Ecuador?

Between July 11 and 20th, Matthew joined a team of 22 others from Johnson Ferry Baptist Church, near Atlanta for a weeklong trip to Ecuador. There, we joined missionaries Steve and Carol Thompson and their team at Camp Chacauco where we were able to help in three main areas. First, a medical team of nurses and prescription drug helpers spent time in a town called Montalvo, helping diagnose and assist with basic and common ailments as well as sharing about God's love for the people. The rest of us were involved in a three-day Bible school right on site at the Montalvo church for around 70 kids on the largest day. Finally, in the afternoons and all day Thursday we helped in construction back at the camp with building some roofs on a new building for housing the camp staff (which currently stays in dorms).
A few highlights:

• Being one of very few fluent Spanish speakers, I played guitar, taught verse and lesson for VBS all three days. I also got to interact in a small group format with the kids as they rotated from games to crafts and application time.

• On Wednesday, 7/16, played guitar and preached at a weekly service in a tiny village 8400 ft high. The full group was 50 or 60, but the locals were about 15 to 20. Got to sing songs from my childhood and have folks sing along



• Met a believer who owned a shop next to the equator and asked me to pray for her family right then and there in the store. The HCJB radio program she was listening to was an instant giveaway. She was thankful that I was able to pray for her husband who has only recently begun attending the Evangelical Church in the "Middle of the World" (what they call the equator, since the actual word for equator is the same as the counry's name).

• Went to a university function to support the daughter of one of the pastors as a foreign contact who might be interested in supporting a business idea she and a team created as a project. I discovered that I'm actually a british investor seeking to assist in the exportation of Ecuadorian fruit to the UK (and USA).

• Daily view of an active, ash-spewing volcano called Tungurahua and occasional glimpses of how it has impacted, climate, culture, topography and even religion in this area.

• Learning to use a nail gun w/ the two-by-fours and sundry pieces of wood.Seeing 50 ecuadorian youth divided up into four teams have a talent night with skits, songs and special numbers.

• Getting to wear a patch on my right eye for 24 hours due to a few pieces of sawdust getting stuck behind my eyelid. I noticed it when they came in but it was one of those things you figure they'll come out on their own. The second morning after, my eye was swollen and red and it was decided a doctor should review it. He flushed it out with saline and I felt immediate relief. However, he wanted to make sure all inflamation was gone and eye was fully healed, so I got a shot on my behind and a patch on my eye.

• Having opportunities to share about God's goodness and plan for each life with a number of people in my travel back to Chicago: on the plane from Quito to Atlanta, on Atlanta's railway (MARTA)...

Now it is off to Mexico. Stay tuned!

Eternal investments

Today I met with my manager. We discussed my performance. Am I meeting expectations? Am I keeping track of my performance? What I'm doing well... what I need to work on... We got to talking about Mexico and the goals and expectations we have there. I was reminded how this work of planting seeds of truth, and watering them with words of encouragement, uplifting Bible verses, and motivating songs is a very gradual work and one that is hard to measure or quantify.


God has called us to preach the gospel of life and light to those who are dead in darkness. From this side of it, it's hard to clearly describe what a successful year will look like. As we invite friends to invest in our lives as we go do this work, how can they measure the result of that investment? It definitely will not bring about tangible gains that increase the annual rate of return, or their "net worth." Still, the aggregate giving of many who stand behind us will allow for a long-term commitment to people and towns in Mexico which need the saving grace of the resurrected Jesus poured into their lives.

As you read this please either a) consider whether you will invest in our lives as an investment into the long-term growth of God's kingdom or b) pray that we would find others who will decide to do that (15 more by the end of April is our current goal).