Santa Rosa Feeding Ministry

Maranatha Worship

Christmas Ministry

Volunteers from the Eastside and Southside Baptist Churches of Fort Smith, Arkansas are ministering in Quito this week. Last night we were at Santisima Fe Baptist Church with Pastor Byron Poma.

1st Picture: The aisles of the local Walmart were really crowded when the Arkansans realized they needed more bowls and spoons. If fact, it was so busy I am not sure if we even received smiley face stickers!

2nd Picture: Chalo works hard directing traffic. The group fed over 200 people and took 55 family pictures. The pictures were put in a frame that had the name of the pastor, church and phone number.

3rd Picture: The members the Arkansas team provided the food and the members of the local church cooked it. The meal was a chicken and rice stew, bread and chocolate milk.

This kid cracked me up. He walked out of the church and was waving the balloons in the air. He was dancing and singing, "I got 2 ball-oo-oons, I got 2 ball-oo-oons...and they're mine mine mine mine mine!"

Prayer Needed for Christian Family - December 28 Update

PATRICIO WILL HAVE SURGERY ON THE RIGHT FEMUR TODAY. THE RIGHT LEG HAS BEEN IN TRACTION SINCE THE ACCIDENT.

Raul is a waiter at my favorite cafe in Quito, the Magic Bean. Raul came to Christ a year ago and Julie and I have been encouraging him in his walk with Christ. This morning his 23 year old son Patricio was pushed (accidently) off of a curb and his lower legs were run over by a bus. I was at the cafe when Raul got the call and drove him to South Quito where his son was in a private clinic. I prayed with Patricio and can tell you he is hurting.

The clinic refused to do anything other than stop his bleeding and so I drove the family back up to North Quito where he is being seen at a public hospital. The lower right leg is broken. The lower left leg is shattered. The family is on there way to buy surgical screws so that surger can be done to hopefully save the leg.

So often, our biggest opportunities to serve come from being in the right place at the right time. I have not driven more than absolutely necessary since the first of December. Traffic is so bad and the number of drunks on the road is unbelievable. For some reason I drove to the Bean this morning rather than take a bus or taxi. Being transportation for a distraught family does not fit neatly into developing and carry out strategy that leads to a Church Planting Movement, but it sure is rewarding.

The Safest Place to Be is in the Center of God's Will?

The title of this blog is one of those phrases that bounce around Christian circles and that just is not true. In the past seven years of being a missionary, various members of our family have experienced the following:
• Robbery
• Mugging
• Typhoid
• Dengue Fever
• Stranded between striking workers
• Political upheaval
• Threats
• Emergency Surgeries
• Salmonella poisoning
• Being run over by a taxi
• Attending the funeral of a 15 year old who contracted a disease while serving God

Now, I am not trying to look for pity or discourage people from making a mission trip or becoming missionaries. I believe that we have been in the center of God’s will but that does not mean that we have some sort of Clark Kent superpower. We may have been protected from worse, but mostly we have seen God’s hand in the trials. Through all that we have experienced and seen with others, our faith has been strengthened and grown.

The four people who were shot near Denver on Sunday were Youth With A Mission veterans. They had no reason to believe that their lives were in danger. The ones who strike me in particular were the two mission leaders at YWAM. They had completed training and a 12 week mission assignment. Probably, their parents had prayed and agonized over their assignment and were now relieved that they were “safe.”

These kids were not safe but they were, almost assuredly, following God and being obedient to His call. When God calls me home, that is where I want to be found. Being in the center of God’s will is not necessarily safe, but it is best.

2 HP Lawnmower

Actually, it is a 2 GOAT power lawn mower. The black one is named Briggs and the tan one is Stratton. During the rainy season, they will be getting fat while making my lawn short. In the dry season...well, they will be feeding hungry children in Santa Rosa.

An Open Door!

I write as someone who is completely humbled by the way God works. If you read our blogs, and I hope you do, you know Pastor Hugo. Pastor Hugo is the man who has been feeding children in Santa Rosa. From humble beginnings, God is opening doors for various types of ministry.

Hugo called me this morning and told me of a ministry opportunity that is so much bigger than he or I! Remember the Barrio President who told Pastor Hugo that he could not feed the children at the Santa Rosa Park? Well, there is a new believer who works for the City of Quito, who heard about this. So when a Barrio President in Caminos de la Libertad complained about the situation of the children in his Barrio, the new believer knew who to contact...Pastor Hugo! Hugo said this morning, “Brother, the thing is that Caminos de la Libertad is even poorer that Santa Rosa. They have 200 children and I do not even know how we could begin.”

The book of James says that if any man lacks wisdom, let him ask of God who gives to all men, liberally. I ask you to join with me in asking God. Do not be confused, this is not some sort of veiled attempt to ask for money. Money will not solve this one. Hugo does not have the workers to feed 200 children even if he had the money to buy the food. We need to pray for wisdom for Pastor Hugo and for the Lord of the harvest to call out laborers.