Break My Heart Lord, for What Breaks Your Heart

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." ~James 1:27

Yesterday, our group from Chicago did house visits at Argelia Alta. This neighborhood is one of poorer neighborhoods in Quito. The Argelia Alta church does intentional home visits with different single mothers in community every week to teach their kids as well as connect with the mothers by having a Bible Study for them, praying for them, and giving them updates on new ministry events at Argelia Alta.

During our house visits, God broke my heart. I just about cried. Four of three different homes we visited, the mothers were not there. The kids were home alone. Their living conditions were less than ideal. Our ministry partner Magally played with the kids, read books to them, did crafts, and prayed over them. This was "religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless". HOW COOL!

Argelia Alta with Gaitersberg Presbyterian

Kairos Church and Staff Retreat

Here is a picture from last block. I am with the Pastor Jaime of Kairos church (on the left) and his son Yahir. Jaime is a missionary pastor and travels to different cities in Ecuador. Yahir is a civil engineer who serves diligently in the church. He hopes to be able to go to Seminary to work in full time ministry. I was blessed to spend time with Yahir and hear about his time he has spent in the jungle. Please join me in praying for them as their church's vision is to reach out to the five jungle communities in their area to provide them with better sanitation, education, and food once a month.

Today, we returned from our staff retreat. We took five days away from Quito to spend time together, rest, and reflect on our ministry here in Ecuador. It was encouraging to hear others' stories from the last block. It was a refreshing time to fellowship with one another, get some much needed rest, and even go running a couple mornings. It was great to be away, but I am also looking forward to the next group. I will be hosting a small group of five with another host, Amalia. She is from Ecuador and I am excited to work with her for the first time this summer. We will be serving at a place called Pan De Vida. It's a soup kitchen for the homeless in Quito.

God has been teaching me a difficult lesson on having boundaries on taking care of my body, getting enough sleep, exercise, and eating healthy food. It may sound a little bit like the obvious, but it's a lesson I'm continually learning.

God also reminded me of the importance of being a good steward while I handled all the finances for this past group of 31. It wasn't my money that I was managing with the group, but I still had to use it wisely. In the same way, the money I have...is not my own, it's God's money! I continue to recognize that I am just a conduit of his grace and resources to other people.

Thank you for your continued prayers for my health. They mean more than you know. The staff retreat was beneficial and I am starting to feel like myself again. Please pray for unity for Amalia and I as we lead the next team.

Blessings on You!

Puyo

Yesterday, I finished hosting a Presbyterian Church from Maryland. During their time here they worked at Argelia Alta, a school for underprivileged kids, a church, and a microfinance site. The school is a Compassion International ministry site through the sponsorship program. The group participated in home visits where they were able to pray for single mothers. They led four Vacation Bible Schools for the kids and helped out with construction. We built walls, lowered bricks, painted walls, and hauled potting soil. In addition to helping at the school, our group played soccer with the kids twice after school.

After Argelia Alta, we went to a jungle city called Puyo. There we connected with a church called Kairos. We played games with their youth group, shared testimonies, and ate pizza together. All the while, we did not have electricity-so it was a night to remember.

After our time in Kairos, we attended a retreat for five Christian Churches. We had a church service, group games, and then a soccer tournament.

Our time in Puyo was especially significant for me because I was able to hear about their ministry to five different jungle tribes. We helped the church paint their sanctuary and clear an area to make a soccer field.

On our way back from Puyo, we stopped at el Pailon del Diablo. It is a giant waterfall which literally means pod of the Devil. It was one of my top five experiences being so close to the waterfall from different observation decks. We also climbed behind the giant waterfall.

During final debrief, we were able to hear from the group what God had been speaking to them during their experience. One has decided he wants to start an outdoor ministry camp for kids, two girls have decided to research some tough questions about the Christian faith, a guy has decided to volunteer more in his community as a result of working with kids, and yet three others want to be intentional to reach out to their unsaved friends.

As for me, I think God taught me about the importance of resting in abiding in Him rather than worrying about minor details. It was a great experience for me to be in charge of the finances for the team and it will definitely prepare me for a future vocation.

Tomorrow, the staff will be taking a retreat to the beach.

Thanks for all your prayers. God is alive and well here all throughout Ecuador and Kairos church in Puyo is a confirmation of just that.

Please pray specifically for:

my health, my stomach has been upset recently

greater unity among us staff

that I would continue to take time to listen to God (John 10:27) even though things can get hectic with a team

A relaxing time at the beach