The planning is complete.
Sixty people from Glad Tidings Church and Sequoyah Community Church are ready
to go. In less than 24 hours, we will board the plane to Guayaquil, Ecuador.
For the first time, we have more Men in Ministry on the trip than women. This is
a bold step forward in winning men to Christ, one man at a time.
The ministry teams have been
practicing for 6 weeks with ever increasing intensity. We have raised
$170,000.00. 1,000’s of hours of prayers and 1,000’s of days of fasting have
taken place. The prayer team is part of the mission trip. A powerful prayer group will remain in San Francisco. The mission team has
purchased nearly 1,000 Malaria Pills, received 100's of essential shots, bought plenty of
insect repellent, Imodium, and sunscreen. We are ready!
There has been teaching in Spanish and the local
customs of Ecuador. When we are in Ecuador, we will become like Ecuadorians.
This is necessary to be accepted by the local people.
The ministry teams include:
· Construction team to build
2 classrooms and lay a foundation for a new church well outside of Guayaquil
· Dance team of men and
women, dance is a popular form of worship in Ecuador.
· Puppet team will perform
with the children, 2 songs and a play all in Spanish
· Choir team includes all 60
participants. The team will perform 4 songs in Spanish and English. The choir
is always a large impact.
· Drama will perform Zion, a
play written many years ago by Pastor and Christina Beiser. We have performed
it all over the world.
· Prayer team will be the
lead prayer warriors throughout the trip.
· Each team has a leader.
Each ministry team can be split into 2 complete teams, to be able to give 2
performances in different regions at the same time.
Work will take place at the
school in Guayaquil and the outlying areas. Janice and Jerry Smith, the
missionary hosts, founded the school. They came to Guayaquil with the vision of
starting a school. Through the school, they could spread the Gospel. As God
would have it, the school would also meet a large need to school what today are
300,000 children in Guayaquil who cannot fit into any of the current school
facilities.
In April 1987, the Liceo
Cristiano opened with 700 children in grades 1 through 6. The school grew each
year. The Smiths added a grade each year until it included all grades through
secondary school in 55 classrooms with 3,000 students. We will be building 2
classrooms in the school to help move closer to their goal of 25,000 students.
Each classroom holds 40 students. They are used multiple times during the day
to accommodate over 100 students per day.
Ecuador is a Socialist
Country, with free schooling. There are not enough teachers or classrooms so
300,000 children are unable to find a place in the education system.
Why are we going to
Guayaquil? The school has had to turn away 1,000′s of children because they do
not have sufficient facilities or teachers. The poverty in Ecuador effects 38%
of the population. It is common to have children ages 5 and older working while
their parent’s lie in a hammock submitted to alcohol or drugs.
In the city, of Guayaquil
children live in desperate poverty. The children live on the streets without
hope and open to exploitation of all kinds. Children should dream of baseball
and Christmas and birthday parties and friends. The children's dreams are
stolen by their situation. Malnutrition stunts the growth of children, which is
common in third world countries, but not acceptable. Add to these conditions
the occasional natural disaster. The picture should be clear.
The calling came a year ago
when we were in the Amsterdam Airport, Schiphol on the return trip from Malawi,
Africa. We are ready to go.
Men in Ministry
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