This post is long overdue! Thanks so much for reading our new blog post, it has been way too long since our last update. Where to start? Well, we have not actually moved to Ecuador yet although we are ready to be there. Some of you will say: “Wait, I saw your pictures on Facebook, I thought you were there already!” This is true, we were there. We were greatly blessed to be able to go down at the first part of June and we were there six weeks. The trip was amazing!

Prior to this time, we hadn’t been down there since 2006, which means this was the first trip for Hannah. Well, everything went great! I was able to reconnect with many of my friends, and our brothers and sisters in the churches. I was even invited to preach a couple of times which was a blessing. We stayed at Camp Chacauco and were able to travel and make visits around the Ambato area. Hannah had a really good time, went with the flow, and made new friends. She is a great little traveler. It was also a good time for our family to be near my parents (Steve and Carol) and it will be great when we get to serve with them on a long term basis. Hannah especially enjoyed getting to stay with Pop-Pop and Mamaw a couple of nights while we were there.

Our short time in Ecuador was refreshing for me. To be home, to see the churches and pastors I grew up with, to fellowship with people I hadn’t seen in a very long time was a lot of fun. To take my wife and daughter places and introduce them to old friends was special. To be in worship in churches that are growing and continue reaching their communities with the gospel of Christ is refreshing.

It was really great to be at Camp Chacauco and join the staff in some of their ministry during our time there, we met some great folks who came down as interns or on short term mission teams. It is encouraging to see people working together for the glory of God!

My heart is very full right now, I feel like there is a lot more that I could say about the trip. What I need to share about it though is that it was a reconfirmation of our calling to be there. God is still at work in Ecuador, there is still much to be done, and we feel stronger than ever that He wants our family there.

We returned to the States in the middle of July and we moved from Abilene, TX back to the DFW area. We are now in fulltime fundraising mode. Just before we left for Ecuador, I took a step of faith and resigned from my job at Sprint, which had provided most of our income over the last 3 years since we have been in Abilene. So our job now is getting to Ecuador long term. What a task!

God is faithful! STOP. Read it again. God is faithful! I am reminding myself as I write this, please take time right now as you read this to remember how God has been faithful to you in the past. Our Heavenly Father provides for us, and does it with joy! So I know He will provide, He will bring in the people who will join us financially in this ministry in Ecuador. This is His calling, it is His work, and it is His timing. We are ready to go now. If God is willing, we want to be there by the end of this year but for this to happen we need more people who will join with us by committing to give to our ministry on a monthly basis. You don’t have to give a huge amount. It is much more practical to have a lot of people giving a little bit than to have a few of you giving a lot. So please reflect on God’s faithfulness to you and consider whether you could be a part of our support team.

We are blessed right now during these next weeks and months to be traveling around and seeing some folks and hopefully meeting new people as we fundraise. Over the next couple of weeks we will be going to see some of our friends and family in Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi. We are greatly looking forward to this trip and to the appointments God has prepared for us. Please pray for us during this time of raising funds and ask the Lord if there is a way you can or should be involved in His work in central Ecuador.

God doesn’t need us to accomplish His goals in Ecuador, but I believe He wants us there. If you would like to join our financial support team check out this link.