Thursday, May 29, 2014

Achieving Mountains by Steps

One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.

Achieving Mountains by Steps
Our son, Luke, has developed an interest in mountain climbing. In the past few months on some days off we've made some attempts at several mountains with varying degrees of success: Pichincha, RumiƱahui, Sincholagua and Pasochoa. Although we haven't always made it to the top, in every case we've felt pretty happy about what we actually did achieve. The funny thing about hiking is that it really doesn't involve any colossal advances (at least at our level of skill); it's all about taking one more step—something we're used to doing every day. And then in the end when we step back and look at where we went, we realize that somehow all of those little steps add up to one big accomplishment.

For almost all of us, all of life is a lot like that. If we wait to act until the big moments come along, we'll probably never actually do anything of significance. Success depends on taking a whole bunch of seemingly insignificant little steps, that somehow add up to something of value.


 As I reflect on the past few months in my life, I can see some distance has been covered, even though sometimes entire days felt like a fruitless exercise in meaninglessness. I hope that you also have the chance to periodically step back and see how God often chooses the little things we do and turns them into mountains of significance. At the end of our life we want to be able to see the great things God has done through us, but most of us will see nothing unless we do a whole lot of seemingly inconsequential tasks to get there.

Macuma
The property of the mission in Macuma has been split into seven different parts to be donated to nationals who will be able to make better use of it. Since I last wrote, I took a trip to Macas to help complete the signing of the papers. The transaction is complete in six of these cases, but the seventh is still to be done, due to a big delay in that part of the paperwork. Pray that it will be completed in God's timing.

Discipleship
Because property issues have involved a lot of waiting lately, I've been able to spend some extra time in discipleship. It's been very meaningful to be involved in a few people's lives on a deeper level. A week ago Sunday was a real cause for joy as I was able to see Cristian's baptism. Just a few months ago he was a little unclear on the truths of the gospel, but now he is boldly proclaiming his faith and a desire to grow in Christ.


Sixth Grade
Kristi's teaching ministry has been full of challenges, but also very rewarding. Please pray that God will work in the lives of her sixth graders bringing them closer to Him. Pray for wisdom for Kristi in dealing with some difficult issues in the class. Pray as well for stamina for Kristi and her students as they finish a little more than one month of school. Included in this will be the annual 6th grade play and 6th grade graduation as well as lots of other year-end activities.

World Race
A few weeks ago we found out that the daughter of one of my high school classmates would be coming through Ecuador on the World Race—a missions trip to 11 countries in 11 months. We have enjoyed getting to know Jaide and connecting with her team, a great group of young ladies! Even though we only played a small part in their time here, we had some thoroughly meaningful times together. You can see Ecuador through Jaide's eyes by visiting her picture blog here. Pray for this team as they move on to Panama this week.


David
We are very proud of David for his recent graduation from Wheaton College. Kristi was the only one who still had not visited Wheaton, so she took a quick weekend trip to attend his graduation. The rest of us will get to see him when he comes to Ecuador for a visit in June. He'll be bringing several college friends with him, so we'll have a houseful, but we expect it to be a lot of fun. We're especially excited about getting to know his girlfriend, Shelby, a lot better. We are already convinced that she's a great gal! When David returns to the US, he will begin his new engineering job in Wheaton at the end of June. Praise the Lord with us for working so clearly in David's life to provide everything he has dreamed of for years.


Thank You!
Thank you to each one of you who responded to our need for support around the beginning of the year. God has met all our needs through you, and we want you to know that we appreciate your generosity. Whether you give a lot or a little, it all adds up to a “mountain's worth” of God's faithfulness to us!

1 comment:

  1. It was so much fun to climb mountains with you guys, treating us to English church and an American meal, and (of course) the Bible lessons we got in our personal taxi. ;)

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