Be Strong and Courageous

...for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9

By Laurel Ellis

April 14^th, 2021

Inner Strength

This year of pandemic has given opportunity for many of us to gain the inner strength of quantity time spent with Jesus. There have been ups and downs but God's faithfulness has carried me every step of the way. Thank you for your prayers!

Outward Courage

In spite of the high incidence of Covid in the general population as well as among pastors and their families, and the fact I, and the majority of Ecuadorians, haven't received the vaccine, God has given me the courage to preach in many churches during these months. Everyone wears a mask and I'm taking precautions and preventative meds. Daily I thank God for health! Once again, your prayers make a difference!

Zoom meetings with Ecuadorian and US groups continue to fill my calendar each week. Early this year I was asked to serve as a second presbyter for this section, an honor and a responsibility.

I preached about the ten lepers at the first outdoor service of this church plant in Chiquintad.

The Chiquintad church began children's church after a month meeting in the outdoor venue.

Juan Pablo is reaching his neighbors high in the Andes, five families so far.

Pastors Yuly (L) and Ivan (R). Click for baptismal video clip.

Joe and Emily Knapp team preached with me about marriage in Barabón.

Emily and I team preached at a women's tea in Santa Isabel, pictured here with the pastor, Lidia.

Laurel preaching at Cuenca Christian Center. Click to see video clip.

Timothy's Abode

Morada de Timoteo is a training center for future Ecuadorian missionaries directed by missionaries Ron & Esther Marcotte. This was my third year to teach one week of intensive classes on Missionary Care and Missionary Finances. Even though Ecuador is a small country, students came from different geographical and cultural backgrounds: indigenous villages deep in the jungle, Guayaquil, located on the coast with a population of 3 million, and the Andean mountain city of Riobamba.

Helping Claudio with his 3 minute missions video. Spanish is his second language.

What a joy to teach and share with these eager young people.

Learning and living under one roof is the vision of Timothy's Abode.

Marcottes (L) - Danny (R) rode his Vespa up to Timothy's Abode. Previously he had ridden it all the way to the tip of S. America!

Myriam comes from a church that Rick helped build in 1987 with a team from People's Church.

The Marcottes are believing that next year's class will be meeting in the new building.

Christmas with family

Although I was unable to visit my mom in Los Angeles or my kids in Seattle due to the surge in Covid, God allowed me to participate in Sharen's memorial and then spend precious weeks with my father-in-law, Dick Ellis, still adjusting to the unexpected loss. Once again, your prayers kept me safe on the many flights and airports to get to Phoenix and back.

Christmas Day with Dick. I helped him through some of his early weeks as a widower.

Dick, the patriarch of the family, read the Christmas story to us all, some in person, others via Zoom.

Amie traveled four hours to and from the missionary training center in my car. Slept the whole way.

Footnotes

Your faithful giving has allowed me to not only do what God has called me to do, but also to invest in other ministries such as Timothy's Abode. WE are part of what God is doing there! Gracias!!!

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FootNotes

Your faithful giving has allowed me to not only do what God has called me to do, but also to invest in other ministries such as Timothy's Abode. WE are part of what God is doing there! Gracias!!!