http://www.alangordon.org/index.htmlHot News!enen2026-09-02T10:03:46-05:00 hourly 1 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00 Sat, 5 Sep 2026 10:10:05 -0500Blog 20262026-09-02T10:03:46-05:00http://www.alangordon.org/blog-9/files/7a891a5a62eef235105d3b3d07e13ccc-38.html#unique-entry-id-38http://www.alangordon.org/blog-9/files/7a891a5a62eef235105d3b3d07e13ccc-38.html#unique-entry-id-38

Hiram and Janeth are missionaries from El Salvador, and work in training missionaries and teaching churches in missions. Hiram is an incredible musician, and we have worked with him and his wife on several occasions. They spent three days in our home and blessed us and our Tuesday night Bible study. (They brought with them a missionary candidate whom they are training.)



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"Can we use your place to receive our youth after their retreat and hold our church service?" "Sure! Anytime!" We're flexible. They only confirmed the event the day before, so we didn't know exactly what to expect, but that's part of the fun. First on the agenda was to shuck the corn and light the charcoal. Then the service. ("Could you play your accodion since all the musicians are on the retreat?") Then we had to wait for a few of the adults to pick up the youth at their retreat. Meanwhile they started cooking the chicken and sausages. When they arrived we had to wait for each youth to share their weekend experiences before digging in to the food. After the meal I brought out a few of my puzzles while others threw darts or tried to throw a disk into a frog's mouth (an Ecuadorian game). We enjoyed the fellowship and hope to see folks use our house more often.





]]>Blog 20262026-08-19T17:53:28-05:00http://www.alangordon.org/blog-9/files/f15b156877a1b780d5a999978e7c42aa-35.html#unique-entry-id-35http://www.alangordon.org/blog-9/files/f15b156877a1b780d5a999978e7c42aa-35.html#unique-entry-id-35

Faby's been having headaches for years. Recently her lower dentures are giving out. We got her new dentures, but she couldn't adapt to them. Then I found another dentist here in El Tingo; young, and a specialist in oral rehabilitation. His first step was: "Take a panoramic x-ray." In our next appointment he spelled out all the problems she has with her teeth: cavities and infections all over. He marveled that she's not in pain and her face isn't swollen. Everyone is different. Faby has no pain in her teeth, but it MAY be causing headaches. The doctor suggested sedation and a one shot surgery to correct everything. Wow! I have to convince Faby, but her memory doesn't hold out long enough. He did a prophylaxis, and we'll wait and see and go from there. I'm praying for wisdom.
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Either break the rules or close down the Health Center. The Health Center in El Tingo didn't have any running water. How do you run a Health Center without water? What happened? Turns out the folks in the City Hall in Quito didn't pay the water bill, so the water company cut off the water supply, which, technically, isn't legal. If the government is responsible for providing public health care, how can they cut off their own water? Bureaucracy. So, at the local level, what do you do? The head doctor calls me and asks, "Can you reconnect the water line?" Since I have the plumbing tools, I answered, "Sure!" Then the water company inspector comes along and says, "You're stealing water." What a dilemma! The water company says you have to pay a fine, and the head doctor argues that it's illegal to cut off the water supply at a Health Center. All because someone in Quito didn't get around to paying the water bill. We'll see what happens. Welcome to Ecuador!
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Faby is a natural for evangelism. Here in our park, we talk with many of the alcoholics. But our health limits us. Faby spends a lot of time resting. So while I accompany her, I've taken on reading some books about street kids:



"When Invisible Children Sing" by Dr. Chi Huang. He was a medical student at Harvard and traveled to La Paz, Bolivia to work in an orphanage. But at nights he would hit the streets and work with street kids into the wee hours of the morning.

"Nobody Don't Love Nobody" by Stacy Bess. She landed her first job as a teacher in Salt Lake City in a shelter for the homeless and taught all six elementary grades at once in very limited conditions.

"Breaking Night" by Liz Murray. While the first two books described working with street children, this author details her life as one of those kids, growing up in Bronx, New York. Her parents were drugs addicts and could barely, if at all, care for her.

These books give me a better understanding of the life of street kids. I don't know if we'll ever be able to work with such, but the few alcoholics in our park have some similarities. My application is to listen to their stories to better understand their situation. In most cases, the recovery period is a long process.
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We worked with Luis for several years, giving workshops, Bible courses, and preaching in his church. At that time he was single, but, now married, he serves as the pastor in the community of "Sablog." He came to visit his relatives in Quito, and just had to swing out to our valley for a visit. It's the first time he's been to our home in El Tingo. I haven't seen him for a while. Eight years ago I presented his newborn son in the church. Since then they have built a new church.





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Got a call from New York. Segundo Puculpala calling for help to find a Bible study on discipline in the church. He's from a community deep in the Andes Mountains here in Ecuador: "Santa Julia" but migrated to the US four years ago. We began to remember our times together in his and the neighboring communities. Good times past! He told me he's studying online at a University In California, and when he finishes in two years he's coming back to Ecuador. I hope so!

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Carlos and Priscila visited us Sunday with their sons Jon-Carlos and Kevin. They attended our church over twenty years ago. Jon-Carlos and Kevin were only children. Now Kevin is an Mechanical Engineer and Jon-Carlos is in seminary. He wants to be a pastor. It's a joy to see a youth with desires to serve the Lord full-time. Our labor is not in vain. As I reach retirement, I think about the next generation. These are the folk we need to nurture. I have three more on my prayer list:


Valeria Vallejo grew up in our church. She is now in Texas doing a medical residence to maintain her US certification. We sent here to Uganda for a summer years ago, and she still has her heart set on Africa.


Danilo Zarate is about to finish his college degree in Electrical Engineering. He's a dedicated Christian, a faithful member of his community church, and a big support for his single mother. His present focus is on graduation, but I trust he'll set his eyes on serving the Lord in some capacity.


Jefferson Tenelema comes from a small community in the mountains. He came to Quito to work with his uncle and learn auto-mechanics. He married last year and recently told me he wants to go to seminary. He also leads a youth group among the indigenous communities.

Time to pass the batan to these youth of the next generation! Pray.]]>Blog 20262026-07-10T15:27:12-05:00http://www.alangordon.org/blog-9/files/d0c8d9b1945b000a732d394b0dde58ea-29.html#unique-entry-id-29http://www.alangordon.org/blog-9/files/d0c8d9b1945b000a732d394b0dde58ea-29.html#unique-entry-id-29

Two years to the date since my heart attack. Yesterday I did my ergometry (exercise stress test) with the cardiologist to see how my heart is holding up. Praise God I reached a METS score of 12.1! In the scientific world, they estimate that I have 0.6% chance of another heart attack for the coming year. In the doctor's words, "You can do whatever physical exercise you want." So far, I walk one hour every morning. The rest of the day is taking care of Faby, doing housework, and getting out when we can. ]]>Blog 20262026-06-30T11:08:59-05:00http://www.alangordon.org/blog-9/files/33c0aa9009cea0c3b1e614c31f7d605e-28.html#unique-entry-id-28http://www.alangordon.org/blog-9/files/33c0aa9009cea0c3b1e614c31f7d605e-28.html#unique-entry-id-28

Every year our town of El Tingo celebrates a festival to their patron saint: Saint Peter. The park fills with street vendors, games, and rides. Other activities include a parade, music and dancing, fireworks, greased climbing poles with prizes at the top, and men on horses dressed as women. Here the photos show the parading of Saint Peter.
Going back to my studies of contextualizing the Gospel, one aspect would be to proclaim Jesus as the Patron of El Tingo and not Saint Peter. In other words, change the festival to proclaim Jesus as Lord. The Jews celebrated festivals three times a year. I see the festivals having great potential if we changed the focus. Pray for a miracle!

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Most parents talk about their kids. We don't have any biological children, but we can talk about our spiritual family. One of our "daughters" is Bridget. She was one of my Sunday school students for several years. i think we both will always remember our paper folding projects to illustrate the Bible lesson. Now Bridget is in the US with her parents and siblings as an undocumented immigrant. I haven't heard much from them, but I assume she's going to school, and her parents do odd jobs. My prayer is that the Word of God will never leave her alone.

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We used to travel out to the mountains to the Quichua communities. Now, for health reasons, we stay at home, but ministry continues. We have three houses on our lot, and we host three families. The first is Jorge and Vilma with their eight year old son. Both have suffered divorces in which they lost their homes. So now their home is with us. Vilma cooks lunch for us and Jorge helps with the garden. The second family consists of two brothers, Marcelo and Julio. Marcelo spent his life as an electrician and used his earnings to support his brothers. Julio trained as a musician, but suffered a car accident when he was young. He has diabetes and a bad back, but he makes and sells flavored popcorn to support himself. Carolina doesn't live with us, but has established a small fruit and vegetable business in our front garage which opens right into the park. Her husband is a mechanic, and we have known them for years. We don't charge anybody rent, but we live together and help one another. Our home is a small community.

Health-wise we could be a hospital. Three of us suffer heart problems (Jorge, Carolina, and myself), Marcelo only has one eye, and Julio technically classifies as 30% disability. Vilma suffers migraine headaches, and Faby is losing her memory. So we support one another. Good to have company in the home. (Col 3:12-17)

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This weekend was the annual Corpus Christi Festival in El Tingo. I've studied the celebration for years, but we decided to go out to the park to see the preparations. I revived the water foundation for the event. The water shines in the evening lights. We returned home to our garage where our friend Carolina sells fruits and vegetables. Her husband was there to take her home after he closed his auto shop. We've known them for years, and turns out they're thinking about "getting married." (Here in Ecuador they did the civil marriage at the court house years ago, but haven't celebrated a religious ceremony to take their vows.) Javier had bought a pizza to share and so we entered our house out back for a quick meal. Their pastor had asked me to orient/counsel them for the religious marriage. We had a great time of sharing. Still need to talk some more. All in God's timing!



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I thought I was the neighborhood president only for security, but when the water company had to cut off the water supply for three days due to maintenance, I received a call: "Since you're the presidente, could you coordinate the distribution from the water tankers?" So I spent the morning telling the tankers where to go, and watching the neighbors all come out with buckets to fill for their needs. I continue to get to know the neighbors and continue to pray for the time when I can host them in our home for "Cafecito" (coffee and bread in the evening).
]]>Blog 20262026-05-30T11:22:04-05:00http://www.alangordon.org/blog-9/files/34732abde21f69d4016b49e31cfce6e3-22.html#unique-entry-id-22http://www.alangordon.org/blog-9/files/34732abde21f69d4016b49e31cfce6e3-22.html#unique-entry-id-22

We held another "March for the Peace" last night. I had thought that one or two marches would be enough, but some want to keep it up every week. Thursday noon we had what you might call a "spontaneous march" when seven thieves showed up in town. Someone sounded one alarm and when I heard it, I sounded another. Some twenty folks came out with broom sticks, and we literally chased the "undesired folk" out of town. Quite an event! And a success! I didn't think our Friday night marches would be necessary anymore, but a few want to continue. Last night I contributed with five drums for the march, but to my dismay, I realized that we don't have musicians in the group. On the bright side, maybe a weekly march will end up in something different. I continue to pray.

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Some folks want to do the "March for the Peace" every week. This week we marched twice. The Lord gave me the idea to take my accordion for the Friday march. I took a couple of drums as well. My idea was to form a quick band for the march. I learned quickly that I didn't have any musicians in the group. But we marched anyway, me playing an Indigenous tune and the rest banging on their instruments. I don't think we scared many thieves away, but I'm getting to know our neighbors, and they us. After all, the goal is to bring the community together, especially for any future emergencies. They want to repeat the march next Friday. I hope to take a few drums this time and see if I can pull together some rhythm.
(Click here for a quick video.)]]>Blog 20262026-05-16T17:05:10-05:00http://www.alangordon.org/blog-9/files/54c51c6bd0995fef4a05129778794972-20.html#unique-entry-id-20http://www.alangordon.org/blog-9/files/54c51c6bd0995fef4a05129778794972-20.html#unique-entry-id-20

A full week: Tuesday night Bible Study, where marriage counseling took priority; Wednesday 5pm a call from a friend Vicky, whose dog was diagnosed with a tumor and had to be put to sleep (We spent three hours with her in the clinic.); Thursday, Neytan, who lives with us and his parents had to be taken to the hospital for abdominal pains, and still doesn't have a diagnosis, Friday, Faby's cousin needed our truck to buy construction materials, because a truck backed into her wall and left a hole. Finally, Friday night, the town health center held elections for a new local health committee, of which I ended up being a part. After the elections, in our part of town, we participated in a small "March for the Peace," after which I explained to the folks how the community alarms and cameras work. You could call all these activities "Community Work," both among our friends and among our neighbors.

]]>Blog 20262026-05-06T18:53:23-05:00http://www.alangordon.org/blog-9/files/e45b0933bfa65ea5b2fdd990e81b9192-19.html#unique-entry-id-19http://www.alangordon.org/blog-9/files/e45b0933bfa65ea5b2fdd990e81b9192-19.html#unique-entry-id-19

Last night I had the Bible study all prepared, but when the folks came, I saw that they needed prayer more than academics. So I shared Mark 14:36, Jesus' prayer, which I split into four parts:
1. "Abba, Father" - we have an intimate relationship with God and can talk with Him as with a friend and Father.
2. "everything is possible for you" - God can do anything. That's why we can trust in Him in every circumstance, problem, and dream.
3. "take this cup from me" - Jesus expresses what's on his heart, the anguish of suffering. He'd rather not. We need to share our hearts with the Lord. What we really want. What's on our heart.
4. "yet not what I will, but what you will" - After pouring out our hearts we accept what God wants, and resign ourselves to His goodness. ]]>Blog 20262026-04-29T17:09:40-05:00http://www.alangordon.org/blog-9/files/fe7a1fb2be084c3176ebeec7163bf271-18.html#unique-entry-id-18http://www.alangordon.org/blog-9/files/fe7a1fb2be084c3176ebeec7163bf271-18.html#unique-entry-id-18

My mother was an artist and in her last years she taught me to appreciate the clouds from an artist's point of view. (See her photos here.) The skies in the Andes Mountains are very dynamic. Check out the photo. See two dogs? Our God paints the skies. Only He can do that! He controls everything: the clouds, the weather, the economy, the world. That's why I can put my full trust in Him. Isaiah 26:3

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In Ecuador, who comes for a visit at 6:30pm from Quito? This was the pastor Antonio from Capulispungo along with Inocencio, who was also one of my students there, and three others. I prepared a "cafecito" for them. Then we sang and shared. 7:30 rolls along. They came in a car, so they had no transportation problem, but I knew …. So I asked them, "Do you want to spend the night here?" "Thank you very much!" I guessed from the beginning that since Antonio and Inocencio were visiting from Capulispungo that the rest didn't have a place for them to stay. "Practice hospitality" as it says in Romans 12:13. We have five beds in the front house, so putting them up for the night is a matter of routine. ]]>Blog 20262026-04-16T20:07:28-05:00http://www.alangordon.org/blog-9/files/4687130919c50d8bfededbb959bad419-16.html#unique-entry-id-16http://www.alangordon.org/blog-9/files/4687130919c50d8bfededbb959bad419-16.html#unique-entry-id-16

My alcoholic friend Pedro died yesterday. They found his body in the park, sprawled on the sidewalk. Alcohol ruined his life, although he always told me "loneliness" was his real problem. We tried to help him, but he never made the decision to change and/or seek help. This is the second death among the alcoholics. "Bronco" passed away two months ago. I continue to pray for those who are still with us, especially Carlos.]]>Blog 20262026-04-13T18:40:24-05:00http://www.alangordon.org/blog-9/files/9e6f4456620468041a89c0667b4f8ecd-15.html#unique-entry-id-15http://www.alangordon.org/blog-9/files/9e6f4456620468041a89c0667b4f8ecd-15.html#unique-entry-id-15

We wanted to have Faby's whole family over for lunch yesterday noon. Only six made it. One great nephew had an accident and had to get an x-ray. Another niece went to help her sister, etc. We admired a past photo where we had 22 members of the family for a reunion, more or less ten years ago. Not easy to get everyone together.


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What do you do when you find your nephew is smoking marihuana in your house? He's been living in our guest house for the past year and nine months. This is the third time in the past four years I've had to evict him for using drugs. The situation has drained me emotionally. I spent the whole week cleaning out and painting the interior of the guest house. Hebrews 12:6 says, "the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son." He had to leave even for his own good. I hope and pray he reacts and decides to live differently.]]>Blog 20262026-04-01T13:43:46-05:00http://www.alangordon.org/blog-9/files/87499bb7f767412d78d2946578ca30ae-13.html#unique-entry-id-13http://www.alangordon.org/blog-9/files/87499bb7f767412d78d2946578ca30ae-13.html#unique-entry-id-13

Two retreats in a row! This time women only. I always tell the folk that we only have 5 beds, but they always answer, "No problem. We'll make do." It's only one night. At first Sergio told me 14 women were coming, but in the end I counted 20! We have plenty of space in our covered patio, but the front house is a bit tight. However they enjoyed the retreat.




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They arrived at 6am, after a four hour bus trip from "Cachisagua." Jefferson's youth group wanted a weekend retreat to get away and renew their faith. Their first challenge was to climb the mountain behind our house. Three adults who stayed behind cooked lunch for them. Jefferson's pastor led the afternoon workshop. I led some games. And in the evening, we held a bonfire for sharing our testimonies. Sunday we all attended Jefferson's church service. Even though we don't travel anymore to the communities, we are still connected in ministry.



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We enjoy keeping our house full. Two families live in one of our front houses and this week Jefferson's aunt, Carolina, started a fruit and vegetable business in our garage which faces the park. We have known her for many years, and she has always been a faithful Christian friend. We enjoy the company and pray that all of us will continue to form one big family and Christian witness.



(Javier, Carolina's husband, and Jefferson, her nephew, came a few days earlier to build some stands with my tools.)
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José Manya called me this past week. His brother studied the Bible program "FLET" with me in Capulispungo for four years. They're from a community just behind Capulispungo called "Lirio." Now they have a small church in Quito which we visited this Sunday. Most of the folks are from "Lirio." We're discussing the possibility of starting a Bible program "FLET" with his congregation. Visiting the church brought back many memories of our times in the communities.


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The last two blogs have mentioned "Jefferson." He's proving his maturity. Our sewage line clogged and here he is, helping his uncle unclog the system and repairing the cement pipes. I had to remove the flooring and chip away the cement beforehand to find the problem, but they were the experts in the repairs with the masonry. I'm impressed with Jefferson's eagerness to serve, a good sign of a true disciple of Jesus. The youth group he leads is planning a retreat here at our house in a couple of weeks. Plus his leaders are planning to study the Bible course "FLET."]]>Blog 20262026-02-24T13:00:33-05:00http://www.alangordon.org/blog-9/files/0e5a4c45a20660704cdb0f8f676dfea6-8.html#unique-entry-id-8http://www.alangordon.org/blog-9/files/0e5a4c45a20660704cdb0f8f676dfea6-8.html#unique-entry-id-8

Surprise #1 - These folks are originally from "Cachisagua," a community near Guaranda. Carol, center right, is going to open a store in our garage. They came Sunday to "clean the garage." I expected two, but seven people showed up. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised since the Quichua folk like to work together in community. I'm beginning to appreciate the beauty of "the more the better."

Surprise #2 - After cleaning the garage, we played "Uno" which they enjoy. Then after "cafecito" (coffee and bread) they asked my to pull out the accordion and lead some singing. As they focused their cell phones on me, I assumed they were recording. Suddenly Jefferson said, "Roberto Yasaca" says "Hi!" "What!" I exclaimed, "He's in New York!" To my surprise I was being filmed live on TikTok. I guess I shouldn't have been so surprised. After all, they are the next generation.

Surprise #3 - Jefferson leads a group of youth. To my surprise and pleasure, they want to study a Bible program called "FLET" which I have led many a time, both here in El Tingo and in the Quichua communities, especially "Capulispungo" where we studied "FLET" for four years together. We met virtually. (This is the next generation.) It will take some explanation to get started, but I believe they will commit themselves to the discipline of studying.

Nice surprises!



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Hard to believe! Jefferson, center in the photo but now much older and maturer, actually went through all my blogs and pulled out all the photos I took of all my visits to his community "Cachisagua." Then he put them together in a video: here. Great memories!


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Every year or so we meet as "Palm Missionary Ministries" here in Ecuador. Our director, Mark Rollins, flies to Quito and sets up the meeting with the help the missionaries. We meet for fellowship, worship, and prayer. My main role has been putting together and managing our US website: www.palmministries.com



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Bronco, on the left, was one of my alcohol friends in the park. I didn't know him real well, but he helped with some of our projects in the park. I would often see him sitting in the park and would greet him. Yesterday, he passed away. Carlos told me he had cirrhosis. One day he's here and the next he's gone. I'm without words, only tears.


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So far and yet so near. We don't visit the communities anymore, but we're still connected. This family is originally from "Cachisagua." Jefferson (on the right) lived (until he recently got married) with his aunt ( on the left) and his uncle and cousin. (Jefferson's wife is on his right.) They all live near us in Quito. Jefferson is still connected to the youth in "Cachisagua" (four hour drive from here) and he came to see if we can set up a retreat in our house for the youth sometime in March. It took a bit of dialogue and discussion to determine their need and a theme for the retreat, but we decided to dwell on "vocation." How to serve the Lord with one's life. I've known Jefferson for many years and now I'm impressed by his spiritual maturity. His goal for this retreat is to inject the youth with eagerness to know and serve the Lord. God grant us wisdom!]]>Blog 20262026-01-24T19:19:19-05:00http://www.alangordon.org/blog-9/files/ca223d197c38b36541e7a5b6e3374091-3.html#unique-entry-id-3http://www.alangordon.org/blog-9/files/ca223d197c38b36541e7a5b6e3374091-3.html#unique-entry-id-3

This week I witnessed some fruit of our labors. Pastor Gregory called me from his community "Pull Grande" which is behind "Capulispungo" where I spent many years teaching the Bible to pastors. One of those was Gregory. He called me Sunday for help. He's losing his hearing. Could i set up a doctor's appointment with a specialist? I agreed. Part of the deal was making the appointment. The other part was picking him up on the south side of Quito, taking him to lunch and then to the doctor's office, bringing him to our home, and putting him up for the night with his grandson. Two other grandchildren joined us for lunch, the doctor's appointment, and then some time together at our house. On top of that, our car broke down when we arrived at the restaurant. I was glad to see him and catch up on some news in their communities. In the end, he needs hearing aids, or he'll keep losing his hearing.

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But in the end, they didn't listen. Marcelo offered a better product, but they didn't even consider it! My opinion is that they still don't trust us. So they went with their contact. This morning, Orlando sent out a message on Whatspp, "The technician is coming in one hour. We need some folks to be there when he comes." I was the first and the last. Ten hours of sticking around and helping. A couple of others came and went, but I was the main contact, especially since he installed the DVR (digital video recorder) in our house. Serving the community, and still praying for the fruit. I did build a couple of friendships with two on our street, so the time was well invested.



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Months ago, thieves dismantled a car right on our street. The neighbors reacted, "We need to install cameras and an alarm to prevent this from happening again!" God wants us to be generous and to serve, so the very next day I installed a camera and a siren, both controlled by internet through anyone's cellphone. I let the neighborhood know, but no one paid attention or wanted to use the technology. I was stumped, but let it go. Although I did let them know that Marcelo, who lives with us, installs security systems and we even sent out a proposal. No reaction. After months of begging neighbors to contribute a fee, the neighborhood has funds and yesterday a technician came for an inspection. I was the first to meet him on the street and listen to his proposal. Marcelo came with me. Then a few more neighbors showed up. With tact, we listened to all the technical details. The neighbors said, "Ok, we'll let you know." He left. Then I gathered the few and said, " Marcelo can do it for less." Good timing. They listened now, when they didn't listen before. The complexity of community service. God's timing. God's way.
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"Practice hospitality" Romans 12:13 We built our new house with this in mind. We have five different areas for hospitality: living room, dining room, kitchen, family room, and bedroom. Yes, even the bedroom has sofa and chairs! When Faby is feeling well and we have few visitors, we eat together in the kitchen. When Faby isn't feeling well and stays in bed, we can even have a cup of tea in the bedroom, as we did after the Tuesday night Bible study.



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