Greetings from South America
el volcan Cotpaxi en Ecuador
The mission trip
was the focus of our work this month. Click here to see a video of the
work we did. It is about 16 minutes long, so be patient as you download
it. I apologize as an English teacher in advance for the two typos at
the end; sometimes MovieMaker lets you back in to the files to fix
things and sometimes it doesn't!
http://stu.westga.edu/~ccarpen2/EcuadorMission09.wmv
http://stu.westga.edu/~ccarpen2/EcuadorMission09.wmv
Photo Gallery
Peachtree Community Church Mission Group accepts the challenge of Cotopaxi at 15,000 feet!
Cruzando la Calle
Event
Starting out at 6 AM, we went all around the city picking up kids living in and under the streets
for a day of events in the country to share God's message with them.
We served in many areas of hair cutting, food preparation, activities, and clothing.
The final ceremony was signifcant of choosing Christ and a new life by "crossing the street".
Eight boys currently live at the project in the first phase of the program.
The goal is to move these boys to a halfway house to learn more skills and how to be self-sufficient
and to then start a new group at level one. This program has come a long way
from serving soup on the corners one night a week to really making a difference
in the kids living in the streets that have made the choice to change their lives.
Guayllabama and
Chimburlo
We worked with two of our mission church plants in the Ecuadorian countryside,
sponsoring two events to invite people to church and encourage fellow believers.
The mission church in Chimburlo is organized and run by a young girl, Tanya,
who at only 19 years old, has a huge heart for reaching those in her area for Christ.
We hope to be able to continue to support the work there and be encouragers for her.
Newsletter
We had an excellent group come to work with us in Ecuador in July and inspite of everything that Satan threw at us over the course of several weeks, he could not quell the Holy Spirit from moving in our group. It is a blessing to know that what you are doing bothers Satan enough to come after you because when he isn't bothering you, it's because you aren't doing anything for God that he's worried about!
We had an excellent group come to work with us in Ecuador in July and inspite of everything that Satan threw at us over the course of several weeks, he could not quell the Holy Spirit from moving in our group. It is a blessing to know that what you are doing bothers Satan enough to come after you because when he isn't bothering you, it's because you aren't doing anything for God that he's worried about!
Downtown Quito
We worked with
several projects over the week, including two mission church plants in
the countryside outside Guayllabamba and kickoff event, the first time,
to try and reach more street kids at the Opcion de Vida. As always,
plans change and things don't go as expected but it all worked to the
glory of God.
Just for fun, a few things that didn't go as planned and how we accepted the challenge:
1. frozen lettuce, no gas to cook, new tank but gas not working right, spaghetti for dinner can't be cooked - spread lettuce out to thaw, change from spaghetti to sloppy joes, figure out a way to rig the gas tank to work, everyone eats!
2. stolen purse with passport - convince 5-6 people why a color copy can work and keep talking until it happens with officials in the US, immigration, and border patrol
3. Event planned from 3-5 PM but the pastor decided to change it to 4:30 - 6:30 without telling any of those involved in the planning - we drove around for the extra 2 hours picking up people as they got off from work out in Cheka -- some even chased down our bus to get on -- and then drove to Chimburlo with 60 people on our 40 people bus; had plans for 50 and had 150 show up so we spread a little farther; all was closed by 7:00 when we actually finished but one gentlemen stayed open in his restaurant to give us dinner; we brought the wrong sized clothes for the Opcion de Vida event but kids at this project needed the sizes we had; it was the first time at a new location for Chimburlo - they were able to finally find a place to rent instead of meeting in a field; four people gave their lives to Christ; our 2 hour event became 6 hours but it was all to God's glory
4. We were asked to plan games and help with the events for the Cruzando la Calle event (Crossing the Street) but the kids involved didn't want to participate; regrouped and changed and just let what was going to happen happen; shared with the kids and played the games the way they wanted; didn't get to share what we had planned but now we have something ready for the next time!
5. Life and confrontations in the streets of drunks a little scary but reminded is we have to always be on guard and cautious, not get too comfortable in our surroundings.
6. Cutting hair left open big possibilities for lice and though there was a scare, it all was good in the end!
7. Returning to Colombia on expired documents, and, realizing the car insurance had expired as we are pulled over for driving on the wrong day - They let us get the insurance around the corner, didn't charge us the almost $1,000 in fines, gave us an escort home so we wouldn't have an accident, and believed our story about getting new work visas the next week.
I think you get the idea!
Just for fun, a few things that didn't go as planned and how we accepted the challenge:
1. frozen lettuce, no gas to cook, new tank but gas not working right, spaghetti for dinner can't be cooked - spread lettuce out to thaw, change from spaghetti to sloppy joes, figure out a way to rig the gas tank to work, everyone eats!
2. stolen purse with passport - convince 5-6 people why a color copy can work and keep talking until it happens with officials in the US, immigration, and border patrol
3. Event planned from 3-5 PM but the pastor decided to change it to 4:30 - 6:30 without telling any of those involved in the planning - we drove around for the extra 2 hours picking up people as they got off from work out in Cheka -- some even chased down our bus to get on -- and then drove to Chimburlo with 60 people on our 40 people bus; had plans for 50 and had 150 show up so we spread a little farther; all was closed by 7:00 when we actually finished but one gentlemen stayed open in his restaurant to give us dinner; we brought the wrong sized clothes for the Opcion de Vida event but kids at this project needed the sizes we had; it was the first time at a new location for Chimburlo - they were able to finally find a place to rent instead of meeting in a field; four people gave their lives to Christ; our 2 hour event became 6 hours but it was all to God's glory
4. We were asked to plan games and help with the events for the Cruzando la Calle event (Crossing the Street) but the kids involved didn't want to participate; regrouped and changed and just let what was going to happen happen; shared with the kids and played the games the way they wanted; didn't get to share what we had planned but now we have something ready for the next time!
5. Life and confrontations in the streets of drunks a little scary but reminded is we have to always be on guard and cautious, not get too comfortable in our surroundings.
6. Cutting hair left open big possibilities for lice and though there was a scare, it all was good in the end!
7. Returning to Colombia on expired documents, and, realizing the car insurance had expired as we are pulled over for driving on the wrong day - They let us get the insurance around the corner, didn't charge us the almost $1,000 in fines, gave us an escort home so we wouldn't have an accident, and believed our story about getting new work visas the next week.
I think you get the idea!
We were
blessed with no big health issues and great weather and look forward to
other work in the future. The Cheka project is still working on their
facility construction, while Chimburlo was able to rent a location
month by month. Believe it or not, only $40,000 will pay for the rented
house, but that is like $200,000 when you only make $400 a month. We
will continue to look into the best ways to use our resources and
efforts to help spread the word of God in Ecuador.
Construction at Cheka has been at a standsill for several years due to funds unfortunately.
The view of the Panecillo from the Cathedral
We still have a
little time for some rest and relaxation before school starts in
another couple weeks but are always looking to see what is out there
that God has planned for us. There is a reason why everyone is where
they are and there are people who need God right next to each of us.
There are definitely groups of people that are needier than others
because their physical needs are keeping them from being able to see
farther, and
outreaches are great ways to plant seeds in their lives; but, every day
we all have that opportunity as well with the people we encounter in
our daily walk so don't forget to take the time to take advantage of
the
opportunities. Life can be so busy, but people and relationships will
matter so much more in the end.
Don't forget: When you're planning your Christmas vacations, Colombia is very festive and warm!!
Cathy and Steve
Don't forget: When you're planning your Christmas vacations, Colombia is very festive and warm!!
Cathy and Steve
Prayer and Praise
Requests
Prayer
- Guidance in the direction of our lives and work for God
- God to work in the lives of those that came on the trip to have a closer relationship with Him
- Opportunities to share and build relationships with the new teachers this year
Praise
- Our friend recovering his luggage, lost money, and getting out of Honduras during the military coup
- No big health problems during the mission trip to Ecuador
- Entry back into Colombia with expired documentation and not facing any fines
- Another semester of classes finished for Steve and I
- The old car is still running though two flat tires had to be fixed
- New work contracts that allow us to continue living and working in South America