8/18/2019 Olsen Newsletter April 2016

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S E R V I N G I N E C U A D O R

OlsensThe 

As we mentioned above, mud has been a bit of a theme for usrecently. In the case of the mud run, we welcomed  rain !  and mudwas the whole point! At 3:23am a few weeks back we received aphone call from a neighbor, asking if we were okay. There wasimmense rain at the end of our valley, essentially creating a flashflood, which flowed down the road and ended in our property. Onaverage it left 10 inches of mud across everything "" our driveway,yard, sidewalks, garden, etc. In the corner of the property therewas standing water up to your thighs. We were blessed to see the

response from co" workers and neighbors. By the end of the firstday our driveway was cleared. We realize there is much to be

thankful for !  we were all safe and only a small amount of waterentered the house !  but the amount of work it has created for usand the change that it has made in terms of how we can/can’t enjoytime outside has been difficult. Where we were once greeted by anice green lawn in the morning, there’s now trash from theneighborhood, and endless amounts of rocks and pebbles amongstmud and dirt. Little by little we keep shoveling and unearthing our yard. We had a group from our churccome by a couple of weeks back to help dig as well. In light of the suffering from the recent earthquakwe have been counting our blessings, and realizing the importance of the body of Christ. What a blessin

and testimony lending a hand to your neighbor can be. It made an impression on us and we know holoudly it's speaking to those on the coast.

 The past couple of months have been characterized by mud. AEl Refugio, that has been very intentional !  at home, as youread below, not so much. Last year we launched a 5k mud ruat El Refugio as a fundraiser for our ministry. We construct18 different obstacles for participants to conquer togethusing teamwork, and cleared trails around our 300 acproperty to create a fun and challenging mud run experiencWe had hoped for 1000 participants last year, but in the enhad about 600 who paid. This year, however, we saw the fruof last year’s labor and had 1,300 paid participants in additioto the friends and family that accompanied the runners. Wbrought in more money than we make in a month in one da we exposed close to 2,000 people to what the ministry of Refugio is; and we provided a professional, fun, family eve

for a whole lot of people. A good amount of work and coordination goes into an event of this scalbut we’ve seen the return on the investment and pray God will continue to use an event like this

draw people to himself and give us opportunities to share His love and truth.

 Apri l 20

 j im | suzy | ka i a | e spe

the mud run!

m u d at h o me

8/18/2019 Olsen Newsletter April 2016

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To follow us or give online visit: www.olsensinecuador.com . jimandsuzyolsen@hotmail.com . Call us for FREE in Ecuador at 607.256.6

On Saturday, April 16ththe coast of Ecuador washit with a 7.8 magnitudeearthquake. Though hoursfrom where we live, wefelt the long, powerful

earthquake in our town as well. We happened to havea team of young adults with us who had plannedto leave for a 3"day hikethe following morning,

but in light of the earthquake were able to change plans and head to thecoast to help with relief. Working in conjunction with a local hospitaland church, they worked for 48 hours straight clearing debris, searchingfor bodies, treating injuries, and helping individuals relocate. At 1:30 inthe morning the group had the chance to meet Ecuador’s President

# pictured below  $ and were thanked for the time they were giving. There’s a long road ahead, and a lot of organization needs tohappen still to aid those whose lives have been drastically changed. Wehave a Youth World team member whose relatives live in a small town ofabout 20 families that was heavily affected by the earthquake and whosehomes were destroyed. They don’t have access to clean water and food isscarce. They are not included in thehigh priority zone for the disasterand these families are not currentlyreceiving any aid or relief.

If you’d like to contribute

to relief efforts we’d ask you toc o ns i d er d o n at i n g t o t h i scommunity. You can do so byclicking on the link in the body ofthe email.

We believe deeply in discipleship. Therefore, whenever we have internsserving with us, we pair them with full"time staff members to meet regularlyand intentionally pursue a mentor/mentee relationship. I have had thepleasure of having this type of relationship with Taggart over the past 7months. We’re entering his last month with us, and this weekend will havethe chance to take him off "site and spend three days reflecting on his timehere and looking to the future. A big part of our internships is creating anenvironment where the participants can step back and really try to discern where God is leading them in life. We’re excited to engage in some of theseconversations over the coming days, especially in light of the challenges he’s gone through and the numerous lessons we’ve discussed over these months.Pray for Taggart as he steps into a counselor role at a Bible Camp thissummer and begins college in California in the fall.

Prayer Requests

•For the earthquake victimand the relief efforts   takiplace currently as well as thlong "term help that will brequired to rebuild homes a

communities.•F o r T a g g a r t : Pray fo rsmooth transition back to tUS and that he would bear mufruit as a result of his experienhere.•For participants of the mur a c e : Pray that nerelationships would begin anthat new connections would made with El Refugio as a resu

of their participation in thevent.•For short! term teams: Prfor the group of young aduthat helped with earthquakrelief and also for the 8 teamthat will be serving with us thsummer.•For our family and homPray that the clean"up of t

mud on our property woumove forward and be resolved well as comfort, perseverancand guidance for us in the midof all of these trying times.

W r a p p i n g u p 8 m o n t h s w i t h T a g g a r t

E a r t h q u a k e R e l i e f

mailto:jimandsuzyolsen@hotmail.comhttp://www.olsensinecuador.com/