Day 7: But still no rest!

“Oh LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things, things planned long ago.” Isaiah 25:1.

Morning seemed to come very early today. But again we met at 7:00 for devotions. Today Sue read for us Daniel 2. King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream, and he wanted his wise men to interpret it. But they couldn’t, so the king was going to execute them. When a guard went out to find Daniel and his friends, Daniel spoke with wisdom and tact to the guard. Daniel was bold and went before the king. That evening, Daniel and his friends prayed to God, and God revealed to Daniel King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. Daniel explained to the king his dream and how God had told him about it. How did the king’s heart change?

Everybody brings gifts to the team that I was impressed how well the team has been working together and we’ve been able to communicate quite well with everybody’s pool ability to speak Spanish. And those that don’t speak Spanish, play Charades. -Mark Kimball

After breakfast, we planned to leave at 8:00. Yesterday, we had asked one of the men from Lote Tres to meet us at our hotel to take us up to Lote Tres a different way (this was a different way from going through Cangahua to avoid the many road problems). This morning, two men came and asked the team to purchase more supplies. So we ran to a hardware store. But that store didn’t have everything needed, so we went to another hardware store. At around 9:00, Mark Kimball suggested that some of us go up in Paul’s vehicle because it was undetermined what time the “sale” of the items would be completed. Thanks to Spencer and Amy, we were able to purchase all the needed items (to be delivered by truck), and we were back on the bus and ready to go by 9:30.

For me it would be just finding time to find my own legs here on the mountains and seeing that it takes time sometimes, but finding God faithful through that time. I think what I appreciate the most is seeing Ben find a place here too and finding his own legs. -Mark Gabriel

The group that went with Paul to Cuarto Lote included Pastor Todd, Chris, Mark Gabriel, Ben, Kadie, Kathy, and Mark Kimball. Once they arrived at the school, they continued to cut and bend rebar and haul rocks from one location to the building site (to bend rebar is a bit difficult to explain. But they use a very old-fashioned but effective way to make rectangular pieces out of the rebar. The rectangular pieces are wired to long pieces to make the column and beam supports for the roof and walls of the building.)

The group that stayed on the bus experienced a one-and-one-half-hour drive through the mountains. The road twisted and turned—it seemed to bend in half at times and continued to ribbon through the mountaintops. It was a beautiful sight to behold (and I must admit, a bit on the scary side)! Once again, God’s majesty was right before us. By the time the bus got to Lote Tres, it was about 11:15. So some of our crew walked up the very muddy hill to do some work (again, cutting and bending rebar and cutting “poles”). We were able to stay for only an hour. We then met Paul, and he took us over to Cuarto Lote for lunch and an afternoon of VBS.

I have been awed again by God’s goodness, creation and providence. He perfectly handpicked each person in our group and it was amazing to see how each person was used and was challenged by God. He pushed us, took us out of our comfort zones, and showed us how similar we really are to our brothers and sisters in Christ. Ecuador has some of the most beautiful sights I’ve ever seen. The quilted towering green mountains took one’s breath away. But even more incredible was the friendship, hospitality and love of the Body of Christ in Ecuador. -Spencer

Immediately after lunch, we all geared up for the afternoon. Melanie, Ben, Spencer and Pastor Todd went “up” to the soccer field; Sue, Joan, Paul, and Chris got balloons ready for the tossing game; Leah, Amy and Joann got the kids’ photos organized, and the rest of the team played with the kids using the jump ropes the team had brought.

It was awesome to see God’s faithfulness this week. For example, not getting up the mountain on Wednesday gave us time to sort clothes and glue beads and allowed those who did get up the mountain to have time with the niños. Also God handpicked every person on this team—each with their own unique gifts to contribute to our work. I really enjoyed interacting with the Ecuadorians. I worked mostly wit the church in Lote Tres. The people were so gentle, patient, and kind. IT was cool to see how they always refer to each other as hermanola. Even when you would ask who was in the same family, they would always say that they are all brothers and sisters. They even would call us hermanoya. It was great to see God’s work in distant lands! -Amy

At 2:00, the kids were all called together. Leah and Britta led the kids and the team in several worship songs (sung in Spanish). Immediately after singing, we performed our Lazarus skit (The story of Lazarus, John 11:1-45). Then it was time for crafts. We had two rooms in which to do two crafts. One group of kids was able to make cross necklaces and color a picture of Lazarus with Jesus. The other group of kids received the photos we had taken the day before. The photos were placed on a paper “frame” and the kids were given colors and foam stickers to decorate their frames. When each group completed their project, they switched rooms. Photos were taken of and handed out to about 77 kids. And the estimated attendance today (just the kids, not including the parents) was about 100 kids. After crafts, Leah and Britta lead the kids in a few more songs. Then Cadie, Melanie and Kathy handed out the candy that the team had brought. It was then about 4:00, and we were ready to head back to the hotel.


We arrived at the hotel around 5:30, giving us about 30 minutes to shower and change.

Tonight we had guests come to eat dinner and speak with us. Two couples, both missionary couples, came to share their stories with us. Jaime and Laura Lomas came to speak about his experiences in the Quichua area (this is the area in which the team is working). Altogether, Jaime has helped to start 12 Covenant churches (for Jaime and Laura’s amazing story, ask one the team members to share it with you). And Anna Louisa and Sven Olaf spoke about their time in Ecuador. They have spent much time in Ecuador and in Finland as missionaries. They too have an interesting story (also ask one of the team members to share this story with you).

Tomorrow is our last day of working. On Saturday we visit a few “market” towns and then head to Quito. On Sunday we visit Jipijapa church and then visit Mitad del Mundo (the center of the world). Our flight leaves Quito around 9:40 p.m., and we will be home around 10:00 a.m. on Monday morning.