Farnsworth Forum

This week we are having a parenting conference at Puente de Amor Church in Ibarra. Each night Fred and Arlene Jonkman are addressing a different topic pertinent to parenting. Please pray for a good impact in the lives of the participants.

Today we spent our first Thanksgiving together in Ecuador as a family. Amelia helped to rub down the turkey with the herbs and spices and to stuff it with celery and onion. Both Joel and Amelia were BIG helpers to Marisol and me. Amelia kept the kitchen clean by washing the dishes while we were preparing the food. That way there were less to do later. Joel helped to peel the potatoes. Turkey carver extraordinaire (if I do say so myself)!!!! Here we are sitting down to eat. We enjoyed turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, broccoli casserole and rolls. We made a yummy apple pie. Marisol's crusts were superb! The kids' posing as pilgrims again next to their Thanksgiving display.

Here is a picture of our "little pilgrims" from our trip to Plymouth, MA, in May. More Plymouth photos to follow. Take time to count God's blessings in your life!

I accidentally deleted this picture from my last post, and I didn't want to tack it on the beginning. Here Joel and Amelia run free through the beautiful country and clean air of Chirihuasi.

This evening we traveled to Chirihuasi for a meeting with the Quichua (native Ecuadorian language) volunteers of the radio ministry. We Spanish speakers share the airwaves of Radio Punto with them. They produce four-and-a-half hours of programming six days a week. In Chirihuasi we were greeted by a bull or a steer, not sure which. Chirihuasi means "cold house," and it was chilly there. We were glad that we wore jackets. Here is a Quichua family is walking up the road. Walking is the normal means of transportation for many Quichuas. Then we arrived at the church which houses Radio Punto's Quichua language ministry. Joel and Amelia were so happy to be in the country at a new place for them. Marisol treasured the reunion with her friend and the pastor's wife Juanita. Juanita was embroidering the design for a typical Quichua woman's blouse. She does beautiful work. Pastor Leoncio took me into the studio where the volunteers present the Quichua radio programs. ...

This morning we presented a missionary program to the children at our church. Watching them sing praises to God blessed us. The missionary kid (at middle in the first picture) helping to lead the music, Mirjam, was two-years-old when I came to Ecuador to work full-time in April 2001. Her sister, Marlene (rear left in the second picture), was two-months-old. I lived in their house for three months and helped to take care of them, even changing Marlene's diapers. It is wonderful to see how they have grown and how they love the Lord.

Today after church we celebrated Marisol's parents' 36th wedding anniversary. We went to a nice restaurante called La Super Parrillada that specializes in grilled food. We were happy to be present for this occasion after missing so many family occasions during the last seven years. Amelia, Joel and Zoe enjoyed playing together after lunch.

On the day that we shared at Puente de Amor (Bridge of Love) Church the women's group sang after arriving from their ladies retreat in Lita. Marisol's sister Negui and mother Zulema are pictured at left. Introducing the topic of the day, "The Great Challenge of Missions: Arriving to the People" as experienced by the Farnsworths in Guam. The children and I sang the "Guam Hymn" (national anthem). My telling the congregation about the twins on the way! Applause followed! Marisol's sharing about communication challenges. Our family's singing "God Is So Good" in multiple Pacific Island languages. We have been traveling around to different churches in Ecuador sharing about our time in Guam. Through the help of Powerpoint the people of Ecuador have traveled with us back in time to Guam. It has given us a chance to get to know them better and they us. For this we are grateful, although it does make us homesick for Micronesia. We thank God for...

Joel and Amelia are really enjoying their cousins Cloe (pictured with Joel) and Zoe (with Amelia and the guinea pigs).

This is a preview of our trip earlier this year to Plymouth. More trip pictures to follow soon (I promise)! God bless you at Thanksgiving and always. Remember to give thanks with a grateful heart.

Both Marisol and I passed our driving courses at the Cati Driving School. Ecuador requires attendance at a certified driving school in order to obtain an Ecuadorian driver's license. I have my license, and Marisol hopes to process her paperwork next week. Thanks for your prayers for us throughout this process.

Since we lived outside of Ecuador for seven years, it has been nice to reconnect with Marisol's family. Here is a picture of her dad's sister Isolina. You can see her cow in the background. Here is a picture of Marisol's dad's brother Ruben and his family.

It has been fun for Amelia to learn some of the Ecuadorian customs, like washing clothes by hand. Yes, we do have a washing machine, but some things we still do the old-fashioned way.

One of my responsibilities with Liebenzell Mission USA in Ecuador is coordinating the theological classes in Ecuador for Miami International Seminary (MINTS). I work closely with the MINTS office in Quito. Every two month we offer another course. They begin with an eight-hour Saturday session, then I work with the students for four Saturday afternoons with their homework and questions, and then we finish with a test the fifth week and the students need to write an essay. We offer Bachelors and Masters degrees with international accreditation. Although it involves much work, I really enjoy the interaction with the students and the visiting professors. On October 29, 2011, we received a course entitled "Liturgy: Worship in the Church" from Nick Lamme who serves as a pastor in Costa Rica. It was a worthwhile and enriching day, and the students and I continue to grapple during our weekly tutoring sessions with the principles Nick shared with us. God has blessed me with the...

Joel and Marisol's cousin Josue playing games. Mickey running for dear life at game time. Joel and Amelia love Awana. It has helped them to make new friends and learn more Spanish (and Bible verses in Spanish!). They are also happy that their friend and neighbor Mickey goes with us. Marisol serves as one of the helpers in Awana. I am so proud of her that she is doing this, even in her expectant state. From what I can observe, she is doing a fantastic job. She plans to continue as long as she can.

Two years ago while preparing an Awana lesson in Guam, Amelia asked some questions which led to her asking Jesus to be her Savior. Marisol and I are so thrilled that both Amelia and Joel love and serve the Lord Jesus, and we pray every day for them and for the twins that this will continue their whole life long. We celebrated with an ice cream cake and the special presence of Marisol's sister Negui, who eats with us every Friday before Awana Club at church, called Oansa in Spanish.

We lost another one of the last surviving Oz munchkins on Tuesday. Karl Slover, 93, one of the smallest Munchkin actors at the time of the filming of The Wizard of Oz , played the first trompeter who came out to celebrate the demise of the Wicked Witch of the East in Munchkinland. I met Mr. Slover on June 4, 2011, at the Ozfest in Chittenango, NY. Chittenango is known as the birthplace of L. Frank Baum, who wrote the Oz books. Karl was a delightful person who sang "We're Off to See the Wizard" for us. He was the last surviving member of the Singer Midgets who are credited as the munchkins in the movie. Leo Singer handled the contracts for the "little people" and used members of his own troupe and recruited many others to go to Hollywood for the film shoot.

In October the Liebenzell men, both missionaries and national workers, who serve in Ecuador spent a day forming visions for the different ministries that we are involved in. It was a good time of fellowship, eating together and praying together as well as strategic planning. You can see beautiful Lake Yahuarcocha in the background.

"Just as a camel kneels before its owner to remove its burdens at the end of the day, so you too should kneel every day to allow the Master to remove your burdens." Corrie ten Boom "Como un camello se postra ante su dueño para que se quiten sus cargas al fin del día, también tú debes postrarte cada día para que el Gran Maestro te quite tus cargas". Corrie ten Boom

We have such lovely hummingbirds here. The other day we were working in our garden and one came and flew from flower to flower while we were standing nearby. It was so cool. Look for the hummingbird at the middle bottom of the photo where there is a blurry spot. From the garden the bird flew up and perched on the security wire behind our house. Look at all the pretty, pretty flowers in our garden. We really enjoy seeing them every day through our kitchen window, and of course, when we go outside. The hibiscus flowers remind us of Guam. Come and visit and enjoy the view with us.