach). David is working on the pre-surgery floor of a children's hospital ministering to kids and their families. Cindy and Jonathan are involved in the only English outreach ~ AWANA.
Blessings to You!
Doug & Cindy
"How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you." 1 Thessalonians 3:9
WE GOT IT!! WE GOT IT!! Actually, Doug got it. After four months, and tons of red tape (lots of learning for us), Doug has obtained an Ecuadorian driver's license. We praise the Lord for going before us. From blood work, to 4:30 in the morning taxi rides, to legal representation, to house rental contracts, to photo copies with notaries and more copies, to waiting in long lines ~ well, Doug can legally drive in Ecuador. Thank you for your prayers! However, we ask that you continue your prayers for safety as he is driving in this chaotic city. (You can click on any photo below, to view an enlarged image.)
As we continue to transition and adjust to another culture, another language, and a ministry that the Lord has prepared for us, we can only trust in God's calling on our lives. The transition, adjustment, and language learning seem mundane and routine and we feel that we can not report all that God is doing because we really don't know. So, we trust in His plan and call on our lives, knowing that He is always at work, always preparing His people for His will and using those with willing and obedient hearts, even though we may not be able to see it.
October was filled with many blessings and answered prayers. Our family has been safe and healthy, which is always one of our primary concern in Quito. We celebrated Cindy's birthday at the beginning of the month and went to the top of a mountain to look over the city. What a burden to look out and think that 97% of the population doesn't know Jesus in a personal way. For Cindy's birthday,
we were also surprised to receive a visit from our language instructor and his family. They had brought a cake complete with candles. The following weekend, we attended a retreat for the staff of the Alliance Academy. We were blessed by getting to know our fellow workers and the call that the Lord has put on their lives. During the retreat, we had the opportunity to experience our first Ecuadorian Earthquake, however it was only 4.1 on the Richter scale. No major damage, but it felt like sitting on a boat as is crossed the waves of another boat.
Our OMS-Quito family has increased. We welcomed a young family from New Jersey: BJ and Andi Williamson along with their 6 month old, Elijah. They are working with an OMS Extreme Walker named Kalan who also recently arrived. We look forward to how the Lord will use this OMS-Quito team for His glory. We plan to begin our weekly OMS-Quito prayer meetings very soon. Please pray as we build new relationships and minister to one another.
We have been able to visit a few of the churches that Doug will be working with, and now that he has a license, we may be able to begin to expand our visits to the churches outside the city. A couple from one of the churches invited us to their school and ministry that the Lord has laid on their hearts. They are trying to
provide a Christian Education to 20+ poverty stricken children. The language is still a huge barrier to our communication. Please pray for our learning.Please pray for our upcoming presidential elections in Ecuador and the USA. In Ecuador, we are down to two candidates. Please pray that the right man will be selected, and that they would truely have a heart for the people's best interests. If our God can make a donkey talk, He can change the hearts of these men.
The boys have completed their first quarter of school and continue to do very well. David finished well in his soccer season. He was one of two players that received the Ideal team award during their tournament. His soccer season is over, but he has been requested to begin practicing with the varsity team to gain more experience. Jonathan has joined band, playing the clarinet and hoping to
eventually play the saxophone. After three weeks, he can play Mary Had A Little Lamb and is beginning to work on Christmas songs. Jonathan is also continuing to work on improving his skateboarding skills. David and Jonathan are both involved in a CSO (Christian Service Outreach). David is working on the pre-surgery floor of a children's hospital ministering to kids and their families. Cindy and Jonathan are involved in the only English outreach ~ AWANA.Blessings to You!
Doug & Cindy
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