“It is true! The Lord has risen…..” Luke 24:34
What a wonderful reminder, as we celebrate this Easter Sunday, remembering the gift of LOVE we have because He laid down His life for us, and for the gift of HOPE we have because of His resurrection. We celebrate You, JESUS, with hearts full of praise and gratitude for who You are and all You’ve done for us!
Since our last update on Feb 25th we have been busy keeping up with guests here at the Guesthouse, including the 178 individual beds that were utilized. The groups have been very diverse, ranging from medical teams, work teams, and a movie production crew here to do a promotional for a local mission group. Also during this time, our guests included 3 different individuals from South Africa, all which came at different times, and each not knowing the others. This past weekend, we said goodbye to group from Aldersgate United Methodist Church of Greenville, SC, who were here working with Mission Society. They were a blessing to us, and a fun group to visit with during their stay. We still have another group of 5 here that leaves tomorrow morning.Tomorrow (Thursday) night, our family will be heading to Zábalo, which is an 8-hour bus ride EAST from here, then a 6-hour ride in a motorized canoe deep into the jungle near the Peru/ Columbia/ Ecuador boarder. We will be visiting and staying with the Cofán Indian tribe
where one of Cindy's student's parents live. We have purchased kettles, plates, silverware, dry goods, and toys to give away while we are there, and we will also be celebrating our 21st wedding anniversary and Easter Sunday in the jungle. We have been told that “this village does not have a resident pastor, but there is a group of Christians in the village, but there is very little leadership, so the church operates by jumps and starts.” We are praying that we will have the opportunity to participate in some form of Easter Sunday (Semana Santa) church service, to share the true reason of this special day. Please pray that the Lord will open opportunities for us to minister to this village, and that everything we do and say would be pleasing to Him.On the 27th Cindy returns to school for teacher in-service, and Doug flies to Cuenca on the 28th to meet with our OMS Field Committee and our AIEE national church association. Then, on the 29th, (as we shared in our last update) we have an Intercessory Prayer Team of 10 arriving (nine members from Anderson, Indiana, along with our OMS Ecuador Prayer Champion – Jerry Mattocks from Pennsylvania). Doug and our AIEE church association’s national central district Superintendent will be taking them to visit 7 of our OMS-affiliated churches. The team from Indiana has the desire, and is praying about building long-term relationships with one or two Ecuadorian churches, along with the plans to make multiple return trips per year. Please pray for this team of 10 individuals as they prepare to come, and for discernment in how the Lord is leading them.
One final thing to note is that the OMS Ecuador Blog is now up and running. This is a site where you’ll find postings from OMS Missionaries and National workers in Ecuador. You can also access the weekly Ecuador Prayer Digest and periodic prayer letters and updates from the field. The goal of the blog is to provide resources to help you pray strategically for the proclamation of the gospel in the country of Ecuador.
We pray you have a wonderful Easter Weekend!
Easter Blessings to You!
Doug & Cindy
Oops... I have been telling everyone that Zábalo is west of here. It is East, not west. Sorry, I am still directionally challenged living south of the Equator.
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