Pillman Family Blog

Thief River Falls

2012-02-06T07:01:00.001-08:00

This past Sunday we share at a couple churches in the Thief River Falls area.

Midwinter Bible Conference

2012-02-06T06:59:00.001-08:00

This past Friday and Saturday we attended the Midwinter Bible
Conference in East Grand Forks, MN.

St. James

2012-02-06T06:57:00.001-08:00

Two weeks ago we shared in St. James, MN. It was a wonderful weekend
and such good fellowship.

Cute

2012-02-01T15:30:00.001-08:00

Winter 2012

2012-02-01T15:28:00.001-08:00

Randon pictures of Nathanael and winter fun.

Nathanael newborn pictures

2012-02-01T15:24:00.001-08:00

Prayer card

2012-01-03T08:59:00.001-08:00

Here is our updated prayer card...

Welcome Nathanael!

2012-01-03T08:58:00.001-08:00

November

2011-12-02T08:02:00.001-08:00

We've had a busy month visiting churches in MN and WI. It's been so
good to see friends and make new ones. Thanks to each for your warm
welcome. We will be staying closer to home in December and preparing
for our baby's birth.

AFLC District Fall Retreat

2011-11-08T07:58:00.001-08:00

This past weekend we had the privilege of attending the AFLC District
Fall Retreat in Glenrose, TX
It was such an incredible time of fellowship, feeding and good times
with friends. We came away refreshed and very thankful for the many
opportunities we had to share about the ministry in Ecuador.

Texas

2011-10-24T17:56:00.001-07:00

In Texas we visited Tomball, El Campo, and Pleasanton.

Arizona

2011-10-24T17:52:00.001-07:00

We visited two churches in Arizona. Abiding Savior in Tucson and
Calvary in Mesa. We had a picnic with the congregation in Tucson. It
was a great time of fun and fellowship.

California

2011-10-24T17:49:00.001-07:00

We were warmely received by many churches in California. We visited,
Camarillo, Salinas, Oceanside, and El Cajon.

Oregon

2011-10-24T17:46:00.001-07:00

We visited Bethany Lutheran in Astoria, OR and Trinity Lutheran in
Brookings, OR.

Travels

2011-10-24T17:41:00.001-07:00

We just returned from traveling over 9000 miles in the southern and
western parts of the country. We didn't get pictures of every church,
but we will include a few from our trip. These are a few pictures from
North Dakota and Montana.

Prayer Letter

2011-10-24T14:12:00.001-07:00

Here is a copy of our latest prayer letter. Please take a moment to read it.

Duluth

2011-08-27T19:13:00.001-07:00

We visited Duluth, MN one day this summer with Tricia's family. It was
a fun time together.

On the road

2011-08-25T10:02:00.001-07:00

Our travel has begun. Over the next months we will be visiting
different churches and sharing about the ministry in Ecuador.

Earlier this month we visited Tricia's family's church in Glen Rose,
TX. It was a great visit. We were truly blessed.

Progress

2011-04-29T15:33:00.001-07:00

With lots of work and help from others, the house keeps progressing....

Spring flowers...

2011-04-29T15:26:00.001-07:00

painting

2011-04-17T18:44:00.003-07:00

Trim

2011-04-17T18:44:00.001-07:00

Sheetrock and windows

2011-04-17T18:43:00.001-07:00

Work on the bathroom

2011-04-17T18:42:00.003-07:00

House updates

2011-04-17T18:42:00.001-07:00

It's been a while since I've posted on this blog. Here are some
pictures of progress on the house. You can see the sheetrock is almost
all up in these pictures.

Work on my house...

2010-11-06T07:34:00.001-07:00

Fall in Wisconsin

2010-10-07T17:46:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time since I've posted. Here are a few pictures of fall in WI.

Goodbyes

2010-08-29T06:04:00.000-07:00

Having to leave is never fun, but goodbyes can be fun. Does that make any sense? Yesterday Pastor Santiago and his family organized a farewell get-together at their country cabin. It was a great time of fellowship and fun activities. Here are a few pictures from the time.

July-Aug Prayer Letter

2010-08-27T06:52:00.000-07:00

Here is my latest prayer letter. Thanks for praying!

Paz de Dios VBS

2010-08-25T16:18:00.001-07:00

It's VBS week at Paz de Dios. Here are some pictures.

Medical outreach

2010-08-23T10:04:00.001-07:00

This past Saturday the college-age youth from Paz de Dios organized a medical brigade to a very rural town in the mountains. It was so neat to see them take the initiative and use the skills they are learning. Besides the physical, they also had a time of sharing the gospel and children's ministries. It was a very profitable time in every sense. Oh yes, and it was so much fun. They are just a humorous group. If the slide show did not show above, you can view more pictures here.

Saturday bike trip

2010-08-16T08:59:00.001-07:00

For the month of August, the cell groups from the church have taken a break from meeting. As a fun activity, the men's cell group decided to take a bike trip. To add to the adventure it was cold and raining last Saturday, but we still decided to go on the trip. We biked up hill for 4 hours to an area called Soldados. We swam (and warmed up) in some rustic hot-springs, and the rode home. Well, actually we didn't ride all the way home. We rode part way home and rode the rest of the way in the back of a pickup. It was a cold, wet experience, but a good relationship building time too.

Church Camp

2010-08-08T07:20:00.001-07:00

The Paz de Dios church had it's annual camp down by the beach this year. A group of about 100 people went. It was such a neat time of fellowship together. Go here to see more pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/jpillman/Manglaralto2010?feat=directlink

Las Cholas

2010-07-28T12:42:00.001-07:00

I was going through my pictures today and this one caught my eye. I
think it does such a good job catching the facial expressions and
culture.

Youth cell group

2010-07-27T12:49:00.001-07:00

Every Monday I've been helping lead a cell group for the youth from the church. It's always such an encouragement to get together with these youth and see their hunger for the Word. Usually we meet at the church, but this past week we had a special outing.

Back from the Bible Institute

2010-07-24T15:34:00.000-07:00

Today was the final day of the Summer Bible Institute. Overall, I was very thankful for how the 2 weeks went. It was an intense time of study focused on helping the youth defend their faith. Along with the teaching, there were times of swimming in the pool, going on walks and playing volleyball. I greatly enjoyed the time with the youth. It was such a blessing to see their hunger and thirst for righteousness. Praise the Lord for His grace!

Bible School

2010-07-15T06:56:00.001-07:00

Hi...

I just have a few minutes online here... but here´s an update of the
last few days...

So there's a total of 11 students here at the Bible school not
including the 3 cooks. The cooks are Cristina Gomezcoello and Paola
Peralta along with another gal. They do the cooking but sit in the
classes when they aren't busy. In total, there's really about 14 kids
here.
The house where we're staying is quite impressive. I'll try to send
you a picture. It's a large two-story house built on a hill…. or
should I say mountain. It has an impressive view of the valley on
three sides. The room we meet in has a glass roof and the view of the
valley on two sides. The house has three bedrooms on the main floor
with 2 bunk beds in each room. Upstairs there's a few big rooms with
a queen size bed, a few single beds, and a few bunk beds. The girls
are upstairs and the guys downstairs. In the house, there's also a
large dining room and a nice kitchen. Oh… and I almost forgot…
there's a very nice swimming pool outdoors overlooking the valley.
The only thing that is missing is internet and cell phone coverage.
:-( I guess that's a good thing too…. less distractions.
We left Cuenca at around 4:30pm and arrived here at around 6:15. On
arriving everyone ate the sack lunch they had brought along.
Afterwards, we had a time of welcome, laying down the rules and a
praise time. Then we played some group games and got to bed at around
10:30.
This morning I got up at 6:00am and had devotions. At 7:15 we had
breakfast and started with group devotions at 8:15 I lead the group
devotions and shared on Ps. 19 and general revelation and special
revelation. The first seen in the description of creation in verses
1-6 and the second being seen in Scripture or the law. The verses
were so appropriate as we begin 2 weeks of study in the Word.
This morning Darwin Paccha shared for two hrs on the book of John and
right now Santiago is sharing on Romans. I believe there are 5 hrs of
teaching on each book….. hardly enough to scratch the surface, but
excellent teaching none-the-less.
(7-13-10)
Well, German is sharing on "Who is Jesus" right now. Earlier I shared
on Bible versions. I felt it went well. I felt a little bad that I
had to simplify the material as much as I did but on the other hand,
it was complicated enough that I think I may have lost some of the
kids. I showed a video put out by Wycliffe on the history of the
Bible for about half the time. That means I basically only had an
hour to share myself.
Yesterday afternoon we had some free time. We played a rather
uncompetitive game of volleyball with a bunch of the girls and then
German, Darwin, Santiago and I played another more competitive game of
volleyball. Once we were hot, we jumped into the pool. There we
played a game similar to water football. Basically there were two
teams and the goal was to move the ball to the other goal in whatever
way possible. It was a rather rough game. I was kinda sore when I
got out. I think I must have broken a rib playing football with the
Global Encounters team two weeks ago. It didn't hurt that much then,
but it continues to bother me…. and the games yesterday didn't help.
It was very sore when I was trying to fall asleep. :-P
In the evening we had a time of praise and prayer and then a time of
games. Curfew is at 10:30.

Esmeraldas

2010-07-06T13:23:00.001-07:00

Some may be wondering where I disappeared for the last week. I was in Esmeraldas helping Global Encounters with children's ministry. So many things occurred during the week, I don't know where to begin. Almost every day we had children's ministry in the mornings and evenings and my main responsibility was to help with the translation. It was a very busy week, but so much fun and such an encouragement. For more details, you can read the team blog here and look at more pictures here.

Cristina is home!

2010-06-18T06:32:00.000-07:00

On Wed. and Thur. I went down to Guayaquil with Blanca and Raquel to pick up Santiago and Cristina at the airport. Cristina had been in the US studying for 9 months and Santiago had gone to pick her up and visit friends. It was such a sweet reunion, and a fun time.

Don't steal the Ensure

2010-06-18T06:15:00.001-07:00

I had to laugh when I saw all these cans of Ensure last Wed. in Guayaquil. Apparently, they've had theft issues with the Ensure.... It just cracked me up!

Quiet times with the Lord

2010-06-18T06:13:00.001-07:00

On Tue. and Wed. I went to a friends country house to help with the electrical wiring. One of the youth from the church came a long to help. Together Felipe and I had a good time learning how to wire and also talking about things of the Lord. On Wed. morning I climbed on top of the house to have my devotions. It was such a special time with the Lord, but I must admit I did get a little distracted by the sunrise.

Donuts!!!

2010-06-18T06:06:00.001-07:00

This past Saturday I helped make donuts with Sarita and her family. It was so encouraging to see everyone working together and to see the initiative each took in their tasks. The Lord is good.

Science Experiments

2010-06-18T06:04:00.001-07:00

Here's a picture of Juan and Josue working on an experiment together. In the process they were learning the fine art of soldering. I forget how hard it is to learn to solder. Burnt components, burnt fingers, burnt hands... all the pain of learning. It took me back a few years when I was learning to solder. Thanks for teaching me Uncle Ted!

Bilingue Bible Program

2010-06-09T12:12:00.001-07:00

This past school year, I've helped out with Bible and chapel services with the elementary children at the Bilingue school. Yesterday was the year-end closing with all the children together. We had puppets, songs, and acted out the story of the Good Samaritan. Here are a few pictures...

Semana de la Familia

2010-05-28T08:56:00.001-07:00

This week the Bilingue Elementary school was celebrating "Family Week". Here are some pictures from the final program.

Mystery Flower

2010-05-28T08:15:00.001-07:00

I had seen this flower before, but finally figured out what kind of tree it belonged to. Anyone out there want to guess?

Random Scenery

2010-05-28T07:55:00.001-07:00

The latest boats

2010-05-28T07:53:00.001-07:00

Well, the latest boat designs are out. Juan and Josue designed and built these ones without too much additional help. They both work quite well, and they were pleased with the results. The final conclusion? God's design of a goose still floats better. :-)

Apple Sunday

2010-05-24T06:15:00.001-07:00

This past Sunday after church many from the congregation went to harvest apples together. It was a great time of fun and fellowship.

More pictures here:

Another project

2010-05-18T11:28:00.000-07:00

Today's project was a toy airboat. We finished off the boat last week and today I went with Juan and Josue to try it out. It tipped once and got stuck in the middle of the pond for 20 min, but besides that it was a success.

First Communion Sunday

2010-05-18T08:24:00.001-07:00

This past Sunday was First Communion Sunday at Paz de Dios. About 10 youth had received teaching along with their parents. Here are some pictures from the day.

The Great Debate

2010-05-15T18:09:00.000-07:00

On Saturday afternoon we had a debate with/for the church youth. The subject was dating vs. courtship. All the people involved were in favor of courtship but a few played the devil's advocate and presented the objections to courtship that the youth often have. After each side presented their case, we had a time for rebuttal and then a roundtable discussion directed by the moderator. In the end, the youth had an opportunity to write down questions and present them to the panel.

It was very encouraging to see the large number of youth who came for the event. I counted at least 55. I found it challenging to be involved in the debate but think it was an excellent way to creatively present the dangers of dating and the truth about courtship. Thank you for those who were in prayer for this time.

A new fruit

2010-05-15T17:54:00.000-07:00

This past Wed. I ate a new fruit. It was called a "nisparo". It reminded me most of an apple in looks and seeds, but in flavor it was more like a crisp grape. It was very tasty and pleasant to eat.

Men's Bible Study

2010-05-12T06:36:00.001-07:00

Each Tue. evening I continue to help lead a men's cell group. We usually meet at the church but yesterday we met at German's house. We had coffee together, did some singing and had the study. Not as many men came as usual, but we had a good time of fellowship.

May-June Prayer Letter

2010-05-10T07:28:00.000-07:00

Here's my latest prayer letter.... Thanks for praying!

You can also click here to view the prayer letter.

Practical Electronics

2010-05-09T13:43:00.001-07:00

Pastor Santiago and his family have been building a cabin out in the country. This past week it was ready to be wired. This provided a great opportunity to teach Juan and Josue the basics of wiring a home. They were good learners and willing helpers.

They arrived!

2010-04-28T07:16:00.001-07:00

My suitcases arrived safe and sound here in Cuenca yesterday. God is good!

Homeschool fun

2010-04-27T06:25:00.000-07:00

Kind of as a year-end/goodbye activity Peter organized a special meal and a time for the homeschool youth to share with each other and their families some of their work in the past month. Peter had been teaching WW2 history and the kids each had their timelines and maps. It was a fun time. I'm so thankful for Peter's ministry and help with the families down here.

A quick trip home

2010-04-26T09:18:00.000-07:00

If blogs had feelings, I'm sure mine would be feeling very neglected at the moment. About 3 weeks ago, I flew back to the states for a quick visit. The main reason for the trip was to meet with the AFLC missions board. In addition, I was also able to connect with my work, family, and many friends. As I look back over the time, I'm amazed at the way the Lord worked out all the details.

I arrived back in Ecuador last Friday. Unfortunately, my luggage got lost along the way. The airline called and said they have found the luggage and it should be arriving here in Cuenca tomorrow. Please pray everything arrives safely.

Here are some pictures of my time in the states.

Nabon with Peter

2010-04-05T18:36:00.000-07:00

These pictures are a little out of order, but since I had forgotten to post them, I'll do it now.

Holy Week Camp

2010-04-05T05:56:00.001-07:00

This past Thur, Fri, and Sat. the Paz de Dios church had Holy Week Camp. The retreat center was located on the warm, wet, costal plains about 2.5 hours away from Cuenca.

The theme of the camp was Holy Week and "The Culture of Noise" and how we are often so bombarded with noise that we can't hear the Lord speak to us. Our culture has so much noise, it can not think. We are always listening to something: TV, radio, iPod, etc.

I shared one session focusing on the technology used to make the noise. I was also in charge of the cabin of teenage and collage-age guys. I have to say they were some of the best behaved guys I've worked with. They were responsible, so I didn't really need to lay down many rules, and yet they knew how to have fun. We had a lot of good laughs together.

I was thankful not to have a lot of responsibilities this retreat. I felt like I was able to get some much needed rest.

Monday cell group

2010-03-29T19:41:00.000-07:00

Every Monday I lead a cell group for the church youth who are interested. Usually about 15-20 youth attend. Today we took a hike up a hill close to the church and had our devotional overlooking the city.

Baños

2010-03-29T19:37:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday Dario invited me to go with his family to his mother-in-law's house. Dario is one of the elder's at Paz de Dios and his wife's name is Gloria. My parent's worked with Gloria's parents and family many years ago, and Jessica was baptized in the small chapel they have next to their house.

It was so good to be with Gloria's family and have a time of worship together in their chapel. It brought back memories and was very meaningful to be able to share the message during the worship service.

Es mi Cuenca....

2010-03-21T19:18:00.000-07:00

An evening shot of Cuenca.

Basket Case

2010-03-21T19:15:00.000-07:00

On my way home from preaching in Paute, traffic came to a complete stop. I've included a picture of the problem. Would you call this a basket case???

Sunday

2010-03-21T19:13:00.000-07:00

Today I went to preach at a small church outside the city of Cuenca. I preached on 1Cor 10. It was a blessing to fellowship with the congregation. Here is a picture of the church in Paute along with Pastor Gonzalo, his brother, and sister-in-law.

Birthday Season

2010-03-21T19:10:00.000-07:00

It seems to be birthday season down here. It was my birthday, Peter's birthday and other people from the church. We had a few combined parties this past week. Here are some pictures of the celebrations, including some pictures of the Ecuadorian classic of having your face pushed into the cake. :-)

Bros on the Beach

2010-03-15T19:44:00.000-07:00

It felt like we had just been to the jungle, but it worked out this last weekend to go to the beach with Peter. It was his first time to swim in the ocean. We had a very enjoyable time together. Here are some pictures from the time.

Unphotographed Days

2010-03-10T07:31:00.000-08:00

Have you ever realized how many days never get photographed? I mean, the camera comes out for birthdays, vacations, weddings, etc. but 99% of the time, it is left on the shelf. I realized the other day that is often what happens with my ministry here in Ecuador. All the adventures and trips get photographed, but the real ministry is left undocumented. The one-on-one times during the week and the small-group Bible studies is where the most important ministry takes place. It feels so ordinary and unexciting that I rarely think of photographing it, but it is probably one of the most important parts of my ministry down here.

If it would have been a trip to the jungle or something, I would have probably included 25 pictures with this post, but you'll have to be content with one. Here is a shot of the men's cell group (Bible study) last night. They are a special group of guys with a hunger and desire to grow in the Lord.

A youth hike

2010-03-07T15:25:00.000-08:00

On Saturday the youth from the church went on a hike in the mountains. We began hiking up the mountain at 1:30pm and returned at 6:00pm. We basically hiked up, enjoyed the view, and hiked back down the same path. The scenery was breathtaking and unfortunately, the pictures just can't capture it all.

Overall, the whole outing was very encouraging. Many of the youth brought along friends, and we had a group of about 35 youth and 5 adults. Besides being a good time of fellowship, the purpose of the hike is also to physically challenge the youth. We hiked for about 2 hrs straight up... at an altitude of 10k-11k feet to boot. Needless to say, we all were huffing and puffing at the end of the 2 hrs. when we got to a grassy peak. Here we sang some praise choruses and Pastor Santiago shared a challenging message with the youth.

The youth are all in different stages of maturity spiritually, but it's encouraging to see how many of them are growing. There is an obvious hunger for things for things of the Lord. There are few things I find more enjoyable than this sort of activity with the youth. Sometimes I'm encouraging them to keep going and make it to the top of the mountain, and other times we're teasing each other. Over the last year-and-a-half, I've grown close to many of them. We sure have a lot of fun together.

R&R in the Jungle

2010-03-02T04:40:00.000-08:00

This past weekend Peter, German and I went with Gonzalo Morocho and his family to the jungle. Gonzalo is the pastor of a small Lutheran church in the city of Paute. He and his family had never been to the jungle before. We had such a neat time of fellowship, and enjoying the beauty of God's creation.

We went to a zoo, walked 3 hrs through the jungle, and spent a lot of time swimming in the rivers. The most difficult part of the trip was that their car broke down on the way home.

My family back in WI had their own adventure this past weekend. It's quite a contrast to the jungle, but it looks like just as fun! Here are some of their pictures.

If the slide shows do not appear for you, try these links:
http://picasaweb.google.com/mjpillman/WinterCampingWithKevin?feat=content_notification#

http://picasaweb.google.com/jpillman/SucuaWithPeter#

Jungle Flowers

2010-03-01T18:18:00.000-08:00

Every time I go to the jungle, I see new more varieties of flowers and plants. Here are some of the specimens I found this time.

Jungle Fruit

2010-03-01T18:15:00.000-08:00

One of the highlights for me of being in the jungle is the exotic fruit. This time the zapotes and caymitos were in season. Zapotes are a brown fruit that are just a little larger than a softball. Inside they have about 5 large seeds and are bright orange. They taste a little like a mango, but are not quite as juicy. Zapotes are fairly common in the markets, but I had never harvested them before. What fun to climb up the tree to look for ripe ones. It was loaded!

The caymitos are even more exotic. I've hardly ever seen them even here in Cuenca. They are the size of a small orange, and yellow/green. Inside they have one black seed with white flesh that has a mellow, very sweet flavor. The best part of this fruit is 10 minutes after you finish eating it. Your lips start to stick together. It's a very strong glue that sticks to your lips and will not wash off with water. You can either wait it out or rub it off with oil/lard. We brought home a whole bag of caymitos and I took some to the youth Bible study today. Hardly any of the youth had ever tasted one before. It was so much fun to watch their expressions as they began to notice their lips stick together. We all had a good laugh. What amazing creativity our Lord has!

Spiritual Emphasis Week

2010-02-26T10:57:00.000-08:00

Here's a compilation of all pictures form this last week. PTL for open hearts, and an awesome time!!!

More pictures from spiritual emphasis week

2010-02-23T14:56:00.001-08:00

Spiritual Emphasis Week

2010-02-22T18:21:00.000-08:00

It's spiritual emphasis week at the Bilingue school this week. There are special crafts, activities, chapel services, and movies. It was a full day on Monday as week kicked off the week.

Please be praying the children would be open to the message and that the Lord would touch hearts. The focus of the week is our identity in Christ. In the pictures you can see the story/skit about Gideon's pot. Through the story the children learn that the Lord wants to use what we think are defects (cracks) in our lives to let His light shine through us.

Sunday afternoon with friends

2010-02-22T18:14:00.000-08:00

On Sunday afternoon the Saris invited us over for cui and tripa mischqui. OK, let's make this clear... the invited us to EAT cui and tripa mishqui. Cui is guinea pig and tripa mishqui is grilled pig intestine. While maybe not the typical meat at an American grill-out, they are both typical for Ecuador. It was wonderful fellowship and tasty food. I so enjoyed the time.

Dario Sari is an elder in the Paz de Dios church, and we've known their family for years. In fact, my parents worked with Gloria's family before Dario and Gloria were married.

I've included some fun pictures of jumping over a pond and Peter and I posing next to the girls for a size comparison.

Fishing in Soldados

2010-02-18T17:13:00.000-08:00

On Wed, since many people were still off of work, we were able to go trout fishing. We drove for about 2 hours on rough roads and then walked for about another hour to get to the lake. Thankfully, our efforts paid off. We caught 9 fish between the 6 of us.

More Carnival Pics...

2010-02-18T17:04:00.000-08:00

In my last post I had pictures from Sunday. On Monday, a family from the church invited those who wanted to their house in the country. We had a devotional and singing time, ate lunch, and then went for a walk in the woods. After getting back from the walk, Carnival let loose, and (almost) everyone got wet. It was a good healthy time of fun and relaxation.

Carnival

2010-02-14T17:26:00.001-08:00

After church today we ate lunch together and had a time of games. It's the time of Carnival down here and the tradition is to throw water and cornstarch on people. As you can see in the pictures, the main game of the day was getting each other wet. We also played some soccer and group games for everyone. Near the end, different groups of people acted out Bible stories. I've included some pictures of David and Goliath.

Some pictures

2010-02-13T09:43:00.001-08:00

I seem to be developing the bad habit lately of forgetting my camera. Thus, I don't have as many pictures to post. Each Tuesday I help out with chapel at the Bilingue. Here are some pictures from last Tuesday.

Painting etc.

2010-02-08T05:04:00.001-08:00

My brother Peter arrived! We got into Cuenca at 6:30am Sat. morning
after traveling through the night from Guayaquil.

We got right to work. Sat. afternoon we got together with the youth
group to help a church family with house repairs. We painted, did
some electrical work and helped build a chicken coop. There was a
good group of youth and it was a fun time. God is good!

Peter arrives today

2010-02-05T11:25:00.000-08:00

Lord willing my brother Peter arrives today. I leave Cuenca at 4:00pm to pick him up in Guayaquil. I'm really looking forward to having him here for 3 months. Please check back for more details....

Hydroelectric Plant

2010-01-25T05:43:00.000-08:00

On Friday I was able to go with a group of high-schoolers from the Bilingue to visit a hydroelectric plant. It was neat experience. The plant provides almost 50% of the electric power for the country. If you can't see the slideshow above, you can try clicking the link here.

Nabon

2010-01-22T19:11:00.000-08:00

It was good having Jessica visit with Patricia. I didn't get all the pictures posted from the time. Here are a few from our visit to Nabon.

Pastor Santiago's Birthday

2010-01-18T04:57:00.000-08:00

Pastor Santiago celebrated his 50th birthday this year. His family planned a surprise birthday for him last Saturday. It was a touching time and a tribute to his ministry and his Lord.

More camp details...

2010-01-11T13:24:00.000-08:00

This past Thur. we went on a retreat to the jungle. I organized it mostly for the youth who come to the Monday cell group. They are a mature group and growing in the Lord. The goal was to have time to encourage them to continue growing in the Lord. Pastor Santiago came along as well as Jessica and Patricia who have been here visiting the last 2 weeks.

We left the bus terminal in Cuenca at 2:30pm on Thur. and made our way to the jungle. A good half of the trip was along curvy, one-lane roads that wound there way up the mountains and then down to the jungle. The travel was slow, but the scenery was breath-taking. Partway along the way the bus had a flat, so it was after 10:00pm when we finally arrived at the camp.

The camp is right off the main road, but has very distinct jungle flora. There giant trees tower overhead and a person can swing on the vines hanging from the trees. Impatients grow by themselves under the trees and are over 2 ft. tall. Besides large plants, there are large insects as well. We caught a moth and a butterfly with wingspands in the range of 4 inches and a huge katydid that was about their size as well. I am continually amazed by the beauty in the jungle.

Friday morning we had papaya, bananas, granola and yogurt for breakfast. Then we had a time of singing and began the teaching time. I lead the teaching and had made booklets for each attending. The focus of the teaching was on yielding rights and anger resolution. My goal was to keep it as practical as possible. We had some good conversations about music, friends, etc.

For lunch the director of the camp took us to a river to eat. We threw a grill, and all the food in the back of a small truck and everyone climbed in. The river was only about 10 min from the camp and had a nice beach. We went swimming for a short time while they prepared the grilled chicken, potatoes, and cooked vegetables. On the opposite side of the river the water was deep and there were cliffs. We spent most of our time jumping off the rocks into the river. The highest leaps were probably about 15 ft.

On returning to the camp, we went to the yucca patch to harvest. We cut down about 6 plants and then pulled up the long, tubular yucca roots. These were mature plants and some of the roots were over 2 ft. long. Most of us had never seen how yucca is harvested so it was a good learning experience.

After supper we had a time of singing and a bonfire. The camp made up some bread dough. We wrapped the dough around sticks and roasted it over the fire. Interestingly, the firewood was from a cinnamon tree, so every now and then you would get a whiff of cinnamon. It was a great experience. That night I got to sleep at around 11:30.

Saturday morning after a time praise, and teaching we headed off to a lodge type place. We paid $2 to get in and then could go boating, swimming and seeing the animals. There was no one else there, so we had the place to ourselves. We went boating first, and after an hour or so, the boating turned more into swimming…. in the muddy water. After that I went to look at the animals. They mostly had animals that were native to the jungle, and I don't know most of the names in English. When we were done seeing the animals, we went swimming for a short time in the real (clean) pool.

On arriving back to the camp, we ate lunch and caught a 3:30pm bus home. Thankfully, this bus made better time and we were in Cuenca before 10:00pm.

Thank you so much for each who upheld this retreat in prayer. The Lord gave safety and the youth really were open to the teaching from God's Word. Please pray that the lessons learned would take root and they would be able to apply them to their every day lives.

Jungle retreat

2010-01-11T05:06:00.000-08:00

This past Thur-Sat we went down with a group of youth to the jungle. We had an excellent time together. I taught on yielding rights. In the afternoons, we went swimming in the river, harvesting yucca, and boating. PTL for His protection and open hearts during the retreat.

Ministry in Oña

2009-12-31T08:36:00.001-08:00

On Monday Jessica and a friend Trica arrived for a two week visit. We got right into the ministry on Wed. and went to a small town called Oña. We handed out cloths, food, and had a time of sharing the gospel. It was such a blessing to be able to serve like this with the Paz de Dios church.

Christmas Eve

2009-12-27T17:24:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures from my Christmas Eve. First we had an evening service at the Paz de Dios church and then we had a Christmas dinner with pastor Santiago's family. It was a special time celebrating Jesus' birth.

Prayer Letter

2009-12-23T07:04:00.001-08:00

To view my Dec-Jan prayer letter, click here.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-23T06:52:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas to each of you. As you celebrate this Christmas season, may you not forget the most incredible, indescribably, best gift of all ---JESUS! May your heart always be filled with thanksgiving for the gift of salvation God sent and wrapped in swaddling clothes. 2Cor. 9:15

Paz de Dios Cantata

2009-12-20T09:45:00.001-08:00

To download the .wmv file, click here.

Peace Child

2009-12-12T17:54:00.000-08:00

The last few days I was in Shell working on translating the Peace Child movie into the Shuar language. OK, I didn't actually do the translating, but I helped with the technical side of things. It was a full two days, but the Lord gave grace and we got it done. I was so involved, I didn't even remember to get some pictures of us working on the translation process. Here at least are some pictures I took while traveling and other activities we did while there. I'll also include a screen shot of the movie.

Felipe came along with me on this trip. He is a senior in high school and attends the Paz de Dios church. He is a sharp guy and good with computers. We would spell each other off as we worked on editing the movie. It was such a blessing to work with him. He is quiet, but has a sincere love for the Lord and desire to serve him. He is such an encouragement.

Weekend in Peru

2009-12-08T04:41:00.000-08:00

One of the homeschool families invited me and a few other people on a weekend trip to Peru. We had such a good time together. Here are a few pictures from the time.

Ocean scenery

2009-12-07T18:26:00.000-08:00

The scenery at the beach is so neat. Here are a few examples.

Update: Youth Retreat

2009-11-30T04:17:00.001-08:00

I have planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.
So then, neither is he that planteth anything, nor he that watereth, but God who giveth the increase.
1Cor. 3:6,7

A few months ago, I shared a post about a weekend retreat with the youth from the church. It's been really encouraging to see some of the outcome from the retreat over the last few months. Two young men who had been on the periphery have shown and expressed a real hunger for the Word and a desire to grow in the Lord. Please be in prayer for J and K that the Lord would continue to work in their lives and use them in a mighty way for His kingdom.

Grass and Flowers

2009-11-28T18:16:00.000-08:00

Saturday Activities

2009-11-28T17:08:00.000-08:00

Today the youth from the church got together to make Christmas cards. The goal was to make about 10 cards each, decorated and with a scripture verse. Two weeks from now we plan to go with the youth to one of the city parks to witness and hand out the cards. Please be praying that the Lord would go before preparing the way, that hearts would be open to the true meaning of Christmas!

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-27T04:55:00.001-08:00

When far away from relatives, it sure makes one thankful for brothers and sisters in Christ. Wed. night a bunch of us got together to celebrate. God is so good.

Let all things now living
A song of thanksgiving
To God the creator
Triumphantly raise.

Who fashioned and made us,
Protected and stayed us,
Who still guides us on
To the end of our days.
God's banners are o'er us,
His light goes before us,
A pillar of fire
Shining forth in the night.
Till shadows have vanished
And darkness is banished
As forward we travel
From light into light. His law he enforces,
The stars in their courses
And sun in it's orbit
Obediently shine;
The hills and the mountains,
The rivers and fountains,
The deeps of the ocean
Proclaim him divine.
We too should be voicing
Our love and rejoicing;
With glad adoration
A Song let us raise
Till all things now living
Unite in thanksgiving:
"To God in the highest,
Hosanna and praise!"