Shell #3: The Baptism

After the service the entire church went several blocks to the river and five ministers baptized 18 new converts. After the last prayer, there was a photo with the five ministers and the 18 new believers. Then people starting splashing each other and I tackled Felix in the water dunking him below the surface. Someone asked me later if I was a little afraid to do this. Three years ago, I wouldn’t have dared. But today it was a pure celebration of the glory and power of God and His work in this local church.

We had to leave on Sunday afternoon and were not able to Sunday night’s service where several evangelic churches came together for celebration. However, during this service, one of the women that had been baptized earlier in the day brought her son forward for healing. Felix prayed and the little boy (with the help of the pastor’s wife) repeated the prayer. Within minutes, his twisted legs began to straighten right before the eyes of everyone. Praise the Lord!

Missionary Retreat in Otavalo

We recently went on a retreat for all missionary families on the North Andean Field. It was a great time of fellowship and relaxing. Stan and Landon went swimming one day, but the water was freezing so they didn't swim long! They enjoyed the zipline the most.

Another day we went to a waterfall nearby. It was really pretty, though waterfalls are so common here that you can take them for granted. Where we stayed was on a beautiful lake. One night the entire group went on a boat ride around the lake while a mariachi band played and danced. We were also served a hot drink that had cinnamon and sugar in it. Really tasty.

Happy 91st birthday Aunt Gladys

Sherri's great Aunt Gladys just turned 91 years old, and to her we say, "Congratulations!" She is a wonderful supporter and encourager to us, but more than that, she is a beautiful person inside and out who is a Chrisian example of love, perseverance and kindness. She also has a great sense of humor and always has a story to tell. We pray God's special blessing upon Aunt Gladys during this time of celebration.

Recent Family Photo

Part 1: Evangelistic Campaign in Riobamba, Ecuador

At the end of June, our family went to Riobamba at the invitation of Felix and our Buena Vista Church. (Picture 1 is "The Twelve Disciples" volcano. You see this on the way to Riobamba. Picture 2 is the church.)

One of the ladies in the church loaned us her apartment for the weekend, which was a real blessing. We arrived Friday afternoon and that evening the church had a meeting for the parents of their 440 students. The gym was packed, and most were not Christians. In the past, these meetings were informational meetings or parenting workshops, but this evening was an evangelism event. After 30 minutes of worship, Stan was introduced and he spent about 20 minutes doing magic tricks and telling few jokes. Then he transitioned to the gospel, using the Ten Commandments to bring conviction. At that point he turned the meeting over to Felix. Felix read from the scripture and brought a powerful evangelism message. The church received decision cards from 41 parents who accepted Christ, but we didn’t get cards from all of them. We concluded with a spirited time of praise.

After this event, Felix got an invitation to preach at a wake for a 13-year-old boy who had died in a car accident. Felix asked the Catholic family members, “How many of you think we should pray for the soul of this young man?” They all raised their hands. He said, “I have good news for you. Your son had a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Thus, we do not need to pray with him because the Bible tells us that he is with the Lord. In fact, I think he is praying at this very moment. Let me explain.” He went on to explain what the Bible says about their spiritual condition, and he shared the good news that they can have this same type of relationship with the living Jesus Christ. 22 people accepted Christ.

Part 2: Attracting the Crowd

Early Saturday morning was a time of prayer, fasting, worship and teaching in the church. Later in the morning we went to an impoverished neighborhood inviting 50 families to an event to be held on the neighborhood’s outdoor basketball court that afternoon. We set up a little before 3:00. We had 100 plastic chairs and a sound system. Also, one brother brought a kid’s train and tracks and gave free rides to the little ones.

Part 3: The Greeter

Landon was the official “greeter” or “enforcer” making sure that people came to the event. There were several people watching from a distance. With his broken Spanish he boldly went and talked to children, youth and adults. After many attempts, he finally got a dear old indigenous woman to come and sit with the rest of the barrio. She walked with two sticks that functioned as a walker. This is a picture of Landon with his arm around her as he helped her to her seat.

Part 4: Something for Everyone

We gave away ice cream to the kids and later hot dogs. (See photo 1.) To the youth we gave away CDs of Christian music. Adults received large bags of basic staples like sugar, rice, oil, salt, beans, etc. There were dramas, singing, and two hilarious clowns were the emcees. Again, I did my tricks with Landon’s help and set up Felix to bring the gospel. (See photo 2.) He gave his testimony and, as far as I could tell, everyone who was sitting in the chairs accepted Christ. (See photo 3.) We got 42 decision cards, and many of the cards represented families. Afterwards, Felix invited the band to come back and we worshipped the Lord for his grace until it was almost dark.

Part 5: Preaching

Sunday morning I preached a Father’s Day message. At the end, I asked Felix to come forward and he gave an invitation saying, “How can you be the head of your family and lead your family spiritually if you do not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ? Some of you today need to accept Christ.” We received 7 decision cards for a total of 112 for the weekend.

Part 6: Felix & Family

It was a great weekend for our family. We spent time with Felix’s family, including his wife, 8-year old son Juan David, and 2-year old twins Daniel and Laura. Their small two-bedroom apartment near the church is actually a ministry center with people constantly coming and going. It was a joy to see this family sharing their lives with the people, leading them in evangelism, prayer and the life in Christ.