“The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness,
but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish,
but that all should reach repentance.”
~ 2 Peter 3:19 ~
We’ve all probably heard the old maxim “Time is money.” This phrase well represents the secular US mindset - time is valuable. If we waste time, we waste money; therefore, tasks should be completed quickly and efficiently. Ecuadorians live by the phrase “Sin prisa, sin parar,” which means “without hurry, and without stopping.” Everything will get done...eventually. At times, this pace of life has been a difficult adjustment. For example, on May 12, we received our kitchen table that was supposed to be completed on April 8th. In Ecuador, things generally do not happen quickly.
This causes us to lift our gaze to the God of perfect timing. While His timetable may not be our desired timing, we know that He never hurries His work, nor does He stop working. We saw this on May 2nd, when a man named Luís came before the church and shared that he had placed his faith and trust in Christ alone for salvation! Luís’ wife has been a believer for many years, and she prayed for his salvation for over 15 years. Praise God for His work in the heart of Luís. He is not slow to fulfill His promise, and He is still seeking and saving those who are lost. Rejoice with us in this!
The beginning of the month marked the start of another semester of classes for the Bible institute classes (Monday/Friday). Jeff attends all four class hours, and Lisa is taking a class on Soteriology. Part of our orientation program requires us to learn all the terms related to the doctrine of salvation, so the timing of this class is perfect. We are currently memorizing key verses of the Gospel in Spanish. Jeff had the opportunity to speak on repentance and faith at a Bible study held by one of the church members. One of the attendees heard a clear presentation of the Gospel for the first time in his life!
We are thankful that COVID restrictions did not prevent our Field Conference last month. Two BMW administrators (and their wives) came down for 10 days. We were able to show them around Riobamba, then we spent a few days being challenged through God’s Word. We were supposed to hold the conference in Macas, a city in the jungle. However, the Lord redirected us by allowing a landslide to block our way. Through the change in plans, Kevin Mayfield and Marco (our national coworker), each had opportunities to speak with people who are interested in studying the Bible. If we had gone to Macas, we would have missed opportunities to speak with these individuals. We plan our ways, but God directs our steps - all for His glory!
The next few months will provide some normalcy for our family. Since we’ve moved to Ecuador, we’ve done a lot of traveling, primarily for our visas. We are thankful for the opportunity to stay in Riobamba and allow ourselves to settle into a better routine and adjust to life here. Kevin and Trina Mayfield will be in the US for part of June and all of July, as part of Kevin’s new position as Area Leader of Latin America. We are excited for the opportunity to test our adaptation and “fly solo” for a few weeks. We are praying that we can start new Bible studies in August or September. Please pray with us for these opportunities!
Simon Says:
Almost every day, Mommy and I go for a walk to see some baby chickens (“Pollitos”). I am getting familiar with the neighborhood and am learning more and more Spanish. It was so fun to have visitors from BMW here last month. We went to visit an Ecuadorian artisan market and the Equator. I had so much fun running around outside.
1. Praise: God’s perfect timing
2. Praise: New Contacts/Salvation of Luís
3. Praise: Encouraging Field Conference
4. Pray: Potential Bible Studies in the future
5. Pray: Teachable hearts as we learn about life in Ecuador
For a printable PDF, please click HERE.
