My final two weekends in Morona Santiago

So we dance at my church.. :D

Me singing in Sucua at the Farewell Service

Me and the ppl from Sucua in Huambi at the Farewell Service there last weekend.

Pastor Angel and Pastora Zoila praying for me

Hermana Andrea painting my face. She is using Achiote, a seedpod that you crush with a stick and can use as paint.

Smile!

Rosa and I hiding behind the "curtain" in Huambi

"So don't you see that we don't owe this old do-it-yourself life one red cent... The best thing that you can do is give it a decent burial and get on with your new life." 

--paraphrased from Romans 8, The Message

The past weeks have been a flurry of selling furniture, cleaning stuff, and going from my house to the Marbut's house. Lezlie and I bought half and half on the furniture, so I'm a little worried about getting a fair price. Today I finally sold the last big object, the fridge. It went for $450 even though we bought it at $650 at least. We've only used it one year and is in excellent condition, looks brand new and works great. I wasn't going to move from $500 but in a moment of weakness and desperation I sold it today to Mauricio who happened to be the highest bidder. So that marks off: stove, appliances, microwave, toaster oven, couches and chairs, three beds, three lampstand/dresser deals, and three mattresses. Not to mention the gas tank for the stove or the random things that found their way into our house such as rugs and an electric can opener from the USA. God is teaching me to put my trust in him.  I found a poem that I wrote over a year ago. It is rather fitting.  It touches exactly what I'm going through right now. You have to decide that you're going to win, even though everything else makes you look like a loser. Jesus is our strength. HE is our strong tower. And suffering is to bring glory to his name. The poem isn't titled, I just put the date I wrote it.

8-16-07

darkness encompasses me

I cannot see

I cannot feel

but I know you are there

your presence cuts through every darkness

like a sword, it slashes through

water is coming fast

it is now at my ankles

now at my waist

in the flood of fear

and the flood of emotion

your hand reaches down to me and lifts me up

it is strong and mighty to save

the fire that was kindled in the night

the ember that was glowing

that is now a flame

it is small

but it is strong

 and I will not give up

these fights

these day by day encounters with the enemy

are only temporary

they are wearisome

but temporary

sometimes my arms get weak.

and my knees feel shaky

I can't catch my breath

and sweat pours from my face

these times I know you are my strength

my fortress in time of need

where can I go

where can I turn

there is no one but you

there is not one, only you

people have failed me

time and time again they have let me down

leaders have fallen

they have wandered off of the path

but in this journey, in this fight,

I will keep on working.

I will keep on fighting

I will keep on plodding on, one foot in front of the other tired foot

In the midst of the darkness I see a light

I hear a sound

and it is coming my direction

at the edge of the river in the midst of the fog I see a tiny beam of hope,

and a voice shouting my name

you have seen

you have heard

you have watched in this struggle not against flesh and blood

and you have partaken in it

I hear your voice and I shout out

I cry your name and you hear me

I call out and you are there

Please don't ever forget to pray for your missionaries. We need the Lord's Mighty Power. 

Thanks!!! :)

Bekah

Health Promotores: receiving their medicines... That´s me, the gringa on the left in the Nurse Shirt. haha.

OK... I know Holloween has been over for a while. And I DON´t celebrate this holiday. But how funny is it that the day of Holloween this chicken lost it´s foot in my kitchen.. hahhaaa. Now that´s creepy. lol.

My beloved family in Huambi. From left to right: Wilmer, Priscilla, William, Teolinda,Me, Mellina, Andrea (pastor´s wife), Pastor Angel, Rosie.
Second row starting with the little boy: Nataniel, Ida, A cousin, and Susana.

Update on Lusmila and Brigida

In the last post I asked for prayer about two girls who ran away from the Hope House. Well.... Here´s the update. They have both been found. In the bus terminal waiting to go to Cuenca, they ran into one of the girls´dad. If that´s not Providence, tell me. One of the girls was repentant and now is back home with her parents. The other young lady refused to go back home to her family but no longer under our control. She is working in Macas, a neighboring town. Praise the Lord that nothing tragic happened to these girls. Please continue to pray for them, as they both need to learn to submit. First, to submit to God, and secondly, to submit to authority, whether it be their parents or the house mom at the Hope House. Thanks for keeping these girls in prayer!!!!

Thought it would be nice to show some pictures from the Family with Purpose Seminar we just finished. Lezlie and I took family pictures of about fifteen families. The beautiful scenic background is thanks to Children´s Pastor Chuck Tidd, from KY. He painted it in only FOUR days. GREAT JOB Pastor Chuck!!!!!!

The Hope House Girls... and Daniel, who would NOT look at the camera.

Lezlie Shipman and I..

Alex, Kevin, Cindy, Nimfa (the mom) and Keli. They attend the church in Huambi.

HINT: Click on the picture to see it full sized.

So many things have changed in the past month. Leah has had some problems with the baby girl, so she and the boys went to the states a couple of weeks ago so she could get the counsel of an American doctor. They are planning to take the baby in the second weeek of November and have an emergancy surgery as soon as she is born. She has a tumor on her liver. We are all praying for God to do a miracle. Jonathon moved into Joil and Leah´s house, as Joil will be leaving at the end of this month to be with his wife in the United States. Lezlie is gearing up to leave at the end of this month to return to Texas. She is a talented young lady who will be working with children in her church to motivate them in missions. May God bless her as she takes this next step in her life. This week is the "Familia con Proposito" campaign at the church. It is sermons every night focusing on families. They´re talking about Couples, Children, and Teens. Sunday Lezlie and I will be taking family portraits (free!) at the church.

So.... What´s actually been going on around here in Sucúa??

7 exciting things you can find me doing at any given time

1. Relationship building.
I was invited to join the "Prayer/Evangelism/Home Visiting Team." Last week we were at homes almost every night of the week, praying with people, visiting them, and just loving on them. We had Bible Studies, drank coffee and ate crackers, and prayed. It was a great time in the Lord together with my Brothers and Sisters in Christ. Also, there is always a place to sit outside of our door on the sidewalk and an abundance of people who just want to talk and get to know you... That´s how the culture is here, they love to just talk and talk and conversate.

Me and my friend Javier

2. Children´s Church, Children´s Church, Children´s Church!!!!!!!!!! I love it!
Sucúa Children´s church has been growing as the kids and families settle into the rythm of school and habits again. And, the Children´s Church in Huambi has been crazy... The kids are tired of sitting alll day long at school so we have quite a time in Children´s Church. This week I invited my friend Amelia to come with me. She impressed me so much with the kids that I am going to ask here to help me co-lead every Sunday and eventually take charge of the ministry in 4 mos when I have to leave. She does a great job with the kids. I have been praying for someone to help train to lead the ministry and I am thrilled to have her with me. A game in Children´s Church where you have to freeze and if you laugh, you´re out. Me and Alex.

3. A lot of eating out in restauraunts....
We ran out of gas the other day and just now have the tanks filled up......lol...
I almost starved of starvation. lol... and of hunger...

4. River outings.... getting sunburnt and enjoying every minute of it!!
Jonathan, Me, and our friend Luci

5. HOMEWORK TIME!!! lol
Twice a week, 2 hours at the Girl´s Home whipping up on that math and english. The girls have a really hard time at school because the levels in their communities are below what they are learning here. So they have a lot of catching up to do.

5. Church, every night, more than you can imagine..

If we don´t have church in Sucúa, it´s somewhere else... Ok not really.. just this week..... lol... :) Last Friday I went to Logroño and helped with the worship there... As well as the evangelism home group stuff almost every night.

6. Music Practice
Pablo, (the worship leader and a friend of mine) is relieved to have someone else to help lead the worship so he won´t have to every week. So he´s put me on the schedule a lot lately.

7. Going to the Gym..
Yes people, I know it´s a shocker, but I have gained weight in Ecuador on my diet of All Starch Only Diet of plantains, rice, rice, rice, pizza, yucca, and rice. and pizza.
So me and some friends are going every day at 5 am.. I actually enjoy it a lot..

A poor little bat that just happened to be in the wrong place at the right time... Jaime is the vicious hunter who caught him and is pulling him apart by his wings.

Three Great things that have happened in the past month

1. I got to pray with my land lady the other night. Her husband is in bad health and doesn´t leave the house. She is worried about herself and her son, who drinks a lot. Lezlie and I have been inviting her son to church every time we go. The other night I was walking through the hallway and she was there so I stopped to talk to her. She was crying and the Lord opened up the opportunity to encourage her and to pray with her. She didn´t pray the salvation prayer, but is one step closer to doing that.

2. A good friend of mine who attends church with us is still making steps towards God but still hasn´t surrendered completely to the Lord. The other night I stayed in his restaurant until eleven thirty talking to him about the Lord and about the Holy Spirit. He was FULL of questions. Finally I just pulled my Bible out and we read out of Acts. It was a great conversation.

3. Spending time at the Gym has enabled me to meet more ladies and young women. It´s good to know people in the community who aren´t necesarily church attenders. That´s what Jesus did!!!

Three things that you can pray about!!!
1. Wisdom, humility and the attitude of Jesus to show up more in my life.

2. Two girls ran away from the Hope House this weekend. They stole the grand sum of $37 and disappeared out the window Sunday night. We think they went to Guayaquil, but no one knows for sure. The only place they have to go is the streets. May God protect them and have grace on them.

3. Pray for all of the ministry team here. We are undergoing some big changes as Leah and Joil will be in the states for several months. Also pray for Leah and the baby girl that she is carrying.

9-11

Yesterday was Drew´s birthday, so we´re having a pool party this afternoon for him. He is turning five. I can´t believe how fast he´s grown, just in the short months that I´ve been here.. He is into Sponge Bob Square Pants, so Leah is throwing him a SpongeBob party. I´m sure it will be a hoorah. hahaha. I spent the morning at the church, first at the prayer meeting, and then helping out with the ongoing organization of the Children´s Church building... Many teams have donated things like puppets, prizes, and costumes to the work in Sucúa. SO, this means that it all needs to be sorted out and organized so we can actually use it. The whole building is chaos.. organized chaos, but chaos none the less. Ricky is building another wall towards the back of the children´s church so that we have a storage area.. The construction is taking place amid the organization. I have a feeling that I will find myself there again tomorrow... We ate lunch at a chinese restaurant here in town. I had no idea how hungry I was until I realized I had eaten the entire plate!! I´ve been trying to get my Global University online classes straightened out but it´s frusterating.. So instead of being frusterated and getting nothing done, I just emailed them. Hopefully I can get that started up SOON. :)
Have a GREAT day!!
bekah