January 2024
Back again
25/01/24 09:46
They came back after 2 years for their annual planning retreat! I told them I only had 4 beds, but, as before, they didn't blink. The women took the beds, and the men slept on the carpeted floor in sleeping bags. They spent all the next day at the ping pong table, discussing plans for their church in Quito. We had a great singing session the night they came. When I selected songs to sing, I quickly remembered they come from Quichua communities and so does their music, but I've learned to play their style on the accordion, so we had a great time together.
Community Witness
20/01/24 16:05
"Let's do it right now!" said my friend Cesar when I told him that all we needed to do was to install 30 feet of new water pipes. For some time, I have been trying to find the problem of lack of water in the public bathrooms in our park. After weeks of occasional digging to find the water line, I finally found two ends and was able to diagnose the problem: somewhere along those 30 feet, the pipe was clogged. If we put in a new section to replace the old, we should have water in the bathrooms. What I didn't expect from Cesar was the timing. I was planning to do it Saturday after talking to a few neighbors, but Cesar said, "Now!"
Since I've been making friends with the men in the park, whom many refer to as the "drunks," I found four of them sitting on a bench and said, "If you'll help me dig a 30 foot trench, I'll treat you all to lunch." We had a grand ol' time! They dug the trench while I bought new pipes. We installed the lines, tested the water pressure, and filled in the trench. I enjoyed getting to know them better, and joking around with them. As we joined the two ends, the joke was, "There's too many cooks in the kitchen." Everyone wanted to get in on the job. Finished, we piled in the car to go for lunch.
I'm learning that no one will listen to you if they don't trust you. Friendship must precede evangelism. We're in that process. God is teaching us.
War and Power
13/01/24 19:33
Tuesday, January 9th, the president of Ecuador declared war on the local gangs, who already control the prisons and run their drug trafficking from there. Our local war is to continue to talk to the alcoholics in our park. We found one sleeping on the steps of a store at night. Although with a declaration of war, the curfew is from 11pm to 5am. So they have to find a better place to sleep. We pray and preach when we go out to the park. Helpless we feel. We are only jars of clay with the power of God inside us. 2 Corinthians 4:1-7 We pray that power may work in them. (And in the gang members now at war.)
Community Meeting #2
06/01/24 12:21
We sponsored another meeting of our neighbors at our home. The purpose was to follow up on the community alarms, but we also discussed other concerns such as trash collection and drunkards in the park. The latter sparked lively comments, such as calling in the police or local authorities. Yet the conclusion was: "It's up to us." And that was the basis of all my comments. I'm trying to get to know them, talk with them about God, and ask for their cooperation. The group is varied and unstable, but a few are constant. Carlos lost his wife last year in a car accident and almost his own life as well. Since then he's been on the street and fallen into alcohol. But he doesn't drink that much. He would like to find work and leave this group. Pray for him to find a job and to find Jesus.