Update 08/26/07

Dear Prayer Warriors,

It has been a busy time since our last update. Our Field Retreat and business meeting went well, and we thank you for your prayers. We spent four days at OMS' camp in Pallatanga, 6 hours south of here. Serving as the Field Committee's chairperson, Doug was responsible for organizing and leading this event. A British couple, Mike and Dot, led us in a workshop on conflict, team building, and marriage. Dot is a missionary kid (MK) of one of the original OMS staff that entered Ecuador from Colombia back in the early '50s. Our son David, was in charge of all organized sporting events, including Frisbee Golf, Kickball, Badminton, Ping-Pong, and of course, One-Fly. During this time, Doug was also elected to begin serving on the OMS Ecuador's field executive committee. This committee assists the Field Director with the major decisions regarding policy, property issues, personnel, etc. They meet about 8 times a year to review issues and set policy.

David had all four of his wisdom teeth removed, and two of them were very difficult to extract. He was very sore for the first few days and also came down with a virus during his recovery time which added to his discomfort. However, thank you for your prayers, as he has recovered quickly and has been back to soccer practice. Yesterday, he made a quick one-day trip to Shell, Ecuador. His friend's Dad flies for MAF (Missionary Aviation Fellowship). During his time in Shell, he had the opportunity to see some of his friends from school that live there during the summer, and also had the opportunity to walk around in the house where Nate Saint (martyred missionary) lived while serving in Shell. For those of you not familiar with Nate Saint, in 1956, he and four other missionaries were killed in Ecuador by the Waodani (Auca) Indians they had come to serve. David also saw the communication room that was used to communicate with the missionary's planes, as well as an original basket that had been lowered down to the Waodani Indians to exchange gifts. We have attached some photos to our Blog, and the address is listed below.

Jonathan is doing well, and still enjoying his summer vacation. He is still in the creative mode, and built a trap to catch live birds. In additional to his other birds, we now have an extra cage with a Dove that he captured, living in it.

In our last update, we requested prayer regarding the Chambers family leaving for a year of home ministry assignment. They are the family that have been running the OMS guest house and coordinating arriving short-term mission teams. Missionaries working at OMS' headquarters are planning to come in January to assist with that vacancy. However, prior to that time, we will be taking on additional responsibilities as we move in this Tuesday and take over running the guest house for the next 4+ months. This will be a huge change for us as we continue with our other ministries. We are receiving quite a few bookings, including 7 different groups (so far) that will be staying with us over the next 2 months. We are excited about this ministry, but a bit nervous as well. We know the Lord tells us to not to be anxious about anything, but the Chambers have done an outstanding job in running the guest house, and we have some very large shoes to attempt to fill. Please pray for us as we learn the logistics of how to run a guest house, and that we will demonstrate a servant's heart towards those we serve. During the time that we will be living at the guest house, another young couple (Phillip and Melissa) who just arrived and are in desperate need a home, will be moving into our house. They moved here from the US with only 4 bags, and need housing during the first semester of the school year. Melissa will be serving as an English teacher at the Alliance Academy during the first semester. We praise the Lord in how He orchestrated our house to be available for them to use.

Over the past couple of weeks, Cindy has been busy preparing for school to begin. So far, she will have 16 first graders in her class, with around 75% of those children as ESL students (engish as a second language). School registration is scheduled for this coming Wednesday and school begins this Thursday. The boys have enjoyed having the summer off, but both seem a bit ready for school to begin. Please pray for Cindy, David and Jonathan as they begin the new school year, and that they would represent Jesus in all they do and say.

Blessings to You!
Doug & Cindy