The crewmembers wanted to express God's love and care to the children and parents at the unit. Dressed as clowns, they performed a drama that got the kids laughing. The message it conveyed was that their value is not defined by how they look or by their circumstances; but that in the eyes of God their value is such that Jesus, the Son of God, would die for them.

One of the volunteers, Bogdan Pavlovic (Montenegro), who is understood to be the first Christian to have come from his country to share the Good News in other lands, said, “It was nice to see smiles on their faces when they saw us dressed as clowns. We brought them joy, and this touched my heart today. I think we helped them in a way.”

Bogdan told the children about his own life. He was a child with special needs who had been told that he would never be able to walk, and that he would die by the age of 15. Through prayer for a miracle, Bogdan started walking and getting involved in sports.

Bogdan is now 21 years old and said he wanted to show the children and parents, through his own story, that miracles do happen through prayer and faith. Having grown up with health issues himself, he could relate the hope he had found in Christ. “Whatever they need and whatever their struggle in life, if they pray and seek God, He will answer at the right time,” Bogdan said.

The volunteers played games with the children and spent time with them individually, giving them cardboard models of Logos Hope, which they built together. One mother said, “I would like to thank you for your presence and for your message.”

As they were leaving, a 10-year-old boy handed a note to one of the crewmembers, which read, “I love you very much.”

The children showed excitement at the sight of a group of international volunteers coming to spend quality time with them. Eyes opened wide when the crewmembers showed them their national flags, asking them which ones matched with their countries. Many exclamations were heard as the group described the ship they live on and the goals of sharing knowledge, help and hope with people in all the ports the vessel visits.

The theme was ‘You are valuable’. Bethany Neil (USA) explained that this is a message the team felt passionately about sharing, since children might often hear that God loves them without understanding their own value. The crewmembers read them a story that would show them their importance in their Creator’s eyes. “It isn’t about what others think about them, it is about what God thinks about them,” explained Daniel Fehrenbach (Switzerland). “It is the most important thing for everyone to know, even for me. I think this touched the children’s hearts.”

The team commented on how impressed they were that the church members organising the children’s programmes every week have the energy to do so for at least three hours each time, twice in the same day. At this, the pastor’s wife answered that God gives them the strength to serve.

“They are so faithful! They host these gatherings in two different locations, provide food for them, and give so much time and resource. I am impressed by their care for kids and what God is doing there. I think I was impacted by them,” Bethany said, joyfully. “These people who are working in local communities are making such a big impact. Praise God, and please pray for those who are giving up their life right where they are for these needs.”

The crewmembers expressed the honour it was for them to be able to connect with the children all day, to see how responsive and how thankful they were to have met volunteers from different countries, with an important message. The pastor, his wife and other church members also expressed their gratitude for the work the Logos Hope team had done.

In December, the OM team served the community through practical acts and ministries. One task was helping with concrete floors in homes so that families could complete their houses before Christmas. 

They also hosted a mini-soccer tournament with children and teenagers. One of those children, twelve-year-old Jean Pierre, was on the winning team. Afterwards, there was a local church service with Pastor Jaime Saltos from the nearby community of Salinas. Pastor Saltos preaches the gospel in La Estancia every Saturday afternoon.

After hearing the message of God that Pastor Saltos shared, Jean Pierre decided to commit his life to Christ at twelve years of age. He knew that there was going to be a Christmas celebration the next day for the community with a focus on children, and he was very eager to get a soccer ball as a present.

He shared his dream with OM team member, Consuelo from Colombia, who shared that she could not control what present he would get but prayed with him, asking Jesus for a soccer ball for Jean Pierre.

The next day, the Christmas celebration took place with traditional Spanish and Latin American Christmas carols called “villancicos," as well as games. 

Consuelo saw Jean Pierre holding a round, well-wrapped, Christmas gift. She asked him, “is that your Christmas gift?” With a confused look he answered, "yes," and opened it. Both shared great joy when they discovered that it was the greatly desired and asked for present - a soccer ball!

Consuelo told Jean Pierre how he can trust his heavenly father for His provision and that He really loves and cares for him. “He answered your prayer! He answered your prayer!” she said as she hugged a smiling Jean Pierre, the treasured soccer ball safely in his arms. 

Operation Mobilisation started with an outreach of a few young students in Mexico, but the focus soon shifted towards Europe, the Muslim World and India. MV Logos, OM’s first ship, was already in service in those parts of the world when the prospect of a second ship opened the possibility for OM to return to Latin America in an impactful way.

In 1977, OM purchased the ship Doulos (Greek for ‘servant’) in Genoa, Italy. After a period of repairs and alterations in Bremen, Germany, the ship began its service in Europe, visiting nine ports before crossing the Atlantic and docking in Portsmouth, USA, before arriving at Tampico, Mexico, on 4 December, 1978—the first visit to Latin America for OM and its ship.

The director of Doulos at that time was Frank Dietz, an American who was part of the ship ministry from its beginning. “With the Doulos, we decided to make one trip to South America. Our impression was that there was a young church, vibrant and waiting for the challenge of missions,” Frank shares.

Besides evangelism, the crew focused on creating mission awareness whenever opportunity arose. “We talked and preached missions in our conferences, through teams that moved out, in churches that our teams spoke in. Missions was a priority!” Frank explains.

One message for all

With the arrival of Doulos, many Christians were exposed for the first time to the need for the gospel in Africa, the Middle East and Asia…and they responded. “We had many young people wanting to join the ship,” Frank continues. “Others said, ‘Just tell us what to do; we’re ready to go.” It was the beginning of a new era for the Latin American church.

Federico Bertuzzi, an Argentine pastor, spent over two months on board Doulos in Latin America, together with his family, pastoring the crew, preaching to visitors and sharing about mission in churches. He would later become the Executive Director of COMIBAM, the Ibero-American Missions Cooperation, one of the most important mission networks in Latin America.

“The Doulos crew was the first to do missions conferences in Latin America,” Federico says. “They insisted on the needs of the least-reached people groups. For the vast majority of Latin evangelicals, this was completely new and exotic.”

The visit of Doulos had an immediate impact on the young and vibrant Latin American church, leading it to engage in missions locally and globally. But it is the long-term effect of Doulos that gets Federico’s attention. “A car engine needs a smaller starter engine to get working. The starter for the missions movement in Latin America was the Doulos!” he shares. “When the Doulos left Latin America [in 1983], it was COMIBAM that took leadership of this missions movement that was started through the impulse of the Doulos.”

In June 1983, after spending five years in and out of the region, Doulos departed from its final Latin American port in Vitoria, Brazil, having welcomed over 4.1 million visitors and distributing over 400,000 copies of Christian and educational literature.

In the following years, the mission effort in Latin America constantly grew in step with the local church. Today, 20 per cent of the population identifies as evangelical, and the continent is no longer considered a mission field, but rather a mission force. Due to the effort of other mission organisations such as COMIBAM, Latin America is sending out missionaries to make disciples among the least-reached people groups. And most of those Latin missions agencies trace their roots to Doulos and the OM teams that brought a mission mindset to the local church.

OM has continued serving in Latin America ever since, mobilising the local church and sending missionaries to all the nations. According to Frank Dietz, Latin America, together with Africa and Asia, will soon set the pace for world mission. Doulos had truly a transforming impact on Latin America and its church and will be remembered as the initiator of this movement.

Nathan Schmutz, from Switzerland, works for OM in Latin America. Besides taking pictures and writing articles, he also supports OM Guatemala in their ministries and serves the Lord as well as he can.

In a first step, leaders and mobilisers from the different OM offices in Latin America were trained and equipped with established mobilisation material and strategies by the Mobilisation Department of OM USA and the Latin American Mobilisation Coordinator. With all the tools at their disposal the teams are now starting to implement new strategies in their respective countries to have the local church engage in the great commission, specifically to share the gospel with the least-reached.

The OM Andean Region Office, which administrates the work in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela, has taken the need for the local church to engage in missions very seriously. In their office in Ecuador the team has held further meetings and developed an adapted strategy for their region to mobilise. The leaders are sharing their passion for mobilisation with the team and also their families.

Being contagious

The daughter of Leon Orellana, the Associate Field Leader for the Andean Region, has overheard her parents talk about the wider work of OM, the need for the gospel to be preached and specifically about OM’s Ship Ministry.

The passion of her parents must have been contagious, because at only five years of age, she says that one day she wants to join the OM ship Logos Hope. Though she may not be able to grasp the whole meaning and all the implications of doing missions, her love for the Lord is true and honest.

When her pre-school gave all their students the opportunity to present a topic, she immediately told her parents that she wanted to talk about MV Logos Hope. With the help of her parents and the OM office, she was able to set up an impressive booth, which included a banner, flyers, postcards, video presentations and world maps in many forms and sizes. Her teachers, fellow students, visitors and her family were impressed by her presentation.

The mobilisation effort of this little girl wasn’t on a big stage or in front of an audience that was immediately able to take action. But it showed a key part of what mobilisation is all about for the teams in Latin America. As Roberto Façanha, the leader of OM Latin America, shared in a meeting in Ecuador recently: “If we want to see those vibrant communities of Jesus followers, we should start with each one of us. It isn't taught, it's contagious.”

Passion for Jesus should be contagious, and so should be the way that OM workers live and serve together as a vibrant community of Jesus followers.

According to Roberto, this isn’t about having the exactly right teaching material or the right strategy. It is about having a deep passion for Jesus and for sharing His message of love and salvation. This leads to local churches engaging in missions and it leads to people, who had never heard the gospel before, coming to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour.  By being contagious.

Nathan Schmutz from Switzerland is married to Ruth from Guatemala and together they have been serving in Guatemala for 4 years. Nathan works in communications, focusing on taking pictures and writing articles about the work of OM in Latin America.

Andrea lives with Sara in a city two hours away from the hospital, because Andrea’s mother is infected with HIV and couldn’t handle the responsibility of taking care and raising Andrea herself. During these years that Sara has known Candy, she has come to terms with God, reconciled with her Heavenly Father and now walks with Jesus and is a guide to her sweet girl Andrea.

Four months ago Sara was diagnosed with cancer, but she hasn’t been able to start her medical treatment because Andrea had to stay in the hospital for the last 3 months and there is still no release date for her. Sara has to endure very strong pain as the physicians only give her basic painkillers.

To Candy, both Andrea and Sara are very special and every week they spend beautiful moments together. But for Candy the most beautiful thing is that Andrea calls her almost every day only to tell her that she loves her and misses her. She is thankful to the Lord for such a pure love and for the ability to support Andrea and Sara, which she says is only possible because of God’s grace and mercy.

Now the Lord is moving Candy to a new ministry in South Africa called “Meetse a Bophelo” (Living Waters), a centre that focuses on school support, evangelism, discipleship and helps feeding orphans, other kids and their families of the area that are either infected or affected by HIV /Aids. Candy desires that the ministry in Ecuador can continue and that new people will invest in the lives of Andrea, Sara and many more when she leaves for Africa soon.

Please pray for Andrea and Sara, for healing and that they can leave the hospital soon. Please pray for Candy in her new season of service in South Africa. Consider supporting the ministry in Ecuador by praying, giving or participating.

*Names changed

A few hours before and 9,000 miles away, a 7.0 earthquake had shaken the Kumamoto area in Japan, in an unrelated event except for being part of the so called ‘Pacific Ring of Fire’: the earth´s most active volcanic area where various tectonic plates adjust from time to time.

When OM teams came to visit Carmita’s community a few days later, she told Ana María, one of the team members, how fortunate she was because contrary to many others she only had material losses. Carmita and the people of the community of Pedernales were very touched by OM’s presence in the disaster areas because they didn’t just bring material gifts but gave also themselves by listening to people, talking to them and hugging them. Seeing all this, Carmita started to help alongside the OM team, following their example.

Another lady, Rosita, from the affected community of La Estancia, between the mud and the debris told the OM team, “Thank you so, so much that you have come and have continued coming, you have been a shoulder which we can cry on and you have given us hope, that things will improve in the midst of our fear of the aftershocks and even more, of another earthquake”.

Ana María and Alfredo, two of the OM leaders have offered their shoulders to their fellow Ecuadorians to help carry the burden of this destruction and to rebuild on the rock which is Jesus. They’re receiving support to provide temporary shelters and homes made out of a local variety of bamboo, plastic and simple materials. Alfredo and Ana María are taking the burdens from the affected peoples’ shoulders where they visit, they let them cry on theirs and cry with them, but mostly helping them rise again with Jesus as their cornerstone. 

It's easy to reflect after an amazing medical outreach and consider the impact. Even more common is to ponder the ways that you may have grown in your understanding of the Lord while serving on His mission.

But what happens when the Holy Spirit presents Himself, in even the most minute details? For example, in organising an intercultural team that uniquely connects, it seems natural; opening the hearts and minds of an indigenous people, which normally places scepticism over trust of foreigners; making medicine and medical attention secondary to the prayers and counselling of a listening ear, and listening heart.

Only the presence of the Creator of the universe could foster and produce these testimonies. The figures of impact were impressive, but only because He showed up. The tears of deliverance were only induced by one glimpse of Him. The forgiveness and the freedom only warrants appreciation of His grace. As for the healing, the presence of the Lord shattered any possible attention-seeking spirit that may have disguised itself as accomplishment to capture our attention, confirming that the labour was the Lord's effort, not ours.

"God is calling us to worship Him," said OM team leader Doctor Eddie Moore, as we concluded our first night after serving the community of Encalado, Ecuador, the first of four locations in Guamote. "We are to respond to His call and let the rest of our service here be a result of the overflow from our worship."

With this desire to serve from the overflow as the impetus, our team intended to use every opportunity to serve the Lord through our worship to Him, first, then to serve the community.

That day, we attended 175 people—the highest number for the week! As the week progressed, the number of patients who received medical attention still reflected an amazing journey with the Lord; 162 on day two, 129 on day three, 117 on day four and 77 on the fifth day.

God's priority

Miraculously, however, as we attended fewer patients for medical attention, and as the communities became smaller in size, the number of visits to the prayer room increased—nearly twice as many people desiring counselling and prayer than in the days before!

"What a beautiful display of God's priority; He wants emotional healing so as to draw hearts completely to Him," said Ken Webb from Texas, USA, who, with his wife, Amber, joined the short-term outreach team after hearing testimonies from their close friends that participated in last year's outreach in Cañar, Ecuador.

As Ken led people before the throne of grace in the prayer room, many others experienced the presence of the Lord across the outreach.

Take the experience of Karen Sloan, a wife and mother of three, who travelled to Ecuador after hearing God's call to serve in short-term missions. She recalls the presence of God being distinct, even in triage, the first point-of-contact with the patients: "Matthew 11:30, where Christ declares, ‘For my yoke is easy and my burden is light,’ was my default promise as I served  the mature patients, so many of whom were suffering from the similar symptoms. For me, that verse helped me to wear its promise of Christ and a smile [for] each patient, despite their discomfort."

On the football field, Andrés Celi and Cristian Molina testified of the unity that sports fosters as a clear example of Christ's presence, even in competition.

"This differs from our normal experiences of having to discourage swearing and frustrating arguments between young men during our SportsLink ministry. [There were] so many of the young girls on our team who presented spirit-filled dramas and worship time before each match—God has plans for these future leaders here," Andrés admitted.

Release of control

Even for experienced medical professional Doctor Celia Silva, who has been involved in numerous medical missions in rural parts of her native Peru, attested to the glorious reality that "there is much to learn while operating under the power of the Holy Spirit, rather than merely on our own efforts."

Local community leaders, as well as members of the Ecuadorian Cooperation of Socioeconomic Integral Development (CODEINSE), share the sentiments of Doctor Silvia, but from their perspective as agents of community change. Raúl Morrocho, President of CODEINSE remarked, "I am left amazed; these communities are nearly impossible to reach in any genuine profound way, but God has left me amazed at the beginning of the labour in this field through our release of control to Him."

This said, it is important to highlight that OM's work in this region of Guamote has only just began. In two weeks, the OM Andean Region's annual mission school will spend another week evangelising and connecting with families and youth from Guamote. Ten prospective missionaries from across Latin America and two facilitators will be involved in the seven-day practical outreach.

Later in July, OM Ecuador will collaborate with a short-term team from Panama to aid in the construction of a water project in Guamote—all this before the return of a medical team, focused on ophthalmology and donating eyeglasses, in November.

Testimony

"We say thank you to the entire short-term team from Abilene, Texas, for being willing to experience the presence of the Holy Spirit through our collective efforts, and to the OM Ecuador team for their response to God's call," said Mafer Morla, OM Ecuador short-term missions coordinator, who also facilitates the medical outreaches.

OM Ecuador is committed to bringing transformation to lives and communities across the nation of Ecuador, including its diverse and indigenous regions. We are open to receiving short-term teams who wish to be involved in our Kingdom assignment; this collaboration proves the promise of Revelation 7:9-10, in which all tongues and nations are described as serving the Lord, declaring that, “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb” (NIV).

While it's easy to value the big things in life, the things that seem important to everyone and grab our attention quickly, we know God's kingdom values things differently. The 2015 medical outreach sought to value what God values most: complete surrender to the presence of His Holy Spirit to complete the perfect work in us.

This surrender to His presence is our testimony, and if it holds true what Doctor Eddie constantly reminded us: "A testimony is not a testimony until it's shared!"

Katanga Johnson, a native of The Bahamas, is serving in Ecuador. He aims to actualise the love and faith of Christ to challenged communities of youth by advocating on their behalf through narratives. An avid reader, Katanga also enjoys running, cycling and public speaking.

In July, Jessica’s vision came true when a team from NewLife Christian Fellowship in Wethersfield, Connecticut, joined OM Ecuador from 19-25 July to host a week-long Vacation Bible School (VBS) for about 90 children in the small community of Oñakapak.

"Before moving, I didn’t know how it would all work out,” she remembered. “I just knew the importance of having my supporters come and be a part of what they were supporting, and how that experience would touch not only those who would come, but also the other members of my sending church. So I left home, started working in my field, and trusted God for the rest."

To the mission field

Jessica has served with OM Ecuador for the last year and a half, and says her experience has not gone as she has expected it would. “I thought I knew what God was up to when I moved to Ecuador, but clearly He had better plans,” she said.

After eight months in Ecuador, she moved from the populated city of Guayaquil almost 200 miles south to the rural community of Saraguro. She and the team of four other members anchored themselves in prayer and looked around for where God might have them serve. Within a few weeks, they started a weekly children’s outreach in the smaller village of Oñakapak.

Beginning with just a handful of kids—to whom they taught memory verses and Bible stories—the programme quickly grew from to 30, to 60 to ultimately well over 100 children. 

After nearly a year of building a strong foundation in the Bible for the children through lessons from the Old Testament, the team decided to begin the summer with a new series on the life of Jesus. 

“Just as God would have it, in the midst of this series, He opened the door for the team that I’ve been dreaming of from my home church to come down and help us out,” said Jessica.

Life-changing week

The week of VBS, hosted in partnership with the group from Jessica’s sending church, centred on the concept of who God is. 

“Through this time, not only did the children in Oñakapak receive the love and attention that they all so desperately long for, but also they learnt that our God is all-powerful; He is our protector, our healer, our provider and, ultimately, He is our Saviour!” Jessica exclaimed. “Forty-six of those children ended the week having made a life-changing, personal commitment to follow Jesus Christ.

"For my teammates and I, this was such a rewarding experience! It felt as if all we had been working toward this year paid off in each of those 46 decisions. As for my home church, they will forever be connected with the hearts and lives of these children, whose destinies they changed through coming, sending and/or praying for this VBS!"

Additionally, the team impacted the churches and community of Saraguro. For three afternoons, the team painted a meeting room in the local church, Amada de Dios, where Sunday school classes are held. The room also hosts a joint programme between the church and Compassion International.

On two additional afternoons, the team did crafts with children in the Sunday school class of another Christian church in town, Buen Pastor, as well as with a few of the neighbourhood kids.

“The churches were so appreciative of what the team was able to accomplish in such a short amount of time and expressed what a blessing it was for each congregation," Jessica reflected.

Impact of short-term missions

"Often times, at least in my home country, people wonder if short-term missions does more harm than good,” said Jessica. “People would rather send money than come themselves because they don’t know for sure what kind of impact they will have. I believe that short-term missions works when it is connected in a personal way to the ministry which the group is going to support.

“Having my home church come to Ecuador to serve alongside my teammates and I not only encouraged me in my mission, but it gave God the chance to work in their hearts and through their lives.

“Each member of this team, and the communities of Oñakapak and Saraguro, will forever be changed for the better because of the willingness of this team to say yes to God and come to Ecuador to serve Him!"

Praise God for the lives of the children that God changed through the love shown by the OM and short-term teams. Pray that those who participated in the VBS outreach from OM and the short-term team will be advocates for impacting communities for Christ.

At nine years of age, her admission to the hospital nearly a month ago was due to critical conditions. She had been experiencing a sharp pain in her left knee, but her parents waited nearly two days before taking her to the hospital because the hospital was a long distance from their home. They were also concerned that they would not have sufficient money to cover the visit. Meanwhile, Juliana’s pain worsened.

Urgently, however, her parents decided to admit her to the hospital emergency room, where she fainted upon arrival. Doctors attended to her quickly, yet after their primary tests and analysis, the lab results proved that she had a chronic blood infection. The doctors concluded that the infection was incurable.

Juliana’s mother, Edilma, felt she had no options and began to pray for a miracle of healing, which the doctors assured her was the only solution for the girl.

OM Ecuador team member Candy Arteaga talked with Edilma during a recent hospital visit.

“As I spoke with her to present the eternal spiritual healing of Christ, she affirmed her belief in the Lord, accepting Jesus as her personal Saviour and promising to invite her daughter Juliana and her husband to walk together in Christ's vision of their lives.”

While Juliana’s family was very happy to see gradual changes in Juliana, due to God’s work in her life, she still suffers the grave consequences of the blood infection. Nearly all of Juliana’s skin has begun peeling away, and she has started physical therapy to facilitate her knee, which continues to swell and cannot bend.

“While we all pray for her healing, it is wonderful to know that we have an Almighty God who does miracles,” concluded Candy. “Yet He always begins by touching our hearts and leading us into Himself.”

Praise God that He works in impossible situations. Please pray for healing for Juliana.

Eddie and Jeanette are from Abilene Texas, US, and moved to Ecuador a little over a year ago. Recently they were appointed as interim country leaders of OM Ecuador.

As a pair of reserved, yet seasoned, believers, one can only imagine that with seven years of experience in helping and leading various short-term missions opportunities in the Andean Region, and elsewhere, the committed couple, married for nearly 43 years, ought to have a sense of clarity that provides purpose and belonging, well-earned for the Moore’s faithfulness toward accomplishing the charge of Jesus in Acts 1:8.

Going there

Their call to missions was first revealed to Jeanette. Yet when Eddie eventually became aware, “it was very clear that God was calling us to come alongside Roberto and Shura Façanha (OM Ecuador founding leaders),” recounted Jeanette. “Because I didn’t know exactly how to ‘come alongside’, Eddie and I needed to pray into what God desired for us exactly. As I prayed, I felt God said we just needed to go there—physically be on the ground in Ecuador in ministry.”

Going to Ecuador was indeed a viable thought, given that the couple had previously financially supported the ministry leaders and were regular short-term volunteers with OM Ecuador. However, with the new revelation from God in Jeanette’s mind, it would take another year for Eddie to have the same revelation, and for it to come to pass.

Eddie recalls the timeline intricately, saying, “Jeanette received the word in April of 2012, and by the end of the summer we had the critical conversation together. Also, during that time, we were selling our home in Abilene. From there, we were looking for other places to move to, and in that whole process, God gave confirmation of the next step as a definitive transition, yet not confirming that transition as full-time ministry in Ecuador.”

The definitive confirmation came in January 2013, when Eddie had a dream about moving to Ecuador. A year later, they arrived.

“After Eddie’s dream, we spoke of God’s revelation for our lives and how concurrent it was with my dream months prior,” Jeanette affirms. “By this conversation, it was clear and we both know it was supposed to be.”

As a 31-year emergency physician—10 of the 31 years were spent as president of a medical group—Dr. Eddie clearly had further confirmation when he described his last few years of leadership as very “unsettling and indicating a need to re-position my efforts.”

The call to leadership

“Even more now than before,” intones Jeanette, “we recognise that though we have each other, we must depend on God more and more.”

The question of “What are we supposed to be doing?” constantly faces the Moores, who admit that being involved in missions day in and day out truly tests everything their life has been about, relying on their values and their belief in God as a constant guide.

Dr. Eddie now serves as OM Ecuador interim country leader—during a time when his wife has been facing severe joint pain and finds it challenging to walk. However, in spite of the medical attention and spiritual intervention they have exhaustively sought, healing is gradual. Yet, Jeanette stands behind Eddie, believing that if she is diligent in the call God has placed on their lives, God will equip her with the strength and healing she needs to effectively carry out that call.

“Either everything God said is a lie, or we just have to make certain types of decisions no matter how tough they may be,” says Eddie. “When you’ve gotten through the fire, you feel strong.”

They are determined to move forward. More specifically, the couple aggressively aims to better their Spanish study and practice. They pray that God blesses them with the gift of tongues—the Spanish tongue.

Mobilising the next generation

Today, Dr. Eddie and Jeanette Moore are pacing the OM Ecuador team toward a refined vision: to mobilise the next generation as the baton carriers for God’s ultimate plan in cross-cultural missions.

Certainly by example, if not by shear attitude, the timeliness of their leadership demonstrates God’s ability to transform lives and impact communities with a generational focus.

“Come help,” says Eddie to those who may be interested in joining a team in which it is essential to have increased faith and trust in God for every step of the way. “We’re all moving forward without a clear picture of what God wants to do, even though we try. When plans fall apart, we must trust that God still has the overall plan and we are indeed proceeding on schedule—no matter what.

“It begins and ends with increased faith and complete trust in God.”

For information about opportunities to serve with OM Ecuador, contact your local OM office.

Soccer, American football and basketball tournaments brought over 14 groups of teams to compete in matches, while the Vacation Bible School reached as high as 120 students between ages 2-12 during the five-day outreach.

Challenges, and their outcomes

Even with high numbers of youth and activities taking place, representing apparent success, the OM team faced challenges leading up to the event: sick team members, miscommunication of responsibilities, even emotional and spiritual challenges plagued the team.

However, the team journeyed to Cañar despite the challenges and pressed forth with the call they experienced from heaven.

In reference to the challenges, OM Ecuador Leader Roberto Façanha comments, “Our time here in Cañar is a direct reflection of our prayer over this community and the work God wants to do here. Even more, God wants to speak to us as a team. If we keep listening, He is bound to tell us how He wants to use us and the people of Cañar.”

“God has to show up and do what He does best: amaze people so that they will be in awe and surrender to Him, knowing He is the only way,” asserts Tjaard Buwalda, OM Ecuador SportsLink coordinator, as he admits to his own conviction in leading one of the principle initiatives of the outreach.

“Indeed, faith and prayer brings change to the challenges we face in our daily lives and it is no different than the spiritual attacks that Christians can face in their walk with Christ,” reflects OM Ecuador team member Katanga Johnson.

Impact for eternity

Clowns with creative arts to amuse and inspire children with the Gospel provided an impactful worship time for the youth.

“Jesus really died for me? Seriously?” asked one five-year-old to one of the team clowns.

Further powerful personal testimonies of members within the cross-cultural team brought a strong sense of revival to the local prison, senior citizen’s home and primary school summer school, which became sub-ministry areas during the outreach.

“Amazingly,” says Eddie Moore, OM Ecuador team physician and project leader, “the world needs to know that it is what God does through us that matters, and not what we do. However, we must humble ourselves for God to use us. This is how we impact lives and communities, both on earth and in eternity.”

“For me, the ECTM was a very dynamic and emotional experience to grow closer to God and learn more about myself,” says Andrés Celi, a member of this year’s class. “I’ll never be the same having spent four weeks of theoretical formation on unfamiliar topics, like how to approach ministry toward the survivors of HIV and AIDS or how to best fit my personality as a warm-cultured Latino with that of a cold-cultured German on the mission field in Southeast Asia, for example.”

While Andrés highlights the four-week theoretical portion of the school, 17-year-old Colombian Juan Pablo Cufiño highly praises the practical portion of the ECTM as his favourite. “Three weeks of living and sharing in a less-privileged but overly-loving community with fellow followers of God makes me cry as I think about what luxuries I left behind in Colombia,” he shares. “God has humbled me in unimaginable ways while serving in Ecuador’s Canton of Saraguro. We, as an ECTM family, saw hearts broken and prayers answered. ECTM is a worthwhile experience for every young person.”

OM Ecuador’s ECTM doesn’t only appeal to young people like Cufiño; it traditionally has embraced seasoned members of Christ who desire to better prepare themselves for the foreign mission field.

Even more, this year’s ECTM introduced seasoned and new trainers like newly-appointed OM Ecuador Trainings Officer Mark Reul. A Dutchman, Mark expressed excitement for his opportunity to serve in this year’s ECTM.

“For me,” Mark says, “it was a fulfilment of my heart’s desire to be a trainer in this year’s ECTM because, before I came to Ecuador, I asked God to help me to grow in missions and in training and motivating adults. During this ECTM I had the opportunity to serve the participants as a leader during the practical part component. And God did indeed fulfil my expectations.”

Mark testifies that he “… saw God working in all 13 of the participants, and it was a blessing to serve in the different communities and churches around Ecuador with such a talented group of highly motivated people.”

Undoubtedly, OM Ecuador brings experience and innovation to this year’s ECTM. Joining Mark was South African Riana van der Berg. Even after three years of training and two years of leading the ECTM, it still surprises her “how much of a family develops over eight short, yet powerful, weeks.”

She affirms, “God wants to mobilise the Andean Region and equip its people for life, not only in missions but on a daily walk with Himself. I think the ECTM is a great tool that God is using to do this.”

OM Ecuador is proud to have three of the 13 students remain in Ecuador to further serve the Canton of Saraguro, while another two have boarded Logos Hope this past August, and will serve for a year. Also, one student has committed to assist the OM team in its weekly SportsLink ministry as well as in leading prayer meeting worship sessions.

God is bearing fruit with OM Ecuador’s ECTM and is preparing more labourers for the abundant harvest. Are you a possible labourer? Join next year’s ECTM! On May 4-July 27, 2015, OM Ecuador will host its next eight-week ECTM.

“Are you ready to be a part of what God is doing at one of the most amazing outreaches in the life of OM Ecuador, and the missionary experience?” asks Mafer Morla, excitedly. Mafer, as OM Ecuador’s 2014 Medical Brigade co-coordinator, is a veteran Medical Brigader, having been transformed by the presence of God at the annual event just a year ago.

Among the number of people welcomed were doctors, nurses, medical specialists, (including a gynaecologist and an ophthalmologist), along with the missionaries from OM Ecuador.

The aim: to attend to patients with acute and moderate health conditions, as well as to minister to hearts and minds of Christ’s promise for eternal health and happiness in Him.

The overarching theme of the Brigade had much more to do with “making Jesus’ name famous,” as general physician Dr. Pat Railey creatively asserted. Indeed, this was the reason volunteers had travelled such distances to Saraguro Canton, Ecuador– from the northern highlands of Quito, Ecuador, to the plains of Abilene, Texas, and some from the clay hills of Atlanta, Georgia, amongst other places.

The group’s collective medium may have been the administration of medicine to those who suffered health issues, but the underlying impact was to proclaim the glory of God through their efforts.

“The people of Saraguro will never be the same,” says Sue, a volunteer prayer leader, during the Brigade. “Jesus showed up here, and we are experiencing His miraculous power through the saving of lives and healing of spirits.”

Over the course of four days, it became evident that Saraguro Canton was a community of people looking to experience a touch of God’s miraculous healing, and for a myriad of issues. Even with so many narratives of broken family life, abusive relationships and abandoned hearts, equally, there were many testimonies of restoration of family, admission of sexual and physical abuse, and clearer vision after decades of cataract or pterygium of the eyes.

Numbers show the possibilities for impact

Monday began the week with general medicine (GM) and obstetrics and gynaecology (OB-GYN) attending to 245 people, while ophthalmology (EYES) administered to 92 people. Among them, 26 accepted Christ as saviour.

As time passed and word spread of the medicine and glasses that were being distributed, the end of the week produced comparatively outstanding numbers: GM & OBGYN administered to 826 additional people, as EYES tested and prescribed glasses to 407 additional people. In total, the team provided medical care to 1,570 people.

What is even more telling, however, is the number of those who professed new faith during the four- day outreach: 182 souls can rejoice in the joy of knowing Christ!

Love the person in front of you

Of the many stories, seemingly no other narrative resonated as passionately as that of Maria Rosa, an employee at the House of Occupational Therapy for Older Adults (La Casa de Terapias Ocupacional del Adultos Mayor).

Maria waited in the queue for prayer for over 3 hours, not expectant of any medical attention, like the hundreds of people before her. She met with the OM Ecuador team members in the prayer room and shared about her ecstatic joy of how God was working through her life in that very moment; right then and there during prayer, Maria came to know Christ personally.

Maria, to the team’s surprise, had not ventured alone to the Church of the Good Pastor (Iglesia de Buen Pastor), where the Brigade was hosted. With her, a contingent of 10 residents of the House of Occupational Therapy for Older Adults where she works was waiting patiently amongst the crowd of other patients.

And if this was not sufficient enough of a miracle for the team, Maria made a promise that if they were able to attend to them, she would gladly bring 15 additional people the following day.

And she held her promise!

Out of many, there was one

Of the 15 additional people Maria Rosa brought was a lady of 94 years, Elena*, who expected to receive eye attention.

Elena – with a touch of both common symptoms like many others in Saraguro (cataracts and a pterygium) – had just one eye to be examined because she had lost the other earlier in life.

Elena didn’t speak traditional Spanish, but Quichua, a dialect derived from the Incan tribe. While the language is common to people in highland areas across the Andean Region, the eye examiner and the translator were not able to communicate as effectively without the help of a third-party translator; Maria Rosa filled this role.

“With one person left to attend to the group of senior citizens, it was very much a challenge and a charge wrapped up in this moment,” said Julie, the eye examiner working with Elena. “God helped us to minister to Elena despite three different language barriers, and an extensive case of vision impediment.”

After nearly a 45-minute examination, walking through varying lens magnifications and reading attempts, the eye examiner, the translator and Maria Rosa helped Elena to a well-suited pair of reading glasses and sunglasses.

Change and plans for continuity

How has this Brigade brought about change in the OM Ecuador team? Well, many members claim to have experienced God in a more reflective way.

Boris Salinas, Director of The Dunamis Foundation in Quito, Ecuador, says, “I’m a leader of a ministry here in Ecuador that seldom leaves room for constant reflection; action and clear, measurable impact is the nature of our approach. God has humbled me throughout this Brigade, and I am returning to my team at Dunamis to show the love of God in a fresh way; I want nothing more than to [intentionally] lead my team more reflectively.”

As last sentiments were shared and testimonies proclaimed, God stirred the hearts of prospective missionaries also.

Missy Cutler, a volunteer with the ophthalmology team, affirms that, “While being in Ecuador takes me back to the ‘mountain girl’ I became in Arizona many years ago, this medical outreach has tapped an even more sensitive reflection for who God wants me to be: a full-time missionary.”

As this was Missy’s first mission-trip, she is considering making many more, possibly even back to Ecuador.

“I want God to stir your hearts and move your spirits in amazing ways. Keep listening, and we’ll be here to help you listen to what He’s telling you,” says Eddie Moore, Medical Brigade co-coordinator and project director within OM Ecuador.

*Name changed

The aim: to conquer a trial-run attempt of the Freedom Climb event in Quito, Ecuador, with the date set for 26 April 2014 fast approaching.

Freedom Climb, a project of OM, aims to bring hope and transformation to the lives of women and children, who are exploited, enslaved and trafficked, through overcoming the challenge of mountain climbing.

After the 3.5 hour climb to the top, this was his immediate response: “I climb in the name of the young women we serve, the young women who experience that ‘Dunamis Power’.”

This power that Boris speaks of is the radically transforming power of God that he and the 20+ volunteers at Dunamis experience weekly.

“The power of Dunamis leaves survivours of human trafficking wanting more – and more often,” says Salinas, who serves as Director of the Dunamis Foundation, part of the OM Ecuador family of ministries. After spending three weeks being trained and raising support, while travelling around Southern and Central Florida, United States, during February, Boris is back home in Ecuador.

Now, he continues to raise awareness toward the next level of the Dunamis experience: a protection house, which can host at least 25 young women and allow the team to foster a holistic environment for personal growth and spiritual development, around the clock.

The present 15 girls that learn life skills and practice a trade within Dunamis come from partnering governmental foundations, which heavily base their approach on relief efforts.

“Our efforts are based [on] and led by Christ, even though this isn’t the focus of the girls’ present living environment,” says Boris. “We offer an experience that places God’s will as the expectation. Any changes or impact on the girls will be based on our trust in God, not our efforts alone.”

Marloes Achterveld, an OM worker from the Netherlands who serves at the Dunamis ministry, posed a recent survey amongst the girls as a devotional exercise. Questions ranged from the specific impact that Dunamis has had on their lives, to thoughts about the importance of learning about God during their skill-building sessions.

“I want to know more about God,” writes one survivour. “The stories that you share and that we sing about make me want to know more about His love for me.”

Even the local government, who arranges the protection houses where the girls reside, has admitted to “a noticeable change in the way the girls interact with the leaders of their homes, and amongst themselves.”

That “Dunamis Power” that Boris felt on his climb atop el Vulcán Pichincha reverberated around the scenes of the Dunamis campus during my recent visit with him for the climb. The presence was strong and distinguished as a “representation of the Holy Ghost”, as Boris recalled recent interactions with his team of supporters.

The many reflections of Christ through this effort left me wanting to experience more of that power, as well!

To learn more about getting involved in God’s life-changing work through the Dunamis Foundation, or about the Freedom Climb in Ecuador, visit http://dunamisecuador.wordpress.com or on the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/fundaciondunamis. For more information about the Freedom Climb internationally, visit the website here.

A native of the Bahamas, Katanga Johnson is a missionary journalist, storyteller, financial development coordinator and follower (not merely a fan) of Christ, serving in Ecuador. Katanga aims to actualise the love and faith of Christ to challenged communities by identifying aid and resources that impact their local living conditions.

Boris, a young Colombian married to Ecuadorian Fernanda, doesn’t stop talking about his plans and dreams to awaken the people of Ecuador for a revolution against human trafficking. Boris himself experienced what the intervention of God through people in someone’s life can do. After having lived on the streets for three years as a teenager, his life changed radically when an American Christian couple in Quito adopted him.

Four years ago, he and his wife initiated a ministry for trafficked and abused women in the Andean country. This year, their ministry, called Dunamis, became part of the OM Ecuador family. Every morning they receive girls, almost all minors, who participate in a rehabilitation project after having been taken out of their miserable situations. Most of them, currently seven in total, either live in a home or independently with their kids—living inheritances of the abuse.

In a six-month process, the ministry offers them psychological help and teaches them to make a living with their hands by providing workshops in making local artisan sewing and beauty products. The ultimate goal is to raise self-esteem and to heal the girls’ hearts, proclaiming their salvation by sharing the power of the gospel.

Like a cancer

In March this year, Boris and Fernanda organised a climb for 90 people of the mountain Ilalo near Quito in a local Freedom Climb, raising prayer, money and awareness for the cause around which their lives have revolved for the last four years.

“Human trafficking grows like a cancer in Ecuador,” says Boris. “Many girls from poor coastal areas in the country come to Quito, misled by bad boyfriends, run away or sent by their parents, thinking they’ll have a better future here. But they end up as prostitutes in brothels or on the streets.”

Many of them are under age. The Ecuadorian police work hard to rescue them. “Every week, six underage girls are rescued from human traffickers in Quito,” shares Boris. “The problem is that they have no safe place to go. So, many of them end up going back to their pimps.”

Government institutions that used to take care of them for at least six months have almost all closed down because of lack of funding. The Colombian-Ecuadorian couple is now planning to set up a protection house themselves where girls with a court order can stay under police surveillance after being rescued. Meanwhile, they can start participation in the rehabilitation project.

“We’ve already found the ideal building for this protection house,” shares Boris. “It’s close to the place where we offer the workshops. All we lack now is sufficient money to either rent or buy it.”

Raise awareness

Meanwhile, the young couple is making plans to organise another event to bring awareness to the problem of human trafficking in Ecuador. “People don’t have a clue what’s going on,” says Boris. “They often judge young girls who’ve been forced to work as a prostitute, not knowing what caused them to end up in a situation like that.”

When selling the handicraft jewellery the girls make, he notices that Ecuadorians aren’t attracted by the idea that their purchase will benefit the life of a woman formerly in prostitution. “People just don’t know. That’s why we’re trying to raise awareness with events like Freedom Climb.”

He is certain that they’ll be able to bring a great number of people together again who are willing to participate in a race climbing a volcano near Quito for this cause. He aims for more people and a higher target—higher than the 3,200 metres climbed in Ecuador in March.

During that climb, all participants received a small programme presenting a number of different dramas, messages and testimonies. “It was a great first step,” says Boris, “but we want and need to do more to make the people aware of the current reality of human trafficking.”

Please pray for Boris and Fernanda Salinas and the other OM Ecuador team members working in this ministry in Quito. Pray for God to make the protection house a reality, and pray for the girls in the rehabilitation process—that God may touch and heal their hearts.

The first Freedom Climb started when 48 women climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro in January 2012. A second group of climbers set off to climb to Mt. Everest Base Camp in April 2013. Alongside, many local groups around the world are raising awareness through their own Freedom Climb gatherings, conferences and climbs. To learn more about the Freedom Climb, visit the website: www.thefreedomclimb.net.

In the 10 years of ministry, many people have come to the Lord—almost all of them women and children. “There has been much fruit on the island,” said OM team member Riana van der Berg. “But the men have proved difficult.”

However, in answer to prayers for the men of the community on Santay, God has recently been breaking hearts of stone. “We have seen a promising development,” said Riana, “for example, in the life of Timoteo.”

One day, to the amazement of the OM team members, three of the men came to the front during a service in response to hearing the gospel. “They publically declared Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour,” said Riana. “Timoteo was one of them.”

In the days that followed, the ministry team met with the community to discuss the future establishment of a church on the island. In the meeting, Timoteo shared his story in front of the whole community.

With much regret, he shared that as little as one year ago he would get drunk frequently and beat his wife until that day when he came forward in response to the gospel and trusted Christ. “After this, we saw him faithfully attending every Bible study,” recalled Riana. “He was very attentive to what was being said and hungry to know more. But we wondered: would this result in life change?”

In the meeting, Timoteo testified that he no longer drinks, treats his wife tenderly and has a life of significance. He then went on to encourage the whole community to take the things of God seriously. Following his example, his daughter began to share publically how the Lord was changing her and encouraged the community to receive Him as Saviour.

The ministry team expects this year to be a breakthrough year for Santay. Please pray with the team members that new believers will become disciples of Christ and develop into spiritual leaders. Pray that men and women will surrender completely to Christ and that Jesus would become real to all the people of Santay Island.

Before he closed the gate completely, three men entered quickly and grabbed Franklin and one of the girls on the team, while the other pointed a gun and demanded that they hand everything over. They handed over wallets, cell phones, a computer, a guitar and a projector.

Darren called out the window that they were missionaries and asked for mercy. One of the men opened the car door, grabbed Darren’s wallet from his pocket and the keys from the ignition.

Franklin, who was being treated harshly by one of the men, said in a loud voice: “In the name of Jesus, calm down.” Moments later, the three men dropped everything and ran. “Is that really possible?” Darren asked himself. “How can it be that, with so much in their hands, their plans successful and needing only to walk away, they suddenly just dropped everything and ran?

“We believe that there is power in the name of Jesus,” he continued. “Praise the Lord that we are all fine, that nothing was taken, and that we can look back on what could have been a truly traumatic event as a testimony to God's goodness, and the power of the name of His Son.”

Darren, working with the Light to my Path church in Zamora, was impressed by the enthusiasm of the young members participating. “The teenagers were with us almost the whole week in whatever we were doing,” recalled Darren. “We had about five hours to train them on sharing the gospel in a creative way, and a number of hours to go out with them sharing in the parks, market places, bus terminal and door to door. Though fearful, they persisted, and even a number of open rejections did not dissuade them.”

In an open-air outreach in a resistant area, 61 people gave their lives to the Lord. “That is wonderful,” said Darren. “Still, for me, the main result is that there are now a whole bunch of fishers of men, not just the fish!”

Reading Scriptures secretly to siblings

Celina from Guatemala, who was part of the team working in southern Loja, recalled a celebration with the local indigenous group Saraguro. “We travelled an hour and a half to get there. Then we had to eat what they gave us. We ate things we had never seen before, and we didn’t really feel like eating it, but through a miracle of God we finished it all!”

She remembered one man in the celebration, a teacher. “He seemed to be very intelligent,” said Celina. “He had won a national literature price, but he wasn’t a Christian. To him, God was an energy and a power that gave life. To him, all the religious books are the same. We started to talk about how the Word of God is different. He listened carefully. We felt like soon he will make the decision to accept Christ.”

During the Vacation Bible School the team organised, one kid asked Celina not to paste the Bible verse on his crafts work. “He said his mother was going to hit him if she saw that,” she recalled. “But he had the desire to get to know Christ and accepted a Bible secretly. He said he was going to read it to his siblings as well, even though his parents were against it.”

Football sets up a space to share Christ

One of the team members of the group that went to Macará, close to the Peruvian border, was Milton from Guatemala. He played some football with teenagers in a park. “Afterwards we shared from the book without words, explaining about sin. They talked a bit about confessing their sins, but we could tell they didn’t really understand. We shared the gospel with them and all four of them accepted Jesus. As they did this, we could see a great joy in their faces.”

It’s necessary to share the gospel, said Milton, and encourage others to share as well. “We easily get frustrated in ministry because we don’t meet our goals,” he said. “But the Word never returns void. The results are from God.”

Darren and the other OM Ecuador team members are grateful for the visit of the volunteers from OM Guatemala, and even more so for what God has done during the outreach. “Praise the Lord for His wonder-working power in bringing souls to Christ,” he said. “Pray that these souls would go on for the Lord, and pray also that these new fishers of men would overcome all fear and actively win souls for Christ in this difficult area.”

Until recently, the team was discouraged by the lack of response from the inhabitants. However, they are now noticing God’s hand in the people’s lives. “When we visited the island last Monday we had the unexpected surprise, firstly, that 3 men came to our service,” shares Darren. “Mostly it’s only women attending our programme.”

Even more unexpectedly, at the end of the service, all 3 men came to the front, in front of all the women. “They publicly professed Christ!” says Darren, smiling. “This can only be the work of the Lord! It goes completely against the cultural grain on Santay for men to admit weakness and need in front of all these women. This is a real breakthrough for us!”

The team asks your prayer for these 3 men: Timoteo, Jacinto, and Vicente. “Please pray that they will become strong disciples of Christ, priests in their homes, and leaders in the community,” shares Darren. “This is a key moment for Santay, and also makes it easier for other men to take a similar decision.”

“A lady came into my treatment area,” says Eddie Moore, a doctor who volunteered in a recent medical outreach with OM Ecuador in the poor coastal town of Cadeate. “She had had a bad car wreck two weeks before. She said that her car was totally destroyed and she felt it was only by the grace of God that she was alive.”

Since the car wreck, the lady had been struggling to make sense of her life, recalls Eddie. When she saw that the clinic would be in town she knew she had to go. “After we had examined and treated her we were able to share the gospel with her. She accepted Christ and prayed the prayer of salvation. She was crying and said that she knew that God had brought her there that day.”

Over a thousand people visited the medical clinic OM Ecuador installed in the small town, about a three-hour drive along the Ecuadorian Ruta del Sol from its largest city, Guayaquil, where OM is based. Ten volunteers, including doctors and nurses, came from the United States to work with OM team members, volunteers and members of the local Baptist church.

About 700 people came for medical attention and over 300 for eyeglasses. Eye doctor Bryan Kaiser from the US joined the team in Cadeate for optical consults and handed out many glasses, put together on the spot.

Most importantly, says OM Ecuador team member Riana van der Berg, 236 people gave their heart to God during this week. “We experienced the most amazing God-stories during the week. We could give Bibles to the people who came to Christ and returned to the area two weeks later to visit them.”

Team member Darren van Rensburg recalls one lady in particular with whom he shared the gospel. “She told us that she was struggling with much stress, so I shared with her how I have learnt to deal with stress with the Lord's help,” he says. “This opened the door to share the gospel with her personally. When we asked her if she wanted to receive the free gift of eternal life, she said no.”

Darren asked her what was preventing her. “She said that she had some sins in her life that were so bad, she didn't think God would ever forgive her. And so we shared with her that all sin is equal is God's sight, but that His grace was big enough, and the blood of Christ valuable enough to pay for all sin,” recalls Darren. “When she realised that God's forgiveness was even for her, she suddenly said emphatically, without hesitation whatsoever, ‘Then I receive Jesus this very moment.’ Her realisation of God's grace for her was thrilling for me!”

Sometimes God used illness to draw people to the clinic, says Eddie. “A young man came to the clinic because his foot had been hurting for two weeks,” says Eddie. “He was also having some low back pain. We examined him and gave him some medicine for the pain. He was not a Christian and we were able to share the plan of salvation and he accepted Christ as his Saviour.”

As Eddie prayed for the man, God gave him the impression that He had used the pain in the man’s foot to bring him to the clinic. “I spoke this aloud in my prayer. Afterwards, my translator told me she had had exactly the same impression just before I said it,” recalls Eddie. “After the patient left the treatment area, it turned out that all of his back pain was gone.”

There are many amazing stories to tell about this week of medical outreach in Cadeate, state the team members of OM Ecuador—stories of lives being changed by the grace of God. “We’d appreciate your prayers for the town of Cadeate,” says Darren. “Pray that each new believer integrates into the life of the church and goes on with the Lord. And pray that the church would take the baton and actively disciple them in our absence.”

Two hundred pastors and a hundred young people involved or interested in sports ministry came together in Quito, Ecuador, from 26 April – 1 May. OM SportsLink participated in the forum on sports ministry, organised by the Coalición Internacional del Deporte (International Sports Coalition), for people all over Latin America. The idea was for the participants to get to know and learn from each other to make better use of sports to share the gospel in Latin America.

“It was an amazing time of fellowship,” says Markus Leder, team leader of OM in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where sports play a huge role in the local ministry. “I was not only able to share about our work in Argentina, but also was given the opportunity to provide information on financial support for future missionaries.”

The goal of OM SportsLink is to equip, empower and mobilise OM teams and local volunteers to be effective in their sports ministry, says Consuelo Rabanales from SportsLink Latin America. “This forum was a great opportunity for every participant to share about what God is doing in his or her country and listen to stories from others.”

Consuelo hopes that this forum will help create and strengthen the relationship between leaders in sports ministry all over the continent. As for Markus, this certainly worked out. “I talked with many missionaries from Argentina to see how we can work together better and more strategically. The forum was very encouraging to me and many others.” Please pray that the forum will be fruitful for the sports ministry in Latin America.

Nine team members and volunteers from OM Ecuador recently headed from coastal Guayaquil to the south of the country for a follow-up visit after a Vacation Bible School held a few months ago. The team travelled to Saraguro and Lagunas, indigenous communities nestled in the southern highlands of Ecuador steeped in Incan tradition.

“We experienced unusual clarity of direction and felt challenged to let go of self reliance,” says an OM Ecuador team member. “We also let go of the schedule we had drawn up and gave the control to God. And of course, when we get out of the way and give Him space to move, things happen more His way than ours!”

On the first morning, the team members went off individually to seek the Lord’s direction as to how to proceed. It was astounding how, when they compared notes, the Lord had put the same thoughts and Scripture into each of their minds. This became their strategy for prayer for the city of Saraguro. This clear direction continued as they pled, wept over, and finally rejoiced in what they believed God was going to do.

The team then continued to a community bordering Saraguro called Lagunas and came to a school named Inti Raymi, which also is the name of a festival to worship the sun. In this school, only ancient Incan religion is taught. Thirty children were waiting for the team, and they witnessed a miracle happen in these children’s hearts. Nearly all of them prayed to receive Christ and were eager to get the tracts the team had for them.

Although the team came to this village to serve the community and lead them to a saving knowledge of Christ, they met with a lot of resistance from the adult inhabitants.

“A woman walked by me and heard me praying out loud,” says volunteer Guillermo Suco. “She went to her house and let out her two huge dogs to attack me. They came towards me; however, when they got to me, they sat on their haunches and let me pat their heads.”

Another participant remembers that a witchdoctor also started shouting at a team member, saying, “You’re dividing us, you’re dividing us.”

Though the woman tried to dissuade him with threats, God had given the team a sense of calm, says the team member.

God even intervened in the health of team member Riana van der Berg who, at one time during the trip, had a massive headache. When a team member prayed for her, it went away instantly.

The team recognises that God indeed had His way in these communities and opened hearts closed to the gospel. He moved and protected them from harm and touched their lives. They know that when we get out of the way and give God space to move, great things can happen.

For eight years, OM Ecuador and a local church have ministered to the people living on Santay, an island across the Guayas River from the port city of Guayaquil, Ecuador. For many years, this poverty-stricken community has been ignored by local society and government.

Until recently, the team have been discouraged by the lack of response from the inhabitants. However, they are now noticing God’s hand in the people’s lives. After many years of sowing, it seems to the team that it’s time for harvest on Santay.

Healing leads to faith

Three weeks ago, OMer Riana van der Berg and co-worker Steve Cabezas from the church visited an elderly man on the island named Señor Modesto Arana. Señor Arana constantly had pain in his legs and had not been able to walk for 13 years.

Riana and Steve prayed with the man. “We asked God to heal him and to take away the pain in his legs,” shares Riana.

A week later, they visited him again. When they arrived, they discovered that the pain had left him and for the first time in 13 years, Señor Arana was able to stand. “He was so happy!” remembers Riana. “We prayed again that God would heal him completely and that he would be able to open his heart and accept Christ.”

Awhile later, Riana and Steve returned to visit Señor Arana. “He prayed and invited Christ into his heart,” says Riana. “He couldn’t stop crying as he was praying. Next time we will take a Bible to him and we will continue to support him in his walk with God.”

Saved from the depths

OM team member Tabitha Moore witnessed the change in another life on Santay Island. Elsa, a woman who had lived on the island for 30 years, had a great fear of water and never learned how to swim.

Two months ago, Elsa was going from one side of the island to the other in a small canoe with Eva, a young mother, and Eva’s baby girl. As they rowed, a large wave hit the canoe and overturned it, throwing Elsa, Eva and the baby overboard.

Even though she couldn’t swim, Elsa had no time to think about herself—a little baby needed help. Elsa began yelling to save the baby as she struggled to stay above water. However, the baby was not visible, as the sinking canoe had trapped her underneath. Elsa went down several times and was taking in water, though she still shouted for someone to save the baby. At this critical moment, another large wave pushed the canoe just enough and the baby surfaced. Eva grabbed her baby and swam to shore.

But Elsa had gone down and thought she was never coming up again. “Elsa told me she figured it was the end for her,” says Tabitha. “When she was preparing herself for her final moments, a miracle happened. The next thing she knew, she was at the surface of the water and swimming!

“Elsa told us that when she made it to the shore there was not a doubt in her mind that God had saved her, Eva, and her baby,” continues Tabitha. “She told me she knew at that very moment that God had a plan for her.”

Elsa decided that going to Bible meetings and just listening was not enough. She began to pray, not just in her house but also in the community. “This is something completely unheard of for the Santay people,” Tabitha shares. “God has great plans for Elsa and Santay.”

The movie Fireproof speaks to hearts

Sometimes God also works through a movie, noticed OM team member Darren van Rensburg. He and the team visited a woman on the island named Verónica and gave her some counselling regarding her husband and difficult marriage.

In the evening, they showed the movie Fireproof at a school. “A man spoke to me afterwards of how much the movie had meant to him, as he had marriage problems,” remembers Darren. “Unbeknown to me, this was the same lady’s husband.”

Weeks later, the team learned that this couple had been about to divorce. But through the counselling, movie and conversations, they decided not to. “And besides that, the man began to read his Bible every day and, according to his wife, is a completely different person,” says Darren.

Darren is overjoyed with the changes the team has seen in people’s lives recently on Santay. “It is harvest time!” he exclaims. “God is responding to years of sowing, especially I think to our recent prayer focus. To Him be the glory!”

The training, offered in Ecuador, consisted of two parts: theory and practical. The students spent the first month in the classroom. There they learned about cross-cultural communication, methods to share the gospel, ministry fundamentals, raising finances, world religions and other topics. The gruelling programme, which takes place six days a week, is designed to equip every student with basic knowledge that will aid them in ministry.

I think God demanded a lot of my character, and my emotions and feelings just came to the surface. I realized how much I didn’t know about myself and I learned I was capable of doing so much more than I once thought was within my reach.

“I thought that I had prepared myself for the school, but in reality I was never prepared or ready to give so much to the Lord,” shared Wendy, a student of the programme. “I think God demanded a lot of my character, and my emotions and feelings just came to the surface. I realized how much I didn’t know about myself and I learned I was capable of doing so much more than I once thought was within my reach.”

The second month—followed by a retreat for healing damaged emotions—consisted of practical outreaches. These covered an array of activities, from construction projects to church work and organising a vacation Bible school for children in an indigenous area of the country.

One week, the students worked with a foundation for street boys that OM Ecuador volunteers with. While there, the students ministered to the children while also repairing wiring on their duck house and building a new chicken house. Both projects are a part of the foundation’s micro-business endeavours.

“Sharing with the children was amazing,” shared Luis, a fellow student, “but by the end of the week we were also able to finish with the new chicken house as well as repairing the duck house. God helped us during this work, giving us patience, as the sun was unbearable, but was worth it, because we were able to leave footprints and a lasting financial impact.”

Francisco, another student, said that he learned more and more about his classmates and himself: “I was able to see things that God wanted to change as well as things He desired to develop. I could share valuable moments with the leaders, the local workers and my classmates.”

Rapid growth in Latin American church

The intensive training requires a lot of time and energy from the local OM team, but it is a cost gladly paid. As the church in Latin America continues its rapid growth, an inevitable wave of Latino workers is beginning to follow.

According to Joshua Project, a research initiative focused on unreached people groups, the face of Christianity is changing. In 1900, 99 per cent of the Christianised world lived in Europe and North America. Today Europe and North America represent only 34 per cent of the Christianised world; the majority is represented in the global south.

Latin America reflects this reality. According to recent statistics, the evangelical church is nearly 100 million strong in a continent that had hardly 10,000 believers at the turn of the twentieth century.

Several of the students in OM Andean Region’s training have plans to continue in missions in places like Israel, India, United Kingdom, aboard Logos Hope and in the Middle East. Sayuri, a participant from Peru, shared about the valuable lessons she learned: “The Lord confirmed for me my calling and He responded to my prayers during this time.”

Lives changed

OM Andean Region’s cross-cultural and mission training was not always a major undertaking. “It started with a two-week intensive programme in 2003 and has grown into a nine-week training, and it will continue to grow,” shares Shura Facanha, the director of the training this year.

The training grew out of a need to train and equip people to work well in cross-cultural ministry settings. “We also want to help them grow in other areas of their lives before going out to serve,” continued Shura.

Despite the time invested in the programme, the results are always rewarding for Shura and the other leaders. “Mentoring, coaching, leading the students, seeing them grow, seeing lives changed and seeing many of them called to serve the Lord in missions is what keeps us going,” she said.

It is the words of the students that serve as the greatest reflection of the impact this cross-cultural training has had on their lives. “I am thankful to God for everything that He has taught me through the ECTM schooling and the OM team,” said one student. “I leave this programme as a different person.”

The building overlooks the sprawling Quito Avenue, a principal north-south boulevard in the bustling centre of Guayaquil. Though it looms tall over its neighbouring buildings, the dingy exterior dampens what little impression might be taken from its size. Inside, the exterior gives way to grungy and darkened hallways.

This building houses the largest children’s hospital on the coast of Ecuador. Hundreds of families travel long distances to take advantage of the free care provided.

The building is also home to OM Ecuador and the AIDSLink* ministry. Twice a week, team members work with children and their families whose lives are being devastated by the virus. OM Ecuador also partners with Centenarian Alliance Church. Workers from both organisations visit families and their children staying in the hospital.

Holistic view

More recently, Tabitha Moore and Max Mitel, OM team members and leaders in the hospital ministry, sought to expand the scope of the ministry’s outreach. Tabitha and Max have both received AIDSLink training. Empowered by the training and burdened by the families’ situations, they were motivated to develop a more holistic ministry focus.

“I feel the gospel is holistic, that Christ brought spiritual hope and emotional and physical healing; and though we were focused on their spiritual and physical needs, their emotional needs were overlooked,” shared Tabitha. “They have this idea that they can’t do anything; it is a very fatalistic view, and they believe that it just happened to them.”

Tabitha spoke with the head medical doctor of the hospital. The head medical doctor acknowledged the hospital’s lack of resources in addressing all areas of a person’s needs. When she learned that Tabitha, through her AIDSLink training and psychology background, could help the hospital develop a more holistic treatment, she excitedly accepted the offer.

The team begins each workshop with a skit, designed to show how human beings are broken into three parts: body, mind, soul. The team explains how our health is impacted and affected by the three parts, and while medicine and doctors can help our bodies, our minds and spirits can still be in need of healing.

This past week, after praying the team broke into two groups. The groups work in the five rooms of the HIV ward in the hospital. Each room holds six beds. “Most of the children are Stage 3 HIV positive, so they are fighting against opportunistic diseases,” said Tabitha. Opportunistic diseases are those that attack the weakened immune system of the child when their body is fighting the disease.

Inside these rooms, the team provides workshops, activities and interactive learning exercises for the families and children. The programmes are developed from the AIDSLink training.

“AIDSLink has helped me to realise the stigma and the prejudices that people face when fighting against HIV, and how we can bring hope to their desperate situation.”

Games, stories and skits

The workshops focus on a wide variety of topics. “We try to cover various aspects, from community to stigma, friendship to purpose,” said Max. “The workshops are very interactive; we use games, stories, skits and discussion to help them understand the concepts. They are not sitting and listening, we are engaging them and they are participating.”

One week, the team gave a course on the importance of asking questions. “We find that often times the families here don’t ask questions when they are confused. They are too embarrassed; they feel ashamed for not knowing. So, we decided to speak with them about the importance of asking questions,” shared Tabitha.

After the workshop, one older lady, looking rather dejected, told the team: “I’m not a smart woman; I don’t know anything. I can’t even read.” A volunteer with the team, Seth Rikard, spoke with her. “I didn’t want to leave the room without speaking with her about this attitude.”

“I spoke with her about her family. She told me that she had four grown children, all working hard and raising their own families,” Seth continued. “It appeared to me that she knew something about raising a family. She also liked to cook. I told her that there are doctors running around this building that know about medicine, but cannot cook anything in the kitchen. I tried to remind her that we all have our talents, our abilities, and that each of us has a gift. Her gift was cooking, it was also her passion.” The women walked away from the conversation with a little more self-respect and dignity, recognising that she has talents and abilities to offer.

While the team is very encouraged by the way the families and children have responded to the programme, seeing change is difficult. “It is really hard to see changes in what we are doing, mostly due to the high turnover rate. It would be more ideal in a community, but you have to start somewhere, right?” said Tabitha. While the team struggles to see lasting changes, one man reassured them their work is valuable when he stopped two members from leaving and shared, “I am really glad you are here to talk with us, thank you.”

*OM partners with AIDSLink International to make a difference in the HIV and AIDS pandemic.

For the first month, students will learn cross-cultural communication, methods of sharing God’s love, theological principles of missions, English, support raising and about world religions, among many topics. During the second month, students will work alongside local ministries in a variety of settings.

The school, known locally as ECTM, is a vital part of OM’s vision to send more workers out from Latin America. Two participants have been accepted to serve with OM Ships. In August, they will join 12 others from the Andean Region already serving with OM.

Please pray for the lives of these students. Pray that God will use this time to complete His purposes. Furthermore, please keep the team, teachers and leaders in your prayers as they guide the students through this training.

Zaruma, a historic mining town, lies in the southern highlands of Ecuador. The south of Ecuador has the fewest number of believers. In the major regional cities of Cuenca and Loja, evangelical Christians represent 4 percent of the population. Surrounding communities and provinces have much smaller percentages of believers and some have no evangelical church presence. OM Ecuador wants to aid the smaller church in the south in an attempt to spread the gospel message to the unreached southern region.

In Zaruma, OM Ecuador worked with the Christian Church. The small church was excited to receive the team and faithfully served in helping make the clinic a reality. One member and dedicated volunteer witnessed the restorative touch of Christ in the lives of loved ones.

Young Family Restored

“It might sound selfish, but I feel like God brought you here to help restore my family” shared a member of Central Christian Church to a doctor in the clinic. The woman was referring to her son, who recently came out of a rehab center.

Earlier in the week, she shared with the team that her son had been addicted to alcohol and was recently released from a rehab center. While her son was not drinking, she noted that his attitude toward life had not changed. She feared it would only be a matter of time before he started drinking again.

The son, who had battled the addiction for a long time, was placing his relationship with his young wife and child on the line. The alcohol he had consumed was driving them away from him. Days before the clinic, a major argument had broken out in the family that brought the concerned mother to tears.

When the young couple arrived at the clinic, they carried a hardened look on their face. While receiving attention from the doctor, the son told an OM volunteer that he had given up on God. He shared that he would only begin believing in God if God united his family again. At the same time and unknown to him, his wife had prayed to accept Christ during her visit to the clinic.

As the son walked out of the clinic, his wife, who had finished earlier and was outside waiting, looked at him and said, “You’re my husband.” Stunned, the son paused to soak in every word. He sat down with an OM volunteer and began crying as he explained the scares of his life to the volunteer. They prayed and the son followed in his wife’s footsteps as he became a believer in Christ.

Strangers in the Night

The clinic was not the only place used by God to restore people’s lives. One night, several volunteers ventured up to a look-out over the town and were pulled to the side by a young gentleman who wanted to talk.

The stranger retold his story to several volunteers as he bitterly wept. As tears soaked his shirt he confessed his addiction problems and how it was destroying his life. Discouraged by his inability to move past the addictions and fearful that his family would leave him, he was scared.

Members from the team prayed with the man before leaving. The next day several team members were invited to visit him at his home. As he sat there with the guests, he began to cry again. The team members shared with him the glorious message of redemption in Christ, and how through him “all things are possible.” As the man listened his demeanour slowly changed. After conversing with the team, he decided to become a believer.

As the team was preparing to leave, the young man’s parent approached and said they would also like to become believers in Christ.

God worked in many powerful ways during the medical clinic. The OM team feels grateful to have been a part of God’s plan for the town of Zaruma. As OM team members prepare to return to help the church with follow-up visits, they ask for the prayers of the OM family.

Maria Reina Foundation is located in San Francisco, a neighbourhood in the northern sector of the city. Located across a busy four lane highway from a national prison, the neighbourhood is home to thousands of people living in poverty. A sea of bamboo houses sweeps over softly rolling hills, with dirt roads as the only interruption to the sight of sprawling poverty.

The neighbourhood is characterized by a lack of public services and high levels of crime. At night, gangs roam the streets, stealing, looting and robbing anything that might be of value. The foundation’s director, Laura Martinez, recently spoke with La Hora, a national newspaper about the growing delinquency. The foundation has been robbed five times this year. One of those times, the thieves hacked a hole through the roof to gain access to the foundation’s office.  

OM Ecuador's work

OM Ecuador has been working at Maria Reina Foundation since January 2010. The team has focused its ministry efforts in the children and youth who call the foundation home. There are nearly 20 children who live on the foundation’s property.

Twice-a-week, the team arrives to lambast the lies of a broken past. Activities in the orphanage include line dancing lessons, sowing classes, laundry lessons, colouring and crafts, guitar lessons and Bible studies. Over the months, the team has seen small changes in the attitudes of the children and youth. One of more exciting changes is seeing some of the older youth hunger to learn more about God through reading His word. Several youth have requested and received Bibles that they use to participate in Bible study classes with team members. 

The league

This October, OM Ecuador began a new soccer league utilizing a field located on the foundation’s property. The first time, kids trickled onto the field a standard 30 minutes late. The late arrival was no reflexion of the children’s excitement, they were thrilled to have opportunity to train and play soccer. The late arrival also did little to damper OM members’ energy.

The league activities included warm-up exercises, training workshops, a Bible lesson, snacks and of course, a game. The response from the children and even a few parents was encouraging.  OM volunteer Cristina Plaza shared the story of God’s love with the children. The message was designed to remind them of God’s love for them.

As the afternoon drew to a close, several of the children asked the team the question that they hoped to hear: “when is the next programme?”. OM Ecuador plans to continue the soccer league ministry and build upon the early success. The hope is to one day establish a SportsLink outreach.