The Gospel and El Parque de la Carolina

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.

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)

On our Knees...

Right out of the gate I need to ask your forgiveness for my long delay in a blog post update. Just to be honest, from the time the aircraft wheels splashed down in cold and rainy Quito a few days ago from my whirlwind opportunity to go visit and encourage brothers and sisters in Port au Prince, Haiti, we have all been running hard here. 

(More details later as I have time to process, but just know that Haiti is clearly a place of much need...spiritual, physical, you name it...much need.)

When you come back from another place, you sort of hit the proverbial wall for a day or two. You know what I mean. There is the usual catch-up curve on the events and items that you missed out on, and then the normal beginning of the month items that are always fun to work thru in Ecuador. One example is paying your rent here… First you need to get an all Spanish words deposit slip from the local Banco Pichincha, then fill it out with absolutely no writing mistakes, then wait in line while some guy in a motorcycle helmet pays bills or makes deposits for about 10 people at one time, and then, when it is your turn, you give it to the smiling Ecuadorian teller behind the bullet proof glass along with a pile of cash that you have withdrawn over a couple of days at the nearby ATM. Now-wait for the receipt, pray that it has the right account number that you just deposited into on there, and then you’re done till next month.

Next item for February is to start on the bill payments for water, electric, telephone, etc. Well, you get the picture…

So can I tell you about the recent process for a knee repair surgery for my adopted daughter, Kayla? Okay, when she blew the ACL on her knee back in November, we put off the inevitable until she could finish semester number one here at AAI. We did not have surgery in the US because our missionary health policy is geared to overseas healthcare. This means you pay for any procedure up front (before you leave the hospital!), and then you submit it to see if you can recover some of the cost. We are thankful- very thankful- to have any type of help for medicals! So many people in Ecuador and across the world have absolutely nothing to help them at all when it comes to medical expenses. Last Monday we went in for pre-op, thinking we had a mid-day surgery slot, only to get a 7PM Monday night call to see if we could be there at 7AM on Tuesday morning. I really should devote an entire blog entry to the surgery day on Tuesday (and I probably will soon), but overall let me say that it was really, really good despite a really long day at the hospital for us all. Our doctor is quite competent and very helpful and kind, but even my smart Ecuadorian friends still say that the surgery discharge group and nursing staff can use a little additional customer service training. More on that later…

It’s late so I want to give you ways to pray:

-For the resources of heaven for the task He has given us to do.

-For Chris’s Dad- much needed healing and strength as he recovers from multiple complications from a hip replacement this past October.

-For Kayla’s recovery- she developed a spinal fluid leak from the epidural procedure right after her knee surgery and she has been violently ill from the headaches and nausea that follow this problem.

-For us to have incredible wisdom from God in making disciples and leading at AAI and in other places nearby here in Quito

-For God to sustain us in the midst of language learning and some really time consuming and intense training we are adding into our life in order to be CPOE certified (Christian Philosophy of Education)

-For God to bring like-minded laborers to fill spots at AAI that are needed

-For 9 children across 3 continents and in particular the multitude of blessings and challenges that we walk through daily via skype or email which drive us to kneel in great desperation to God

As always, we are incredibly thankful for all of you!

Kneeling in humble submission to our King-

Chris and Vickie and family

"No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you.  Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them."

Joshua 1:5-6

hello- from haiti

I left our chilly Quito apartment at 3:45 AM on Thursday morning. After the normal day of travel, first to Miami, then landing in Port au Prince Haiti, we met our smiling host amidst a crumbling pile of what used to be an airport. Right now it is a maze of temporary air conditioned glass and steel corridors, and corrugated steel sheets that hide the broken glass and drooping concrete, ending in an ancient warehouse that you could call a baggage claim area, with wooden immigration kiosks that honestly must have come from an old court show like Perry Mason or something.

These desks are shoved around with no pattern of traffic flow, and beyond this there is a receiving line of smiling Haitians wanting to drive you, help you, or carry your bags for you. (how do you say no-thank you in French Creole?) The warm dusty air burned my nose and made me cough as we rode, or really as we shook and bounced our way toward the QCS (Quisqueya Christian School). I have been in some poor places before, but even two years after the earthquake that rocked this island it is still humbling to feel and see conditions here. People, who are formed in the image of God and designed for the glory of God, are living in tents or in boxes made of tarp and tin as they scrounge up what they can to share or cook or sell.

I will give more details soon, but suffice to say that it has been an eye opener in several ways, especially to see the current situation that so many are facing. Some progress, yes, but a long way to go!

We were able to walk thru the campus of QCS here with the director, and to hear of not only how it served as an amazing base for humanitarian relief after the quake, but how there are neighbors in the streets here who saw Christ displayed through the Christians that work at the school and have since believed the gospel because of it. Imagine eternal impact in people because of an humble, dusty, Christian school campus here in the city. Just to be honest, it felt a little like an Indiana Jones movie as we waited in front of the school gate while dozens of Haitians walked by our car, staring at us, and offering to sell us anything they had in hand until the school gate finally opened and we drove in.

More info later about this, but let it suffice to say we thank God right now for the people that are serving the world in this difficult context. Since I have been here, I have seen hope and despair in the same 100 yard stretch, with untouched houses next to 5 story buildings that are still a sandwich of rubble today, and I have seen the road that leads to the mass grave where maybe as many as 200,000 people are buried on the outskirts of town, all of whom were killed in the quake, but I also have seen some incredible work by gospel-believing Christians that is at least helping people have water, and food, and covering. However, the adversary would be completely satisfied with well-fed, clean, educated Haitian people that have no gospel. So there is much work to be done. More later about this time here. Please pray for the lord to sustain Vickie and the kids while I am gone from Quito, pray for healing for my Dad back in the US, pray for my friend from Ecuador named Patrick who represents parents from our school, and for our school director Dr. Wells while we seek to encourage these co-laborers here and to have insight for coming alongside brothers and sisters here for the gospel’s sake. 

Blessings!

Chris

Looking Back

Looking back on the last few weeks drives me to express something to each person who might read this blog. By God's generosity through many people, some who read this blog faithfully, our family had the incredible chance to fly home December 18 for time with our children, our extended family, and especially with our spiritual community of friends at the Christmas and New Year's holidays. Even though we have been back on track working (either in the US or in Ecuador) for several days now, we cannot go further without reflecting on the sweetness of that time together. So many of you, and you know who you are, anonymously or semi-anonomously decorated the townhouse, planned dinners and fixed food (incredible food-southern food), slipped us secret cash in a stocking for some spending money for the holiday time, and picked us up and dropped us off at airports without batting an eye. You encouraged us with dinner conversation together, filled us with coffee and stories, and you asked genuine questions about how things are going. This is a tiny description of what has come to us through your love and faith.
And for this we offer great praise and thanksgiving to Christ who gives hearts full of His grace that act with real love toward us and thus toward the world also. Vickie and I have had many opportunities through the years to speak with many of you about what the church really looks like, and it is clear to us that you have not only listened but responded in ways we could not even see coming. So- all that to say- we all are grateful.

1 Thessalonians 2:19
"For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at His coming? Is it not you?"

3 way conversations

So yesterday I met for the second time with two Latin American men here at school about the upcoming Haiti mission. One of them, a sharp dressed and articulate gentleman with a political background and kids who are doctors or scientists, is mostly a Spanish speaker, and one of them is an outgoing businessman with a great sense of humor. So as I talked with my well dressed travel companion about how we cannot distance good deeds from the gospel there in Haiti, and how before and during this trip we need to seek God to show us how to display the gospel beside brothers and sisters there as we prepare for a later team to go, he began to ask questions...
Some questions were typical for a believer to ask who has not been on mission, but some questions struck me as those an unbeliever might ask. Either way, for the next hour the door was wide open for me to talk about the gospel in full detail! I answered questions, praying continually that God would work through my weak answers with the power of His Spirit. It was midstream of this conversation that it hit me how strong this picture of re-teaching looks at this moment in time. I realized with full force that everything I said to the bilingual brother was immediately being re-taught from English to Spanish in the Spanish only brother. It may usually take weeks or months for this message to pass from one to another but this was taking only seconds, so it pressed me more than ever that what I say better not be my opinions. When you have opportunity to speak of God, of what happens to lost people, and of the clear need for our salvation in Christ, but also for the incredible gift of a salvation that we can never earn, let it always be a Biblical gospel!
So next time you are in a 3 way conversation...what will they re-teach from your mouth?
Chris (and Vickie in Birmingham)

"But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing greatness of the power may be of God and not from ourselves."
 2 Corinthians 4:7 NASV

More Prayer

Many of you know my Dad has been through the wringer in the last several weeks and months due to an infection that developed in his hip joint this past fall after a clear period of good health for over one year. After a full removal of the hip prosthesis, and then a full hip replacement 10 weeks later, the infection reappeared at Christmas. So again the artificial hip has been removed, and again they are doing antibiotic therapy and possibly another opening of the incision tomorrow to place more antibiotic capsules in the tissue there. Once this happens, he will remain without a hip joint for several weeks and then, Lord willing, be taken back for a prayerfully clean re-installation. Really asking for miraculous sustenance through all of this and for my Dad's testimony of Christ to be shown to every caregiver in Hughston Clinic Hospital.

Pray for leading wisely, pray for my Haiti trip at the end of this month, and for the Lord to continually give clarity for His gospel in us and through us here and in Birmingham as Vickie works there for now in helping Kyle.

It was incredible to see all of you at Christmas and to sense the Lord's ministry to us through all of you.

In the name of Jesus Christ,
Chris (and Vickie from Birmingham)

Back in the Saddle

Thought you might like this dandy photo of our second adopted son Karson back during Thanksgiving week as he makes an attempt at horseback riding on the flat spot on the side of a very tall volcano. He was a great sport about the whole experience. “Note to self,” he likely says in his head, “never wear shorts for horseback riding at 13,000 feet.”

See the puzzled look on the horse’s face as well. It is clear that he knows there is a Ukrainian high school kid aboard who cannot find both stirrups. See the friendly Ecuatoriano man trying to help him avoid injury from the first attempt to get in the saddle. See the jagged cliffs in the background that make your stomach queasy and your knees shake while taking it all in. See what a story a single photo tells.

So- our big family is split into at least two major places right now. I am officially back in the swing in Quito, Ecuador as of Sunday night about midnight. Things are underway at Alliance Academy. My beautiful bride Vickie is officially still in Birmingham for several more days working on solutions for our oldest adopted son as we walk through the reality of transition to adulthood for one of our kids whose biological parents did not love them well because they abused alcohol and drugs when these kids were embryos. So if I can say this, and if you will hear it, let it soak in right now. Your sins, and my sins, no matter how small or large they are, will affect people in ways beyond what you can ever imagine. Let me plead with you to turn to Christ to save you from the final and eternal horrific effect of sin if you have never done so, and if you have already done this let me plead with you to continually seek Christ to continually strengthen you with His life and lead you away from sin and it's effects. The same gospel that saves you, is the same gospel that strengthens you. Do this for the sake of the glory of God in someone you may not even know right now, and for the sake of all of us who are connected together in the family of the great King! 

If you would pray for us and with us in the following ways, we would consider it an honor to have you do so for the glory of His name in us, and ultimately in the entire world.

-Pray for the gospel message to be clear in our lives and on our lips in the midst of difficulty of various types

-Pray for my Dad (Chris’s Dad) as he recovers from yet another hip surgery, and ask for miracles of healing of a persistent infection and endurance to make it through further treatment and hopefully a final surgery in another few weeks from now.

-Pray for my Mom and sister/brother-in-law and brother as they help and deal with lengthy hospital stays and issues.

-Pray for Vickie as she leads in modeling the gospel toward our family in Birmingham in the next few crucial days while seeking wise solutions for our adult child’s unique needs.

-Pray that God supplies resources for these days in many ways, and for my leadership toward our kids here and the school here for the next several days as I practice single parenting on this end.

-Pray for an upcoming opportunity to take an Ecuadorian brother along to Haiti at the end of January- that God would use this time greatly and provide resources for our trip.

-Pray for wisdom for all of us as we seek Christ to further conform our lives to His gospel for the sake of salvation to the nations!

Psalm 72: 18-19 "Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things. Blessed be His glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with His glory!

Amen and Amen."

Chris and Vickie