Global Outreach Missionaries to Ecuador

the Bond Family in Ecuador
March '05 eNewsletter

Matthew 5:16 - Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works,
and glorify your Father which is in heaven.


SHORT VERSION

• Our second short term mission team was another blessed success, praise the Lord! A team of 4 came to work with us from Tishomingo Chapel Baptist Church in Corinth, MS. They recently "adopted" a sister church here; one of the churches we work with in the Calderon area, and came to visit them. What a major blessing! A mission team coming just to build relationships! God really poured out his blessing on all involved. Please read the LONG VERSION below for more details. Photos to come in the Spring update.

• "Project: Great Commission" is going well - We are in the middle of training classes for "How to share your testimony and the Gospel" with three Quichua (indigenous) churches. Our monthly pastor training classes continue, where the pastors and leaders of the poorer indigenous churches outside the city are receiving free seminary-level training. We are hoping to continue with Sunday School teacher training as well; please pray for that area of the ministry. "Project: Great Commission" and all the churches we work with are on the internet for you to get a much more detailed understanding of: http://www.rodbond.com/discipleship.html

• Deb's teaching at the Alliance and at Casa Gabriel (Street Boy ministry) continues to go well, with portrait painting as the topic. She got her backpack stolen last week (just like Kenny Digby did during our first mission team visit). Thank the Lord nothing vital or expensive was in it... her favorite bible and journal with years worth of memories were the most painful things to lose. Pray for all of us as we live in a crime ridden third-world city, in a wicked country.

• The girls - Melissa, Andrea, and Rachel are doing well. Andrea just split her lip today and got 4 stitches in the emergency room (on Easter Sunday). Please continue to pray for them as they face the trials of normal life as well as those of a missionary kid in a third world country.

• Also, please pray for our Spanish to continue to grow so we can serve the Lord better.

• Joselito, my ministry partner, is in need of prayer as his sister is dying of terminal cancer.

• Pastor Pedro Vasquez, of the "mother church" Candelaria Baptist, has suffered a stroke in the midst of terrible tragedy in his immediate family; please pray for them.

• We will be home in Mississippi this summer briefly for the month of June, and Pennsylvania in July, so if you have not had us out to your church yet, please consider allowing us to share the exciting things that are going on here through us. Not only at a service, but VBS, men's or ladies groups!


LONG VERSION: Our Second Mission Team where "Relationship" was the theme.


TISHOMINGO CHAPEL MISSION TEAM REPORT
We are so excited that our second short term mission team was a blessed success, praise the Lord! A team of 4 came representing Tishomingo Chapel. Last Fall they adopted 'San Jose Alto Baptist Church' from the Calderon area (outside of Quito) as their "sister" church. They came to visit this humble Quichua congregation, and experience their lives here as well as share themselves. What an interesting concept for a short term mission team! Just building relationships... nothing else. I'm really not sure that's been done before. Whatever the case, it was blessed in a major way!

A LITTLE BACKGROUND: Most of the congregation are Quichua indian- A people with their own culture and language separate from the "mestizos" (or more modern and mainstream Ecuadorians) of Quito and the rest of Ecuador. They are at various stages of becoming "civilized" - learning Spanish, wearing modern clothes and having modern jobs. We visited 9 families during the week; sharing photos, stories about each others' lives, food, how they live, what their dreams are, and yes, MORE food! One of the families we visited was pure Quichua in custom and language, and we needed a translator from Quichua to Spanish, then Spanish to English! All of them were poorer than anything the team had ever seen in their lives, and we were quite humbled by their joy, and love for the Lord in the midst of suffering. The team also got to be exposed to three other different types of ministries here as well; we visited the Borman family that has worked for two generations with people WAY out in the jungle. We visited an urban street boy ministry "Casa Gabriel", and we got a tour of HCJB radio; a worldwide Christian ministry headquartered here in Quito.
We also had a special treat on Thursday: driving way out in the mountains (in the coastal rainforest) and visiting a friend and fellow Mississippian who lives a life of complete solitude - without electricity or vehicle in what can only be described as the "Garden of Eden". He and his wife are new Christians, and rarely get a chance to be a part of a traditional service (he REALLY lives WAY out in the boonies!) so we held a little service that day. We were all blessed. The team presented him with a King James bible, which he did not have a copy of yet, and we were all doubly blessed. Isn't God good!

In the evenings, we held special "theme"services: SAT - I shared a message on "compassion", and we heard some of the church's music. It was also a night of getting acquainted.
MON - was "gringo" night, where Brother Lynn Prather preached and the team shared "our" music. Also shared our testimonies.
TUE - we showed a Christian movie for the church and a good number of guests, and passed out tracts.
WED - Ecuadorian night; pastor Pablo (the church pastor) shared a message and we heard a number of their testimonies as well as their music.
THU - my partner Joselito shared a message and we were treated to a special "compaña" or music festival where many of the sister churches sent groups, most in beautiful native costume, to share their special music with us. It was an amazing time.

I am really not sure who got blessed more: but I do know that to see these two church bodies from two totally different cultures, continents, and circumstances come together and love on each another was the realization of a dream the Lord gave me almost a year ago. God's blessings were poured out without measure on all of us. How wonderful it is to serve the Lord!

It is so exciting and fulfilling to be exactly where the Lord wants you to be and doing exactly what He wants you to be doing... I cannot possibly describe this feeling in human words. I thank you for making this privilege possible. If any of you are interested in being a part of a short term team, or possibly having your church come here on a short term team visit, please drop us an email. We pray for you all every day, and cherish your emails. If you have a prayer request please let us know. We print out emails and read them for "family altar" and pray for those requests made known to us each evening. News from home is great too, as it is a way to remain a part of you all. Thanks to those of you who have sent snail mail as well!

Don't forget to visit our website for a pictorial update in the eDiary area or more info about us & our ministry! If God is nudging you to be a part of our ministry, please visit our web page for complete information on how. Also visit our web page http://www.rodbond.com for opportunities of service or ministry here (from your living room chair or by coming here), as well as prayer requests.

Until next time....

Christian Love,

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Rod, Deb, Melissa, Andrea, & Rachel Bond
Global Outreach Missionaries to Ecuador

rod@rodbond.com
http://www.rodbond.com


Bobadilla 144 y Villalengua
Quito, Ecuador
South America

Tel. 011-593-2-224-5280
Cell 011-593-9-730-7943


II Cor 5:7 -"For we walk by faith, not by sight."