Kristi's Recovery

Thanks to all of you who have been praying for Kristi. Her shoulder replacement surgery went well. She has been doing physical therapy for over a week and has already seen a little progress. She needs to wear a sling for six weeks. Some of her current challenges are sleeping in a recliner and eating with her left hand. For now her physical therapy is mostly stretching and working a little on restoring range of motion. In early August she will move toward rebuilding strength.

Scott has continued a little bit of ministry involvement in Quito from a distance. Leading a small group from Kansas is about the same as from Quito when we'd have to stay at home anyway!

We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of our first grandchild. The news could come any day now! Pray for Shelby and David during the last stretch of pregnancy and the first days of parenthood.

The pandemic remains an issue in Ecuador. They have relaxed restrictions a little, but things are still tighter there than they are here. They are also seeing an increase in cases lately, especially in Quito. Pray for mercy.

We are hoping to return to Ecuador approximately August 8. There are so many uncertainties about international travel right now that we are delaying the purchase of our tickets. Pray that God will enable our return when the time is right.

Scott will be preaching in Kansas on July 26. Pray that God would lead him to bring an important message from God's Word.

Thank you for your ongoing support of the ministry in Ecuador. Avant has continued to receive donations that enable us to do our work. We don't take you for granted, and the challenging times are demonstrating more than ever your commitment to the team!

An Exercise in Hope

The prophet Joel brought God's Word to his people in the middle of the devastation they faced due to a plague of locusts. He communicated a message of both judgment and hope. The plague they faced may have been bad, but he warned that worse judgment was yet to come. And yet, God promised to care for his people and give them good things even beyond imagining.

The plague we face today also carries a message of warning and hope. While I wouldn't want to claim that Covid-19 is the judgment of God on any specific sin, God may very well desire to use it to prompt us to evaluate our relationship with him. And he certainly wants us to find our only true hope in him, no matter what the circumstances around us might be.

Just like much of the world, Ecuador is taking small and gradual steps toward opening back up. This country has been hit very hard by the virus. The official statistics don't really tell the whole story. Here is an article that explains it well:

New York Times

Ecuador’s Death Toll During Outbreak Is Among the Worst in the World

Up to now most of the cases have been in Guayaquil where they are now seeing things stabilizing. Things have been better in Quito but the numbers are still rising. There is a lot of uncertainty about what lies ahead, but many people feel that the economy needs to re-open for now. The economic consequences have been huge, and the price is high, especially for lower-income families.

The impact of the crisis is being felt very strongly. As of yesterday 38 Quichua pastors have died as a result of the coronavirus. Of course, many more lay people, family members and unsaved neighbors and friends have become victims. Pray that all of God's people will speak truth into the tough situations around us. Pray for courage, boldness and trust.

Trip to the US

You might remember that Kristi had a shoulder replacement a year and a half ago because of arthritis. We have known that the other side would need to be done sooner or later. In January we realized it was becoming "sooner" since her pain has been affecting the mobility and performance of her right arm. We scheduled surgery in Wichita for June, but that has obviously been in doubt for several weeks. We are thankful that it looks like we will be able to move forward with those plans.

We will travel to the US on May 31, spend two weeks in quarantine, and prepare for surgery on June 23. Kristi will focus on recovery and rehabilitation through July. Then we hope to be able to return to Ecuador in August.

Kristi will continue to teach 4th grade at Alliance Academy via Zoom, and Lindsey will finish up her 9th grade year on June 12. They are looking forward to the summer break as it has been tough doing school online. Scott will probably find a mix between ministry in Ecuador, contacting supporters in the US and caring for the needs of the family.

Family

Here's an update on our boys. David has been without a job since February but there is a promising opportunity that might come together soon. We're thankful that Shelby's job has continued.

Joel has been working and doing an internship at a church in LA to help with their children's ministry. That has been at a standstill with no church services, so the church has encouraged him to feel free to move on instead of staying through the summer. He is planning on joining us in Kansas for the summer and hopes to find painting work there.

Luke is working at a camp in Missouri this summer. This camp is for foster kids, so is considered an essential job this summer, even though most camps are not able to open. Pray for him to have opportunities to touch the lives of these boys.

Pray

Please pray regarding our upcoming travel which will be a very unusual kind of trip. Pray also for help for Kristi's shoulder. And let's pray together that we can all learn the lessons that God has for us during these unusual times.

Hope

The prophet Joel promised a future day when God would pour out his Spirit on all. That day has come! (Acts 2:16-21) At least...partially. And like Joel, we still await a future and perfect fulfillment of his promises. We're living in a great time in history--a great time to exercise our hope!

In the shadow of his wings

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy! 

I look to you for protection. 

I will hide beneath the shadow of your wings 

until the danger passes by.

Psalm 57:1

Like much of the rest of the world, we are currently in lockdown in our home in Quito. We can leave to buy groceries, but that's about it. It's a good time for all of us to seek mercy from God. Whether we need protection from illness or patience while we stay in shelter, God is the refuge we must rely on. May God use this time to make our hearts more receptive to him. May he also open doors to give us more influence in the lives of others whose hearts might also be extra receptive.

Three weeks ago Alliance Academy was in the middle of Spiritual Emphasis Week. It seemed that God was doing some important ministry through the guest speakers in the lives of the students. Unfortunately, that ministry came to an abrupt end when the mayor of Quito closed all schools in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic. For the first couple of days, Lindsey was able to study at home in the company of her friends.

On March 15 Ecuador closed it's borders and went on lockdown. You can read a translation of President Moreno's speech here. Since then, we have barely been out of the house. Kristi is teaching her fourth graders online. There have been a few challenges getting it to work smoothly, but we are mostly grateful for technologies that didn't even exist a few short years ago!

Early in March Scott received a visit from a Quichua man named Segundo who is looking for help to plant a new church in his community.

Segundo was planning to accompany Scott to his next workshop on Bible Study in Chimborazo. He was excited to meet some other leaders there who could help guide him in the church planting ministry. Unfortunately, all of these plans have also been put on hold due to our current reality. Pray for God's blessing on the life of Segundo and for God's perfect timing.

One of the important tasks God has laid on Scott's heart is to help promote missions in Ecuador, encouraging the national church to send out missionaries to the rest of the world. In March he began teaching a course in cooperation with Encamina, a Bible and missions training center in Quito. He taught the first class and then everything shut down. Thankfully, with a little bit of creativity and hustle they were able to move the classes to an online format with Zoom. Scott expects to continue his involvement in this ministry for the near future.

It's incredible the way life has changed so quickly for all of us. Just like you, we have had to make some pretty big adjustments. Pray that God would make this a fruitful time of ministry in the middle of a new situation. Let us know how we can pray for you. Together we can make it through this. We can all put our trust is the unchanging God of the universe. No matter what the coming weeks and months bring, we know we are under the shadow of his wings!

Back to "normal" ministry!

It's been good to be back in ministry in Ecuador and start to feel like we're in our normal routine.

Quichua conference

Last month I (Scott) had the privilege of presenting two sessions at a weekend Quichua conference. There were about 40 people attending, several of whom are key leaders in various parts of the country.

In one session I presented a historical and contemporary perspective of the work of Avant Ministries in Ecuador. In the other I challenged the attenders to consider their responsibility in global evangelism. The Ecuadorian church needs to take serious steps toward being a missionary sending country. It was encouraging to see their positive reaction to this message. Pray that God will continue to move them in this direction in the coming months and years.

I was also considerably encouraged by learning to know the other speakers at the conference. They were both men that I had not previously met. They are Ecuadorians involved in leadership on a national level in other organizations. They brought good quality messages and it was good to see the Quichua leaders turning to faithful servants on other fronts as well.

Elder Team

One of my responsibilities is serving as elder of our church in Quito. It feels great to be back with the team and work to help our church grow. The frustrating part is that there never seems to be an end of needs and ministry opportunities. Pray that we can prioritize the most important things and do this job well.

William

The other day I had the joy of meeting with a young man for some one-on-one training. William was really searching for a way to study the Bible that would help him catch the message the Lord has for him. I taught him some basics of inductive Bible study and he seemed truly grateful. Pray that William will learn to put good Bible study methods into practice in his personal life. Pray that God will guide me regarding follow up he might need.

Lindsey's Schooling

The first semester at Alliance ended last week. This week Kristi and Lindsey have off of school between semesters. Next week Lindsey will jump full swing into school for the first time for several weeks since she finished 1st semester in the US. For the past couple weeks she sat in on classes to help get a running start for second semester.

She was also able to get in on the beginning of the basketball season. We're proud of her for making the varsity team. We enjoyed her first game last week. It's not quite the same as basketball in Kansas, but we're definitely thankful for the opportunity Lindsey has to do something here that she loves so much.

4th Grade

Thank you for all the prayers as I (Kristi) jumped into teaching 4th grade at Alliance Academy in the middle of the year. My class had been praying for me and was excited to welcome me back. The best word to describe January was "new". New names, new classroom, new grade level, new procedures, new co-workers, etc. But God was with me and I was able to help my class finish up their 1st semester. Pray for continued strength as we begin 2nd semester on Monday.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year from the Equator!

We are thankful to God that he allowed us to return to Ecuador on December 11th. We worked hard at settling into our apartment before our children began arriving for the holidays. Both Luke and Joel are able to spend 3 weeks with us and David and Shelby were here for a week over New Year's. It was the first time in 2 1/2 years that we were all able to be together. We have enjoyed time enjoying the sights and sounds of Ecuador again as a family. We have much to thank God for!

Today Kristi returned to the classroom. She is teaching 4th grade Math, Science and Bible. There are 39 students between the 2 teachers. She has already spent a couple of days in the classroom getting things ready. Please pray for both Kristi and her students with this transition in the middle of the year. Above all, pray that Kristi will be a light to her students.

Scott will also begin teaching again this month. He will be participating in a conference that is scheduled for the weekend of January 17-19. He is responsible for two different sessions. Pray for him as he prepares for this time. Also pray for him as he begins to accept other teaching opportunities again.

Lindsey finished up her semester in Kansas before Christmas and will have a break here as 2nd semester at Alliance doesn't begin until February 10th. She is going to join the basketball team starting this week as they are just beginning their season. She also plans on sitting in on classes a bit as well to help the transition back. She is missing her friends back in Kansas. We are so thankful for how God abundantly provided during our time in the States. Now we are trusting God to once again surprise us with his loving care as Lindsey adjusts back to Ecuador.

We are thankful for each of you and the encouragement you have been to us with all of your prayers and giving!

Scott, Kristi and Lindsey

Very Thankful!

Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday. This year it was an especially meaningful time for us to look back and give thanks for God's goodness to us in several ways.

Kristi has continued to regain strength in recent weeks. She is very near full recovery from surgery on her pancreas. We are grateful to God for the clear signs of his hand of blessing on her health. Most significant among many is the fact that through God's grace the benign tumor she had is only found in about 1% of pancreatic cases. We know Kristi's recovery is only due to a good gift from the Lord in our lives.

We last wrote to ask for prayer regarding Ecuador's turbulent political situation. The nation experienced about 10 days of violent protests over the removal of a gasoline subsidy in efforts to solve an economic crisis. The subsidy was re-implemented and peace has returned. Other solutions for the economic crisis are being pursued. Please pray that long-term stability can be achieved. We are thankful for the return of peace. We are also thankful that we weren't there for the difficult days of turmoil. Nevertheless, if it turns out that rocky times are still to come, we are prepared to trust the Lord for our safety.

We are gearing up for our return to Ecuador on December 11. We will continue the work of settling in to our new apartment after we arrive. Kristi also has a lot of preparation to complete for stepping back into her teaching role in January. Lindsey doesn't finish her semester here until a few days later. We will leave her with friends and family, and she will travel alone to join us on December 21. Please pray for her to end the semester well, have a smooth transition between schools, and have an uneventful day of travel alone. The upcoming changes are a difficult test for Lindsey, but she is facing them with a good attitude.

Joel recently made a move and is working on an internship in children's ministry in a church in the Los Angeles area. Scott was able to visit him and see how he is adjusting to his new environment. We are thankful for the friends he has there who are obviously godly and caring people. We are also thankful for an employment opportunity that he needed as a supplement for his living expenses.

We are very thankful for the time we have been given to be with friends and family in the past months, weeks and days. Your encouragement and friendship is so important to us. Our hearts are full as we return to ministry in just a few days. We are also really looking forward to spending the end of the year with our whole family in Quito for a few days. We haven't had all our kids together at once for 2 1/2 years. It will be good to go to our other home in the Southern Hemisphere and gather with our immediate family to celebrate!

Unrest

We were overwhelmed with so many of you praying for us as Kristi went through finding and removing the tumor on her pancreas. God answered your prayers above and beyond what we could have imagined. Today we ask you to pray for the beautiful country of Ecuador.

Last week the Ecuadorian president made the decision to take away the subsidy for gas and diesel causing both to increase in price significantly. All the transportation services called for a national strike on Thursday and Friday. Buses and taxis were blocking roads as well as burning tires in the middle of streets, protesters were out in key spots as well as looting and violence occurring. The President declared a state of emergency.

Over the weekend the indigenous people groups began marching toward Quito to protest as well. The President and his main cabinet have actually left Quito and are working in Guayaquil. Schools have not held classes since Wednesday and are suspended until further notice. Major roads continue to be blocked making it difficult to get around. Many flights have been cancelled. Grocery store shelves are empty. Tomorrow many protests are expected again.

Please pray for peace. Pray that the different sides in this issue would be able to find a way to work together. Pray for God's people to shine light in the midst of a dark situation.