January Update

Settling into Quito

I feel that I am settling in fast and am so grateful for your prayers in this. Many a story to tell about the house move... about taxis and guards in the middle of the night, camping on the floor in the freezing cold, purchasing furniture from markets and transporting it throughout the city in rickety old vans....

My new flat really does feel like home and I have found myself in a block with very sociable and friendly people. My desire to use the flat for hospitality has rapidly come into effect, in the last month I have spent more nights with guests in the house than alone! The local church is very keen to run their Cell Group in my place and already people have started coming back after church for cafecito, which all helps to build and develop relationships with people.

Santa Rosa: A Small Church with a Big Vision

I will tell you more about Quito and the projects there very soon, but in this blog entry I wanted to share something about an amazing church I had the privilege of visiting recently in Santa Rosa.

Photo of the pastors house 'The Manse'

We were given some of the warmest hospitality I have ever received. This for me is the privilege of mission work, being welcomed into family homes and being able to share something of their lives for a few days. Laura (my colleague) and I were given the pastor's bed whilst he slept on the floor of the church and his wife in the bed with their two children. I was the first 'gringo' (white person) they had had staying over in their home and caused great fascination to their youngest son.... including him following me into the bathroom! It was the usual 'wash out of a bucket' experience, walk over mud piles to get to the house, and eat beef grissle for breakfast!

Santa Rosa is on the coast of Ecuador, very near to the larger city of Machala, the 'Banana Capital of the World.' (Fact: Ecuador exports more bananas than any other country!) We were giving two days PEPE training for future teachers in the area, which was our reason for being there.

Photo of PEPE teachers

The church we were based at was very humble, out of the main town, surrounded by fields and mountains. The pastor and his wife have been there for nine years now and have grown the church from a tiny group to around 50 people. The unity and care amongst the congregation for one another was instantly striking.

Photo of cane house

This small church is based in an area of poverty and already has it's own church plant in an adjacent poor community. They have the vision to start not just one PEPE, but two, and have already started to raise their funds to support the education of the children in both communities.

Photo of the children

One of the evenings we were there we had the privilege of attending a service at the church. To my surprise and delight the children of the church had a central role. I watched in awe as children from seven years old led us in worship, leading the congregation in prayer, reading from the Bible, providing a humble worship band and sharing personally from their own experience about what God had done in their lives. Here, in this small church, off the beaten track, I saw children right at the heart of the church, being given full respect and an opportunity to serve. Talking to the pastor and his wife afterwards, I heard more of their vision to see the children grow and mature in their faith. So often in Ecuador I watch as children have to sit in silence throughout a church service, here they were being gievn a role and a significant place and their personal relationships with God were growing strong.

For those of you who pray...

Thank God for Carlos and Sadia, the pastor and his wife of this church, for their vision and boldness to step out and do things differently here in Ecuador

For the children of this church in Santa Rosa, that they grow in depth and maturity of faith and that God equips them during these years for the things he has instore for them in their future

For the new church plant of this church, that it grows in strength and becomes a place of welcome and of hope to the surrounding community

For the two new PEPEs being started here in Santa Rosa, that many children are matriculated and for the teachers to have wisdom and confidence as they begin