Monday's Story from Ecuador

I have been so humbled by the things I have seen here in Puyo. Over and over again I realize how ungrateful I am and how bless I am to be an American. The poor that I have seen in the US cannot compare to that which I have seen here. On Monday, we visited a mother and her three young children. The house was no more than the size of a one car garage. There were three boards of wood on the bottom half of the door to act as a child-safety gate. The house only had two rooms separated by a shabby wooden-panel wall and a tattered sheet. The corner where the sink and cabinet were held only a dozen eggs and three coffee cups. The dishes stored under the sink looked unwashed and used beyond their years. There was an unfinished table and three old plastic lawn-chairs which Danielle, Bre and I sat on. The mother told with us that she and the children share a mattress on the floor in the other room. The two oldest children were no more than four and five and the youngest was two. The mother looked tiered and the sadness that she expressed to us showed on her face. There was no glass in the large window behind her; only a sheet was used to keep the elements out. With tears in her eyes, the young mother was not bitter about her situation but adamant in sharing with us that she still had hope in God. I was humbled by her response to the difficulties in her life; I know that I would not be able to react in the same way. My heart went out to her and the many others single mothers that have been abandoned or left widowed by their husbands.

Food 4 Puyo Project

Here is an informational video about my upcoming missions trip to Ecuador. I leave March 6th and return the 17th. Please be in prayer for me. Check out the teams blog at food4puyo.blogspot.com

If you would like to donate, send a check to:

East Auburn Baptist Church
560 Park Avenue
Auburn, ME 04210
Just write in the memo line: March Puyo, Ecuador trip.

Thank you for partnering with us to bring Hope to the Hopeless!!!

His Compassion, Our Commission

In the past I never thought God would or was calling me to South America, yet here am I only 6 weeks away from taking my second trip to Ecuador with in a year's time. It's remarkable of how God as taken me to this point. I was nine when I first gave my life to the Lord. I remember praying, "here I am, Lord. Send me." I didn't know what He would do with my prayer at the time but with child-like faith I trusted Him. Today, I see God's hand leading me to surrender even more and to allow Him to work in my life. I still don't know how God will continue to use me but I say, "here I am." The prayer of my heart can be expressed in a song written by a staff member, Dick Grout, of Elim Bible Institute where I attended college. I will leave you with that :-)
His compassion, our commission.Reveal to me Your heart for the nations.His compassion, our commission. As I follow You, send me. I don't know where this yes will lead me,but I am saying yes to You, I want to obey.Yes, I love You. Yes, I trust You. Yes, I'll follow You all the way.His compassion, our commission.Reveal to me Your heart for the nations.His compassion, our commission. As I follow You, send me.

The Power of Your Name

A Threefold Cord

Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor.
For if they fall, one will lift up his companion.
But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up.
Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him.
And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
--Ecclesiastes 4:10

I have realized over the years that I easily take on traits of those around me. Once, when I lived with a few Canadians I began saying "A?" at the end of every sentence and I continued to do this for the next 4 months. In high school I sat next to a guy that tapped his foot throughout the whole class period and by the end of the semester I was tapping along with him. It's kinda scary to me how easily I do this. In light of this realization I am more careful/aware of who I am around and for how long I am around them. It also begs the question, "Who do I want to become like?"

My first answer to the above question is "Christ." As a Christian, I desire to be Christ-like, to be His hands and feet in a dying and lost world. The more time I spend with God, in His Word and in prayer, the more I will take on His traits. Galatians 5:22 tells us that the fruit of the Spirit is, love, joy, peace….the outcome of spending time with God is godliness. However, while I am on this earth, God is not the only person influencing my life.

My family, friends, and community (church, school, & media) also influence the kind of fruit or personality traits I may produce. Now I should clarify that I am not saying I have no personality at all or that I lack character and integrity but I am simply examining this one thought. Those who are close to me should be men and women of God who demonstrate godly traits that will influence and encourage me in my personal walk with the Lord. Now to get to why I put the verses from Ecc. at the top of this blog…

God lead and guided Efra and Danielle to be my co-leaders on the NYC missions trip and for that I am thankful. I have known each of them for a couple of years and we were part of the team to Ecuador this past June. We have the same circle of friends and common interests and now they are beginning to influence me too. Lately I have been finding myself saying "common man" in my texts and conversations…which is something Efra says a lot. I also find myself noticing purses and the color pick much more…which are two things Danielle likes. But my hope is that they will influence me on even a deeper level.

I work with Efra at the church and every week I see him serve with such patience and loyalty. I want to be like that. When I see his good attitude and hard work, it put my bad attitude into check. The time I spend with Danielle, I see how nurturing she is and how she sees the good in people. I seem to think the worse of people and I am so task oriented that I forget to be nurturing. When I am around Danielle I am reminded that I need to work on those aspects of my life. Not only do I hope that Efra and Danielle's good behavior rubs off on me but I also know that their behavior has and will continue to bring me to the feet of Jesus. (It was God who gave Efra and Danielle those character traits to begin with, so I might as well go to the Source.) While I wait on God to develop these good characteristics in myself, it is good for me to be around Efra and Danielle especially when I lead a team.


I think of the old cartoon, Captain Plant, and what they use to say, "With our powers combined…" As I lead the NYC team I saw areas where I was weak but those were the areas that Danielle and Efra were strong. It was the combining of our strengths and the leading of the Holy Spirit (the giver of our strengths) that help us during the week in NYC. It was God who put the team together in order that we may bring Him glory together...that is the Body of Christ (the Church). I look forward to this new year with great expectations, as God continues to strengthen my friendship with Danielle, Efra, and the whole Atmosphere leader's team. Together we will be stronger and more apt to defeat our enemy, produce good fruit, and bring glory to God.