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.

Two men saved!

Altar Cristiana celebrates five years—Guayaquil pastor, Gustavo Viejo, led the church in an anniversary celebration Friday, Sept. 3. After a lively musical worship time, Tom spoke to the congregation on Hope. The service was followed by a great all-church meal of pork and rice with salad.

Bible Institute students advance—Our six students completed their first trimester of theological studies recently. All are doing well with many receiving a 100% (straight A’s) for the trimester. They are a bright hope for the future of the Wesleyan ministries in Ecuador.

Men responding to God—From the beginning of Tom’s acceptance as interim pastor of the ICW in May, he felt compelled to target men as a priority. Praise God, He is answering our prayers. In the last two weeks two young men have accepted Christ as Savior and another was delivered instantly from a nicotine addiction. Here is a sketch of their testimonies:

Edison: This young man is quite shy, but on August 29, at the close of the service, his mom, a new convert herself, walked to the front of the tent to accompany him in giving his life to Christ. Edison is attending services and weekly Bible study. He’s talking more now, as he begins to feel more comfortable in the church family.

Walter: A young man who was raised Catholic and just completed the catechism, has been attending our services, and has gotten very involved with the youth group. Walter is a guy with tons of questions for anyone who will give him the time. He’s been searching sincerely and recently told Lydia, “I am thinking about becoming a Christian, and need to know more about it.” This was followed by another barrage of good questions. A few days ago, Walter excitedly shared with George Wuertz the following testimony, “I feel strange inside. It’s like…it’s like Jesus is living inside of me! I want to read stuff now that I never wanted to read before (the Bible).”

Jorge Luis: As a husband and father, Jorge has been seeking a deeper walk with God for many months. A smoking and nicotine addiction has smothered him with guilt. He recently began smoking much more than usual. But…..(here is his testimony he gave me Sunday) “I felt the Spirit of God come on me. I began to tremble, I felt something inside (placing his hand on his chest as he spoke). I felt very light, like I was floating. God took away all cravings for tobacco instantly. I wadded up my remaining cigarettes and threw them away. That was four days ago and I have not had any desire whatsoever to smoke again.” When Jorge Luis told me that, I gave him a high five and we praised God together. We agreed he would share this testimony with the church body next Sunday. I can’t wait. One of our other guys who is struggling with smoking already asked him how he did it. Good things lead to more good things in God!

PEOPLE ARE BEING SAVED AND DISCIPLED

THAT'S WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT!