Wednesday, July 20, 2016

No Joke!

Greetings from Kansas! We are back in the US for the summer seeking to connect with supporters and share about the Lord's work in Ecuador. Kansas people get kind of tired of jokes related to the Wizard of Oz, so I think I'll just move on. If you were expecting some kind of wisecrack, you'll have to formulate it yourself. I've got a prize for the best one to arrive in our inbox!

Earthquake Update
Please continue to pray for the people of Ecuador's northwest coast who were affected by the major earthquake on April 16. More than 30,000 people have been displaced from their homes. One interesting article I read discussed some of the challenges they are facing: overcrowding in shelters, increased domestic violence, and health issues. Pray that the Ecuadorian church will know how to respond to the need. Pray also for the churches whose buildings have been flattened or with homeless members. Pray for comfort and protection as the number of aftershocks continues to rise over 2000.

Travel
The next few weeks will be very busy for us as we travel and meet with churches and individual supporters. We are in Kansas for most of July, with a few days in Omaha and a weekend in Oklahoma. In August we will return to Omaha and then begin a trip to the west coast for both ministry and family purposes.

Moody
We are excited that Joel will be attending Moody Bible Institute's Spokane campus this fall. One of the stops on our long road trip will be in Washington to help him settle in to his new environment there. Joel is currently looking for work in the Newton, Kansas area to help prepare for the upcoming year. Please pray for a short-term job that would be a good fit for him.

Wedding
The highlight of the summer will be adding a new daughter to the family! David will be marrying Shelby Patty on August 20th in California. They attended Wheaton College together and now Shelby is finishing up nursing school in Chicago in early August. From the first time we met Shelby, we were confident she was the perfect match for David. Their plans are to continue living in Chicago.


Click here to read more about David and Shelby:

Translation
Luke is staying alone in our house in Quito right now. He is helping with translation for a couple of ministry teams and working with Alliance Academy's summer school program.

He is a capable young man and there are also several families close by who are willing to help him if he needs it. Nevertheless, we appreciate your prayers for him during these weeks. He'll be joining us here at the end of July.

Phil and Rea
Phil and Rea Holcomb are very close friends of ours who are making a change in their ministry focus in Ecuador. Phil will be joining the pastoral staff of our church in Quito, and they need to raise additional funds for their financial support. If you are looking for a very strategic way to invest in the Lord's work in Ecuador, I can assure you that this one is key. Click here to read more, or visit their webpage. Let us know if you would like more information.



Teaching
We are passionate about our ministry in Ecuador, and that is no joke. Thank you for your part in making it possible! We're looking forward to sharing more about it with many of you!