Since our last update when we shared about Zábalo (the jungle), we need to briefly mention our Souvenir from the jungle. While we were in Zábalo, one of the families that we were visiting had baby parrots. Naturally, Jonathan was very interested in these parrots and liked the idea of bringing one home to Quito. After much persuasion, he talked Doug into inquiring if the owner would be interested in selling one of them and for how much. The owner said he was very interested in a trade. He was interested in trading one of the babies for a flashlight. Well, that seemed like a pretty good deal and we were set to make the trade during our final day before we left. Upon Doug's visiting with the Chief of Zábalo about this, he quickly informed Doug that our bus ride and multiple roadside checks would quickly eliminate our chances of ever getting this bird back to Quito. So, we disappointedly decided to just give away our 4 flashlights and forget about the bird. We were all disappointed, but understood that was best. Well, the following week, Cindy's student in school who is from Zábalo, informed her that the bird made the trip with them (a few days later) and they would be bringing it to school. Sure enough, the bird showed up at school, and we are now the proud owners of a Blue-Headed parrot name "Tufi" (his Cofán name). He is a fun and very friendly parrot with his own little personality. So, far the guests here seem to enjoy him as well.
Soon after our trip to Zábalo, we had a Intercessory Prayer team of nine members from the Ovid Community Church in Anderson, Indiana come to visit several of the churches located within the Central AIEE District. The goal of the Ovid team was to gather information so that they could pray about how to best form a long-term partner relationship with one or more Ecuadorian churches. Jerry Mattocks from Pennsylvania (who is our OMS Ecuador Prayer Champion) also came to be a part of the team. He served as an "embedded intercessor" whose primary role was to support the Ovid team in prayer as they visited churches, and met with pastors and their leadership. Doug, along with AIEE District Superintendent Antonio Zabala and the team, visited 
9 churches from Ibarra in the North to Riobamba in the South. At each stop we heard from the pastor what his dreams and aspirations were for his congregation and how Ovid might participate in helping fulfill those visions. Of course, the first and primary request was for prayer support! Ovid is currently praying about working with 3 churches here within the Central District as well as helping to finance bible/seminary training scholarships for future church leaders and pastors. They also plan to bring another team here within 6 months. Please pray for Ovid as they seek the Lord's wisdom and guidance on how they can best serve the Lord here in Ecuador.April was a bit slower in the Guesthouse after a very busy March. This was a good time to be slower as Doug and Jonathan both battled a bacterial infection with fever for 8 days. This month things have picked up a bit and we currently have a team from Pennsylvania staying here at the Guesthouse that is working with various churches, in various areas including puppets, music, evangelism, and shoe distribution. This team has many members that are repeat visitors to Ecuador, and they too, are also looking into how they can be more productive in reaching the lost here in Ecuador. In addition to running the Guesthouse, Doug plans to work in some additional church visits this month, as well as a Field Council meeting in Guayaquil and a Central District Church Committee meeting in Píllaro. We are still anticipating the Chambers to return to Quito in June, and resume the responsibilities of running the Guesthouse. They currently have two additional meetings and a mission conference in Waco, TX scheduled to help them complete their fundraising requirements. Please pray that the Chambers will be able to complete their fund raising requirements and will be able to return prior to our leaving.
Cindy is busy preparing for May 18, in which she will be sharing her testimony and encouragement as part of a women's outreach evangelistic campaign at Iglesia Betel. Her friend Silvie from school will be translating for her. As part of an Ecuadorian custom, when you are asked to be the key speaker of a program, along with that comes the responsibilities of providing all of the refreshments and decorations for the event. Please pray for Cindy as she prepares what she will be sharing, and for the hearts of those women attending to be open to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Jonathan will be graduating from 6th grade this year, as they prepare to move into the Middle School, and Cindy has been very busy as the committee leader for the 6th grade graduation services to be held at the Alliance Academy. Please pray for the professional needs at the Alliance Academy, especially the need for an elementary principal.
David finished his Varsity year of basketball on a good note, when their team won their final tournament. During the recent winter sports awards banquet, David received the "Most Hustle" award for Varsity Basketball. His coach, who has been there for 18 years (and this is his last year as coach), publically said that he thought if David kept working at it, he just might be the best defensive player Alliance Academy has ever seen. Sounds like a good goal.We are still scheduled to make a brief visit to Illinois on June 17 prior to our four weeks of additional intensive language training in Costa Rica. David & Jonathan will be staying with their Grandparents in Gibson City during most of this time. Also during this time, David is seeking summer employment. When asked what type of employment he might be interested in, his reply was "anything that pays". If you have any needs in hiring an athletic 16 yr. old boy (without a Driver's License) in the Gibson City area, or know of anyone that may be in need of his assistance, would you please let us know? He will be available to work from June 23 through August 1. We are looking forward to seeing and visiting with many of you when we return.
Blessings to You!
Doug & Cindy
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