Opportunities

"Take advantage of every opportunity to be a blessing to others, especially to our brothers and sisters in the family of faith!" Galatians 6:10 TPT

By Laurel Ellis

July 11^th, 2019

GOD MAKES MY PATH CLEARER

"You cleared a path for my feet so that I could walk without stumbling." Psalm 18:36 ERV

In my February newsletter from last year, you read how God was leading me to Cuenca. I wrote, "There are many needs such as training future pastors, church planting, and Ecuadorian missions education. I am confident that just as God has led me step by step this past year, He will make my path clear in these coming months as to my specific roles." These words have been fulfilled this year as I have been involved in training church planters as well as future Ecuadorian missionaries.

CHURCH PLANTING

Last year I began attending a monthly three-hour training for church planters. The Ecuadorian leadership asked me to go to meetings in Mexico City in May with church planters from all over Latin America. While there, I learned more about the style of church planting modeled after the Church Multiplication Network. After I returned from Mexico, the Ecuadorian leadership asked me to teach the same church planting training course to local pastors and leaders. Please pray that many churches will be raised up in this part of Ecuador as a result of this.

Find "Laurel"! I'm in the middle. These are pastors and executive leaders from all over LAC who are dedicated to planting churches.

Leaders from the Assemblies of God of Spain as well as from Latin America sharing about church planting.

Teaching the church planting modules to current and future church planters.

INVESTING IN FUTURE MISSIONARIES

Estefanía (wearing glasses in the large picture below) shared her testimony with me and her fellow missions students at Timothy's Abode. I had the pleasure of teaching them for a week-long intensive last month. Estefanía recalled the time when Rick spoke at Centro Cristiano de Loja the evening of November 12, 2016. This was during Rick's epic motorcycle ride to Chile.

Estefanía explained that "when I climbed the stairs of the church, I asked God to speak to me. People were always talking about the call and service. Truthfully, I felt lost because I didn't know if I had a call on my life or not. Nevertheless, I loved the Lord and felt that He wanted something more from me. To my surprise, that was the same day that Pastor Rick was visiting the church. It was the first time I had ever met him. In fact, I learned that it was Pastor Rick and his family who had planted my church. Truthfully, I don't remember everything that he spoke on that night, but I do remember that he read a poem that changed my life.

"I shall be telling this with a sigh somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference." Robert Frost

That day, I committed myself to the Lord. I would walk through every door that He opens, and I will serve Him." Estefanía is training to be an Ecuadorian missionary. God already is using her mightily!

Tammy and Clemente (on the right) are Shuar missionary candidates from the indigenous district. These students from the jungle are preparing to go to the nations!

Teaching Missionary Care and Wellbeing as well as Missionary Finances to future missionaries at Timothy's Abode

On one of our trips. Estefanía and Andrea led a woman to Christ. She had been contemplating suicide.

We visited the Basilica of the Virgen of Cisne, the heart of Catholicism in Ecuador.

Visiting one of the daughter churches in the province of Loja, Centro Cristiano de Catacocha.

Prayer at the construction site of Timothy's Abode, led by missionaries Ron and Esther Marcotte.

ENCOURAGing EXISTING CHURCHES

Among a weekly pastor's meeting, monthly outings with the pastoral families, and many preaching engagements, I have been supporting and motivating the churches, challenging them to extend their territory. More on that in my next letter!