*** Cristo Te Ama Mi Flor! ***

Ok everyone, we need to celebrate the goodness of the Lord together!!! It doesn’t matter where you are in the world or what you are doing, as long as you realize that your purpose in life is to glorify your Heavenly Father and to share Him with those around you…and that means so many things!! Some people think that because I am out of my country serving the Lord that I somehow have graduated into a new spiritual category, when in reality, we all have to depend on the Lord every waking moment and ask Him for the wisdom to make the most of the challenges of our days! He meets us where we are at with such sweet gifts; exactly what we need, whether we realize it or not! I actually feel like a kindergartner as I struggle to get a handle on how to manage my spiritual life, work, and personal life while learning the culture, language, and social norms. You can pray that I don’t let frustrations take hold and turn to bitterness, but that I learn to operate wholly within the culture.

I love camp!!

I have now finished both of the weekend camps and sent both of my American teams home. I learned so much during the processes of leading these teams into ministry. Fortunately, after following the advice of a wise Ecuadorian, and eating “soft” food for a few days, my stomach has returned to normalcy. Unfortunately, I have had two migraine headaches this week lasting about two days each. I guess I earned them. Knowing that the last few weeks have been full to overflowing with ministry activities, preparation and execution of camp, traveling, keeping my teams intact, and seeing them off, it is a fair deduction that I have put my body through a bit of stress, and it is reacting. I may try taking an antibiotic next…maybe I have a sinus infection and just didn’t realize it?? So, please pray for my body, as it is the temple of the Lord, and I want Him to be welcome and sickness to flee!

Here’s what has been happening lately:

Last weekend, we had our little beach camp…there were 57 people total. Being outside of the city, spending time near the ocean and with my fellow Cristo Vive friends was so refreshing for my body and spirit! It always amazes me how the Lord puts just the right camper/counselor pairs together, both challenging us and filling us to overflowing with His love. I wish I could share all of the tender moments we saw the Lord ministering to His kids, but it would take pages! José, the boy from the orphanage who cannot hear or speak, enjoyed being taught the motions to all the camp songs, and I recognized early on, that when I would seek him out to say hi, he would smile shyly, but one day, I had him playing my guitar, so he could feel the vibrations, he loved it! After spending those few minutes, I gained his trust and affection. From then on, he would seek me out and offer a giant smile and a hug.
Almost all of our campers were new, which is exciting because some of them heard the Gospel for the first time. The Holy Spirit moved and there were definite moments of decision and change in their live. But, as usual, the counselors received so much joy and encouragement their campers and watching Him work on their hearts. I was so impressed with my two young team members, Dani (15) and Farrah (17). Both of them had never been out of the country before and are a bit timid by nature. Farrah’s camper was a 16 year-old who was the size of a 3 year-old and the mental age of an 8 month-old. She had to be held a lot, fed, changed, and comforted. This was very stretching for Farrah, but she rose to the occasion and allowed the Lord to grow her. And Dani, who did not have a camper, took turns caring for other campers and was not afraid to do whatever we asked of her. She really watched out for everyone on the team, and has such a servant’s heart. They really blessed me (and they took good care of me when I had a giant headache and couldn’t be the leader I wanted to be!!).

I had the great privilege of being assigned to a one on one role with a camper for the first time in at least three years (usually I am in leadership and it would be too much to handle)!! I was sooooo excited to be able to focus my attention fully on Flor and her needs for a few days. We had a wonderful time at camp! I discovered that she has an amazing sense of humor and a beautiful trust in the Lord. The very first afternoon, we were relaxing in our room, playing my guitar, and I made up this song that stuck with us for the rest of the camp. “Cristo te amo mi Flor” which means, Jesus loves my Flor. I sang some other lines and changed it around here and there, but when I made my voice sound silly, she laughed! I hadn’t heard a single sound come out of her mouth until that moment…and what a sweet sound it was; I was overjoyed! So, for the rest of the weekend, I made it my job to make her laugh as often as I could…which was pretty often! Everyone came to know her by her beautiful grin and ready embrace! We talked with her about Jesus and prayed with her, and I know she knows Him. She is confident that He loves her and lives in her heart! We became very intimate friends, and it was extremely difficult to let her go, knowing exactly what she was returning to. Julian, one of the three from the orphanage said “Tia (Aunt), I don’t want to go back to the orphanage, I want to stay here with Fernando (his counselor). As a result of spending so much concentrated time with her, I have a new perspective on her care, her needs and what we can do to help her have a better life. The orphanage folks cannot afford to buy diapers, so they did not send them with her to camp. Therefore, that first morning, she went through three of the four changes of clothes and we spent all of our time changing and washing. That is when I requested that someone go find diapers. The rest of the weekend, she was able to attend all of the activities with the dignity she deserves. So, I have decided to buy her diapers for as long as I can, in the hopes that they will use them. It is so much more sanitary, and so much less work for her caretaker. Wednesday, I went back to the orphanage. Flor was sitting in a chair by herself, sulking; she seemed very sad, with the remnants of tears on her eyelashes. Her caretaker said Flor wouldn’t talk to her for a few days because she was upset she had to come back. After I spent some time praying with her and sang her our song, she was back to her happy self. Everyone agrees that there is a reason that we met her and brought her to camp. The Lord has been working in her life. She is a changed girl and He has begun to use her to impact those around her!! Flor needs our prayers. The environment and situation in which she is living is discouraging, and she needs the presence of the Holy Spirit to remind her that she has a Father who loves her!!

I had a lengthy discussion with the director of the orphanage (Laura) and she is very open and excited about our desires to help them. I asked that she let us know the ways that they could use help, her goals for the kids and how we can help. I was pleased to learn that she used to provide therapy, both physical and speech, but now that she is the only one running the show, she spends much of her time figuring out how to provide them with enough food. From what I understand, the only funding they receive is from an Ecuadorian couple, which is insufficient to run the place properly. She expressed the need for the children to have school supplies (which I plan on buying with the ministry money our team was able to contribute) and the security of a wall or fence of some sort surrounding the facility. She also said that their stove only has one functioning burner (I may have already found an industrial kitchen unit to donate to them). I have been talking with my leaders and some of my other Ecuadorian friends and those who volunteer there with another organization, and we are trying to figure out ways to solve some of these problems. The other kids are asking why they didn’t get to go to camp, and when is it their turn…the OM crew are already planning on having a little camp activity of their own before the end of May! It is exciting to be able to work together with brothers and sisters who are like-minded and motivated. In due time, we shall see the glory of the Lord in that place!!

There are several older teens there that don’t have any hope of ever leaving, because they have no skills and no way to provide for themselves, let alone a family. One of the girls, who watches with shy interest when I play and sing, asked if I would teach her to play the guitar. She would also like to become a beautician. So, on Friday, when we go back to the orphanage, I am planning on giving her a guitar lesson and a haircutting lesson (using Seth, the Georgian, as my example!).

It’s as simple as this: the Lord connects us, and it is our responsibility to find out what His purpose is in connecting us. We must serve each other and give away the love we have received from Him. Keep the orphanage and all the campers in your prayers, and if the Lord gives you any ideas, please share!!!

The camp we were using is not wheelchair accessible, neither is the orphanage, so we are planning on recruiting a team to come down to do some construction, hopefully as soon as August. It was exciting to see Laura, the director, breath a sigh of relief at the hope that there are people out there who want to help. I kept telling her: “all of this is possible; with God nothing is impossible!! He is the God of miracles!”


I am supposed to spend these next few days resting, recovering, and making up my schedule for the next few weeks. I plan on heading to Cuenca early next week. These next seven weeks will be focused on strengthening my teams in Cuenca and Quito, planning trips for August, and mainly develop a more regular schedule so that my life doesn’t feel so chaotic. Please pray that I have wisdom and foresight in my planning. Also lift up Cristo Vive and all the other ministries here that we have been working with, as we strive to mobilize the local Christians to put their faith into action.

***Also, please pray for Gene, Jordana, and Osito. They have returned to Minnesota and are in the midst of making some important decisions regarding schooling for Osito, international trips, and planning camps for the summer! I will miss them!