On our way to the airport

Our final night in Quito was bittersweet. We had some great adventures and we will miss those experiences, but we are also excited to see those at home.

On our way to the airport. See you all later today!

Highlight of the week

 

The highlight of our week took place Wednesday night.

On Monday afternoon the president one of the villages in which we did VBS invited our whole team to dinner on Wednesday night. To say it was an honor to receive the invitation does not express the significance of the moment. This is a village that had been unfriendly to Christians in the past, and the missionaries at Ninawachi had only recently been given approval by the village to send a team in to work with the kids. The invitation was a gesture of appreciation for what our students were doing in the village and a chance to strengthen the relationship with the people of the community.

While we were grateful for the invitation, our team was a little unsure about attending. There were many unknowns about what we were getting in to. What should we expect? Would they serve us something that wasn’t palatable? Would we get sick from the food? How do we conduct ourselves in this unfamiliar setting? Would we be a good representation of Christ when we were there?

After praying about the situation, each one of our team members felt that we could not miss this important opportunity. We felt that the Lord was leading us to go and if we were following His call to go and make disciples, He would take care of us. This was an opportunity for us to live out our faith; to live what we preach about trusting in God. We had the opportunity to further the kingdom of God by helping to create a great relationship between the missionaries at Ninawachi and the village, and we were honored to have the chance to take part of such a significant event.

And what an amazing night it wass. Many children attended the VBS in the village that day. The rest of the team arrived later on in the early evening after they finished their own VBS programs in the two other villages. There was so much joy on the faces of the children of the community as our students played games with them and shared the love of Christ with them. A few young ladies did a traditional dance for our team and even asked some of our guys to join in! For dinner they served us fish they caught from the river (this village is known for the excellent fish caught there) and yucca, with cola to drink. To end the night, the president of the village asked Ulysses, one of the missionaries at Ninawachi to come to his house next week to preach the gospel.

We had the privilege to take part in the work of the Lord and see Him opening doors first hand. Mr. Falkowski pointed out how the evening was very reminiscent of Paul visiting Athens in Acts 17. It was such a special moment that we got to experience. This was a night we will never forget!

 

 

Group 3

Here are some photos of our third group.

Henry Davis Foundation

We were blessed to host a VBS today at an orphanage right outside of Quito.  We played with the kids for about an hour and then shared the Resurrection story.  65 Children heard about Jesus!  The students are so engaging with the kids.  East Service tomorrow at a local church and then the best Empanada's in the world - or so I have been told.  Blessings, Mr. Falkowski

Noche de las Naciones

Thursday night in the jungle was Noche de las Naciones, or the Parade of Nations. Each of our students selected a country to represent. They wore the traditional apparel of that nation and shared some facts and prayer requests about each nation. Additionally, Mrs. Kadle and some student helpers prepared the evening's meal with a menu that consisted of food items from various countries around the world.

Not only was this a fun and informative event, it was a great outreach opportunity. Earlier that day, the ladies on our team went in to town with the ladies from Ninawachi to invite the families from the community to attend the event. The ladies must have done a great job because the Ninawachi school house was full! Mark, one of the missionaries there, said that there were people who attended that had never set foot on the property. God opened doors for the missionaries to reach these people because of the work of our students!

I was very impressed with our students. They were prepared, had engaging facts to share, presented meaningful prayer requests, and were very welcoming to all who attended. It was a great way to end our time in the jungle.

Group 2

 

Here are some photos of our second group.