Missionaries to Ecuador
A group of Quichua men play traditional music with a Christian theme at a 10th anniversary celebration for San Jose Alto Baptist church.
the Bond Family Fall '04 eDiary
I will not attempt to add all the information shared by our eNewsletters, but to supplement it by these pictures.
Subscribe here to receive our eNewsletter as well. It is a more detailed text-only version of our adventures for the Lord in Ecuador.
We update the eDiary quarterly, and the eNewsletters monthly.
Getting in the "Groove"
After a short 2 months back in the states to share our ministry with our supporters, visit family and friends, and get some things that are difficult to get here, we hit the ground running here at the end of July. (We did not post a Summer eDiary update, since we saw many of our supporters personally in June and July). Below we would like to share what has happened thus far this fall with you all from different perspectives.
Rod
After a somewhat exhausting trip to the states, it was wonderful to get back here to where God has called us. It feels kind of like home now; it's strange to find myself saying so but it is so. God gave me a clear vision of His ministry for me, within a few weeks of being back. "Project: Great Commission" is an amazing thing; beyond all that I imagined! It is a 2 year program of discipleship for one mother church and 6 "daughter" churches in a poor Quichua (indigenous) area outside of Quito. Training pastors and leaders with seminary-quality training for free; training the laypeople of the church, and providing basic materials such as Sunday school literature (they had none), bibles (not everyone has one), hymnals (basically non-existant), a "pastor library" for each church, and tracts to use for outreach. We are also posting their stories with photos (and some movies) on the internet to share with you all... Please visit this incredible ministry at http://www.rodbond.com/discipleship.html and catch the vision!
Debbie is really enjoying teaching art this year. Both the kids at the Alliance Academy and Casa Gabriel are benefiting from her great gift of art and working with kids. They especially enjoy her imaginative projects! The street boys at "Casa Gabriel" have two different age groups, and many were very talented. At the Alliance Academy, she teach all of the elementary kids from 1st to 6th grade. Working at the Alliance is in trade for part of the girl's tuition, and she is a volunteer at "Casa Gabriel" once a week. She has just completed a wonderful art project as part of a school ministry, where they have presented the gospel in three mural-sized paintings. It was a semester long, cooperative effort, and in the end, was not only used for an outreach project at the city dump to witness to thousands, but has been made into a full color tract and continues to be a tool that the Lord is using.
Our Girls Have really turned the corner in respect to living on the mission field. They still miss home, friends and family - but have really begun to enjoy their school and friends here. Praise the Lord! Melissa continues to have a 4.0 average (98% ; the highest in the school) and enjoys being active in school sponsored outreach programs and is the 10th Grade Chaplain. She also continues with her piano.
Andrea is doing well with her grades, is taking flute at school, and is enjoying her new friends.
Rachel is also doing great in school, and is taking piano now as well. She has a great group of friends and everyone enjoys spending the night at each others houses. They all have a nice mix of American, European, Oriental, and Ecuadorian friends.
Photos
We visited the Orphanage "Jardin de Eden" again, to say "hi", give them the "Jesus Video", and to do our "gifts for good grades" minstry we have there. We put one dollar for each "A" directly in the hands of each child for each semester report card. It is a great incentive to do their best in school, and therefore have a fighting chance to gain some level of normalcy in their futures. Some missionary friends went with us to see the ministry for the first time, and they took some school supplies to pass out as well.
Here is a shot of the whole group together.
We had some personal moments with some of the kids as well; Deb is very popular by the way!
Here is a shot of Joselito and I with the seven pastors we are working with in "Project: Great Commission". Please see more photos from this ministry on the webpage for "Project: Great Commission".
One part of "Project: Great Commission" is Pastor training; here Joselito, a Seminary professor and my partner in this project, teaches the leaders of the seven churches in one of the once-a-month seminars.
Another part of "Project: Great Commission" is lay training; Myself and Doug Paratore, an independent missiory, teach classes at the individual churches on " how to share your testimony and the gospel"... a 3 month program ending in a "Jesus Video" outreach weekend where the church members share with their neighbors.
Another important aspect of "Project: Great Commission" is providing much needed materials to these poor churches, that don't have any basic Pastor resources, nor enough bibles for everyone, or any Sunday School material to teach with. Here is pastor Pablo of "San Jose Alto" with his "pastor library", donated by Kelly Thornton of Tishomingo Chapel Baptist Church in Corinth, MS (this church has adopted San Jose Alto, as a sister church here in Ecuador).
Favorite Photos: Here are a few interesting shots of the people. this lady has her baby on her back in the traditional way of the Quichua people. A closeup of the traditional type of shoes the indigenous wear.
God Bless you all and keep you - please know that you are in our prayers!
Hasta Luego... Until next month!
BACK TO THE TOP OF THIS PAGE