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Hinterland Update - July 2003
June was a good and busy month working with 2 of our 3 summer workteams. It is a joy to meet individuals who have made the commitment to invest prayer and time and physical effort into Hinterland ministry. It is encouraging to see our American visitors worship with our brothers and sisters here in Quito. It is heartwarming to watch the San Pablo church offer the use of their land and volunteer work days to help prepare for the Quichua Training Center at their site. This year is literally a 'building year' and we anticipate the fruit of US/Ecuadorian combined labor to extend the Kingdom among the Quichua for years to come. Ingleside PCA - Team 1 There were some setbacks with illness - one member of the first team returned early due to altitude sickness. Arriving at 9500 feet here in Quito, you take a deep breath but because the air is thin you don't feel like you get enough oxygen. Usually your body adapts in 24 hours but Hope needed to get back home to recover. The other team members poured the concrete floor of the guard's home and leveled some ground for a storage shed. They also showed the "Jesus" film in Quichua two nights to a receptive audience of about 60 people, a mix of children and adults. Evangelical PCA - Team 2 The second team from Cape Coral, FL also dealt with some illness - from cold like symptoms to stomach distress. But the Lord graciously uses difficulties like these for His glory. The team presented "Creation" and "The Fall" to the children who come daily to San Pablo for a meal through the Compassion International program. The team also laid tongue & groove wood flooring in the guard's home, helped finish the roofing, completed the storage shed and put up concrete walls to a new office. Buddy almost single-handedly cleaned the windows in the sanctuary. That job was a major chore due to packing tape that baked on for the last 4 years since the nearby volcano blew. Thankfully it blew only ash in 1999 - the tape was recommended to help keep the large glass panes from shattering if boulders or pebbles were spewed from Pichincha. All this work is in preparation to remove the old guard home and storage shed where the new Training Center will be built on the same site. We will post pictures on our website in a few weeks and let you see the results of everyone's hard work! The construction crew, headed by Ricardo Maila, a member of the San Pablo church has been doing a great job leading the project. Westminster & Redeemer - Team 3 Our final team for this summer arrived last night - the combined team comes from our home church Westminster PCA in Martinez, GA & friends from neighboring Redeemer PCA in Evans. Frank has known many of the team members for 12 years so this week is like having 'family' here to help! The old guard's home has already been demolished and tomorrow morning this team will begin digging footers and pouring concrete for the ground floor of the Quichua Training Center! Please keep our visitors in your prayers for physical health and stamina, as well as joy in the Lord as they serve Him. In addition to construction, they will show the Jesus Film to help another Quichua church "Sembradores de Cristo" (Christ's Sowers) reach their community with the gospel. WCF Class In June the Westminster Confession of Faith class began with a group of 18 Quichua on Saturdays at "Sembradores de Cristo". Jose Manuel has been in training with Dave Strumbeck and Rick Aschmann over the last few years and he now serves as pastor for this little church. During the week Jose Manuel sells fruit on the side of a road. He is one of the reasons why we are here - to help provide Quichua with a skill that they can use to support their family AND be able to serve their church. We worshipped with this group this morning and it is always a 'refresher course' to join with brothers and sisters on the Lord's Day. Although the "Sembradores" property has only a stage, sound system and a metal roof with a few wooden benches, it is obvious the Lord is at work among this group of believers. I come away wondering if I am learning more from them than I could ever possibly hope to teach or share with them.... Thankfully, we are all growing as the Lord teaches us where we are... and as we are serving Him here, we thank you for your continued prayers and your support! With love, Frank and Darlene
Address: - July 22, 2003 |