Farnsworth Forum

In September we were honored to visit with Global Director of Liebenzell USA; Bill came to Ecuador for a week. Bill visited the church and chatted with the folks at the soup kitchen.  Chatting with one of the Ecuador Project Hope volunteers, Vincent. We had a big crowd on the day of Bill's visit. The following day Bill spoke at the opening program of the CCB's (Bible Institute's) 2015-2016 year.  I translated for him, which always provides me with good mental calisthenics.

The "Amigos en Cristo" Church in Cotacachi is delighted to partner with Ecuador Project Hope (www.ecuadorprojecthope.com) to provide breakfast to 50-60 needy Ecuadorians, mainly indigenous folks, every Monday to Friday at the church. Some of the people take hot showers after breakfast and receive a clean set of clothes.  Here you can see founder of Proyect Ecuador Hope Micky and kitchen worker Olga (second from left and left) with the ladies who showered one day.   We also lead the folks in a time of exercises before breakfast.  Former foundation employee Esperanza is leading them in this picture.   This is a picture of some of the men after their showers. It is a blessing to serve the people of Cotacachi in the name of Jesus Christ.  We thank Ecuador Project Hope for their partnership in this endeavor.

During the summer we celebrated two birthdays for Joel.  On June 24 we celebrated his spiritual birthday, when we accepted JESUS as his Savior.  That happened 7 years ago in Palau, Micronesia, during a missions trip with students from Pacific Islands Bible College (Guam).  Then on July 11 we celebrated the 12th anniversary of his birth in Quito. We celebrated with dear friends and family.  Joel is such a kind, caring person, and we are proud to be his parents.

As of May, we have partnered with a foundation, Project Ecuador Hope, to offer breakfast Monday through Fridays to needy people (mostly indigenous) in Cotacachi. We took the kids one Thursday morning to help serve, and we want to do it again soon. Elías was happy to serve.   So we Joel and Amelia. Some of the other volunteers chatted. It is a pleasure to help others in the name of Jesus.

This weekend we held a mini-retreat for men at "Amigos en Cristo" Church in Cotacachi.  16 men joined us for Friday night and Saturday morning.  We started with an informal time of games, including a large version of the table game "Connect 4" which we played in teams. Then we sang some worship songs together. The three Bible studies throughout Friday night were based on the life of David: family problems, trials, and forgiveness. Here is a group photo.  Aren't we all handsome?!? More games and fun! The last holdout for sleeping in the morning.  The rest of us got up after 2 hours of sleep. Breakfast, devotional, and cleaning the church.  Then we headed home. Thanks for praying for us.  We had a blessed time together.

Greetings from Ecuador!   Thank you so much for your prayers and support. We are doing well.   The summer ministries came and went, and now we press on with the new activities that began with the new school year: home school, the Bible institute, seminary courses, Liebenzell Mission meetings, men’s ministry, kids club, swimming class, ballet, etc. Ned continues in his role as pastor of the “Amigos en Cristo” Church, currently preaching through the epistle of First Corinthians.   Recently the leader of the men’s ministry moved away, and Ned and the two church elders (Alfonso and Daniel) assumed the leadership team for this group.   They have planned a mini-retreat for this weekend.   Please pray for God to work in the men’s hearts, as the church needs more male leaders and some of the them seem unwilling to make a strong commitment. Also, the church partners with a nonprofit foundation, Ecuador Project Hope, to provide b...

On Lauren's first day we traveled with the rest of the Liebenzell Ecuador team to the volcanic springs of Chachimbiro.   The outing gave her an opportunity to meet the rest of the team of missionaries and national workers and their families. We enjoyed the day very much.  You can tell from Elias' smile!