Hey everybody! We miss ya. But daily life has finally started to feel normal here and we are really settled, which is just the best. Cuenca feels like home, and we have made awesome friends and have been keeping busy! This is going to be kind of a random update, sharing photos, new projects, prayer requests, etc. We have so much to be thankful for and a lot that is inspiring us. God has been so active and present, putting dreams on our hearts for new ministry projects. I'll do my best to be organized but I am pretty sure this will be word vomit. I'm also not into editing things before turning them in so excuse the many errors there will surely be. Carrying on.
Firstly, had an awesome time having Mark Buckley from our church in Phoenix come to visit. He spoke several times to our staff and congregation in Cuenca and it was so special! He also brought his granddaughter, Ava, who also happens to be one of my dear high school students from Living Stream's youth group! We did some fun projects with her and also got to host her in our house! We worked with Manos, a ministry targeting single moms and kids that are refugees from Venezuela! We typically help out with groceries, make them meals and spend time with them, and work to find them jobs and security in Ecuador. It has been such a fruitful ministry and its beautiful to see women that have been impacted by Manos over the years now spearheading the project!
Here is a photo of a group of us packing grocery bags for Manos! Gracie is on the far right, and she is one of the leaders of Manos who was actually utilizing the services a few years ago! She is so passionate and knows exactly what these families need because she was in that exact same situation previously. So beautiful to see incredible leaders rising up in the community. She now works at the church and teaches Tango classes with her husband!
Another ministry we have been working with is the Recyclers ministry. It focuses on children of a group of people nicknames "the Recyclers" because their main source of income is recycling in Cuenca. They collect cans, bottles and other materials, with the hopes of gathering 1 ton total to trade in for $100. That is a huge amount of items for a small amount of money. They work extremely hard and often require their kids to work alongside them, which in turn makes them drop out of school and start working at a very young age, continuing the cycle of Recyclers, were kids follow in the parent's footsteps. Often, they cannot afford school supplies, and are ridiculed in school for not being prepared, which discourages them further. Our goal is to provide tutoring, school supplies, social work and psychological support, and enriching activities like music and dance to foster academic success and a safe environment, thus hopefully breaking the cycle and sending them to find a better source of income. We provide Bible lessons and share the gospel with them as well. A few weeks ago, Rory and I spoke with our friends Kyle and Lukas, and 18 kids accepted Christ for the first time!! Another exciting development is that my dear friend Natalie Orr is moving here in a week, and she is an experienced social worker who is going to do amazing things with this ministry! Please be praying for her as she makes this transition!
We also got to go on a really cool trip down to the coast to see the Compassion International site in Santa Rosa, Ecuador. We met a lot of the kids and families and saw what an incredible impact sponsoring a kid through Compassion has. My family grew up sponsoring these kids and I had no idea how lifechanging it is for these families. They get medical care, food, education, and get to experience the love of their Heavenly Father daily.
It's also easy to see these kids, who look healthy and clean, and not understand the severity and vulnerability of their situation. Their parents do an amazing job at caring for these kids, but when you see under the surface of their smiling faces and joyful laughter, it's so important to understand where they are coming from. There is not much keeping these families safe from intruders, sex trafficing, gang and domestic violence and illness because of the level of poverty they are experiencing.
This is just one example of the many houses we visited. Safetly and vulnerability is a huge issue. Compassion works tirelessly to change the situations in these neighborhoods, and their impact is massive. Just thought I'd share for those who maybe have thought about sponsoring a child or working with the ministry. The work they do is changing this city and protecting vulnerable populations.
Here is my view these days: I have been working in the Fundacion de Hogar, a hospital and clinic providing extremely affordable healthcare to the community. They offer pretty much every single medical, dental and optical service one could need. I have been posted in triage, assessing patients, performing eye and retinal exams, administering injections, EKGs, and prepping surgical kits. It has been super cool to learn about medical care in Ecuador and see the amount of people getting treated that would otherwise not have access to medical care. People will travel from all over Ecuador, sometimes traveling by bus for 8 hours just to make their appointment with us. This one little building is affecting the entire country, not just the patients but also the staff they provide jobs for!
We also have the fun task of organizing all the medications and supplies for the medical brigades. Who would've though inventory would be so satisfying! When outside teams come in, they leave us awesome stuff from the States to use and it is SO nice to have. We are able to give all medication out for free, with education and proper dosing and we have pharmacists and nurses checking everything. It feels so good to provide safe, ethical care FOR FREE for the communities here. Praise the Lord!
Prayer request: We are praying for a portable EKG machine and ultrasound machine to bring into the jungles and surrounding towns. Currently looking for options to purchase, but obviously they are very expensive. Please pray for the right equipment at the right price!!
Fun Picture Updates!!
Last but not least, I caught a piglet. It was not happy at all. I thought piglets were cute and stuff but they actually scream a lot when you hold them which makes it stressful and less fun. I also milked a cow.
Big things happening here. Love you guys loads, thank you for your continuous encouragement, support and prayers. How sweet it is to have you all in our lives.
Love,
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