"Sparking the Good News" by Gene Clemens of Salem First Christian Church

As we have traveled around the area and while we have been working in the Imbarbura province, we have seen five volcanos, two lakes and some of the most beautiful sunrises over the volcano and sunsets behind another.  God has created a beautiful world for us.

We have also encountered a handsome and welcoming people.  "Good mornings" or "good afternoons" around Ecuador from a majority of those you met.  As usual on mission trips, one feels more blessed than a blessing.  We receive undying thank yous for the work we have done on their behalf.  Here, we have specifically served the children in remodeling a day care center.  The "holas" in the morning and "adioses" each night from the children was instant warmth.

God's blessings are endless when doing His calling.  Somehow, some way, His blessings on this effort will impact lives on the children and perhaps parents and they will in turn serve others,  continuing God's blessings to both servants and recipients.  Sparking the Good News in God's command.

Mark 12:29-31
²⁹ “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.^[a] 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’^[ 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’^[c] There is no commandment greater than these.”


Gene Clemens
Salem First Christian Church

"You Never Know" by Rick Ikeda of Salem

You Never Know,

They say you never know how what you say or do will affect others. The other day while our group was working in Cachimuel Marilyn Cooper, a Global Ministries volunteer missionary working with FEDICE, drove Lisa Renz , Sebatian and myself to Tocagon. They were putting on their own VBS for several of the close by churches. We were going there because they wanted Lisa Renz to speak to them. Lisa is a short term volunteer for FEDICE who was a missionary in Mexico for 44 years and had worked on some programming for them. She happens to originally be from Oregon and still considers herself an Oregonian.

When we got to the church there were around 150 kids singing in the courtyard WOW! I pointed to the yellow building across the courtyard called the education center and told Lisa that we (Oregon region) brought a group here two years ago and helped to finish the second floor and the wall around the third floor. She said yes I know part of the reason I am here is I saw the video about that mission trip and it peaked my interest in FEDICE. She did more research on FEDICE contacted them and now she’s here helping. You never know!

The video was created by Dave Van Dyke from Murray Hills Christian Church.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RcXFOuiXEw&feature=plcp

"Cemetery" by Audre Bratcher of Portland First Christian Church

One of the fascinating sites on the road to Cachimuel is a hillside cemetery with multiple tears of graves and above ground tombs.  On Monday, there were people sitting and standing in groups throughout the entire cemetery.  We thought it must be a special day of honoring the dead.  On Wednesday morning, we observed a funeral procession heading to the cemetery and many people were still scattered throughout when we went by again three hours later. 

Victor says this is an indigenous cemetery and their custom is to spend the day of a funeral in the cemetery, visiting graves of ancestors and friends and even taking lunch.  He went on to say that mestizo people or more evangelical indigenous people typically do not follow this tradition.  A cultural map of the Otavalo region clearly indicates separate indigenous cemeteries. 

Audre Bratcher

Portland First Christian Church

Work Day 4: "Feeding of the Four Thousand" by Doug Collins of Albany FCC

Day four of work at in Cachimuel was full of joy and laughter.  “Corazon” the clown (IE Christy Know of Silverton [I didn’t tell you that]) paid a visit to the children and handed out stickers, photos and balloon animals made by our group the night before.  Duane then handed out balsa wood plane gliders, which the children enjoyed very much.  Workwise, we completed many projects including a beautiful mural of a nearby volcano with local elements including corn, dogs, pigs, a donkey, houses, and children designed by Carol Cure, finishing the final coats of the yellow and brown interior and exterior walls, and lots and lots of clean up.  We are tired this evening from laughing about the many jokes that arose over our lunch as most of us tried ostrich meat for the first time!  We look forward to a special program and dinner being put on by the people of Cachimuel and a special visit by some government officials who wish to help us dedicate this newly refurbished day care center.

Tonight was my evening for devotion and no scripture seemed more fitting than the feeding of the four thousand found in Mark 8:1-9 Contemporary English Version (CEV);

“1One day another large crowd gathered around Jesus. They had not brought along anything to eat. So Jesus called his disciples together and said, 2"I feel sorry for these people. They have been with me for three days, and they don't have anything to eat. 3Some of them live a long way from here. If I send them away hungry, they might faint on their way home." 4The disciples said, "This place is like a desert. Where can we find enough food to feed such a crowd?" 5Jesus asked them how much food they had. They replied, "Seven small loaves of bread."] 6After Jesus told the crowd to sit down, he took the seven loaves and blessed them. He then broke the loaves and handed them to his disciples, who passed them out to the crowd. 7They also had a few little fish, and after Jesus had blessed these, he told the disciples to pass them around.”

Today we have felt, given, received and rejoiced in the many blessings, which are abundant in this place.  We have given thanks to God for the opportunity to get to know each other as a greater regional church – even greater, an international language of God which transcends grammar and sentence structure, whether it be English, Ketchua or Spanish.

Praise be to the Artist, who weaves us together,

Deeper and deeper into the same quilt,

Ever-growing and ever-warming all who seek God’s warmth

With no boundaries, beyond comprehensibility.

Amen.

For more on this particular devotion, visit http://www.weekofcompassion.org/mission-trip-devotions/ and scroll down to the Wednesday entry.

Work Day 4: "Flight" by Duane Hesketh of Portland First Christian Church

I have wanted to make this trip for four years.  This time I said I was going no matter what.  It has been more than I have expected.  People are great, food good (most of the time).  I’ve had great joy in grouting tile and painting.  I brought 100 balsa wood gliders, which we gave out to the children today.  I took one to try out yesterday with the kids – it was a big hit with them.  To my surprise, one of the day care teachers, Mercedes wanted to take a good look at it so I give it to her.  To my surprise, in about one hour, she had made one out of cardboard and painted it yellow.  It looked real good.  This is a mission trip everyone should take.

Blessings, 

Duane Hesketh

Portland First Christian Church

Work Day 3: "The Kitchen" by Jim Cure of Murray Hills CC

 I really didn’t know what to expect when we arrived in Ecuador.  The country is beautiful as well as the people.  I love the children, the smiles on their faces and the warm greetings.  We didn’t have much in a way of the description of the project, all I knew for certain was we were working on a Day Care center in Cachimuel, Ecuador. 

The project consists of a complete remodel of the one of the two day care buildings to increase the capacity.  There are three classrooms, a kitchen and one large room in the middle that serves as the cafeteria and general activity room.  All of the rooms are getting new paint and the bare concrete floors will have tile flooring (including grout).  The kitchen requires an expansion of the counter space and a new sink. In addition to washing all of the windows, which are covered with years of grime and splattered with mortar from stucco, we are also painting the exterior.  To top it off, Carol is doing a mural in the large room. 

I spent the day in the kitchen.  We formed up the extension of the counter and then made concrete from scratch.  Back in my college days earning a Civil Engineering degree I only took one graduate level course:  Advanced Concrete Design.  Today was a lesson in opposites.  I hauled wheel barrels of sand and rocks and about 150 pounds of cement for the mix.  The sand was dumped on the floor and the cement on top.  Working closely with Nicholas (maestro) a local resident and expert concrete finisher, we then dumped the rocks in the middle, added water and stirred (Oh my achin’ back). And to top it off, so to speak, we are working at an elevation of over 9,000 feet with a view of Imbarbura—a  15,000 foot volcano.

A view from our worksite of Imbabura Volcano 

Click HERE to watch a Jim make concrete on Facebook

 It has been a challenge with my 50 year old high school Spanish classes to communicate, but somehow we manage.  These are hardworking people and it has been a pure joy to get into action.   They express a genuine appreciation for our efforts and our support.   It’s something to feel good about.

Each family is charged one dollar for each child per month to attend the day care center, and for some that is a high hurdle.  I feel blessed to be part of the mission trip. 

God's blessings to all of you,

Jim Cure

Work Day 2: "A Moment that Stuck" by Steve Knox of Silverton FCC

I think it was Fred Craddock who said you should preach in such a way that people cannot shake off the message while they shake your hand at the exit door of the church.  It should stick like a piece of scotch tape that cannot easily be shaken off.

On this journey in Ecuador, there are moments that stick.  There are images that cannot be shaken off like the dust on your clothes at the end of a work day.

For me, one such moment came as we were heading up the steep rocky road to Cachimuel a couple days ago.  Looking out the bus window at a field of broken corn stalks, stood an elderly woman.  Short, wrinkled with age, carrying a bundle of stalks six times her size.  They were tied somehow to her back.  I suppose she was carrying the stalks home to be used for animal feed.

It was a moment that stuck to me like scotch tape.  An image of human determination, the dignity of work, and the burden of poverty.

That moment reminded me of another moment when Jesus walked into the synagogue and spread open the Isaiah scroll and read about bringing "good news to the poor."

I hope and pray that when that precious little lady with the huge bundle of corn stalks on her back saw FEDICE bus coming up to her village it was good news.  For me, it was a moment that stuck.  An image that cannot be shaken.

Rev. Steve Knox preaching at La Iglesia Evangelica in Cachimuel

Blessings,
Steve Knox