The Lord is the one who goes ahead of you…
Bri (my roommate) and I were looking to move in March and had even found an
affordable place when everything shut down. As we shifted to a later curfew in
May, I reached out again to the landlord and he said it was still available.
So, within a week we had signed the lease and within another week were moved to
a bigger, better space with air conditioning and a water heater! I know, we are
living large!
The Compassion sponsored children’s centers have had to close
during the state of emergency. So, they provide food baskets for all the
families affected. Some families can pick up their provisions at the churches and
others are delivered to the homes. The staff follow up with how their kids are
doing via phone call or messaging, and when those are not available, they drop
by and visit through the window—with face mask, of course. One of the
volunteers told me that he walked an hour to the nearby town when the buses
weren’t running to visit his kids because he missed them so much!
The churches have stretched their resources to meet the needs
for food and medicine in their communities due to the general lack of work. Even
the churches with the centers have church members that are not part of the meal
program. So, God put Ecuador on the news and compassion in the hearts of people
around the world who prayed and donated. Also, we got a generous grant from
IDES (International Disaster and Emergency Services) to be able to buy food and
medicine for all six churches.
(Maria shares her story with one of the
parents that received food at Cosecha Church in San Vicente.)
While we were working out logistics, God prepared people’s
hearts to receive Him. The Harvest (Cosecha) church in San Vicente gave out rations to
the 276 sponsored kids. When the family representative came to pick up the food
the volunteers would share their personal story of Hope and Salvation.
198 people accepted Christ as a result!
He will be with you
He will not fail or
forsake you
Do not fear or be dismayed
Deuteronomy 31
Corona virus preventative measures in Ecuador - August Update
Back in March Ecuador reacted quickly to the pandemic by implementing strict measures. Now, things are opening back up. The airport has a few flights a week. City and provincial buses have resumed on a limited schedule, but travel between provinces is still restricted to only cargo trucks with permits. A stoplight system has been set up to categorize counties as red (6 pm curfew), yellow (9 pm curfew), green (12-midnight curfew). The county of Daule, where we live, was the first to upgrade to green. Businesses are slowly opening back up, but schools are still only meeting via on-line platforms. Our driving days have gone from once a week to five days a week, but we don’t keep track because we were able to get a special permit to be able to visit the churches as needed during the state of emergency.
Road trip! and repeat…
As a religious entity
in Ecuador, ICI Ecuador has to elect new officers on their board every two
years and submit documents to the Ministry of Religious Affairs to legally
carry on as a religious organization. Going through our audit in March, we
discovered that the documents were expired. And then, everything shut down.
Finally, in April we held a general assembly with all the pastors and leaders
to elect new officers. And then, we had to get everyone’s signatures on paper.
God faithfully provided a special permit to circulate despite curfew and travel
restrictions, and two missionaries dying to do a road trip. Bri and I were
thrilled to travel to all 6 churches. We covered 550 miles in two days. A trip
that would have been easy-breezy on US highways was more difficult than I had
expected. Many of the roads haven’t been repaved in 10 years. Thank God for a
vehicle that could handle it! After collecting all 23 signatures, someone
pointed out a typo on one of the ID numbers. So, within the week we made the
trip again! Now we are waiting for the Ministry to get through their stack of
pending requests to approve our status. Many important processes, such as
updating bank signatures and visa renewals, require that this document be up to
date.
Prayer requests
Please join us in praying for the following:
- Health and safety for the churches, especially the pastors and their families.
- Prompt approval of our documentation so we can proceed with many day-to-day operations that have been on hold.
- Wisdom as the government decides how to get back to “normal”.
- Rest and renewal for our missionary team (Erin, Bri, Adam & Emily and their 4 kids).
- Construction for the new children’s center in San José.
- I travel to participate in Hi-Plains School of Missions in Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas in October.
Thank you for your continued love and support!
Joy and peace,
Erin
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