Full House!

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The Quito folks from Capulispungo wanted to host a special service at our home: the dedication of two children. About twenty came on Saturday night to "prepare things." They slept here overnight and the next morning began cooking for a crowd!

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I didn't see much of the dedication service, because, as usual, I took on the kids. Quite a challenge, because I had the whole group from 4 years old to 14! Faby rescued me later, because she was giving the message.

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We are enjoying the usefulness of our backyard "shelter." We converted from a dedication service to a dining room in minutes!

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The kids always enjoy jumping rope!

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And this guy really wanted to learn how to ride my unicycle!

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Ministry 2020

Christ came into the world as a child. Children belong to the kingdom, and those who don’t receive the kingdom as a child will not enter into it.

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This year, the second year of the Pandemic, God has opened the door to work with children. The ministry began when the migrants from Capulispungo, who live in Quito, began to meet at our home for their Sunday services. As usual, no one took on the kids, and Faby jumped in to help. I saw that she had too many kids, because some were between 2 and 4 years old, and other around 8 to 10 years old. So I decided to take on the older ones. There were only two: a girl of 8 and a boy of 10. I had never taught kids before, but I knew that a pastor, sooner or later, must learn how to teach kids. As a missionary once told me, “If you want to learn how to swim, you must jump into the water.”

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So I began. I quickly learned that my forte is to use paper folding in order to teach the lesson. It worked very well for me. The kids loved it, because they were doing something during the whole lesson.

A couple of months later, the church moved back to Quito, but the kids wanted to continue with me. So the 10 year old, Anderson, to my surprise, set up the meeting on Zoom, and invited his relatives and friends. The first night, I joined the link to find several children eager to learn! We have now met every Saturday night for the past nine months!

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The most important lesson I learned was that if you prepare well for the class, both you and the kids enjoy it. I struggled and prayed to prepare each lesson, but now I see the results. I have learned how to teach kids. And I believe pastors should learn as well.

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So we began to visit churches with the vision to improve their children’s educational program. Easier said than done. Most pastors I’ve talked to have no idea what goes on with the kids during the Sunday service. They’ve delegated the task to some of their youth, and they’re busy with other priorities. I understand. But if they don’t prioritize discipling their children, in the future, they won’t have leaders for their church.

Recently,
we visited a community called "Lirio" where we donated two new plastic tables for their barren classroom. We hope to spend some time with the teacher.

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So we’ve embarked on a new ministry: teaching children the Kingdom of God. (Which includes training teachers and convincing pastors.) Pray for us!



New tables for the kids

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Back in September, we visited this community church in the mountains to see the pastor. I had slipped out during the sermon and visited the children's classroom. What most impressed me was that they didn't have any tables, just benches. I had always wanted to return and give this ministry some support. So we finally returned this Saturday. The church was hosting some conferences, but I told the pastor we were going to see the kids. When we arrived, the young teacher was giving the kids a bible lesson, but right away she asked us to show her some different activities. Faby reinforced the lesson, then we played some games. But in order to do some crafts, we needed tables. And that it what we brought them: two, new plastic tables, which were greatly appreciated and utilized. But would you believe, they didn't have any pencils or crayons! (I did.) There's much to do. The teacher, Maritza, wants more help. Lord willing, we hope to meet regularly.


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Portable classroom

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No classroom for the kids? Improvise! God gave me the ideas at the last minute. I put a folding table in the car, loaded some plastic stools, and grabbed a tarp and some rope. These are the kids to whom I've been teaching the bible on Saturday nights. The church is now meeting in Quito, although the accommodations are basic. The church meets in a small room behind the cinder block wall. They have no place for the kids. So we improvised our classroom. It was time to see the kids in person. Faby and I led the class for an hour and a half while the congregation held the service. As always, paper folding and coloring is my forte. It wasn't easy with kids from 6 years old to 12 years old, but God is good and gives us the grace to teach.


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Leader's retreat

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"We have room for eight if you want to hold a leader's retreat at our home, but fifteen is too many." The pastor and leader came to see our house for their two-day retreat. I suggested they could use our place for a day only retreat. Then I showed them our bed capacity. They liked our three-bedroom, three bunks and two bed set-up. "We'll accommodate." "Really? That's two to a bed!" OK, I guess they're used to "camping" (as I would describe it). Anyway, they made the most of their two days here, and spent most of the time discussing plans for next year. We enjoy hosting in our home. They may come back again.


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