Update 02/25/08

Dear Prayer Warriors,

"Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing." 1 Thes. 5:11

Thank you for your prayers & support since our last update. Your prayers have been evident, are greatly appreciated, and are a true encouragement to us. During the past couple of weeks, we have been repeatedly reminded of Apostle Paul's words to the Thessalonians in this verse.

Last month, we had a good and productive time during our OMS Ecuador Field Council Meetings here at the Guesthouse, which included up to 30 people. Doug had a good trip to the coast in Manta, attending the annual AIEE Asamblea (church association meetings) along with national pastors. This gave him the opportunity to hear how the Lord is working throughout nearly 100 OMS affiliated churches within Ecuador, and provided him with additional time to visit with some of the central district Pastors that he works with.

This month, Doug has been busy in his role as Liaison, traveling to various churches within his district, including those located in Quito, Salcedo, Riobamba, Latacunga, Píllaro, and Galpón. During these visits, Doug has encouraged the Pastors and leaders of the churches, and shared how important their role is and how great a responsibility they have in leading their church into the future. Unfortunately within the central district, one church has had to close it's doors due to an increase in rent, and another one is praying about what to do, as their enrollment has continued to drop. Please pray for the future of the pastors, leaders, and members of the churches of: Jesucristo Es La Respuesta (Jesus is the Answer) and El Poder de Dios (The Power of God). For a glimpse of these churches and some of the others that Doug works with, click on the following link: http://tank87.sharpcast.com/albums/image/25857_111054969376501

We have had a couple of slower weeks here at the OMS Guesthouse, however between now and the end of May, we anticipate around 575 people that will be staying with us. Please pray for the strength that we will need to keep up with the excited and energetic guests that arrive, and that the Chambers will be able to generate their needed financial support and can return in June to resume their ministry of running the Guesthouse.

We are excited to share that Doug and Pastor Antonio have been preparing for an Intercessory Prayer and Exploration short-term team from Indiana that is arriving on March 29th. This church feels that God is leading their church to develop a long-lasting relationship with one or more of the existing churches here in Ecuador, along with the idea of sending multiple short-term teams back to these churches each year. During their initial time here, we plan to take them to visit 7 to 9 churches located between Ibarra and Riobamba, so that they can meet the pastors, see the churches, determine their needs and prayer concerns, as well as have a time to pray for them. Please pray for this team of 8 or 9 individuals as they prepare to come, and for discernment in how the Lord is leading them as a church. We look forward to sharing the experience of this team with you in future updates, and pray your church might also be praying about partnering with one or more of our existing churches here in Ecuador.

On March 21, our family will travel deep into the jungle to visit the home and family of one of Cindy's students. This will include a 6+ hour drive, followed by a 6+ hour ride down a river in a motorized canoe (no roads into the village) to Zábalo. During our time there, we hope to be an encouragement to the family, to be a "bridge"

between these two completely different worlds, and participate in an Easter Sunday church service. Of course Jonathan is excited about the opportunity to go fishing for Piranha. Check out the Cofán Indian website at: http://www.cofan.org/. Please pray that the Lord will open our eyes & hearts on how to best serve this family and village.

This week, Cindy will wrap up her teaching on the Book of Romans to the group of Ecuadorian women. She is planning to begin a 6 week study on spiritual gifts and working to identify the gifts that each of these women have been given. The Lord has blessed their time together each week and has provided encouragement to all of them.

We also want to thank you for your prayers, as Doug seems to have overcome his stomach/intestinal issues, and Cindy's blood pressure levels seem to be remaining normal (with the assistance of daily medicine). David's back pain continues to flare up, and he is currently battling a severe cold. Please pray for him and that we too would not catch his cold.

Please pray for the people of Ecuador as they have been devastated with the effects of torrential rains and flooding, and Ecuador has been declared a National State of Emergency. The rainfall has ruined coffee, rice, cocoa, and banana crops, flooded hospitals and destroyed roads and bridges on the coast and in the Andean highlands. Once the water recedes, health officials say the risk of infectious disease will rise.

Just as a final note: We have been so busy that we have been unable to sit-down together and write up what has been happening. We often have thoughts to share but save them for our monthly update, and by then we have forgotten them. Therefore, we plan to begin updating our Blog much more frequently than sending out updates. So, please check our Blog site frequently.

We can encourage because we have been encouraged!! Thank you for your all you are doing for this ministry.

Blessings to You!
Doug & Cindy

Update 01/13/08

Dear Prayer Warriors,

Happy New Year - 2008
Isaiah 40:12-31 describes our amazing God!!

Thank you for all the Christmas cards, letters, pictures and the many gifts to our ministry as well as the gifts to us personally. We are so grateful for your continued support to us. We were especially blessed with a visit from Doug's mom. Thank you for your prayers on her behalf. She remained healthy throughout her visit and arrived home safely on Jan.8th.

On January 8th, Cindy began teaching the Book of Romans to the group of Ecuadorian women. Please pray specifically for these women: Sylvie, Libby, Lorena, Bernarda, Daniella. Pray for Cindy as she teaches on Wednesdays. After a lengthy discussion on God's grace, Cindy was able to share a testimony of His amazing grace on us that week. When we examined our support account, we noticed a large donation by someone we didn't know. We called them to correct what we thought to be a mistake. However, this couple assured us that it was no mistake. We then began to panic that we should know them from somewhere and forgot. They assured us that we didn't know them and they didn't know us. They went on to say that they wanted to give a donation and asked OMS for some names of people. After praying, the Lord led them to give on our behalf. GRACE!! Nothing we do....ONLY AN UNDESERVING GIFT FROM GOD!

Beginning Tuesday of this week through Saturday, we will be hosting the OMS Ecuador Field Council Meetings here at the Guesthouse. As Chairperson, Doug has the responsibility of coordinating and leading the meetings, while we will also be running the Guesthouse (for 30 people). We are also in charge of lining up a cook for lunches and suppers, as well as purchasing all of the food ahead of time (we will be cooking and serving all of the breakfasts). Please pray for our fellow missionaries traveling to Quito. Pray for wisdom and discernment during our meetings. It's a wonderful time to reflect on all that God has done as well as eagerly anticipating all that God will do!!

Next week, Doug will be attending the annual 4 day AIEE Asamblea (church association meeting) in Manta (12 hrs away via bus) along with OMS affiliated pastors. Please pray for his travels, ability to comprehend Spanish, and for continuing to build relationships with the national Pastors.

We have some health concerns and ask for your prayer support. Doug has been battling stomach/intestinal issues for the past 3 weeks, Cindy is struggling with high blood pressure (could be altitude related) and the doctor has put her on daily medication. David's back pain also continues to flare up.

May 2008 be filled with God's Amazing Grace!

Blessings (& Grace) to You!
Doug & Cindy

Update 11/12/07 - Visit to Southern Ecuador

This past week, I attended our Field Committee Meeting at the OMS Camp in Pallatanga. The Committee and I also helped BJ and Andi Williamson get settled, as they will be living and caring for the Camp over the next year while they continue with their regular ministries. While we were there, we also had the opportunity to help work through 9 pages of inventory, which were all written in Spanish. A bit challenging.

After the Field Committee meeting, Mike Shrode, Tom Stiles, and I then traveled to the other side of the mountains, to the jungle, to visit the towns of Cuenca, Saraguro, Yantzaza, Yacuambi, and Catamayo. This was a great opportunity for me to visit southern Ecuador, and to gain a better understanding of the OMS ministries that exist in those areas. This is especially helpful as I serve on the Field Committee and have to make decisions regarding these ministries. I had the opportunity to visit OMS' ministry property - Camp Carboncillo, as well visit Bill and Ilene Douce at the OMS Clinic, and Buen Pastor radio station located in Saraguro.

While in Yantzaza, I had the opportunity to visit one of the guinea pig micro-finance operations. This is part of a small business ministry where about 7 Saraguro church leaders received a loan to develop a Guinea Pig (Cuy) raising business. The Cuys are used as food, and they would like to eventual export their Cuys internationally. It has been a struggle for them to stay motivated, as it required them to take out loan and they don't have experience in raising Cuy commercially. The project requires maintaining 200 reproducing females, and it is taking longer than expected to reach this number. It could be another 6 months before they reach this number, and they are expensive to feed and care for.

At the end of the week, we met with the newly appointed ACIS Church Board (Association of Indigenous Saraguro Christians). They discussed their project of using the camp at Carboncillo and discussed the direction of the Buen Pastor radio station. The meeting went quite well, and from what I understand, they have had some less unified meetings over the past couple of years. So, it was great to see how well they seemed to get along. The new president is a young lady, who has matured spiritually and has taken on a lot of responsibility at the Good Shepherd church with music and teaching children.

We also had a chance to look at a couple of properties that were donated for the church in Yacuambi. Both properties are on steep hillsides, and it will take a good deal of engineering to determine how best to construct a building. However, this is nothing they are not used to. On the last day, we had the opportunity to visit a pastor in Catamayo. He has been working with this church for about three years, and it was a medical team that originally helped to get his church going. He has asked for prayer to get four cell groups started in outlying areas of the town, and to start small groups for new believers. Please pray for this pastor, as he has had some health problems and his lungs are only back to about 80% capacity. Please pray for his complete recovery and for his family.

Blessings to You!
Doug

Update 11/05/07

Dear Prayer Warriors,

¡MI CASA ES SU CASA! (My House is your House)

We understand this phrase all to well as the month of October was filled with guests, guests, & more guests. It's been a wonderful opportunity to meet all kinds of people doing what God is calling them to do. From medical doctors, to former missionaries, to rock stars, we've had quite a variety of guests serving the Lord. An OMS medical team that recently stayed with us, treated over 700 people in four days, with 302 of them making a decision for Christ. The OMS guest house is available to those doing ministry for the Lord here in Ecuador. We can house up to 24 people. If your group has a desire to minister in the Quito area of Ecuador, please know that our doors are open to you.

Cindy and the boys have completed their first quarter of the school year. David is having a great time playing varsity soccer (3 games a week is a little much). He's also a Sparky leader for AWANA once a week. Jonathan has received some help with his workload. He has had to sacrifice his Spanish class in order to get a guided study hall, but it has helped in the amount of homework that he is bringing home and he continues to use his Spanish daily. Thank you for your prayers concerning our boys.

Cindy's Bible study is meeting on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. She continues to lead 5 ladies through the book of Acts. She is also providing a good deal of mentoring with women at school. Please pray for Cindy as she leads these women in God's Word and His Ways. Thank you for rejoicing with her for the 11 students in her class that accepted Christ last week. The chapel story was a blessed time. Seeds were planted and we pray that God's Word will not return void. Parent/Teacher conferences will be on November 9th. Please pray for her, as she desires to minister to the parents as well as to the children.

Doug will leave on Tuesday morning, traveling over a large portion of southern Ecuador, including Cuenca, Saraguro, Yantzaza, and Loja, returning on Sunday. He will be meeting as a part of the OMS Ecuador Field Committee at Camp Pallatanga, and they are still dealing with a situation regarding one of our church associations and one of the churches in Guayaquil. Please pray for a peaceful and mutually agreed settlement to some long standing issues with a church association. Afterwards, he and some of the other committee members will travel further south to meet with the ACIS church association (Association of Indigenous Saraguro Christians) to discuss the use of property located in Carboncillo. Pray for good discussion and the future use of this important property. Also, please pray for safe traveling mercies for Doug and the other committee members.

Our OMS Quito Team continues to get smaller. The Williamsons have left the Quito area to work 6 hours south in Pallatanga where the OMS camp is located. Please pray for BJ, Andi, and Eli as they adjust to living at the Camp where there is a great deal of work needed to be completed.

We are very excited about having Doug's sister Lynn and her family join us for Thanksgiving this year. Please pray for them while they are here. The altitude, food and germs have a way of affecting people in the most unpleasant ways. We only have 5 days with them, so pray for our time together to be blessed.

Blessings to You!

Doug & Cindy

Update 09/25/07

Dear Prayer Warriors,

"If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever more. Amen" 1 Peter 4:11

Thank you for your notes of encouragement and your prayers for us. They are vital. We rely on them daily for safety, health, wisdom, discernment, and encouragement. We are so thankful for the words that God gives you and how you serve in the strength and ways that God provides. You are an incredible part of this ministry. We are so blessed!!!!

School is now underway and we have settled into the daily routine once again. Jonathan is a slow starter and we should have requested prayer prior to school starting. He's coming along, but not without some headaches and mouth ulcers from the stress of 6th grade. He has had literally hours of homework nearly each night. As a sophomore, David has tried out for varsity soccer and has made the starting line-up. We're looking forward to his first game next week. Cindy is enjoying her class as well, most of which are ESL students (English as Second Language). It makes for some very interesting conversation. For those of you that pray by name, their names are: Pepito, Stephy, Simon, Emilia, Diego, Christa, Moises, Zachary, Yone, Aliah, Elizabeth, Yeon Joo, Justino, Francisca, & Kevin.

Doug just returned from Guayaquil where he met with the other members of OMS' Field Committee. He is now home and getting ready for our next guests that will arrive tomorrow, and additional guests this weekend. You can see by the pictures that Doug has been busy preparing breakfasts as a part of his additional responsibilities of running the OMS Guest House (watch out Julia Childs). We have enjoyed our first two groups of guests, and the pictures show them looking somewhat happy as well. The English speaking group from the UMC in Cumming, GA was a bit easier to communicate with than the 19 Ecuadorians, but both groups were a blessing. Our prayer is that they all feel loved and welcomed and know that we are excited to have them as guests. We trust that we can communicate this even without speaking! In the midst of Jonathan struggling through his days at school, we had the opportunity to see him shine as he served the Ecuadorians their breakfast. He has such a servant's heart and was willing to insure that they had everything they needed. What a blessing for us to see him in this perfectly-fitting role. Our guesthouse will begin to boom again this week. Beginning tomorrow, we will have guests every day through November 1 with the exception of 7 days (so far).

We turned down the opportunity to host a couple of guests for this past weekend, in order to attend the retreat for the Alliance Academy faculty and staff. Many people throughout our school have been praying for a spirit of unity, hearts that forgive, and for the love of Jesus to shine in all of us. We felt the enemy hard at work at the beginning of the year, and after a Spirit-filled weekend and a time of communion, we can see that the enemy has been bound. Please pray for our school! The elementary is currently involved in our Spiritual Emphasis Week (SEW). We have a small team from North Carolina bringing the message each day. The high school will have their SEW next week. Please pray for the students during these two weeks. With our recent accreditation by the Ecuadorian Minister of Education, we are now recognized by the Ecuadorian government as an official school. This is very exciting as it has opened our doors to many Ecuadorians. Our Korean population is growing as well. With that, our population of students that don't know the Lord is increasing. We have incredible opportunities to outreach to these students. Pray that God will work in a mighty way.

We are very excited to share that we have been approved to take some time next summer for additional Spanish studies in Costa Rica. What is even more exciting, is that we will be returning to Illinois to drop-off the boys at Grandma's before we leave for Costa Rica, and then return to Illinois when we pick them up. We have tickets to arrive in Chicago on June 17, leave for Costa Rica on June 30, return to Chicago on July 26, and return back to Ecuador on August 7th. The Spanish Institute in Costa Rica offers a four-week intensive course designed for educators to study Spanish during their summer (Cindy really needs it). During that time, we will live with a Costa Rican Spanish-speaking host family. We are looking forward to seeing as many of you as we can while we are are in Illinois.

Thank you again for all of your support and prayers for us. You are all true Blessings to us.

Blessings to You!
Doug & Cindy

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

Update 07/27/07

Dear Prayer Warriors,

"My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior..." Luke 1:46
In this scripture known as Mary's song, Mary recognizes and accepts the gift God had given her. We, like Mary, don't want to deny, belittle, or ignore our blessings either. We want to bring glory to God and rejoice in all that HE IS DOING!!

Cindy spent several days over a 3-week period in an Ecuadorian Christian school traveling an hour each way on the local bus-trolley system. She is convinced that she has mastered the survival level of Spanish. This experience has touched her heart to reach out to Ecuadorian educators with support and encouragement, as these educators have so little. She is in the preliminary stages of creating an outreach project through the Alliance Academy to minister to these educators. Pray that the Lord will lead and guide her planning, and her desires to reach Ecuadorian teachers with the resources that the Lord has entrusted her.

We were blessed with summer visitors. Carrie Davis joined us for two weeks. She was born and raised in Ecuador until her 10th birthday, while her parents ministered here with OMS. They are now ministering at OMS headquarters and Carrie wanted to visit her ol' stomping ground. We would all agree that one of our favorite times with Carrie was while playing with the children at the local dump and being utilized as the children's human jungle gyms. Carrie had been here for several days when Cindy's mom arrived for her second visit. We all headed to the coast for the first time and spent three days on the beach. All three days in which we never saw the sun and were quite cool. Upon our return, Cindy spent some quality time with her mom, while the rest of the gang were involved in ministry. David and Carrie joined one-half of the short term mission team from Houston, Texas to minister with Vacation Bible School in one of our area churches in south Quito. Doug and Jonathan joined the other part of the team to minister in another church with remodeling the interior of their sanctuary.

Last Sunday, Doug had the opportunity to visit Iglesia Fuente De Vida in Riobamba. This church is one of the 14 that he will be working with, and is the furthest from home. It took about 3 hours to arrive and about 4 1/2 hours to return, thanks to Sunday evening traffic returning to the city. This church has purchased property to build a new church, but there is no team scheduled to come at this time. Please pray for this church as there are some conflicts between the church leadership and their pastor.

We leave on Monday morning for our annual field retreat in Pallatanga. We will meet up with all OMS/Ecuador missionaries for a time of fellowship and refreshment. Thank you for your prayers as Doug has prepared and organized for this retreat (his first responsibility as Field Council Chairperson). Please pray for Mike and Dot Fry from England as they lead our retreat with teaching, devotions and communion. Please pray for our older MK's: David, Jonathan and Courtney as they minister to the younger MK's: Elizabeth, Isabel, and Elijah. We will return on Saturday.

Upon our return from Pallatanga, David is scheduled on August 9th to have all four wisdom teeth removed (he would appreciate your prayers); Cindy will begin preparations for a new school year; Jonathan will relish his final 3 weeks before school starts, and Doug will meet with the national District Superintendent to formulate a plan to begin ministering to the 14 pastors and their churches. We will also be experiencing a void in our lives as our dear friends/co-workers - the Chambers family, leave for a year of Home Ministry Assignment. They currently run the OMS guest house and coordinate arriving short-term mission teams. Please pray for our field leaders as they decide how to best handle their absence in the void of these ministries as well.

Blessings to You!

Doug & Cindy

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.......Lunch in the rain forrest ..........................Beach in Same, Ecuador

Update ~ One Year Anniversary

Dear Prayer Warriors,

June 27th will mark our one-year anniversary serving in Ecuador!! THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!! Thank you for allowing us to serve here. Your giving and your prayers are what enables missionaries like us to stay on the field. We look forward to the next year of our five year term.

Here are 5 ways that we know we have been in Ecuador for one year:

1. Salchipappas have replaced our American staple of peanut butter and jelly.
2. Cindy enjoys doing laundry on the roof.
3. It's a must to have mayonnaise with our French fries.
4. We haven't experienced winter yet.
5. We miss our family and friends so much!

Our school year is finished and what a wonderful year that we have had. The boys were promoted and Cindy will repeat first grade again next year. We were greatly surprised and encouraged when she was awarded "Teacher of the Year" at the Alliance Academy. She has always loved teaching, but teaching in Quito seems like a "special" assignment delivered from the hands of God. Cindy plans to continue with leading the Bible study this summer. The ladies have completed the book of John, and their summer schedule is yet to be determined. They will begin the book of Acts when they start again. Another Ecuadorian lady, Lorena has joined them. Please pray as they try to blend all their summer schedules and join together to study God's word. Cindy has been visiting an Ecuadorian Christian school in South Quito. It's been quite interesting as she learns about the Ecuadorian school system. It's quite different from an American system, and it is all in Spanish. She has a vision to outreach to Ecuadorian teachers with educational ideas and activities that they can use in their classroom.

(Click any photo below to view an enlarged image)

Doug had a small 2 week reprieve from language school due to scheduling. However, he was using all his Spanish skills when our computer crashed and had to purchase a new one with the Spanish version of Windows Vista. However, we were quickly back up and running, and he has been back in language school. In fact, he has only 3 more weeks! This will conclude "this year's" Spanish requirements. Once he is completed with his language studies in July, he will be meeting with the national District Superintendent of OMS affiliated churches, to plan our their schedule for the coming year. He is excited about moving into his full-time work with the national pastors and churches. Please pray for Doug as he moves from his language studies into his full-time role.

In other news, we have celebrated both of the boy's birthdays for the first time in Ecuador! David turned 15 in May and Jonathan turned 12 in June. Jonathan complete his basketball season and his team received 3rd place in the local tournament. He also continues to enjoy his 5 birds. In early June, David had the opportunity to minister in one of our house churches during their Children's Day, where over 60 children and parents attended. We always knew that he was quite a clown!! He also recently returned from a week at the beach, where he attended a youth camp through the local English Fellowship Church. In July, an OMS family friend will arrive on the 6th, and Cindy's mom will arrive on the 10th. Please pray for our time together, and the for the health and safety of both.

A week ago, we were provided with an awesome opportunity to share with a group of 19 short-term missionaries from Bloomington, IL. Before they began their time ministering in the Cuenca area, we were able to join them for breakfast and share how the Lord had brought us to Ecuador and about the ministries that He prepared for us.

One additional pray request is for our good missionary friends - the Chambers, who operate the OMS guesthouse here in Quito and coordinate short-term mission teams. The Chambers had originally raised support to be here for 15 months, but have been here for over 24. Just recently their support account went into the red, and it appears as though they we will be returning to the states at the end of this summer to raise additional support so that they can return back to Quito. Despite this situation, they rejoice over the way the Lord has continued to provide for their ministry and that they were able to be here for 10 more months than planned. Please join us in prayer for the Chambers, as they seek to raise additional financial support that they need.

Thank you again for all of your support over the past year. We could never be here without your support, and you have all blessed us greatly. "From the fullness of His grace, we have all received one blessing after another." John 1:12

Blessings to You!
Doug & Cindy

(left) Cindy helping with face painting during the recent Children's Day activities.

(right) Doug and Jonathan enjoying a camp fire during Father's Day.

Update 04/25/07

Dear Prayer Warriors,

During the first week of April we were able to host some of our supporters (people just like you). Barb and son, Jackson Mills from Chicago, Illinois wanted to see what Ecuador was like and experience some of the ministries that we are involved in. They participated in an Alliance Academy field trip with 60 - four, five and six year olds; they spent 3 hours in a Spanish speaking Good Friday church service; viewed Quito from 14,000+ feet above sea level; straddled the equator; missed an English Easter service; and played with children at the city dump during the five days that they were here. We pray that God will continue to use this small glimpse of His work in their lives.

The boys are doing well. For those of you who have focused your prayers on Jonathan's transition ~ THANK YOU!! We have seen an amazing transformation. We're seeing much of our Ol' Jonathan again. We attended David's spring sports banquet where he received MVP from his basketball team and a special Best Defensive medal from his coaches. He also scored 236 points this season.

Doug began another Spanish class, and will continue studying through mid-July. This Sunday, he plans to meet up with the District Superintendent of the churches that he will be working with, to discuss beginning to attend district activities, pastoral meetings, etc. Cindy is researching opportunities for summer sessions of Spanish (no break for her this summer). Please join us in praying for the right Spanish training and comprehension of the language. It continues to be our #1 challenge/frustration.

Cindy's bible study continues on Tuesdays and Thursdays with Libby and Silvie. They spent several lessons studying for Easter. Cindy had the Resurrection Eggs sent from the States for her classroom students and Silvie was determined to be the new owner of the set. Praise God that she took them to her family on Easter Sunday and retold the Easter story to many who heard it for the first time. Our relationship is really growing with Silvie and her family. Silvie's husband has really connected with Doug and always has lots of spiritually related questions for him.

We are reminded daily of the provision that God has given to us through answered prayer and sacrificial giving. We share with everyone that asks, and even those who don't, how we are able to be here serving Jesus in Ecuador, and it's only through your obedience and faithfulness!! We thank you for being obedient to what the Lord has called you to do on our behalf.

On a side note: If you are so led, there are two additional, very easy ways in which you can help to support OMS International:

• GoodSearch - An Internet Search Tool, and for every search on the internet, OMS receives one cent. http://www.goodsearch.com/?charityid=838654. We have made this our home page.
  
• Community Plus, includes a group of online merchants that if you make an online purchase, by first going through Community Plus, they will donate a portion to OMS http://www.communityplus.com/. We have signed up and it was very easy.

Blessings to You!
Doug & Cindy

Update 03/22/07 - North Coast District Churches

Dear Prayer Warriors:

Thank you for your prayers, as Doug has returned from a great trip visiting the North coastal churches (Distrito Costa Norte) last weekend and earlier this week. This was the trip in which a group of prayer warriors from the U.S. came with plans to travel through the northern coastal district of Ecuador to visit 20 OMS-planted churches, praying for the pastors and over the church and neighborhood. Jerry and Clara Mattocks (OMS Prayer Champions of Ecuador) from Pennsylvania came along with Dick McLeish of OMS' Men for Missions International. Tom Stiles and Darryl Chambers of OMS Ecuador were also a part of this team. It was extremely hot and humid the entire time - much like your hottest and most miserable day in the US during July/August. They visited 14 churches.

Many of these churches were located deep within the swampy banana plantations and rice fields. They were unable to locate some of the churches and others were to far away to reach within their allotted time frame. Many of the churches were rather primitive and their needs were great. But, it was wonderful to see and hear of how they have been working and growing with so little. No bibles, books, study materials, or basic provisions such as benches to sit on. The team met with the pastors, some church members, visited with them and prayed for them. The team's arrival was extremely encouraging to those they visited and the locals were very sad to see them go. Be sure to check out the photos (below) of the churches from this area. These are not churches that are within the district that Doug is currently assigned to work with, and there is a need for another Missionary to work with these churches in the role of District Liaison. Perhaps the Lord is calling you? Please pray for a missionary to come and work with these churches.

Jerry and Clara have now returned to Pennsylvania and they are now in the process of updating their files and will be trying to recruit Prayer warriors for these churches and locating individuals, groups, or churches that would be willing to adopt one or more of these churches and begin praying for them regularly. Please join Jerry and Clara in prayer as they seek to find these individuals, as well as someone that is willing to coordinate prayer for the churches in this district (District Prayer Coordinator).

As Doug continues his language training, OMS recommends that we change instructors and types of instruction occasionally to experience different types of teaching methods, and get to hear other national's dialects and vocabulary. After listening to the pastors Doug visited, he realized it was time to make a change. So, yesterday, he visited a language school (Cristobol Colon) located in the central part of the city and took an hour-long placement exam. He will begin class next Monday and will have class daily from 10 to 1 (plus lots of homework). He will also be taking the bus back and forth (which takes about 30 - 45 minutes each way). He now has to inform his instructor whom he has been using for the past 8 months, telling him of the news that he will be changing. There has been a strong relationship built between them, so we are sure he will take it rather hard. (Update 03/23: Doug's language instructor took it rather well, and we will be working towards continuing to strengthen that relationship.)

This past Wednesday, we celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary, and this was actually our second anniversary celebration here in Ecuador. We were here with a short-term prayer team back in 2005. Cindy has been wanting to go to the Fondue restaurant located close to us in Plaza de las Americas. We took the kids last night and when we got there, there was a sign on the door that said "after two years, we have decided to take a vacation" and it was closed. It was rather humorous, since during Cindy's last birthday here in October, we went to a restaurant called "El Tartaro" and it too was closed for vacation. So last night, we ended up eating Mexican. She's still looking forward to the Fondue.

Blessings to You!

Doug & Cindy

(Click any photo below to view an enlarged image)

Iglesia Evangélica de Fe – San Juan; Pastor Alfonso

Banana Plantation Roads:

Shekinara de Dios – San Juan; Pastor Sra. Diana

Iglesia Maranatha – San Juan; Pastor Sra. Esmeraldas

Imperio Nación de Cristo – San Juan; Pastor Emiliano

Iglesia Rosa de Saron – San Juan; Pastor Emiliano

Iglesia Evangélica Maria 2 - San Juan; Pastor Sra. Herminia

Iglesia Evangélica Jehová Shalom - San Juan; Pastor Sra. Herminia

Iglesia Evangélica Elim - San Juan; Pastor Sra. Lorena

Pan de Vida (De Fe 8) - San Juan; Pastor Guido

Iglesia Príncipe de Paz (De Fe 9) - San Juan; Pastor Pedro

Iglesia Evangélica Getsemaní - Ventanas; Pastor Carlos

Iglesia Evangélica Cristo Viene – Pueblo Viejo; Pastor Patricio

Iglesia Bíblica Confraternidad – Quevedo; Pastor Rolando (left)

Iglesia Monte de Horeb – Quevedo; Pastor Francisco

Pastor Rolando and Monte de Horeb Youth Leaders – Mónica & Mariana

View during the trip