“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!
According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again
to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,”
~ 1 Peter 1:3 ~
During the Easter season, we tried to direct the people to the hope of the death, burial and resurrection of our Savior. During Holy Week, many perform the ritualistic traditions of the Catholic church with no understanding of their meaning nor promise of eternal security. During our Bible studies and church meetings, we emphasized the significance and reason for the celebration of Resurrection Sunday. As Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15, “If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead….” This gives great cause for rejoicing. Praise God for His mercy - for we serve a risen savior who has conquered sin and death, providing us a living and secure hope!
This past month we learned a lot about the paperwork process of establishing Titus’ dual citizenship. First, we had to establish him as an Ecuadorian citizen by registering him in the Registro Civil, which is similar to a US Vital Records Office. Jeffrey had to wait in many lines to get the necessary documentation. Now we are able to establish him as a US Citizen. We have an appointment at the US Embassy in Quito on Tuesday, May 3rd. Lord-willing, we can register him and apply for his US passport. We have never been to the Embassy before, so this will be an adventure for all of us.
Titus and Lisa are both doing very well. We praise God for Tito’s growth and Lisa’s recovery. Jeffrey has returned to meetings and Bible studies after a short break for the birth of Titus. Now that our church is a registered entity, the leaders of the church are reviewing the bylaws of how the church will function. This is the first time we have been able to be a part of this process, and Jeffrey is learning a lot about this step in the church planting process.
We continued to meet on Tuesday night with the new believers. We previously requested prayer for Dayán and his family as they are not yet saved, as well as his aunt, Margarita. Please continue to pray that the Word of God will open their eyes to the truth. There are many times we think they are close to believing in Christ, but a decision is not made. We just have to faithfully teach the Bible and pray that God works in their hearts.
This next month holds a lot of excitement for us. We have our annual field conference, which is a time of refreshment and strategizing for our field. We are looking forward to having a special speaker, along with the opportunity to visit another part of the country and see some different things. Another aspect of the conference is meeting with our Area Leader to discuss our goals for the coming year. We covet your prayers as we set goals and continue to grow in our knowledge of Spanish and Ecuador. At the end of the month, Lisa’s parents will be with us for a week. We have been praying that God would allow them to come.
Looking ahead in the ministry, we are working towards having a baptism on the first Sunday in June. We are so excited for the new believers who are making a public declaration of their faith in Christ. For our family, this is our first experience of a baptism in Ecuador. Praise God for His work in the lives of the Ecuadorians!
Thank you for your continued prayers for us!
In His service and yours,
Jeff, Lisa, Simon, & Titus
Mayfield
The Double Scoop:
This month our city celebrated its 200th anniversary. Simon enjoyed going to a rodeo and a parade to celebrate this event. He enjoyed seeing all the animals, and he tried cotton candy for the first time! Titus is growing quickly. It is hard to believe he is almost two months old! He is starting to interact with us and smile. We are enjoying him so much!
Praise and Prayer:
1. Praise: We have a living hope!
2. Praise: Good health for Titus and Lisa
3. Praise: Continued Gospel opportunities
4. Pray: Field Conference
5. Pray: Setting goals for the remainder of 2022
6. Pray: Visit from Lisa’s Parents
For a printable PDF, please click HERE.
