Team Restructuring

How does a missionary team go about finding the best placement for team members with unique God-given gifts and talents? Many times they simply try to make a new picture with the same puzzle pieces, or perhaps it can be compared to playing Scrabble - arranging and rearranging the individual letters to find the best possible word. This process requires time, patience, and commitment.

Mission to the World has two teams operating in Ecuador. One, our Hinterland team, works among the Quichua. The second is a more traditional church-planting team at work in the port city of Guayaquil. All the individuals on the teams will meet the last week of August to talk about a "new and improved" picture of missionary work in Ecuador. Our country director, Don Gahagen, and our Hinterland director, Keith Powlison, will facilitate planning for the proposed change in direction. We will merge the two teams and work in four distinct areas:

1. Theological Training
2. Church Planting and Pastoral Development
3. Vocational Training
4. Micro Business and Micro Finance development

Immediately this change means that Frank will no longer need to serve as team leader. Although he continues to serve the team in all aspects of finance (treasurer and monthly reporting to MTW), he will start to serve by providing training courses for the Quichua in practical skills, such as mechanics, plumbing, electrical, carpentry, etc. The training shop, mentioned under Summer News, nearly bulges with tools Don Williams collected before his passing in 2002. Summer teams brought hand tool boxes that the students will earn for personal use through their studies.

Summer News

The summer of 2004 was busier than in 2003. Four work teams stayed in a nearby Alliance mission guest house. We also had a couple and their daughter in our home for two weeks, Darlene's sister Charlene visited nine days, and Kaitlin Fender, a teen from our home church, was with us one month. So, our home was a busy place as well.

Also, four construction projects are in various stages of completion. We completed the Quichua Training Center's first wing and moved into the office in June (see Office Move below). We will oversee a roof installation on a hispanic Presbyterian church in Quito, using funds available through a special project for the churches in the Presbytery. We advanced on the Sembradores Quichua church construction, and the second floor gets poured in September. Frank's favorite, the vocational training shop, will get a roof and a garage door by the time you read this letter. Our buddies from Sembradores Quichua church keep bugging Frank to teach them auto mechanics; he begins as soon as we return from the planning meetings in Guayaquil (read about that under Team Restructuring). Pray for wise application of a work/study program and scholarships for paying tuition. Also praise the Lord for Ricardo Maila, an elder in the presbytery, who is the construction foreman on these jobs. He agreed to help us train in his areas of expertise as well.

Cecilia - a CoWorker with a Heart of Gold

Cecilia Balareso is an Ecuadorian woman with a quick smile and a gentle nature. She is in her early 40s and is employed by our Hinterland team. As a child of 5 or 6, she lost touch with her own family when they could no longer support her, and they placed her in the care of another family. Cecilia attended school through the 3rd grade then worked full time as a household helper, typical employment for many poor women throughout Latin America.

After a number of difficult circumstances, Cecilia began to work for Fausto and Laura Araujo, the parents of our teammate Ramiro Araujo. The Araujos heard the gospel and responded trusting the Lord. Laura shared with Cecilia, but she was not ready to listen...until she saw the transformation in Ramiro's life. Cecilia then began asking Laura questions and reading the Bible and she trusted Christ alone for her salvation.

Since that time the Lord has grown Cecilia into a mature believer with a missionary heart. She is a joy to work with and seems to always respond with, "Here I am Lord; send me." However, one of Cecilia's personal obstacles is her lack of formal education. Last year she began a self-study program to complete her primary education. Our team also asked her to begin a literacy program with a small group of Quichua women. At first reticent, she responded as usual and has helped a group of six adult Quichua women to read and write. In addition she has led a Bible Study on Grace and is now giving an overview of the Bible. In each class the ladies are memorizing the names of the books of the Bible in order and are reading aloud in Quichua. The Lord is using Cecilia's willing heart and it is a privilege to work with her.

Office Moves to Training Facility

The new team office sits in the corner room of the Quichua Training Center. We stopped further construction last summer because the church on site has not arranged for proper construction permits, and we spent part of this summer preparing what was already built for occupation. The church elders are seeking the permits now. Ramiro Araujo and I are sharing the new facility on a daily basis, and all on the team teach in the classrooms or offsite in the afternoons/evenings.

We ordered "high speed" DSL (64/32K for $80/month) two weeks ago, and the company gave us a month of free dialup service until the installation is complete. (No one appears to be making any progress yet on the installation.) New technology is delayed about 5-10 years from implementation in the USA to arrival here in Ecuador. But, we are very thankful for "high speed" internet service.

Also, we apologize for limited communication this summer. Our laptop has been without a functional hard drive, but the repaired unit is back on our desk after two months out of commission, special thanks to short-term team member John Simmons from Lake Osborne Presbyterian for the repair.

If you sent a change in e-mail address in June, July, or August, would you kindly re-send it? Thank you!

Sincerely,

Frank & Darlene Helmly

Address:
Frank & Darlene Helmly
Casilla 17-08-8403
Quito, ECUADOR 
S. AMERICA

Or Care of MTW (letters only)
1600 North Brown Road,
Lawrenceville GA 30043

Financial gifts:
Mission to the World
PO Box 116284,
Atlanta, GA 30368-6284
Payable to "MTW" with Helmly account
#013184 noted. A tax receipt will be remitted.

Change of Address:
Calvary Missionary Press
PO Box 13532
Tucson, AZ 85732