Gratitude for Gospel Partnerships | Fall 2024

“I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.”

~ Philippians 1:3-5 ~

Part of our family’s November traditions consist of daily Scripture reading about thankfulness. Following our Bible time, we each express something we’re thankful for. As we enter this season of Thanksgiving, our hearts overflow with thankfulness for YOU! Yes, you who are reading this. You who faithfully uphold us in prayer and financial support. As Paul thanked God for His gospel ministry partners, we want to say that we are so grateful for you. During one of our fall conference sessions, we were challenged to confirm the work of those who have sent us and to let you know that your giving and your prayers count for something. So in this small way, we want to say Thank you. Thank you for choosing to partner with the advance of the gospel in Ecuador as Christ builds His church.

Two months have passed since our last update. In that time, we’ve traveled from Michigan to New England, to Pennsylvania, West Virginia, South Carolina, and Georgia. We’re thankful for our churches who have been willing to work with us so that our meetings are clustered in the same geographic regions. This has permitted us to steward our time and travel well. We’ve seen some beautiful sights along the way. This is advantageous for homeschooling on the road and also provides enjoyment through a vigorous season of travel.

Fall is conference season. We’ve had the privilege to participate in 4 conferences this fall. While they can be tiring, they afford opportunities to build stronger relationships with our supporters and establish new relationships in those churches. We are always thankful for the ability to reconnect and minister more effectively to those who support us. What a blessing it is to share what God has been doing in Ecuador.

This Sunday is our last formal meeting for our fall schedule. God has graciously protected us and given strength over the last four months. In the past month, we have probably been sick more than we have been well, so we are ready for a break from traveling. We’re looking forward to being with Lisa’s family in Pennsylvania during this break. As we are stationary, our desire is to work on several ministry projects such as developing new Bible Institute classes and new Bible study materials. When we’re in Ecuador, the time to produce new materials is scarce, so we would appreciate your prayers as we try to make the best use of our “down time” over the holidays.

As we report on our first term, our hearts long to return to Ecuador. We are all missing what we consider home, but our projected return is still several months out. Ecuador has been in their biggest drought in over 60 years. Since the country runs on hydroelectric power, there have been elongated power outages throughout the country. They are now entering the rainy season, so we are praying for God to send rain. As Ecuadorians long for physical water to generate physical light, please pray that the believers would use this opportunity to share Living Water and the Light of the World with those around them. Thank you for your continued support. We could not do what we are doing without you.

In His service and yours,

The Mayfield Family

The Double Scoop:

The boys have enjoyed making new friends, both young and old. We are thankful to those who have ministered to our kids and shown them such kindness. Simon is doing well with 1st grade, but it will be nice to have a break from “school on the road.” We will be pursuing some speech therapy for Titus over the next few months. It isn’t abnormal for bilingual children to experience delayed speech, but we are praying for tools we can use to help him along the way.