Mission: 
Ecuador
Ecuador
Mission Team: November 2008
Ecuador
Mission Team: November 2008
The mission team from Oakland Baptist of Corinth, Mississippi, working in a closed area to the gospel, doing open air evanagelism
Oakland Baptist Church, our sending church in Corinth, Mississippi came to work with us here in Ecuador this past November 2008.
Team members: Chris Aday, David & Robin Jarnigan, Brian & Michal Ann Spencer, Carol Baker, Becky Brawner, Rebecca McCalla, Anna Trim, Annette Yancy, and Archie Warren. Translators: Santiago & David Mejia, and Luis Vela.Our ministry was focused on VBS (vacation bible school) and evangelism, including open air. We worked in two closed areas to the gospel, and later in the week, with two smaller churches. Eduardo Jaramillo, my new "Timothy" from the Galapagos Islands, participated with the team and it really profoundly affected him to be around a group of wonderful Christians working for the Lord.
Saturday, we hit the ground running by going to La Victoria, an area that is really resistant to the gospel. We have a bible study / cell group there, and they all face regular and sometimes harsh persecution. In the afternoon, we held dramas, music, and shared testimonies and the gospel. We had a group of Ecuadorian Christians (some ministry partners of ours) helping us as well, and they did a fantastic job! In the evening, we showed a Christian movie for the family, and shared the gospel.
Sunday we went back to La Victoria, and held a VBS outreach during the day, complete with clowns, puppets, dramas, organized games, crafts, and music. During the program for the kids, we broke out and shared the gospel with the adults. Later, we held the very first church service in this community at a sweet older lady's house. Chris preached, Eduardo and Rebecca shared their testimonies, and we sang in English and Spanish. It was especially wonderful, and was my personal favorite time of the week.
Monday we went to a town called Cusubamba, which does not have a church either, and did open air evangelism all day long at a little park in the main intersection which is also a major bus stop area. For this event, we involved a second group of Ecuadorian youth workers, and together, we all took turns putting on a drama, or playing music, and doing a puppet show while the others were evangelizing. In the afternoon, the team broke out and went throughout the community passing out invitations to the VBS the next day, and sharing the gospel door-to-door, while the Ecuadorian team continued with their open air program.
Tuesday, we went back to the park at the intersection again for the morning, then we held our VBS outreach in the afternoon at a local school.
Wednesday, we held our VBS at San Jose Alto church. Later, we had supper at the church and attended the evening service there.
Thursday, we went to Betania Church at Chambitola, way up in the remote mountains. It was quite an experience for the team! We held our final VBS program, gave away tons of gloves and hats, and had a special time eating with the church members, listening to their indigenous music, and praying together in Spanish, English, and Quichua.
Friday, the team got to see some of the old Catholic churches in the old part of Quito, and later, the Middle of the World theme village. The trip was fantastic, even though we had to endure some really unpredictable times due to the nature of our locations. God blessed us, and all those they encountered here in Ecuador. Please pray for those who made professions of faith, and for those hundreds and hundreds of people who heard the gospel and carried home tracts - that God will touch their hearts and save them as well.
See tons of pictures from these events by clicking on the clown picture.
Click on the picture to go see 119 photos from this event
All in all, it was an amazing trip beyond our expectations... blessed immeasurably, and God got all the glory!
