Sorry for the Delay

Hello everyone! Sorry it's been so long since I last updated my blog. So much has happened since that last update but I just haven't had a lot of time to sit down and think through it and then to write something here about it. So I'll try to catch you all up as to what is going on here in Cuenca, Ecuador.

First of all, I had a great trip home for Christmas. That week really flew by and it was hard to leave again but it was good getting to see everyone (and for those of you I didn't get to see...sorry). It was nice to be in a culture that I understand and a language that I can speak without thinking too much. But now I'm back and it's going as strong as ever here.

The Sunday after I got back there was a Renovacion de Votos (a Marriage Vow Renewal Ceremony) at a local church here in Cuenca called Dios es Amor Verdadero (God is True Love). In classic fashion I forgot to take my camera but it was a beautiful service. The idea of Marriage here in Ecuador is, sadly, very corrupted. Most men have a wife and at least one mistress. It's common for teenagers to be pregnant very young and it is normally older men marrying younger women. Marriages oftentimes don't last and if they do last it is often not because of love, but because of not being in bad relations with the Catholic Church. So needless to say, in this country especially, it was a beautiful service to watch 5 middle-aged to elderly couples renew their vows to one another. It was also beautiful to see the church, filled with some younger married couples, join together and celebrate this event. It may be a small sign that the kingdom of God is beginning to break through in certain ways in this country, in this world. Out of a city of almost 500,000, five couples may not sound like a lot, but it is a beginning.

Other than that work has been going as usual. The church leaders have received a little more freedom as they try to start their own house churches. So that is a large prayer request. Also that Patricio and I are starting to pray about where God would like for the next church plant to be. We are praying that God will give us the eyes to see where his harvest is ready, where his Spirit is at work, so that we can take part in that work and hopefully start the work of planting a new church, all the while encouraging and helping these other plants as they try to go forward in their work.

That's really all that has been going on lately. We've had leader retreats, and church planting workshops, but the real work is in trying to encourage and motivate these new churches to take root and be the body of Christ here in Cuenca. Another prayer request I will put out there is a volcano here in Ecuador is possibly on the verge of a major eruption. Yesterday volcano Tungurahua was registering 4.7 major explosions every hour and had a hightened siesmic activity report. Today it is more tranquil, but as far as I know there is still a voluntary evacuation in effect for the areas around the volcano. I, here, am well within saftey. But there are some towns right near the volcano that would be utterly devastated and from what I've heard they are very superstitious people to where they may not heed warnings because they have given an offering to the virgen and she will save them. So be praying for those people, that they will heed the warnings if necessary, but ultimatly pray that they will be spared this disaster.

Thanks for all your support and prayer. Sorry that it has been such a long time since I last posted.