"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation
to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek."
~ Romans 1:16 ~
This month has been saturated by the Gospel! While this may sound unusual coming from missionaries (“Shouldn’t every month be saturated with the Gospel?”), the past 4 months have been filled with many adjustments and changes as we’ve settled into Ecuadorian living. We finally feel like our heads are “above water” and we are finding a new normal for our family. We’ve enjoyed getting out and meeting people, with the goal of sharing the Gospel. We've had several conversations about why we are here in Ecuador, some of which have led into the Gospel. We shared our salvation testimonies at church, and we started attending a Bible study with unbelievers. Last Sunday, a visitor realized her need for the Gospel and placed her faith in Christ alone for salvation. We are here because of the Gospel, and our hearts are thrilled at every opportunity we have to share its truth. It is still “the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.”
This month has been filled with meeting people, Bible studies, and speaking opportunities at church. We try to make a point to go to a park with Simon at the same time every day. This has assisted us in meeting people and trying to build friendships. Jeff had several opportunities to share why we are here in Ecuador. Some of the people are not interested after we tell them we are here to teach the Bible. Other people say, “Oh, isn’t that nice.” Several people have asked when we go to the park, and said they would like to come back and talk some more. However, we have not seen them again. Please pray for us as we continue to establish relationships - that God would direct our conversations and provide further contacts.
This month we started attending a Bible study in the home of the Cruz family (our national co-workers). This is a Bible study with people who know almost nothing about the Bible. The first time we attended the study, these individuals did not know how to find the Gospel of John. Please pray for these people as they learn about God and what He has done for them.
God also gave several opportunities to speak at the church plant, Gracia y Paz. One Sunday, we shared our salvation testimonies and how God brought us to Ecuador. We don’t know if everyone who attends this church is genuinely saved, so this provided a good opportunity to present the Gospel through its work in our own lives. We were also able to sing together as a family. Jeff has been helping to lead our Wednesday night meetings. This is a time for singing, prayer, praise, and time around God’s Word. Lisa is always a tremendous help with the songs; we have no written music for the songs we sing, so she is learning them all by ear.
In mid-June, our Area and Field Leader, Kevin (and Trina) Mayfield, returned to the United States for meetings at BMW’s home office. That means that we are here serving and ministering without them here to observe us. While that may sound bad (or scary!), we have seen so much of God’s help and enablement. We are also so thankful for Marco and Marlene Cruz. We have so much to learn from them; it is a gift of the Lord to have national coworkers on our team.
Jeff continues to investigate the process of obtaining a driver’s license here. To get a license in Ecuador, you must prove that you have completed 9th grade. Due to the amount of corruption in the country, there are many steps to do any kind of paperwork. Documents often require special certifications to prove that they are not forged. We just learned that we need to have our college transcripts certified (the same certification required for our visa documentation), then they must be presented to the board of education for verification. Once we have the verification, we can take a driving course. After taking the course, we will have one final test. We are trying to certify our transcripts while Kevin and Trina are in the States, that way they can bring them back at the end of July. Please pray with us toward this end!
Simon Says:
This month, we started taking the bus around town. I really like riding the blue bus! We often walk to the grocery store. It is a long walk, but I try to make it fun by collecting rocks and dropping them in the storm drains (las sequias) along the road. I like to visit the different parks in downtown Riobamba. My favorite park has a fountain, and I love to splash in the water.
Praise and Prayer:
Praise: Opportunities to share Christ with those around us.
Praise: Ability to learn from our coworkers, Marco and Marlene Cruz.
Praise: Opportunities to minister as a family
Pray: Logistics of getting paperwork for our driver’s license
Pray: Further contacts with people we've met at the park.
For a printable PDF, please click HERE.
