The myriad impressions and expressions of life and ministry in Ecuador!

AFTER about two years of planning and preparation, we began the final stage of the trek to Ecuador! Then the "real work" begins, right?

Step one: Arrive.
Step two: Acquaint with people & culture
Step three: Find a home, our ministry site.
Step four: Move in and settle; begin specifics for ministry.
Step five: Move again ...
Step six: Move again ...
Step seven: Repeat steps two, three and four.
Wait a minute ... steps five through seven were NOT part of the original plan! Oh, wait another minute ... things do NOT always (or even often!) go according to our plan.
BUT GOD ... perhaps two of the most powerful words EVER! And when things don't go according to plan, EL ROI (God Who Sees Me) is already there ... meeting needs and reassuring us of His love.
First, He reminds us of His Creative Sovereignty.

We sense His Presence in the glory of His creation.

Sometimes God comforts and provides through a warm bed, blanketed with Scripture verses lovingly written; or through extra chairs at a table already hosting another missionary family of five!  God knows the needs, and He very typically and lovingly provides those needs ~ whether for comfort, love, protection or provision ~ through His people.  In our case it was fellow missionaries ~ those WE CAME TO SERVE, first SERVING US ~ after Neal was a victim of armed robbery on the farm, our first home.
The MISSION AGENCY DIDN'T MATTER; WorldVenture or S.I.M. ~ we are the Church and Body of Jesus Christ!

We were afraid to stay at the farm after the assault, so we went back to Loja and the home of the Messick family. It was a great comfort to read each carefully chosen verse before we got to bed about 2 a.m.

            

Next morning ... fifteen table settings in a house overflowing with love and precious fellowship.

         

                                                                                 

Just the neighbor tying her cows across the street.

Kristy Messick with AnnaLeah keeping watch and Elijah being a man ... on our FIRST move.

We were warned to always EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED when driving. 

Sometimes comfort takes the form of a yogurt sundae!

        

This was a mighty army of women: Karyn, a translator, with Paula Richardson and Sheryl Greenwood, both with SIM, provided invaluable muscle, translation and advice as we originally settled in on the farm.

This seemingly rickety bridge was THE bridge to the hacienda and to the outside world. Neal locked the gate daily at dusk, about 6 p.m.

His daily path to and from ...

... the site of the ambush by four armed men ...

We had just spent a week of hard work, prayer and dreaming in settling in at the beautiful, and isolated, hacienda near Malacatos.  So much work ahead, so many dreams to fulfill.  Neal applied himself to learning the intricacies of upkeep on the extensive yard with its exotic fruits and plants, and Sherri tended chickens, all while "nesting" in our new home.  We were there exactly one week when Neal was ambushed, robbed and praise God, left physically unharmed.  That trauma was followed by hours of repeated incident reports to police.  Matt Messick and Christian Waidelich  ~ head of family of the Messick's other house guests and SIM missionaries returning from home assignment in Germany ~ met us at the police station in Malacatos.  Their love, concern and help was yet another blessing as more kids shuffled rooms and bed sheets were changed. It was the beginning of a "Critical Incident Debriefing" for us; for us, the ones who came to serve.  God knows there is nothing like first-hand experience to validate our work and words!
Though 15 people now dwelt in the Messick home, the loving spirit was supernaturally evident.  The Waidelichs left for a SIM retreat as did the Lance Ferguson family, so after two peaceful nights at the Messicks we moved into the empty Ferguson home while the search for a new ministry site reengaged. LONNNGGG story a little shorter ... we revisited the initial property we wanted and were able to come to favorable terms and pricing on a lovely home situated on magnificent acreage that includes a hotel, pool, hot tub, outdoor kitchen and dining area as well as abundant space for group or personal retreats and other types of devotional meetings.
Today as we have settled in enough to finally catch a breath and reattach to technology, we are joyful, rested and praising God that He is, has always been, and will always be, the God Who Sees Us!

        

Our new home ~ a lovely little house for us nestled on acreage with a hotel and beautiful amenities, which we will be able to use for a variety of ministry over the next year.  Praise God for His bountiful provision!