Big Blue is Back Up!

Team Visit—A team of three people arrived November 26 and will depart December 6.  The team is from Eastern NY/New England district.  Members are Pastor Paul and Susan James and Pastor John Gillette.

Guayaquil—On Nov. 27, the NY team visited our churches in Guayaquil and the following afternoon and evening we met with a group of 18 Guayaquil leaders for training and dinner together.  It was a very positive time.

Juvenile Correctional Center—Team coordinator, Paco Chiles, gave a glowing report that 21 inmates stood to their feet during an invitation on Friday, indicating they wished to accept Christ.  This included two of the adult prison counselors.  Paco beamed as he told us of Luis, “the most hard-hearted of them all” being the first to stand to receive Christ. This brings our total number of salvations to 82 since May.

Lighthouse—The big blue tent was erected last Saturday and we now have space for about 150 people.  We had simply outgrown the available space in the RMC. Yesterday’s service was a celebration of the “new” facility, now placed over a nice concrete slab. Four seekers came forward following Paul James’ message.  One needed freedom from demonic oppression and the other three were first-time salvations.  Three first-time visitors were there too. What a great day.  Attendance averages for October and November were in the 80’s!

International Conference

Guayaquil—Pastor Nino Medina will be our delegate to the International Conference of the Wesleyan Church, which will be held in Panama City, Panama in January of 2012.

Our five Bible institute students are nearing the end of their school year.  Four of them will complete their second year of studies, while one completes the first year.

Cuenca—It was a busy week at the Lighthouse.  Here are some highlights:

·         Hugo called and the Wuertz counseled and prayed with him.

·         Extra time was spent walking some of our people through inter-personal conflicts

·         All-church meeting to discuss needed space for worship and plans for membership classes.  Twenty-two people signed up.

·         Planned upcoming baptism for next Sunday—2-6 will be baptized.

·         Great day Sunday—powerful worship, 4 seekers, 79 attended.

Worship space—In our all-church meeting Friday, the advisory board presented a plan to meet our immediate need for space.  There was consensus to pour a concrete slab right in front of the west wing of the RMC. We will erect the tent on that slab and install adequate light for nighttime activities and also install electrical outlets.  We will set up the wooden platforms made by the last Kansas team and erect an attractive backdrop to give a better feel.  Our budget for the project is $1200.  We will take $400 from our current church funds.  A brother from the church has agreed to donate the $800 needed to complete the project.  All monies for the project will come from the local church giving. When the tent is removed, at some future point, the slab with serve as a patio for the RMC.

Lighthouse Bible Day

GUAYAQUIL--Lydia and I had a very good meeting with our pastors in Guayaquil last Thursday. Seven of the eight leaders who had “book reports” due turned their’s in. Both lead pastors turned in statistical and financial reports. We are working to complete the Guayaquil Reform and Restoration Plan by November 30. I introduced the basic ideas for the new Plan Guayas and I believe it was well received.

ICW LIGHTHOUSE—We had a great Bible Day yesterday reaching a new record attendance of 92! The special celebration featured special music, a hog roast, Bible Bowl competition, coffee and cake and a movie about the life and death of John Hus. It was a wonderful day.

SHEREE WUERTZ—Please pray extra for Sheree as she is suffering from pneumonia. She has some water on one lung and is quite weak. Sheree carries a continuously heavy load of family counseling, youth leadership and being a mom to two very active boys. Pray for her quick recovery.

Babies and Bibles!

Lighthouse—Our fourth Sunday of Bible Month was really good. We had six or seven people there for the
first time, most of them family of parents who were dedicating children. I dedicated two boys and one girl. Child dedications are a much bigger deal in
Latin America since many compare it to the first communion or confirmation done
by the Catholic Church. Attendance was 70.

Next Sunday
is THE Bible day and we will have a full day of activities. We are expecting a record number of people.

Missionary Team—Two of our missionary-elect couples
are expected to receive financial clearance by November 1. They are Jim and Lori Rice and Isaac and Amy
Thompson. They should be starting
language school in Costa Rica the first days of January 2012, and arrive in
Ecuador in January of 2013.

Guayaquil—Pray for the completion of the
Guayaquil Reform and Restoration Plan which winds up the end of November. At that time we will launch the new Plan
Guayas Phase I which defines our
strategy and goal-setting for that area through January of 2013.

.

Forward, march!

Guayaquil—Tom and Lydia will be traveling to Guayaquil October 27 and 28 to work with our pastors on our new Plan Guayas. As a result of many changes, Guayaquil has gone through a time of uncertainty. Some leaders who had been relegated to the shadows of former pastors have stepped up to the plate to become front-line leaders. Some members who were vacillating after the pastoral shift discovered that they were not in harmony with Wesleyan doctrines and ministry philosophies and have chosen to go their own way. All of this is part of an expected sifting process that has been essential to rebuilding the ministry in Guayaquil. Throughout the process, we have seen three leadership couples hold on to hope for a better day for Guayaquil. I believe we are at the doorstep of that better day.

Here is the basic Plan Guayas strategy that will be presented in our Guayaquil pastor’s meeting next Thursday:

1) Clarifying the status of our existing congregations and preaching points—currently there are two congregations in function—Fortin and Altar Cristiano

2) Focus on training: As four Bible institute students are about to complete their second year, they will be encouraged to focus half of their time on their studies, which will include some specifically Wesleyan courses such as Wesleyan history, doctrine of holiness and Discipline. The other half of available time they will spend on church ministries. The four students that will graduate in January of 2013 are Pilar and Nino Medina, and Juan Carlos and Diana Cruz. We currently have one other student in Guayaquil, who is Hilda Rodriguez, the sister of Pilar. She is in her first year of studies.

3) Focus on bringing our two Guayaquil churches to a better state of health. Primary emphases will be building local leadership, discipleship and Wesleyan doctrine, and stewardship. Special effort will be made to create a fellowship bond between these two churches through combined activities and mutual prayer support.

4) During the next fourteen months the Phase I period of the Plan Guayas will hopefully bring stability and health to our existing work and provide three well-trained pastoral couples to lead us into Phase II.

5) Phase II of Plan Guayas, although still evolving in detail, will include the following:
a) Plans for our next church plant/mission in the Guayas area
b) Stationing of two to three missionary units (likely Hines, Rice and Beck) in the Guayas area.
c) Pairing of missionaries with local Ecuadorian leaders for mentoring and coaching
d) Launching of one to two paired (missionary and national) teams for the establishing of new churches.

6) Phase III of Plan Guayas would likely be the planting of new churches in other areas of the country. In consideration are: Manta, Loja, Machala, Esmeraldas and Quito. However, before launching out into other areas, I feel it is necessary to have good stability (not perfection) in the Cuenca and Guayas areas.

Lighthouse, Racar—Attendance continues to grow and two women accepted Christ last Sunday. November 13, will see us “gathered at the river” to celebrate the baptism of about 6 to 8 new believers. Our total of new salvations stands at 56 since May. We now have an provisional advisory board which will meet for the first time next Saturday. Following our November baptisms I will be starting a membership class and our hope is to receive at least ten provisional members who would likely become full members by January of 2012. These will be the charter member of the Lighthouse. By that time we would expect to have a minimum of 12 full members and the church could reach “organized” status.

Bible month at the Lighthouse has been a great success. We are planning a big day on Sunday October 30, with preaching on the theme “This Bible is YOURS”, the idea being that it is God’s gift to each of us personally, and we must know it, use it, feed on it, believe it and share it. We then will have a hog roast, (Glad we are living in the New Testament era where pigs are OK!) Bible collection display and sales of new Bibles, which will be followed by a Bible Bowl type competition. We will break for recreation then have a snack time to cap off the month.

Next month’s theme will be “The Church”. We will draw heavily on Rick Warren’s Purpose Driven Church.

Lighthouse building—About the time we started building the Racar Ministry Center, the Vida Nueva congregation dissolved due to a pastoral failure and the future was very uncertain. We continued on track with the RMC facility so serve as ministry center at the national level, for gatherings and training events for our national leaders, housing for a missionary family, center for sports outreach and a meeting place for a future congregation. It is a multi-purpose building that is currently hosting a growing congregation of as many as 90 people each Sunday. We are clearly outgrowing the meeting room space, and on Saturday I will present a plan to expand this center to include a larger worship area.

This plan will have at least two phases. The first will be to pour a concrete slab directly in front of the RMC building. On that slab we will once again erect the blue tent, equipping it with adequate lighting for night activities, provisional wiring for electrical outlets, an elevated platform, including a nicely decorated backdrop to reduce the “tent-ish” look and to help the audience have a more pleasant ambiance, and more chairs to accommodate everyone. Cost for this new setup should be at the $1000 mark, and I believe our local congregation can raise all of it. This new setup will allow us to grow to about 160 people before we would have to have a larger facility. By that time, my hope is that this congregation will build a new multi-purpose facility (gym-size) adjacent to the RMC. This too should be financed primarily by the local church. This is an exciting day for the Lighthouse and for all of us who have invested over the last 11 years in Ecuador.

Prayer for the battle—One reason our team is so encouraged is that the battle is hotter than ever. The last three weeks has been filled with challenges including an attempted suicide, cases of family violence, rampages by those addicted to alcohol and drugs, verbal attacks and insults by a powerful witch, and some other things we can’t even talk about because of security reasons. Pray we will not grow weary. God has called me to more prayer time during these days. Will you join me?

We are expecting great things!

Tom

We are growing!

Lighthouse—Last Sunday bought us a record crowd of 89 people for our Sunday service. New people are coming almost every Sunday. All seats were full and some were standing. God’s presence was very near and we reveled in the wonderful communion of His saints worshipping Him together. Tom preached on “The Illusion of Neutrality” and the people were challenged to make their “yes” decision for Christ. At the close, four seekers came forward. One was a first-time guest. Another young lady gave her heart to Jesus. This brings our salvation total since May to 52!

Baptism classes got underway last Sunday and we are expecting 8 to 12 candidates. I love walking through this experience with new believers. Can’t wait.

RMC Lighthouse—This new center is really looking good these days. Roofing is going on and we are only weeks away from being able to use most of this new facility. I will try to have a picture for you next week.

Correctional Center—Paco Chiles (isn’t that a great name!) who recently got back to the Lord, is leading a new ministry in the Cuenca Juvenile Correctional Center. Last week, our youth decided to join him in this new work. Four guys and gals accompanied Paco. This ministry seems to be getting a good response. One of the guards asked to have his picture taken with 6-foot plus, blonde-haired gringo Jordan McGrady (who has the nickname “El Leon”—the Lion, due to his blonde mane!)

Ladies’ prison anniversary—Tomorrow, Lydia and her team will go to the prison for their first year celebration. There will be food, pictures, tons of used clothing to distribute and lots of fun. Pray that throughout the whole celebration the inmates will sense how much they are loved by the prison team and by their waiting Savior, Jesus.

New Ladies’ Bible study—Launching just last Thursday, the new ladies’ morning Bible study (targets moms with kids in school and work-at-home women) got off to a good start with eight women in attendance. One of our new converts who was led to the Lord in her home, but does not attend ICW services because of a violent husband, went to the Bible study and brought her sister-in-law, who does not know the Lord yet.

Jenny Quezada (Prieto)—Tom’s new administrative assistant, Jenny, is doing an amazing job in her first two weeks. A myriad of backlogged work that had been shelved due to time constraints is finally getting done. It’s a huge blessing to have Jenny’s skills and amazing energy working for the Mission.

New Ministries Emerge in Cuenca...

Avilés Family (Josy on the far left)

ICW “El Faro” (Lighthouse)—We had a great service on Sunday with good attendance in the Bible Class studying The Purpose Driven Life, and 72 in attendance in worship. Singing was vibrant and the message on “Leaving your past behind” was met with unusually rapt attention. At the close, one teen came forward to accept Christ. When I asked the young lady what she needed from the Lord, she said, “I have been raised in a Christian family and have always been in church, but I have never taken the step of accepting Christ into my life personally.” Carla Campoverde led in a prayer for salvation and Josy’s parents, Danilo and Elizabeth Aviles were invited by Tom to join their daughter.

New Bible study launches this week--There is a new ladies’ Bible study starting this Thursday, led by Lydia. This is focused on women who have kids in school in the morning and/or who work only at home.

JIBACAM—The missionary board for Latin America is called JIBACAM. They will be holding their conference in Medellin, Colombia on October 3-7. Representatives from Ecuador will be Pastor Juan Carlos Cruz and wife, Diana along with Tom Hines. This will be a great opportunity for Juan Carlos and Diana to meet other Wesleyan leaders from around Latin America.

RMC—Now the “Lighthouse”, the Racar Ministry Center building is coming along slowly but steadily. This week the contractors are to begin sheeting the roof. This will be a great step toward the building becoming functional. Water filtration has kept the second floor from being used up until now. Pray for safety as well as good progress for our work crews.

Correctional Center—A new ministry started two weeks ago in Cuenca’s juvenile correctional center by a new ICW convert has produced seven new salvations. I joked with Paco (the leader) and asked him if the seven he reported were the same one’s that had accepted last week! He assured me there were five the week before and seven different guys this last week, bringing the total to 12. This brings our total of new salvations to 51 since I challenged the church to evangelize back in May of this year. PTL!

Blessings,

Tom

Gotcha, Hugo

HUGO'S FAMILY

Pastor Gustavo Viejo’s family—Walter, the brother of Gustavo, is hospitalized in Guayaquil with major infection and complications from a terminal illness. He has regained consciousness but expects to be hospitalized for at least a month. Gustavo was able to lead his brother to the Lord. Pray for this family as they move through this crisis.

SEMBEC—Several people from ICW Racar are considering studying in the SEMBEC Bible Institute in Cuenca. We will let you know who signs up.

ICW Racar—God continues to do wonderful things at ICW. Attendance was 65 on Sunday. Although many (especially the new converts) are struggling with recovery from addictions and consequences of their bad decisions of the past, God is moving, and they are growing. Forty-four people have come to Christ since May. Although a majority of these are incarcerated, they are continuing to attend the services in the prisons. Almost all of the ones who have been saved in the church or saved in their homes are coming to services regularly. Six of them have attended Monday night discipleship class for five weeks in a row.

All is not hunky-dory at ICW, but people are trying. We still need more commitment on the part of our local leaders. Many marriages are not healthy. Although many are very generous, regular stewardship through tithing and regular offerings is quite weak. But helping people find their answers in Christ, and grow spiritually is what we do, right?

Discipleship Class--Last night’s discipleship group in the home of a new convert drew eleven adults and their seven children. Five of the adults are planning to be baptized soon. One family walked a mile and half down a muddy, dark road with their two girls 10 and 6, along with dad and a pregnant mom. They came knowing they might have to walk back home.

Hugo—Hugo is the husband of one of our new converts. He actually prayed to be saved some six weeks ago, came to church once, then dropped back out of the scene. We have been praying much for Hugo. On Monday nights we hold the discipleship class in his home, but he stays away until he sees our car leave his house. He then comes home. Last night was a classic! Lydia drove some of our folks home from the home meeting and I stayed behind to talk with a couple who is starting an outreach in the juvenile detention center. Hugo thought everyone was gone. I was over in a corner talking with the other couple when Hugo came through the front door. His little two-year-old ran to him yelling “Daddy, Daddy, Daddy”. Hugo picked up his son and hugged him. He then looked to his left and saw me sitting in his living room. The look on his face was absolutely priceless! He stopped dead in his tracks—totally motionless. A blank stare was on his face and he was speechless. But only for a second. He quickly moved toward me and I stood to greet him. He was very friendly and sat down across from me. He said, “Pastor, it is not a mistake that you are here. I was waiting to come home so as to avoid seeing you, but I got caught!” Laughter broke out all around the room. The tension was broken. He began to pour out his heart in a way that took me by surprise. He told me he wanted to do right, but every time he tried, something inside him says, “NO, NO,NO.” He told me how he has messed up his life and hates himself for doing the things he is doing. (cocaine, alcohol, womanizing). “I become so depressed,” he said, “that I sometimes want to”…..(he drew his finger across his throat as if to take his own life.) I explained that we can only serve one master—God our loving father, or Satan the hater of our soul. I explained that God will never force us to serve him against our will, but Satan will do everything he can to force us and manipulate our lives to turn against God. It is his attempted revenge against God—stealing our souls. Nothing hurts our Father any more. We have a saying here: “The devil gives really lousy pay to those who are his best workers.” I urged Hugo to take a stand like a man and make his own decision about whom he will serve. I encouraged him to confess his sin, admit he had failed God, but to accept the mercy and forgiveness that his Father wants so much to give him.

As Hugo reflected, he said, “I have always believed that there is a purpose for my life.” I affirmed that and asked to pray with him. He gave me the go ahead. It was beautiful to see how his wife almost ran from her chair to sit right next him for the prayer time. His four children gather around him, as well as his two sisters and brother-in-law. God moved on Hugo’s heart and when the “amen” was said, his face was lit up with a smile. The sad, drawn expression on his face was gone—replaced by hope and peace.

I don’t have too much experience with God speaking in dreams, but Hugo told me that even though we had never met until last night, that I had spoken to him in dreams. That is, he had seen me in his dreams and that I had been able to minister to him before I ever met him. Only God knows how to speak like that.

As we prayed for Hugo, we prayed that every chain that has him bound will be broken, and we prayed that every spirit that is against God’s Spirit to be cast out of that house and that His peace, protection and provision be over that home and family. Please pray along with us.

Praying for no work—what?—Lydia made some Saturday-night calls to some of the ICW folks who didn’t make it to church last Sunday. As she spoke to one husband, he informed her that he would not be there because he was expecting to have an extra job that day. When that husband doesn’t come, the mom and four kids don’t either. Lydia just encouraged him to bring his family the following Sunday. When she told me about the conversation, half joking, I said, “Well, we’ll just pray he loses that job!” Sunday morning we were singing when in walked this same family of six—including the husband. After service he said, “I went to talk to the boss at 8am and he told me we would not be working today after all.” Feeling a smidge of guilt (but not much) I just told him how glad I was he had come. (I never told him I had prayed for him to lose his work that day.) He commented on how much my sermon on God’s peace had meant to him. I’m so glad he came.

New convert wins new convert!

Guayaquil—I (Tom) traveled to Guayaquil last week. I met for more than an hour with Pastor Gustavo who gave me a good report on the church’s new financial support plan and budget process. As very few families understand or practice personal budgeting, it is very challenging for a congregation to grip the meaning of a collective church budget that involves them in the process of providing income and managing outflows. Since most members do not do it individually or in family, widely varying opinions can stymie the process. Gustavo is doing a good job blazing some new trails and we are seeing positive and immediate results.

Wednesday evening I met with the Altar Cristiano church. There was a good number in attendance as I brought a devotional from Ephesians 4 regarding unity. I then talked with them about their very first official local church conference. They are ready to move up from a church-in-development status to that of an organized church. The conference will be held September 4^th, piggy-backing on three nights of celebration of their 6^th anniversary. Pray this will be an encouraging time for all.

On Thursday night I met with the pastors group. Since we had not been able to meet for two months, there was a good amount of conversation and informal sharing. Reports were good and there was a great sense of unity.

Bible institute—Our Bible institute students are progressing well. Pilar, Nino, Juan Carlos and Diana are nearing the half-way point in their three-year program. They seem as enthusiastic and committed as ever.

ICW Racar—Attendance is holding up well this August. It is normally a month of holiday fun and plummeting church attendance. We had no such slump this year. Last Sunday’s attendance was down from our average 60 to 56. However, the same Sunday last year we had 12! God is blessing us with growth, developing leadership and a good harvest of souls. Since setting our goal to win 220 people to Christ back in May, we have seen 41 people pray to be saved! Thirty-four of these were women in the prison who responded to a salvation message presented by a team from North Carolina. But this wasn’t just your ordinary mass response in hopes of something better. I stood among those women and saw them trembling and weeping and calling out to God to save them. Tears of repentance flowed. Hands were outstretched in faith that as the Master passed by, they too, would experience his redeeming touch. It was powerful.

Racar discipleship class—A week ago Monday we started a new discipleship class in the home of recent convert. Four members of this family were saved in May. Fourteen people attended the first class, including Jorge and Jenny Prieto. We hope to use Jorge and Jenny to help teach the class. Last evening in the class, Paco testified that on Sunday, after the service, he visited his in-laws. Relations have been very strained since the father-in-law remarried. Be that as it may, Paco led his new mother-in-law to the Lord! New converts winning new converts—I like it!

Legal work—Pray that our visas will be renewed when we travel to Quito August 25. Also pray that the two documents we lack for our corporation papers will soon be in hand.

Thanks for your heart for Ecuador. Bless you!

At war with evil!

Spiritual warfare continues—In the last months we have grown increasingly aware of the reality of demonic oppression among our people. I have been studying Biblical Demonology, by Merrill Unger. God has also placed some brothers and sisters in our pathway that have experience in this area. At first I questioned just how valid these “liberation sessions” are, and to what degree we should “get into” some of this kind of ministry. To my shock and surprise we started receiving calls and contacts with those who were unquestionably oppressed by demons or who had been actual Satan worshipers/witches. It was all too “coincidental” to be just an accident. Last Friday, Lydia and I visited a former member of the ICW in Racar. She now lives in Guayaquil. Sitting in her living room she told us how her daughter has suffered strong oppression from demons. Our friend testified that as she recently visit in her daughter’s home, and the daughter expressed terrible fear and even her young son has seen unusual things. As the mother, Gloria, prayed with the daughter, the daughter became hostile toward her mother. “Something” in her told her to get a kitchen knife and kill her mother. The daughter actually wanted to kill her mother, even though that is totally out of character for this young lady who loves her mom so much. The daughter confessed later that while her mother was praying, she had physically tried to attack her, but a power kept her from touching her! As Gloria prayed and pleaded the blood of Jesus, the daughter calmed down, but was shaken at the evil power that had dominated her thinking and actions.

This issue with the daughter is not resolved. The daughter has NOT turned to Christ for liberation. Therefore, she is still subject to those demonic powers that overcome and control her. Please pray for this young lady, that she will allow God to set her free and that she will rebuke these demons that have her bound.

You my friends and co-workers know, I would be the last person in the world to seek any sensationalism or superficial dramatic manifestations. However, now that we are getting very close to the these situations, and Lydia is actually discipling an ex-witch in the prison, we are coming to understand that Ecuador is a place where witchcraft and shamans, curses and demons have had full liberty to do their destructive activity. We are coming up against powerful strongholds of Satan and his armies. Although he has ultimately been defeated, he still runs loose for the moment, trying to take every precious soul that Jesus died for, to Hell.

Pray for me and our entire missionary team as we seek to learn more about confronting these demonic powers and helping people to find freedom from them. If you would like to actually see videos about the ex-witch that Lydia is working with, check youtube.com, and search “la bruja marcela carpio”. You will see the real world of evil that we are confronting. You will see Marcela’s burning house. You will see the well where her maid was found dead. You will see her altar to Satan. You will see photos of people she has cursed by evil rituals placing pins in their photos to bring about the curse. Skulls, snake skins and evil icons were found in her home.

As Lydia talked with Marcela last Tuesday, this ex-witch said she is telling everyone that God is the answer and that love is the only hope. She told of a neighbor who had lived next door to her for 22 years. The neighbor is an evangelical Christian. When Marcela found out, she called the woman to her house. She said, “Supposedly you are a Christian. You have lived next me for 22 years and you NEVER ONCE told me that God loves me. NOT once!” Marcela said she grabbed the neighbor lady by the shoulders and literally threw her against the wall. Shaking her finger in her face she yelled, “If you say you are a Christian, then begin acting like one—tell people that God loves them!”

I will have a more complete report on Marcela coming to you soon. Her testimony, given face-to-face to Lydia just last week, is an amazing story of the turn-around God is making in her. But she is desperate. She has been a witch since 15 years of age. She is now in her 50’s. “I know nothing else,” she said to Lydia. I don’t know how to make a living.” Pray, pray, pray. Tomorrow Lydia will be face-to-face with Marcela again!

ICW Racar—God continues to move a wonderful way in hearts of our congregation. The youth of our worship band are now receiving training—not so much in music. They have that talent already. But they are being taught responsibility and discipline as servants of the church body. They are doing very well. Two people have been saved this month in our services.

Jorge Prieto continues to lead services and is doing great. Attendance continues to be good.

Prison--Two women were saved in the prison last week.

Great prison news!

We’re back after a three-week gap……computer breakdowns, hosting a team and other things kept us away.

Hertiage Team—May 13-23, a five-person team from Heritage Wesleyan in Moline, IL visited us. Their major focus was the women’s prison. They went to the prison five consecutive days and the results were awesome. Even a well-known witch was prayed with, demons were renounced and bound in Jesus’ name, and the former witch, “M”, is now attending the meetings. “M” asked that we pray God will forgive her for “the many people she has killed.” Pray for Lydia, Sheree and the entire team as they come against strongholds of Satan.

Guayaquil—Reports are that the three new Bible institute students are doing well. During our last visit on May 15, we visited both Fortin and the house church. Visiting pastor Ben Moncivaiz, of Moline, preached an encouraging message of family. Lydia and I will travel to Guayaquil tomorrow to meet with the pastors. Pray for empowing for us as we deal with challenges Pastor Gustavo and Tatiana are facing.

ICW Racar—God is moving mightily at Racar. Attendance is up with a May average of 55. Wednesday’s marriage group is now eight couples and is having a powerful impact. A new men’s group is meeting on Thursday evenings led by George Wuertz. Our new worship band debuted last Sunday and the band is meeting every Saturday for leadership mentoring with Tom. We spend an hour in spiritual preparation and an hour in music practice. Friday nights, George and Sheree are meeting with 5-7 youth who have committed to be mentored in leadership. This week, two people have expressed a strong call to minister in the church. One is Jenny Prieto and the other is Ximena Zhingre, a former prisoner. I have challenged the church to win 220 people to Christ. Two were saved in the service Sunday before last and two women were saved at the prison this week. Two hundred sixteen to go!

ETeam—Our ETeam is growing. Jim and Lori Rice, Isaac and Amy Thompson and Sherri Beck will all head to Indy in June for Missionary Training Institute to be held at our Global Partners HQ. Pray for these newly appointed missionaries as they build their support teams and prepare for major transition in their lives.

A "Memory" from Mother's Day--It's not what you think!

ICW Racar—We had a great Mother’s Day at ICW. Seventy people were in attendance, with some there for the first time. Most of the group was part of our constituency but 15 or 20 were not. The guys provided a great cook-out dinner and the youth gave hand-made gifts to the moms along with a video presentation honoring them. Most of us were at the church from 10 in the morning until about 3 or 4 pm. It was a great day of fellowship.

One great victory of the day was a mom who accompanied her teenage daughter to the church for the first time. The mother has been VERY anti-church with her daughter, often leaving her in tears. However, the mom was there yesterday and participated whole-heartedly. She even grabbed a broom and helped clean up after dinner. You could tell the mom was having a good time. We hope now she will understand why the daughter likes to hang out at ICW so much.

Wuertz family much better—George and Sheree and the boys are doing much better after a one-month bout of illness. Thanks for your prayers. Please pray their strength will be renewed.

Flash victory—Is there such a thing as a flash victory? I say yes! As the last ones were leaving ICW after the Mother’s Day celebration, a distraught Rosalia was in tears. She had lost a 4G flash memory. What’s more, her mom had loaned it to her, and according to Rosalia, “was going to kill her.” Not literally, of course, but she was in BIG trouble. To make it worse, it wasn’t the mom’s flash drive either—it had been borrowed from one of her students at the school. Even worse—the student had loaned it to the mom while it still had family pictures and school work projects on it. Uggggh. This wasn’t looking good.

As Lydia probed Rosalia as to the last whereabouts of the missing flash drive, Lydia realized that she had thrown what she thought was an empty box, into the garbage! Rosalia and Lydia decided to open up the bags and go through the garbage. Combing through the Styrofoam cups and plates, potato peelings, onion peelings and slimy gravy, rice and hominy, no flash drive was found.

Rosalia’s voice quivered as she began to cry, and worried about telling her mom. Lydia and I told Rosalia and her brother Ariel to get in the car and we would go with them to face the parents. At this point it really wasn’t clear if the flash drive had actually been in the box Lydia had tossed into the garbage. There was a possibility someone had picked it up. There had been lots of new people at church yesterday.

And exactly who was to blame was not the big issue. The issue was that mom Jenny had borrowed the flash drive and would be facing the student in a matter of hours and would have to tell him it was lost. Blaming someone else was not going to produce the flash drive with the pictures and school projects.

As we met with the parents they were visibly upset. There just was not any good answer. A new drive could be purchased, but not the contents of the drive. And the Prietos didn’t have the money to buy it. That would have cost about 20% of Jorge’s monthly paycheck. We prayed together about the flash drive then left the Prieto home. Everybody was feeling down.

As Lydia and I drove home, we commented about how great a day it had been and how down we felt now. I said, “I think Satan is trying to steal the joy of the victories of this day.” Lydia agreed.

Arriving at our apartment tired from the big day, a thought hit my mind—my metal detector! What if that drive really was in those bags of trash and was just overlooked, or hidden in some of the yucky garbage?

Armed with a large metal detector, two small hand-held detectors and rubber gloves, Lydia and I headed right back out the door and up to Racar. Setting up a makeshift table we opened the huge garbage can and pulled out the first bag. Running the hand-held detector over all the garbage and sifting through each clump by hand, no flash drive appeared. We pulled out the last bag. Before dumping that full bag, Tom decided to run the hand-held detector across the bottom of the full bag. Beep-beep—the detector sounded. Then the item causing the beep dropped lower in the bag. Tom chased it with the detector. Beep beep! Once again it moved further down. Again, at the corner of the bag—beep beep. Feeling through the bag Tom located the item. It wasn’t foil. It was rectangular. Then he saw it through the green membrane—the flash drive!

“Here’s the flash drive,” Tom informed Lydia.

“No, you’re kidding?” Lydia said.

“Nope, not kidding. This is it.”

“Really?” Lydia hoped.

Tom was so excited he could not seem to get through the maze of folds in the bag to actually touch and retrieve the drive. But he wasn’t letting go.

And what would the condition of the drive be once it was pulled from the bottom of all the day’s garbage? Out it came. It had one tiny fleck of rice on it. No gravy, no garbage juices, no water, coffee or tea, it wasn’t even damp. We quickly cleaned up the exposed garbage and put everything back in the garbage can in the original bags.

Off we went to the Prieto’s house. Knocking on the gate, we wondered how annoyed they might be with us coming back so soon. After helping cook for the MD program, they were tired and probably trying to rest.

Gathering in the living room, faces looked sad. When Tom had entered the gate he had asked Rosalia if the drive had perhaps been found. (Just to not tip her off) She replied in the negative.
“Well, we prayed, and here is the drive!” Tom announce to all. He placed it in Rosalia’s hand. Everyone let out a big sigh of disbelief. They were at a loss for words to express their relief. Jorge burst out in tears. We hugged each other and then had a prayer of thanksgiving. All the Prietos were weeping.

“Lord, thanks for being our big and mighty God who is interested in the little things. And thanks for helping us to find the drive.”

New Bible Institute Students

Guayaquil visit—Tom traveled to Guayaquil on Sunday afternoon to preach at the house church in the evening. He preached from Acts 2 and focused on two evidences of the Spirit-filled life—love, and the power to obey. About 32 people were there. Afterward, Tom spent an hour and a half with Pilar and Nino sharing about the ministry and coaching them regarding the challenges of building this new group of believers. God really helped us.

New Bible institute students—There are five students that are starting their second year in the institute. They are Pilar and Nino Medina, Juan Carlos and Diana Cruz (seen in photo above) and Monica Villalva. Three new students were approved to begin their first year. Classes started Monday, May 2. Please pray for the students as they train to serve Christ.

Wuertz health—As you know, the Wuertz have battled respiratory illness throughout the whole family for more than a month. This has really become a drag on their energy and ability to do the work they love. Please pray that the illness will be rebuked and that God will restore health this family.

ICW—Last Sunday was another great day at ICW. This month marks our second anniversary. We had a larger crowd than normal and several were there either for the first time, or back for the first time in a long time. Also, a couple that had visited on Easter was back on Sunday. Tom preached on being rooted and grounded in Christ. There was one seeker who came forward.

Addiction struggle—Please pray for one of the guys from ICW. It was recently discovered that he has a drug addiction. He is coming to services regularly and is striving to grow in the Lord, but he needs to deal with this reality. Pray for courage to seek help and for God’s power to be revealed in breaking these chains of addiction.

Easter in Ecuador

Wedding bells—Man are they getting ready to ring! Wilson and Yusby are planning to get married in June in Peru. David and Priscila are going to be our first couple to have their wedding in the Lighthouse on May 21. The on May 27 Tom will officiate a group wedding of eight couples in Guayaquil.

Holy Week in Cuenca—Awesome is the best word to describe our week at ICW. We started out with early-morning prayer meetings at 5:30am, Monday through Friday. Attendance was 7-11 each day, with five people making it every day. Some walked for a mile in the pre-dawn darkness, through mud and cold rain. On Good Friday, after prayer time, we had sweet rolls and tea, then all eleven people stayed around to clean the kitchen, bathrooms, clean the yard and prepare the worship area for Good Friday service. We had loads of fun doing it too.

Jorge Luis—A regular attender of the early morning prayer meetings was Jorge Luis. He has struggled with addiction to nicotine and alcohol. He prayed one morning, “Thank you Lord, for another day of victory.” At the Good Friday service Jorge Luis and wife, Carla, gave a testimony of how God has brought their marriage back together. Jorge testified that in the last three years he has not touched a drop of alcohol. He praised God for freeing him several months ago from tobacco. He said, “Carla used to tell me she hoped I would find the same life in Christ that she had, and I didn’t understand. I didn’t understand how anybody could live without drinking and going to nightclubs and partying. Now I ask myself—How do people live, drinking and going to nightclubs and partying?” He then capped off his testimony by saying, “It used to be that Carla was an important part of my life—now I can say she IS my life!” He then embraced and kissed her.

Peace that passes all understanding—Fausto and Margot started coming to the Purpose Driven Life class in January. Margot had accepted Christ in a Bible study led by Sheree some months ago. Fausto however, has just begun to discover who God really is. He said a few weeks ago, “Our family knew nothing about the Bible—nothing. All we did in the evening was watch TV then go to bed. Now we are leaving the TV off and reading the Purpose Driven Life together as a family.

Fausto (seen with Tom in the picture above) recently had gall bladder surgery. He shared with Tom how peaceful he felt during the whole process. He commented on how the doctors were surprised at how relaxed he seemed before the operation. Even the guys at work asked him how he could be so calm before going under the knife. He said, “I just told them—“I am at peace in my home, and I am at peace with God.” He said his fellow managers at the factory were amazed.

He then confessed, “I really don’t understand it myself—this peace. I told my wife that I can’t figure out just why I feel so peaceful.” Tom then affirmed, “Fausto, that is the peace that passes all understanding, and it part of God’s presence in your life now.”

ICW—Easter service was great and included a drama and special music by the youth.
Tom preached about the empty tomb and the “empty” grave clothes being full of promise for us. At the close, Tom asked for short testimonies beginning with the words, “I praise my living Christ because….” Almost everyone shared a praise, including Fausto and Margot who stayed worship service for the first time. A dinner followed, then sports. Some who had come early at 8am to cook, were still at the church at 6pm playing volleyball. They must have been having a good time!

Elena's Muddy Boots

ICW—Holy week got off to a good start Palm Sunday. Singing was enthusiastic and heartfelt. The message from Mark 11-1-11 was engaging and the emphasis was on allowing Christ to make entry into our hearts, which will bring spiritual triumph.

Monday through Friday we are having early-morning prayer meetings at the church at 5:30am. This morning was rainy and cool, and of course very dark. Seven people attended. One was 67-year-old Elena (pictured to the right), who walked nearly a mile uphill to be there. Her boots were muddy, but she was there. Another attendee was Edison, a 17-year-old young man who also walked about a mile in the rain to be there. Prayer time was great and God touched every heart. As Nube prayed this morning she said, “Lord, thank you for our pastors—they have been a light in our lives.” I couldn’t help but think about the correlation with the new name “The Lighthouse.”

Good Friday’s noon service will be led by Sheree Wuertz and the youth. We will celebrate Holy Communion at the close. Easter service will include special participation by our youth through drama and special music. We will cap off the week with an Easter dinner on Sunday.

Marriage--WOW!

Sunday morning’s service included a report by three couples who are attending the marriage class led by the Wuertz. It was amazing to hear what God is doing by changing the way these couples think about their marriages. One mentioned, “The center must be Christ.” Carla stated that Sheree is an excellent leader for this class. Her description was, “Sheree, she is….she is….WOW!

People Helping People

ICW Racar—God continues to do great things at Racar. The youth group has grown to over twenty, with five of them joining the mentorship group under the direction of George and Sheree. Tom has begun weekly mentoring with Jorge Prieto. Jorge desires train to be a leader in the church. Another Jorge--Jorge Luis, testified about how God has brought him back from a period of running away from God. He shared how several nights ago, God’s Spirit touched him as he prayed and he broke down and sobbed, pouring out his heart to God. He and wife Carla have been attending regularly again, after a six-month absence. The new marriage enrichment group is growing. Seven couples were present this week. Marcelo and Nube filled in for the Wuertz a week ago and did well. Those who attend seem to be having a great time of sharing, growing and seeking God in their family relationships. Sheree is leading this group. During a recent visit in his home, Fausto Chalco gave a wonderful testimony of how what he had learned in the Purpose Driven Life Class helped him be a help to one of his workers at the factory. Fausto talked with the young mother and urged her to practice some of the principles he had recently learned at ICW, in regard to her children. She came to him later and told him that what he had taught her had changed her actions at home, and she avoided a possible violent confrontation. “It’s a good feeling to help people.” Fausto beamed. Yusby Villareal called Tom last Sunday to arrange help for a neighbor’s son whose marriage is in distress. Tom met with the wife, and is arranging counseling. We are beginning to see our people reaching out to others in the Racar community. The church is starting to “auto-generate” in its ministry perspective. People of ICW helping others. Pray this passion will grow and flourish.