Farnsworth Forum

We went camping to Letchworth State Park (New York) in July. It was kind of a last hurrah before coming to Ecuador. We visited the relocated site of the Seneca Burial Ground. Here is Mary Jemison's statue and gravesite. Mary Jemison was kidnapped by the Native Americans during the period of the French and Indian War. She was adopted by them and lived with them for the rest of her life. Quite a fascinating life. We enjoyed visiting the sites and learning out more about her. Cooking in the great outdoors is always a pleasure. The food tastes better, at least to me. We made a stop to my alma mater, Houghton College. Here Joel and I pose on the quad in our Guam T-shirts. In Houghton we visited with some dear friends and supporters, Professor emeritus of German Robert Cummings and our Bible Memory Association (Swordbearers) advisor Margaret Wynn. Margaret fixed us such a delightful lunch and Profe Cummings shared yummy fruit. What a wonderful time we had with them! We enjoyed t...

To the pool! Today we registered Joel and Amelia for swimming lessons at the Olympic Pool of Ibarra. Both of them did very well on their first day. Marisol and I are very proud of them.

Amelia, Joel, and their cousins Zoe and Cloe helped their Aunt Miryan celebrate her birthday in September. Here are Marisol's brother Wilo and wife Giss with daughter Cloe. Miryan (Marisol's sister), Amelia, Joel and Hugo (Marisol's brother) clowning around. Marisol's niece Cloe, born on May 5! Such a little cutie! Joel, Amelia, Zoe and abuelito Wilson hammacking! Here's a better picture of Zoe on the hammack.

The house where we are staying until June is the right side of the duplex directly behind Amelia. We are glad that the children have friends to play with in this neighborhood. Joel and Amelia have become quite popular here in the neighborhood where we live. The kids come and knock on our door to see if "Joel and Amelia can play." We are really happy about that. Here they are with a neighbor Sebastian playing in the playground outside our house.

On Saturday nights I attend the Bible Institute (Centro de Capacitacion Biblica). There are four levels of classes and each level has three fifty minute classes each week. Currently I serve as a substitute teacher for this semester (three semesters per year), and that is helping me to get to know many of the students in different levels. Teaching in this picture is our good friend Pastor Diego. I participate in a Saturday morning men's Bible study called "Hombres de honor" (Men of Honor). It has been a blessing to get to know some of the men at my church through this ministry. Teaching in this picture is Pastor Enrique, Marisol's uncle and the best man in our wedding.

Here are some pictures of Oansa Club (Awana in English) which our church holds on Friday afternoons. In the first picture Marisol, Amelia, Joel and Marisol's sister Miryan are arriving at club. At bottom our friend Edison is leading the Oansa games. It is a blessing that Joel and Amelia can still be involved in Awana, which they began in Guam and then continued in the Poconos last year. It is helping them to befriend more children at church.

Today after church we went to a family's house for a birthday party. Our dear friend Yolanda (at right in photo directly above) has a birthday tomorrow. The family lives in the hills of Ibarra, which is why their neighborhood is called "Balcon de Ibarra" or Ibarra's balcony. We enjoyed the good views of the the lagoon of Yahuacocha in the distance (first photo) and the city of Ibarra (second).

My brother Mark and his wife Sherry had their sixth child on August 10, the day we came to Ecuador. Here are some pictures of Matthew along with his proud family. Too bad we missed seeing him. It will be nice for the twins to have a cousin their age in the USA when we visit.

On Sunday we shared a missionary message at the Emanuel Church in Atuntaqui. Afterwards we ate lunch with Eli, Paul, and their children, including Gabriel who appears in the picture along with his parents. What a blessing to meet new friends in the churches we attend. Thanks, Lord! Amelia and Joel posed with some friends (Marisol's cousin Washo's children Jonathan, Samuel, and Mishel along with Jimmy Muenala) outside the Amigos en Cristo Church in Cotacachi following a presentation about our time in Guam that we shared with the congregation. Amelia and Joel had fun one Sunday afternoon playing with Marisol's cousin Sarah in Cotacachi. Sarah is the daughter of Nancy (Marisol's aunt) and German, both of whom lost their battles with cancer over the past two years. Please pray for Sarah, who is staying with her older sister Irma and her husband Christian.

As we write this update, we celebrate two months of living in Ecuador. Thank you for all your prayers! This morning we woke up to beautiful snow-covered mountain peaks. Joel and Amelia ran up to the roof to see the mountains. The rainy season has arrived! Marisol’s pregnancy progresses well. Baby A and Baby B (so named by the ultrasound technicians) are set to arrive around February 23, the due date. All of us await the day with great anticipation and can hardly wait. Please pray that Marisol be comfortable and able to rest at night so to have the energy needed for home school and other responsibilities. We also need to find a place to stay in Quito (the capital) near the hospital when the babies come and a car big enough for our quickly growing family. Joel and Amelia are adjusting well to their new country and home. Their Spanish improves every day. Awana ( Oansa in Spanish) began at church last week. Pray that they find good friends at Oansa and Sunday Sch...

One of my jobs here in Ecuador is helping to supervise Liebenzell USA's radio station in Ibarra. I have been hosting a morning radio show called "Good Morning, Ibarra" with Christian music, Focus on the Family commentary, and personal reflections and Bible passages. I hope to produce a children's program on Saturday morning in time. Doing this show has certainly stretched me into regaining my proficiency with Spanish, which is a bit rusty after seven years away. We had our first Radio Punto staff meeting on October 5. Unfortunately not everyone was able to attend. Seeing the passion that the volunteers have for reaching their own people with the gospel through radio ministry really touched me. The Quichua (native Ecuadorian language, stemming from the Incas) ministry operates at four-and-a-half hours a day. Please pray for the ministry of Radio Punto, 1130 AM, here in Ibarra, Ecuador.

Today we woke up to a "winter wonderland," although the snow was relegated to the top of the mountains that we can see from our house. Imbabura in the top photo and Cotacachi in the bottom photo. Joel and Amelia were so excited that they ran up to the terrace (roof) first thing. The cause of the snow is the coming of the winter (rainy season). It rained all night last night. The province we live in, Imbabura, was named after the mountain, and Cotacachi is another town named after Mount Cotacachi. One of Liebenzell's sponsored churches is located in Cotacachi. Both mountains are volcanoes. Ecuador has a rich geographic history.