The Goodness of God

Taste and see how good the Lord is! Psalm 34:8 CEB

By Laurel Ellis

February 21^st, 2023

The goodness of family

Since my last letter, I have undergone two major, but unrelated, surgeries here in Cuenca. God, in his goodness, led me to the ideal surgeons and all has gone as planned. I'm very grateful for my missionary family who has taken such good care of me!

Last fall on a mini itineration, I felt so welcomed by the OMN family at Intermission as well as in your churches. After four years with only a week's visit here and there, it was wonderful to spend more time with my family, which will be expanding in May.

My youngest son, David, and his wife, Jenny, will give me grandchild number 2 in May.

Fun at Cougar Mountain Zoo with my grandson, Anson.

Chilling with Amie, after my thyroidectomy February 15.

The goodness of friends

Jesus promised in Matthew 19:29 TLB "Anyone who gives up his home, brothers, sisters, father, mother, wife, children, or property, to follow me, shall receive a hundred times as much in return, and shall have eternal life." One of the hardest aspects of missionary life is leaving behind family, but Jesus' promise has held true all these years! He truly does give us so much in return for what we give up.

Christmas brunch for the women in ministry of our section.

Wonderful friendships, old and new, with this great group of women in ministry from OMN

"Stronger Together" as our missionary team celebrated a successful women in ministry retreat

Oregon Women in Ministry team with Joy Wilson and Sally Powers

Women in Ministry retreat with OMN women, our missionary team and 31 national women in ministry

Proud of five of our sectional pastors who graduated from Bible School in November.

Once a month lunch and outing with pastors and wives in the section

Church Planting Bootcamp with new missionaries to LAC in Costa Rica

God's goodness to the nations

This precious family, Pablo, Andrea and their son Caleb, out of the Loja church Rick and I planted three decades ago, are headed to Jordan next month, sent by the Assemblies of God of Ecuador to live and work near the Syrian border with refugees. Pablo likes to say that he is my spiritual grandson, as he was won to Christ by Pastor Pablo Celi, a convert in the tent crusade in Loja 31 years ago. In 2019, I taught Pablo and Andrea at Timothy's Abode, Ecuador's missions training center directed by missionaries Ron and Esther Marcotte.

Pablo posted the following on Rick's Facebook, five months after Rick went to heaven. "Well, God didn't allow us to meet you both at the same time. But we have had a chance to share some time with each of you. Although we didn't talk much, we've learned many incredible things, most of all your simplicity and passion. Thank you, missionaries Ellis, for planting the seed of the gospel in our city, and because of that today I have a family who loves God!"