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| El Parque de la Carolina (in the sunshine!!!) |
Thank you for praying for us and for the myriad of needs that you know about for us, and also for the things that your hearts have a burden for to ask on our behalf. Our little house church has grown a bit in recent days, so ask the Father for us to be wise in disciple making! We send this group back into the school and into the culture here each week to hopefully re-teach with the encouragement from meeting together around the Word. Pray for our group to remember and obey His word well by His Spirit’s work in us.
Sometimes, like today, after our house church meeting on Sunday, our family takes a long walk down the inclined street nearby called Villalengua, picking our way past multiple tripping hazards and perilous multi-way intersections, (think about the “Frogger” game for a good visual), and then we turn right on the very flat road called Diez de Agosto for a few blocks. As we go past the small tiendas and vendors selling fake sunglasses or belts, we try to sniff but not stop by the small bread store that seems to always be open. A few potholes and step downs later we are in front of a Chinese variety shop, where we laugh at the odd things they set out front for sale (think plastic pink pigs and huge red silk light fixtures.) Now it’s time for a sharp left turn across 6 lanes and a median onto Naciones Unidas, where we walk through the center of two rows of gigantic palm trees until we get to one end of Parque La Carolina. This is a place where several hundred Ecuadorians are playing court soccer or basketball, or people watching while others play on one of the innumerable small dirt fields or concrete pads there every afternoon. If you want to get into a pickup game, or just watch people here, this is the place to do it.
Today it was also a day to get an earful of Carnaval music (sort of the Ecuadorian equivalent to Mardi Gras).
Our 2 blond-haired and blue-eyed boys are quite a novelty in this culture and seem to be able to find their way into games easily. We have to be a bit cautious since this park area can be dangerous if you are not vigilant, but the Lord is fully aware of our circumstances. Many of the boys and men (and girls) are playing ball in street shoes and jeans, while some are in soccer clothes, or even skirts! Now is when I am wishing my language were really strong because conversation start-ups would be really simple at this point. People are everywhere! Pray for our Spanish to take a real upswing. Teaching and working in an English school can really slow the process down for us and we want to learn more quickly.
The walk home was quite interesting today when the afternoon rains began. After stopping by several stores on the way back to avoid getting soaked by brief showers, the heavens finally opened full scale and we saw ice and rain fall for at least 20 minutes straight. What to do? We attempted to flag taxis for quite a while till finally we just headed out, thinking it was about stopped, only to find that we would need to wade through multiple locations where the cold rainwater was so deep it covered the curbs- which made for ankle deep walking for us as we crossed each street. Needless to say our feet were blue and our clothes were soaked by the time we made it up the mountain to the house.
The walk home was quite interesting today when the afternoon rains began. After stopping by several stores on the way back to avoid getting soaked by brief showers, the heavens finally opened full scale and we saw ice and rain fall for at least 20 minutes straight. What to do? We attempted to flag taxis for quite a while till finally we just headed out, thinking it was about stopped, only to find that we would need to wade through multiple locations where the cold rainwater was so deep it covered the curbs- which made for ankle deep walking for us as we crossed each street. Needless to say our feet were blue and our clothes were soaked by the time we made it up the mountain to the house.
We have a group of 3 college girls and one mom headed our way during March who are considering serving Christ in Ecuador next year, so ask the Lord to give clarity for them and also for Him to arrange travel, lodging, and logistical details on the ground here that will bless them and be of value. Also pray for one of our house church families as they serve a church in a poor area north of the city, and that our church and our family would be wise about how to invest there.
If you think of it, continue to ask the Lord’s favor in making disciples through Alliance Academy students and parents in the days ahead. Also, especially pray for us as parents to be wise and Spirit filled as we lead and love our family both here and in other places via text and Skype!
This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
(Joshua 1:8 ESV)
