Ecuador 10/10/16

Today is Monday and I arrived in Salasaka about 1:30 this morning. The trip was about 20 hours this time due to scheduling problems with the airlines. Even with confirmed reservations once I arrived in Miami I found out I was not booked to or from Quito.

God had His plan and I made it to Quito arriving around 10:30 pm.

The day started about 9 am when we met Elias and Marlena on the street in Pelileo, they are, Elizabeth's parents.

We talked with them for a while and during the conversation Elias asked what I thought about a Christian taking out a loan from the bank and giving it to a brother in need. The brother in need is Lidia's brother, Clever. He was jailed for defrauding customers at a credit union he was managing.

The family of Clever is asking the family and Christian acquaintances to contribute to his 37k fine so he can get out of jail. They are saying that a "Good Christian" would help a Christian brother. (Pressure

and the laying on of guilt to achieve the desired result.)

We went through some scriptures in Proverbs, concerning borrowing and lending money, and reminding them that we shouldn't violate God's principles because WE think it's the right thing to do. (Proverbs 14:12, 19:21 and again in 16:25.)

From there we went to Condoragua to see Orlando and Marcia who were baptized in September. Orlando is Berta's brother and is being recruited by Louise, Berta's abusive husband, to side with him in the divorce. Orlando was not aware of all the abuse Berta was experiencing and now has decided to remove himself from the situation.

While we were there we met with Jannet, Matias and Marcia.

Jannet told us that Berta is living with her mother Maria and father Segundo. That Louise is staying away from Berta but he does show up every now and then in the community but doesn't stay long.

From there we went to visit Angel and Lidia. While there, the same story of Clever, Lidia's brother, came up and how they were being pressured by even her father to help pay off Clever's debt. Lidia's father told them that her mother was so sick over Clever that she couldn't get out of bed.

Again I went to God's Word and explained the principles taught there concerning borrowing and lending. I asked them if they thought the Lord may be trying to teach Clever something and by them going against biblical principles they are interfering with His plan for Clever. We are going back tomorrow morning to talk to one of the daughters who is thinking about a relationship with an unbeliever.

On the way to and from Condoragua it was a beautiful day and very scenic.

The five specks in the picture are

tending the sheep on the steep hill.

Tonight's discipleship training was a continuation on who the Church actually belongs to, who can become a member of it and the process.

Basically it involves hearing, believing, salvation, and believers’ baptism. (Rom. 10:14-17)

This process was delved into and the discussion from the 28 in attendance was good.

Well that's all from here in Ecuador where God is revealing Himself and His work in mighty ways.

We prayed tonight for all of you who are experiencing the aftermath of Matthew, that you would be strengthened in the Lord.

Guido

Ecuador 10/11/16

Today started with breakfast at Guillermo's consisting of bacon, eggs and a biscuit. Problem is this was his first attempt at biscuits and I think he left out salt. He noticed it too and commented that Elvia's were better, I agreed.

From there we went to Condoragua for a meeting with Angel's daughter Jessica Morales. (Picture attached)

The concern for Jessica, from her parents, is that she is starting to make friends with a certain boy that her parents don't approve of and he is not a Christian. Her parents wanted me to discuss with her what God's Word

had to say about that.

We started with the fact that she was a believer and therefore set apart and as such she was very special to God. From there we went to Eph. 5:1-7, then to 1Cor. 6:16-17, 1Thessalonians 5:21-22, 2 Cor. 6:15-18 ending in Gen. 2:24.

There was a lot of discussion around how the choices she makes now will affect her entire like and generations to come. She was reminded of how easily Eve was tempted by things that were pleasing to the eye and by fancy words the serpent used that convinced her to disobey God. She was reminded that as a person set apart she needs to be obedient to God's Word and in doing so, God will give her the desires of her heart. Her desires and His will be the same because He wants the best for his children.

At the end of our time together she said that last night she was praying that God would reveal what she should do in this situation and through God's Word and our time together today He answered her prayer and she knows exactly what her future steps are going to be. 😇

From there we went to Pablo's in El Florida for a time of fellowship and lunch. Guillermo is functioning as a seminary tutor to Pablo, Patricio, Franklin, and Javier helping them with new terminologies so we stayed there helping Pablo with his homework until it was time to go to Salasaka.

The discipleship training tonight was on 1Corinthians 12 and how the Body of Christ, the church, is a living body of believers. We will continue this topic tomorrow night focusing on the gifts given to us at the moment of salvation.

I guess that's all for today,

Guido

Ecuador 10/12/16

Today started with Guillermo and I going into Pelileo to the Alliance Church for a meeting with Pastor Peppe. We spent the morning together looking at properties in and around Salasaka.

After that we went to Ambato to the hospital to visit with Diana's aunt Belgica. She has cancer in her thyroid and Diana wanted us to come and encourage her before she went into surgery.Guillermo read a passage from 2Cor. 12:9 and I prayed from Phil. 4:7 that God would give her the peace that transcends all human understanding, that God would guide the surgeon’s hands and that He would be glorified in her life. Belgica is a non-practicing Catholic.

Then we went to Chiquita to visit with Mauricio and Daniella. (Pictures sent)They are having marital problems, even though they are not married.We spent most of the rest of the afternoon with them and what I saw as the crutch of the problem is they are trying to live as a Christian family but in violation of God's plan and protection as it relates to marriage and the family. I went through God's plan for a man and woman to become one flesh, Gen. 2:23-24, Matt. 19:4-6, Mark 10:6-9 and how they are to live as husband and wife in Eph. 5:21-33. I told them that because of the way they are living they are missing out on the blessings God offers a family who is trying to be obedient to His Word. I pointed out God's warning in Heb. 13:4.

They both said they don't spend time in the Word nor assemble with other Believers.In summary they realized they were not living as God had intended and that they needed to be in God's Word. They would try to be obedient starting with getting married instead of living together. They said they realize the blessing they are missing because of their disobedience and assured us they would make the changes necessary to live as Christians should. (Pictures sent)

From there we were almost late to the discipleship training in Salasaka.We had 26 in attendance and we discussed 1Cor. 12:4-26 as it relates to Christ's Church. We compared the workings of the human body to the workings of the body of believers within the church.

The verses that received the most discussion were v. 25-26.After the study Patricio took prayer requests and the people of Rocky Mount and those effected by the hurricane were lifted up.

Isn't it a blessing that brothers and sisters in Christ from so far away offer up prayers for you?

That's all for today that I can remember so goodnight.🌙 Guido

Ecuador 10/13/16

Today was uneventful during the morning but we did end up in an area I had not been before.

After lunch Soila wanted to talk to us about Amy who has been lying to her about a cell phone and her use of the internet.Apparently her teacher called Soila and wanted Amy to leave her phone at home. When Soila asked about the phone, she didn't even know Amy had, Amy told her a friend gave it to her.Soila asked her teacher why Amy had 3 hours of computer homework every night and her teacher told Soila that at the most it would be only one hour.Amy tells her mother that it's 3 to 4 hours nightly.

There are other things going on but it's all related to Amy being deceitful. I started out by asking Amy if she was a Christian and how her relationship with Christ was. She said she was a Christian but lately hasn't felt close to the Lord. We started in Genesis 3:4 where lying originated and then went to Exodus

20:12 where she is to honor her parents so that her days will be long on this earth.

She was told that she is in sin and dishonoring her parents and that's the main reason she feels separated from the Lord. That the lying is also causing a separation in her relationship with her parents due to mistrust. I asked Amy if she wanted to start new, at this moment, confess everything to her mother and ask for forgiveness.

Amy with a contrite heart wept as she admitted to lying about the phone and other things including talking to her friends on the internet for 3 hours a day and calling it homework. I asked Amy if she would give her mother her phone and limit her internet time to just homework when needed. She said she would.Soila was forgiving and they hugged each other but I told them if there was any indication of Amy being untruthful in the future that we would need to address it quickly and they both agreed.

From there we went to the church for discipleship training and 30 were in attendance.

Tonight we started chapter 18 which was on the two ordinances of the church, baptism and communion.

We studied the definition of baptism and Biblical examples of it.

How we are to be baptized in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit after we believe, not before.

God’s people praying…

That’s all for today,

Guido

Ecuador 10/14/16

Today was an easy day in that we just visited people in the area of El Florida and Huambaio.Mariana was the first and she is struggling with the fact that her oldest son is divorcing his wife after so many years of marriage. She asked us to pray for both her son and his wife.

Next we went to Louise and Jannet's house to visit Jannet.

Louise is at the coast working to pay off the debt he incurred because he co-signed for his sister and she didn't make the payments.

If you remember the story the bank was threatening to take his and her house now.Louise will be there for 2 years working 6 days a week to repay the notes.

Another sad story of the consequences of Christians not following Biblical principles. Now their family is separated.

We told Louise we would check on her and the new baby and keep in contact.

At 1 pm we went to Ambato and had lunch with Carlos, Maurixi and John Pierre.

They are doing well and I was encouraged that Carlos remembered the counseling I gave them when they got married about borrowing money.

Carlos is Angel and Lidia's oldest son. He also was hit up by Clever's family to help pay off his fines. Carlos said he gave the family $100.00 which was all he had. Carlos said that Clever's family was upset and asked him to sell his car to be able to give more money. Carlos said he was not going to take out a loan or sell his car to help pay off a criminal’s debt even if the criminal was his uncle.

The training tonight was on water/believers’ baptism and the fact that it is a public profession of your belief in Christ as your Lord and Savior. It has no saving qualities whatsoever and is done as a step in obedience after you believe.

There were 26 of us in attendance tonight and a lot of good discussion when the question of circumcision was brought up. Some were trying to equate circumcision in the Old Testament to baptism in the New Testament.

We spent time in Leviticus 12 and Genesis 17 to explain that circumcision was a sign of the covenant between God and Abraham. Some didn't know what the word circumcision meant.

That's all for tonight. Tomorrow Guillermo, Pablo, Patricio, Franklin and Javier will be in school at the seminary and I will be meeting with Pastor Jonathan most of the day.

I pray that each one of you has a good night, Guido

Ecuador 10/16/16

Saturday I spent the morning with Pastor Jonathan at his new home while Guillermo, Pablo, Patricio, and Franklin, the men from the Salasaka Baptist Church (SBC), were at the seminary.

(Picture of Patricio studying.)

Jonathan purchased the house from the Wycliffe Missionaries who were here but have relocated to NC. We spent most of the day talking about future ministry opportunities as well as the ongoing ones. (A side note: According to an IMB administrator there are no IMB missionaries in Ecuador at present.)

Pastor Jonathan asked about Berta and I let him know that her abusive husband was living in Salsado and was not bothering her at the moment. (She has been coming to the training in Salasaka this week so that was nice that she felt safe enough to come.)

David and a group of young people from PIBA, who are involved with "Happy Feet," are going to be touring in the States starting next September. They will be in Charlotte for a week.

Training Saturday night was still on Christ's Church and who is a member. Next month we will be studying the local church, what is required for membership and the responsibilities of its members within the local church.

Before the training started Kenneth, Nelly's son, was given an OCC, Operation Christmas Child, box.

There were 28 in attendance.

Sunday we attended church at PIBA from 11 to 1 pm. The praise and worship team played for 30 minutes and then Pastor Jonathan preached on Christ's Commandment to love one another using selected scriptures.

After church we had lunch at the Mall and I went back to Salasaka to pack for the trip home on Monday.

The night church service at SBC was full. The sermon was on the topic of how Christians who are called by God to a certain ministry, can at times face unnecessary obstacles and disappointment by seeing the behavior of so called mature Christians.

I was reminded of a sermon, a few weeks back, on what Nehemiah had to put up with in trying to do God's

will. How Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem were the obstacle. The centuries go by but the ones who can't rejoice over God's work still remain opposing the work of God’s people.

It's the responsibility of the mature Christian to come along side and encourage those who are doing the work of the Lord so everyone can rejoice and finish the race Paul talks about.

After the sermon we celebrated the Lord's Supper. Through the teachings on The Lord’s Supper and understanding the seriousness of partaking in an unworthy manner such as harboring unloving thoughts toward a neighbor or brother in Christ, unconfessed sin, or unresolved family conflict, some realized they could not take communion at this time. There were 25 who did participate.

There were two visitors from the States there tonight. They were Shad and Kris Waskosky. Kris mentioned that they met some people from our church about 5 years ago. Tonight they wanted to demonstrate the new audio version of Matthew translated into Quechua. They were part of the translation team that is no longer here. They said they would be back from time to time just to visit.

Well that's all the Lord has put on my heart to report for this trip. I leave for the airport at 3 am and Lord willing I will be home by 7 pm Monday.

Guido

(Leaving Ecuador)