Hardee County Mission Teams Update 1-22-2017

First Baptist Church Bowling Green - Ecuador 
January 20, 2017 

It has been a rainy day here in Tabacundo. We started the day with half of our group having a Bible study with a gentleman whom the group unanimously agrees has been showing a positive change in his openness to the Lord. Satan is attacking him and his family presently and they are in need of much prayer.

The other group went up to the ministry above Cayambe that does work with the elderly. The ministry had a presentation of which they wanted us to be a part.

The first team made arrangements to visit with another family later in the day and that fell through because of a family health issue. We will keep trying to get over to see them. Pray for this family as well. We sense, but are not certain, something is in the air between them and our ministry. This family has been a vital part of our work here the past three years and things have just been different this trip.

I mentioned that it has been rainy today. Some would even say chilly or even cold. As a result, we only had 7 people make it to our Bible study tonight and 4 of them were new for us this week.

The young man who received Jesus last night was 1 of the 7. The man who brought him last night also came back and he brought another friend with him. At the end of the night these 3 were still with us until 10 p.m. talking. The new friend has not received Jesus as his Lord and Savior, but we encouraged him to truly think about it and we invited him back to the remainder of our studies.

1 of our repeat Bible study attenders has brought us a great deal of joy this week. We have seen some amazing growth in her life and she told us that her entire family did the Bible study lesson together and that her husband really enjoyed it. The mere fact her husband did the study with her is huge and an amazing praise report. Pray for God to do a work in his life.

Tomorrow is a "free" day, but we are already making plans for more contacts and trying to build on the work we have already done.

May the Lord be brought glory throughout the remainder of our time. - Pastor Scott Tharp 

January 21, 2017 

This is Saturday and our fourth update. The pastor has passed the duties along, so the content may lack some continuity with the previous ones. :-)

The team had hoped to have an off day today up on Mt. Cayambe, but the weather prediction for the mountain was for heavy rain all day, so we cancelled that and spent the biggest part of the morning trying to see and encourage those we have yet to make a connection. Part of the team was finally able to spend some quality time with the wife of the family that has been so vital the ministry the last three years. The husband and wife have both made professions of faith, but it seems satan is working on choking out their growth with the busyness of life. We left a copy of the Bible study we have been covering each night and encouraged her to try to include the whole family when completing it. At the the same time the other team mates made a couple of visits and shared some scripture on the other side of town.

We were all then treated to lunch with our sweet Ecuadorian family in Cayambe. It's so neat that we have friends in our own church at home that have family here that we can have such a special fellowship with.

With the cool, rainy conditions continuing, the number attending tonight's study was eight besides the team. But, among those were three new faces. Now the wonderful thing is that the new faces were not invited by us, but by others who have attended during the week! It was especially sweet to see one of our preadolescent friends, who's family has been attending for several years and who's mom has been baptized, show up again tonight but this time with a friend of his! They immediately sat down and, with heads together, began working on the study. (Prov. 22:6)

Quite a few who have been attending, have said they will be joining us for worship tomorrow. This includes the family in the previous post who has been in Satan's crosshairs for several months now. We know that our God is greater so join us in praying for restoration of this marriage.

Once again our pastor has been invited to share the message in the morning. Pray not only for the message and open hearts, but for our translator as she shares the message for us.

We have a full day of visits after church tomorrow that include two in La Esperanza. Please pray for those on our team with some cold symptoms to improve. (As my Sharon often says, "Ain't nobody got time for that!")

Praying for you all at home as well as you meet for worship tomorrow!

Bendiciones! -Janice Durrance 

January 22, 2017 

One of our other members has written tonights post, but I am typing what they wrote.

We began this beautiful Sunday morning meeting some friends and walking to church. Where a member of our team had the opportunity to share the gospel. We learned that we need to have a relationship with God on His terms instead of our terms. We also learned that we need to pray believing that God can and will answer our prayers, instead of just half believing. After church, we were invited to visit some friends for a meal.

In the afternoon, we went to visit a family and shared the gospel and gave our testimonies. Some members of the family were very interested in what we shared with them. Please pay their interest would grow and they keep learning more about God.

We also ask prayers as one of our team members is a little under the weather.

Chris Bishop & Family - Nicaragua 

January 21, 2017 

Since it has been a couple days since we posted I will try to be quick. Friday was a very full and busy day, we did two bible clubs on at 9:30am and one at 2pm and it was also the warmest day so far. btw the weather has been unseasonably cool and we are still getting the occasional rain shower but Friday was definitely warmer and sunnier so after a late night Thursday preparing and an early morning preparing, we went to morning club, then to lunch at a friends home, then to pick up our supplies for the afternoon club from the house and then back to the school for another couple hours. When we finished we cleaned the school as a thank you for letting us use their facilities, swept, mopped, clean windows, wipe down walls, doors and desks and donated the cleaning supplies to the school as well as a few tools for their projects with the students. We had planned on eating at home but After the long day we went out for pizza!

Yesterday we took as many helpers a spas could go to the river and waterfall near Juigalpa, it was beautiful and a fun day for those who could come. It is a blessing to bless those who serve so faithfully all year pouring in to the lives of these kids and their families in this neighborhood.

Today I am teaching Sunday School, then we will go town for the afternoon to Maxi Pali and the local market then to evening service. Hope everyone in the states has a great Sunday! Glory to God

Hardee County Mission Teams Update 1-20-17

There are two teams serving on the mission field from Hardee County this week. Below are some updates from their trips so far...

FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH BOWLING GREEN - ECUADOR 
Jan 18, 2017
We have finished our first full day on the mission field. The morning was spent making phone calls inviting people to our Bible study tonight. In the afternoon we went and met with a lady who we met for the first time on the street in Cayambe back in August. We met her and her daughter and invited them to the Bible study tonight. They came with two others. Later we had a wonderful meeting with the local pastor and had a sweet time of prayer with him. After that we began preparing for the Bible study. We had 12 people show up and most of them were first time attendees. We went through the Bible study material we handed out in October. After the Bible study, we had one individual stay behind and speak us. This person was needing some advice and we gave the best answers we could and took them to the Scriptures. Pray for all that came tonight to return as we continue our study through this material we gave them and those in October. May more come even tomorrow to grow in God's grace. Thank you for your prayers and support. -Pastor Scott Tharp 

Jan 19, 2017 

It has been an adventure today. One of the things we did not mention yesterday was that our apartment floor had some damage (we believe from water). Our landlord brought a repairman to the apartment today and he spent the majority of the day fixing our floor. As a result, we were only able to use a very small portion of our apartment for this evenings Bible study. We had 15 people and it was VERY crowded. The day consisted of lots of contacts with people throughout Tabacundo. We also had a divine appointment with the local pastor with whom we are doing work. It was wonderful to see how God orchestrates events.

The main news of the day to report was the Bible study itself. We had the local pastor with us tonight and I hope the evening was a blessing to him and his congregational members who were present. At the end of the Bible study I asked if anyone needed to receive Jesus into their hearts as Lord and Savior. One young man said he needed Jesus. I asked the pastor to take him into and the friend that brought him to go back to one of the bedrooms and talk about receiving Jesus. After a little bit of time, they came out and he said he had prayed to receive Jesus. Pray for this young man to grow in his relationship with Jesus.

We also had three other ladies pull FBC Bowling Green's pastor aside and ask for prayer as well. Their prayer requests were not for salvation, but did regard very serious life issues. Because of the nature of Facebook we are not willing to share the specifics, but I would request you to prayer for these three ladies and for God to do an amazing work in their lives.

We have a full day in front of us again tomorrow. Our free day this trip will be on Saturday morning/afternoon, but we will have a Bible study that evening. On Sunday the local pastor has asked our pastor to preach and he has accepted. Sunday afternoon we have a meeting in La Esperanza. We resume having Bible studies on Monday and Tuesday. We have a few meetings in the day times as well. We need your prayers. Pray the Lord to show His favor on us. -Pastor Scott Tharp 

CHRIS BISHOP & FAMILY - NICARAGUA 

Jan 18, 2017 

Bible club day 1 began by doing some work on the family's home where Maricela does her Bible club every week... This is a very giving and loving family who's home essentially needed rebuilt. So the crew of guys worked all morning on the house came to bible club to help out there, got the whole house torn apart and the roof put back. Tomorrow they will finish the inside. 

At the bible club we had 152 name tags distributed and some additional moms there with their kiddos. It was a good day teaching about Jesus' birth!

Jan 19, 2017 

We spent the early morning choking on the house the Nicaraguan guys began repairing, Rebuilding yesterday, dropped the kids off with some of Mariicela's family and they spent the morning playing at one of the parks then we returned the house to make preparations for Day 2 of bible club getting snack. Drinks, and craft ready to go then it was an adventure just getting there because we are getting rain showers every 3-4 hours some for only a minute or two but today was for like 20 minutes and it made the roads bad enough our driver Miguel had difficulty navigating some roads, he is a great driver but his van has limitations. A good friend and servant of God, Sebastian came to the rescue with his flatbed cargo truck and loaded up our supplies and about two dozen of us on his truck, no problemo! 

At the bible club we had 148 kids and over 40 of them were different from yesterday. The bible story was about Jesus' last supper, death and resurrection. 

I want to say a special thanks to Maricela and her family for her hospitality as we are staying with her in her neighborhood and a special thanks to her team of volunteers they are awesome. 

Tomorrow we are doing 2 lessons in one day at 9:30 and at 2pm, that will be a busy day our team of volunteers here spent evening preparing the snacks and drinks and we went to an evening women's church service with some great music fun games and me preaching. Some impromptu ministry needs and prayers are needed for a few families here who we have gotten to know over the last few years and are facing some challenges. Greeting to all y'all back home! buenos noches.

Ecuador Mission Team Update (Day 5, 6 & 7)

October 8, 2016 - Day 5
We have had such a fun and great day. Do we sound like a broken record? Today we began our day with an incredible devotional, followed by a wonderful breakfast, and then we had one of our team head to Cayambe to encourage a Christian Sister of ours, and the rest of the team began their "down time" day. Earlier this week we were invited to visit the lakes at the top of the mountains behind Tabacundo. At about 11:30 our friend came to the apartment to pick us up. We grabbed water and blankets and jumped in the back of pickup truck. Maybe I should rephrase that last sentence. Ten of us climbed into the bed of the pickup truck, then scrunched ourselves down so we wouldn't be pulled over, and off we went to the Lagunas de Mojanda. It's about an hour drive to the lakes, with the majority of the ride on a well kept dirt road. On the trip we experienced sunshine, clouds, rain, hail, more rain, cold, but most of all we enjoyed the beauty of God's creation and the fellowship of believers. The lakes are nestled in the mountains, originally created by volcanoes, and absolutely breathtaking. We probably spent about an hour up at the lake, taking pictures, laughing, getting soaked in the rain, drinking hot chocolate and coffee to try to warm up, and then finally headed back to Tabacundo. The return trip was dry, faster, and filled again with laughter and fellowship. Back in Tabacundo we changed into dry clothes, ate lunch, and then prepared the apartment for our evening meeting. And what a meeting it was!!!!! We had 19 people join the team in our apartment to learn more about discipleship and sharing their testimonies. We had a packed house! We recapped "one verse evangelism ", shared testimonies, and then officially closed the meeting making sure anyone who had questions was welcome to stay and talk. And stay and talk they did. The 11 year old girl from yesterday's post confirmed her understanding of salvation, expressed her desire to be baptized, then had her little heart broken because her dad and she are leaving Tabacundo in the morning to head to the coastal region to live, meaning she would not be able to be baptized tomorrow. After reminding her that obedience to her dad is more important than baptism, we gave her her own personal Bible, and her beautiful smile returned. Other conversations involved encouraging church attendance, confirmation of salvation, and just plain fellowship. It was an incredible evening! Tomorrow is our last full day here and as much as we miss our families and friends, we really wish we had more time. Now sleep must come, so we close wishing you grace and peace.

October 9, 2016 - Day 6 
This was our last full day in Ecuador! We can't believe it has passed so quickly. We're pretty sure this will be the last update, so hang on tight. We began our day with a surprise. The first interpreter we ever had in Ecuador was on his way to Otavalo, and popped by to say hello. What a sweet reunion! We then walked to the Iglesia Cristiana Betesda with one of our Ecuadorian friends and her three kids and worshipped our Lord and Savior, even though most of us couldn't understand a word of what was said. We did sense the Spirit who lives in us as we joined their service. Afterwards we went to lunch with a few friends, whom we met at church, and then went to the apartment to start the packing process and prepare for our last evening meeting. At 4 pm we headed to Cayambe to visit with one of our own's family, and then back to the apartment for our evening discipleship meeting. Perhaps because this was our last meeting, the discipleship training did not really occur. Instead our friends came and went, and we had one on one conversations and a short devotional. Although it was not what we had planned, it was a very good time, and we felt God's promptings throughout the meeting. We have now finished packing, cleaned the apartment and are as ready as we can be for our departure in the morning at 7:30. Thank you again for your prayers this past week. We could not do God's will without your prayer cover. Blessings to you all!

October 10, 2016 - Returning Home 
We have landed in Orlando and are on the van heading to Bowling Green. Today we began the day with an awesome praise time which we ended by singing Jesus Messiah. We are truly thankful for all He did this past week. We then loaded up the van and headed to Quito. We ate breakfast right outside the Middle of the World Museum, followed by an enjoyable tour of 00'00'00 Latitude. Then off to the airport where we ate lunch and then boarded our plane to Panama. Our plane from Panama to Orlando was slightly delayed, which might help you understand why we got in later than expected. Otherwise the flights were in essence routine. We are all tired, yet our hearts are so full of God's goodness. We have been so blessed to see growth in our Ecuadorian brothers and sisters in Christ. To God be all the glory!

Ecuador Mission Team Update (Day 4)

Ecuador Team Update - October 7, 2016 (Day 4)
We have had a great day!!!! May we stop right there? OK, OK... I know that isn't enough. After our morning devotional and breakfast we hit the streets. Some of the people we intentionally sought out, many we simply encountered on our walks from here to there. ALL we invited to join us for tonight's discipleship meeting. Just before noon we handed out tracts to the elementary and high school kids just below our apartment. For those of you who don't know, for reasons that are not completely known by our translators, school is divided into morning and afternoon sessions. Right around noontime some kids are going home for the day, and the others are headed to school, and this means the streets are teeming with kids. It was fun to hand out the tracts and we did not find any thrown away after the fact. We then continued with our visits around town, prepared the apartment for the evening, and rested just a bit before heading to eat some "quimbolitos" at one of our Christian sister's homes. Quimbolitos are little cakes cooked in leaves with steam and are delicious! Then back to the apartment for our meeting, which went very well. We had 16 plus the team and translators smushed in our living room. We recapped the previous evenings and then broke up into groups to practice sharing the one verse evangelism with one another. After some initial hesitation, everyone participated. YAY!!!!! We then shared testimonies, starting with one of our team, and then opened up the floor to anyone else. A few took us up on the offer and shared. It was very encouraging. A big shout out goes to a few on our team who took charge of the kids so the adults could pay better attention. THANK YOU!!! After the meeting was officially over, a man and his 11 year old daughter stayed behind for some more teaching. Please pray she grasps the difference between works based salvation and doing good because you love God. Now we are heading to bed. We can't believe we only have two full days left in this beautiful country. Please pray we accomplish God's will. May you be filled with peace.

Ecuador Mission Team Update (Day 2 & 3)

Ecuador Team Update Day 3 (10/6/16)

Hola mis amigos! Hello my friends! We began our day a little differently from most days. Last night, in the excitement of the evening, we all forgot to eat supper. Between preparing for the evening and then the great time we had, and the fact it lasted til 10 pm, food simply did not pass through our minds. However, this morning we all woke up HUNGRY!! So... as soon as we were all up and dressed, we headed out the door to a restaurant just a few yards away and had breakfast. THEN we returned to the apartment for our morning devotion. Afterwards we split up into two teams. One group headed to La Esperanza, where we attempted to visit with some friends, who ended up not being at their home, so instead we met them at a local park and had a very good time of encouragement and sharing. The other group stayed in Tabacundo, with certain ideas of whom we would visit. Instead God took us to meet some new friends with whom we shared about God's love. Both teams joined back up for lunch in Tabacundo with one of the first families whom we meet back in 2012 when we first began our ministry down here. What a blessing! After lunch our team went many different ways seeing old friends, making new ones, inviting all to join us for the evening discipleship time. We had a short rest time, prepared for the evening, visited with some dear friends and then we began our meeting. One of our translators started us off with a quick recap of "one verse evangelism", followed by testimonies. What was so exciting was only one of our team and one translator shared their testimony; the rest of the sharing was by those who joined us. Did you all catch that? THEY shared their testimonies! AWESOME!!!!!!!!! We are now finishing up the night, with empty tummies again and full hearts. Our heavenly daily bread is all we need.

Ecuador Team Update Day 2 (10/5/16)

Wednesday has come and is going, going, almost gone. Today has been a great day. The team started with a great devotional and then headed out the door at 7 am to catch the bus to Cayambe, where we met our farmer friend and caught another bus and a then took a short walk to his tomato farm. We spent the morning helping him support the vines, something he does every two weeks, and it takes him about 2-3 days. We truly found joy in assisting him in his manual labor and even had one of our Christian sisters here in Tabacundo join us in the work. After our fingers turned green, then black and beyond, we headed back to Cayambe, leaving our brother in Christ to finish his work (and possibly to undo anything we might have messed up). In Cayambe we had a quick snack, said see you later to our Ecuadorian sister who had to return home, then headed to the market to visit with another dear friend who graciously made us empanadas, which we devoured for a late lunch. After our tummies were full and happy, we took care of getting some snacks for our evening discipleship meeting and headed back to Tabacundo to rest a little and prepare the apartment. At 6:30 our first guest arrived and from there our day just got better and better. Our focus this evening (and for the next few evening meetings) is discipleship. Tonight we laid the groundwork why we should share our faith with others. We shared verses regarding being witnesses and sharing the good news, and then turned the floor over to our translators, who explained "one verse evangelism" as a tool for witnessing (Romans 6:23). Everyone was very receptive, and many great conversations occurred, before, during and after the actual share time. We had 15 people join the team this evening (the apartment was full), one who heard the gospel for the first time, and was VERY excited about what he heard. When asked if he had ever accepted Jesus into his heart, his response was "I think I just did". We will be following up on that response for sure! Praise God! The last person left at 10 and we are now winding down and heading to bed. Pray for continued opportunities to share Christ and equip the saints. May you experience God's peace and grace this day.

Ecuador Mission Team Update - Day 1

Ecuador Team Update-How honored and humbled to be here in Tabacundo as ambassadors for our Lord and Savior. We have had a busy day, as we're sure you can imagine because of the time of this post. 

We began the day very early (one of us had a phone whose time did not update, and therefore we were up an hour earlier than expected), and God used that time so we could exercise, eat breakfast, have an awesome devotional time, and still be ready for the day by 8:30. We did a few housekeeping items in the apartment and then met with our awesome landlord who was in town to fix a potential problem which ended up not being a problem at all (Praise God!!!!). 

Then around 10:30 we broke up into several groups and hit the streets. We met with several friends in Tabacundo, some who were planned, many who just happened (divine appointments) to see us and want to chat, all who were a joyful reminder of God going before us. After reunions and eating lunch, some of us headed directly back to the apartment, where we barely arrived before the heavens opened up with rain and then HAIL! That was a first for all of us, and one we would prefer not to repeat (especially since it makes everything extra slippery, and can cause one to slip and fall-true story). 

While waiting for the skies to clear at least from the "raining rocks" some of us took a short nap (to make up for the extra early morning, we're sure), and others shared and laughed about the mornings experiences with one another. By early evening we were ready to go out again, but not before the skies cleared and we got some beautiful shots of Mt Cayambe. Our team split in two this time. Five of us went up the mountain from Tabacundo to meet with a group of leaders who want to know more about us and see if we can help their community. We are excited about this door which has opened for us to share Christ and his love with a people who seem very eager to know more. 

Please continue to pray for each step we take. The other four of our team went to the local "mall" where we have several contacts and invited them to join us for our discipleship sessions which we are going to have the next few days at the apartment. We ended the evening with supper at a Chinese restaurant, with a very dear couple. After our goodbyes we returned to the apartmen, had a short share time, prayer, and now most everyone is in bed, which is where yours truly is also headed. Please be in prayer for tomorrow. May the God who brought us here continue to go before us. Blessings to you!

Ecuador Mission Team (Update)

August 22, 2016

This update is my last update for this missions trip. I was telling one of the team members today that I always get into a funk on this last full day of ministry. The reason has many aspects to it. Firstly, I am physically tired because I average less than five hours of sleep a night. Secondly, I am missing my family. Thirdly, I love these people of Tabacundo and do not wish to leave them. My life has been intertwined into their lives and it is difficult to leave them.

Well, here is the update. The ladies of the group had their own meeting with a lady who works in the market. The ladies said they had a good time and they received presents (which were just for ladies). Now, what you need to know is the men got sent out to go shopping for the Bible study we had tonight. Can you believe that? Men, shopping for bread, cups, tea, etc.? What is this world coming to? I kept telling the guys, “Guys, you know we are not going to get this right, don’t you?” Well, we shopped any way and got it done.

We left for Cayambe to get me some ICE CREAM!!! Can you believe I never made it to the center of the universe (not world, which is what Ecuador is known as) until the last full day of our trip to Ecuador? Some of our team went to meet a new individual and ride horses. The team did not get to meet the intended individual, but did get to meet another person. The team also did not get to ride horses, but only got to pet one. The individual intended for the visit was at the ER with the son. We don’t know the details, but please pray for this family. The other team had returned to the apartment and started cleaning it in order for us to depart tomorrow.

After the teams reunited we started preparing for the Bible study. 30 people told us they were going to attend the Bible study and because of the size we had made arrangements to hold the meeting in another place. To our surprise, only four people came. I do, however, believe the four people that attended were supposed to meet each other. In other words, two of the four people were a married couple and they are a part of the new church about which we have been telling you. In fact, the home group Bible study that our team attended last Friday is held in this couple’s house. The other two people exchanged contact information and we told the Bible study hosts to really encourage these other people to attend the Bible study.

The other part of the Bible study that was exciting for us was that our translators did all of the work. We did not lead this Bible study, rather, our precious translators did and they did a great job.

I now have to pack and then go to bed. Please pray we have safe travels home and we can’t wait to see our families, as well as, our church family. God bless you and again thank you for all your prayers and support.

August 21, 2016

I have gotten to speak brief testimonials in churches here in Ecuador before. Today, however, is the first time I have had the opportunity to preach an entire sermon. I preached at the church we have been talking with in regards to a partnership. I was truly blessed and honored by the opportunity and I pray my words encouraged this congregation. We had nine people with us with whom we have been ministering attend the service. I pray they will start attending on a regular basis.

We had one individual in the church service that we know is agnostic or atheistic. This individual came to lunch with us and the worship pastor of the church had the opportunity to speak with him regarding his belief system. Please pray for this person.

The afternoon was very slow and relaxing. In fact, I even got a nap and so did several others. As the afternoon progressed a group went out again and revisited with several people and invited them to our Bible study tomorrow night. The other group went up into the hills to meet with the president of the community in which we are trying to begin a work. Our meeting with him was just to say, “Hi,” and to confirm our meeting with the community counsel for our October trip.

When these two parts of the day ended we had supper and prepared for our evening meeting. This meeting was one I have been longing to have. It was a follow-up from the new believers from March’s trip. We had a chance to encourage them again and to hear some of God’s work in their lives. It was an amazing three hours and I wish it could have gone on longer. I have for some time thought this family would become our family of peace in Tabacundo. I still believe they will be. Please join us as we pray for the Lord to take them deeper in their walk with Him.

It is now 11:30 and we have a very full last day. Pray it goes well tomorrow, especially for the last Bible study. It is being held in the same place where the summer team showed the movie. Many, many people have told us they are coming. Please pray they actually do attend. Pray the believers are strengthened and pray for lost people to hear the gospel.

Thank you again for your prayers and support.

August 20, 2016 

Are you ready for this second sentence? It is very late, again! Today was our “free day” and we went to Otavalo and it was my first time on a Saturday. It is the traditional market but on SUPER steroids. It shuts down virtually every street and there are vendors covering the ENTIRE city. It was amazing. We had a lot of fun socializing and shopping.

We returned back to the apartment and split the group up again. One group went to La Esperanza and met with a family we had previously met in March. We are not certain this family is Christian yet, but they are definitely being drawn on by the Lord. I honestly can see them as being people of peace for La Esperanza.

The other group went out and followed-up with most of the people we have contacted this week. As they reported back this evening, their report was very positive and many of the people they met will be joining us tomorrow at church.

The first group left their La Esperanza meeting and went to a counseling session with a family for which we asked you to pray earlier in the week. It was a good meeting. They are being attacked by Satan and are in need of a lot of prayer, but some positive things were observed by our team. As a result, we feel comfortable calling tonight a success all around.

Tomorrow we have church and I have been asked to preach. So, please pray for me and our translator who will be working with me during the sermon. After church we have another full day of scheduled activities. Pray all goes well for the Lord’s glory.

Good night and again thank you for your partnership with us in prayer and in all of the many other ways in which you support us.

God bless.

Ecuador Mission Team (Update)

August 19, 2016 

Another great day, but aren’t all days great in Ecuador? We started the morning somewhat slowly. After morning devotional and breakfast our team split up (a common theme this week). Half went to take care of some personal items and on their journey met some new people and confirmed some upcoming meetings with others. The group came back very excited about their adventure.

The other group went on a specific mission to speak with an individual who is in need of much prayer. Satan is attacking this family and this group felt compelled to go and get some information. Our team hopes to meet with the family again before we leave and even to put them into contact with our new local pastor friend, if this family is willing.

We then made a run to Cayambe and I am sorry to write we did NOT make it to the very special ice cream shop. I have been in Ecuador three full days and have not made it to the MUST HAVE stop of every trip!!!! I hope all of you back in Florida understand the pain and torment I am presently facing. What makes this heart break worse is we had to leave Cayambe in order to get back to the apartment by a certain time for an appointment. The appointment got rescheduled. WE ACTUALLY HAD THE TIME TO EAT THE ICE CREAM!!!!

Now the reason we went to Cayambe was to meet with a family and encourage them. We also got to talk about ministry possibilities for the future and the role FBCBG may play in that future. It was productive and very enjoyable. The only thing that would have made this trip better would have been the ICE CREAM. I am not bitter at all :)

In the evening the team split up again. Half of the team was requested to lead a Bible study at one of the home group Bible studies from the new church about which we have been writing. The report came back that our team could truly feel the Holy Spirit’s presence and they are truly a Christ centered group of believers. They had a very enjoyable time and the home group asked when we could have another Bible study with them. We hope we can make this happen, but we are not certain. We have a lot still on our plate and even more to put on that plate.

The other group went to a dear friends house. This individual is a new believer, but one with whom we think they may be a person of peace. Please pray with us that this person becomes this kind of follower of Jesus. We learned that they were a part of a group that was having Bible studies a couple of times a month. Here is the cool part, none of those in this Bible study are church goers. They are just wanting to learn more about God. We encouraged our new believer friend to join us this Sunday for church and to start attending church regularly. Pray the Holy Spirit will convict this person’s heart to become a faithfully attending member of this local church with which we are starting to do more work.

We got in just a few minutes ago. We have our normal morning wake up time tomorrow and it is going to come quickly. Please pray for our strength and endurance. We did have one team member who got some motion sickness today and has not felt well this entire evening. We have a pretty long bus ride tomorrow, and therefore, ask for you to please pray for this person to do well on this trip and to remain healthy. This individual has been, as all of them are, a valuable member of this team and we need this person’s involvement. 1 Corinthians 12 speaks of our need for the entire body. Thank you for your prayers and support.

God bless and good night.

August 18, 2016

It is 11:00 and we got in about an hour ago. We finished debriefing and now you are getting an update.

This morning we had a meeting with a local pastor. We spent almost two hours taking him through a pastoral ordination grilling that was very enjoyable for me. I think the local pastor enjoyed himself as well. The main point of this update regarding this meeting is that any reservations I may have had were dispelled and I am now very confident in our potential partnership with this local ministry.

During lunch the team split up and one team went to met with some people who our Summer teams had met. In the meeting our team met a new individual and we have a follow-up meeting with this person on Sunday night. The interaction with this person was very positive and there are some indications the individual is a believer. We will learn more on Sunday.

In the afternoon our team again split up. Some were preparing for upcoming Bible studies and the others went and met with another person. This person was a “one on one” type of meeting with someone who needs a lot of encouragement at the moment. In fact, we had an opportunity to capitalize on our new local pastor as we called him and allowed these two individuals to schedule a time in which he might be able to provide better assistance and information than we could.

After that meeting the entire team regrouped and went to another Bible study with a husband and wife. He told us the Bible story of the prodigal son and then we had the chance to ask them the two diagnostic questions. After they gave work based answers or even doubting answers, we had the opportunity to share the gospel. By the end of the evening, we had two more siblings in the family of God.

Tomorrow is scheduled to be just as full of a day as today was. We are tired, but excited. Please pray for our meetings tomorrow and for us to have strength. May God be exalted in our work here in Tabacundo.

Ecuador Mission Team (Update)

August 17, 2016 

Today started our first full day of missions ministry. The morning started with a Bible study centered on prayer and was followed by us watching a video on prayer walking. We divided the team up into three teams and divided the city of Tabacundo up into three sections. Each team took a section and spent the next couple of hours prayer walking the city.

After lunch we started marking the calendar for the events we have already started scheduling for the remainder of our time here. As a result, our team split up into two groups this evening. One group went to a school and shared with the students. One of our members gave his testimony and it was his first time. He did great. I am very proud of this team and pleased with them.

The second group held a Bible study in our apartment. Most of the attendees of the apartment were second touches from teams from the June and July trips. It was a good time of encouragement and help. I am also pleased to say it was a growing and stretching time for our team as two of our first time ladies co-taught the Bible study and gave their testimony. I was very proud of them and pleased with their willingness to be instruments used by the Lord, as well.

August 16, 2016 

The update from the FBCBG Ecuador Mission trip is we have arrived safely. We have obviously very tired having left Bowling Green at 4 a.m. this morning. Please pray we have a fabulous week of taking disciples of Jesus deeper in their walk with Him. We love you and are grateful for FBCBG’s continual support and prayers as we spread the gospel here.

Ecuador Mission Team #3 Update (Day 6)

Day 6:

My apologies for getting this to you so late. Our power was out yesterday afternoon and all night.

Yesterday started out in the most amazing way! We had a baptism of a young lady that has been a believer here for a little while. One of the team members read the story of Jesus' baptism and another team member had the privilege of baptizing her. It was absolutely beautiful!

In the afternoon, we had a Bible study with a very new believer, who accepted Christ on the March trip. We were all amazed at the wisdom
that came from her in such a short time. You can see that God is moving in her. We again shared the story of Joseph. We did not know this but, she is facing a lot of struggles with her sons and jealousy between them. The perfect story to share! Again, The Lord guiding our steps. She even said that she knew these struggles were because she'd accepted Christ and Satan was not happy about that. See the wisdom I'm referring to?! We had a sweet time of prayer, discipleship, and encouragement. We showed her a way to present the gospel using a colored soccer ball, similar to the bracelets. We call it "football gospel." 🙂 Pray for her and that these boys will settle their differences.

As I mentioned earlier, the power was out, but that didn't end our study. We had 16 studying and praying in the dark! After the study, we walked with flashlights to a restaurant that was running off a generator. And it was BUSY!! There were 17 at dinner, and all of us were able to sit down to dinner and enjoy sweet fellowship together.

This morning, the musicians are playing and singing with a local church for their worship service, then we will begin to prepare for our movie night while saying many goodbyes.

Pray for the movie tonight. Pray that lost people will turn to Christ, that broken marriages will be healed, that the Spirit will speak through us to minister to them. Pray for comfort for the team, as goodbyes are always so hard! We love you all, we are praying that everyone had a blessed Sunday, and that no matter what language we are worshipping in that God will be so glorified for He is worthy! -Julia Roberts

Ecuador Mission Team #3 (Day 4 Update)

June 30, 2016 (Day 4)
Today was our busiest day yet. Every morning we look at our whiteboard with our schedule and appointments on it. This morning we realized just how quickly this week is passing! We are so grateful for the opportunities we have had to share with, encourage, teach, and disciple our friends here. This morning we started off in the market sharing the story of Joseph with a newer believer. There was a man beside her who asked to hear the story too. How often does that happen?! He listened intently, said he was ready to change his life, and even asked for a Bible before we could offer one. We talked about Joseph and how God would send another Prince, who would be sold for silver and condemned even though He was innocent, and He would forgive just like Joseph forgave his brothers, but on a much larger scale. The men in our group are going back to share in more detail. Be praying for him and for them as they share. After our morning appointments, we split teams and handed out fliers for the showing of the movie War Room on Sunday evening. Be praying for this event, as this movie is powerful and marriage struggles are a big problem here. Tonight we held a Bible study at a friend's place of business. The study was fantastic! We had 23 total in attendance. We again shared the story of Joseph, and every person on the team was able to share. Some people in attendance are facing health issues and marriage issues. We talked about how no matter the circumstances, Joseph continued to trust God and serve Him fully. We also sang in English and Spanish and had a wonderful time of study, fellowship, and prayer. We were able to "Korean style" pray for two ladies who are facing big struggles. It was so beautiful hearing prayers aloud in both languages! There is so much more to share, but this post is long enough and I may have lost some of you by now. God's glory can never be explained in just a few paragraphs. But, rest assured He is always good, and He is at work here!!!! Lift up with us our Bible study for tomorrow night. Many have been invited and we pray they come and hear the Word of God. I can't stress enough how important your prayers are to this work. - Julia Roberts

Ecuador Mission Team #3 Update - Day 3

June 29, 2016

Proverbs 16:9 "The mind of a man plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps." Today our team was very busy! We started the morning off with a plan to visit a new believer in the mall about baptism. She wasn't there. Failed appointment? No! Divine appointment. There was a young lady who we asked about the believer we were looking for. Well, ice breaker and gospel talk began. This woman has been sensing the spirit tugging on her heart, and today she made the decision to trust Christ. Soon after, her mother came in and she was able to share her good news with her mom, who is a believer. Praise the Lord! At the same time this meeting was happening, another team was speaking with a man two shops down and shared the gospel with him. He had some serious questions and the team answered those and gave scripture references for him to dig deeper. Pray that the Holy Spirit will discern these things for him. We have a Bible study scheduled for tomorrow night and we are very excited about it! Please join us in praying for that event. We are, as always, wow-ed by The Lord. We think we are going to do one thing and He points us in a new direction. -Julia Roberts

Met this lady in the Gran Aki and she told us that she works with Compassion int. and is a Christian, how cool is that!! 

FBCBG Ecuador Mission Team #3 - Update

Tuesday, June 28, 2016

"That's beautiful" my favorite quote of the day. These were the words we heard from a new believer as we shared testimonies and scripture. We explained that we don't have it all together, we are completely broken without the Lord and we strive everyday to learn more about Him and His Word. The young lady we were sharing with was concerned that she wasn't well versed enough in the Bible to be baptized. We shared scriptures on Jesus' baptism and the story of the Phillip and the Ethiopian Eunuch. She is being baptized Saturday! One team went and spoke with a local business owner about having a movie night at his place and we settled on Sunday night for the movie showing. There is a big festival and parade in town tonight and he is very busy every other night. That team was also able to line up the swimming pool for baptisms on Saturday morning. This was the team with a few musicians and they were also able to meet with a local missionary and plan some music events. The other team spoke with several new believers about following up in baptism. One has confirmed, the young lady from the previous paragraph, that she will be baptized and three others who are speaking with their families because they want them to attend. This team also met with a believer here and set up a Bible study in her home set for Friday evening. This team also made a trip into Cayambe to get supplies for movie night and while at the store, we met a woman who works with Compassion International. How cool is that? She will be at our Bible study on Thursday evening. Every night on our calendar is full! We are praising Him for opening doors as He is always faithful! Lift up with us: 1: Divine appointments tomorrow as we hand out invitations for movie night 2: The other 3 believers will be able to arrange with family to attend their baptisms 3: Continued strength for the team as we move forward. Thank you again for your prayers! 
- Julia Roberts

Ecuador Mission Team (FBCBG)

Week 1 of the Ecuador Mission Team from First Baptist Church of Bowling Green is on their way! They will be serving in Ecuador until January 2nd when another team will meet up with them and serve thru January 9th. Please keep these missionaries in your prayers. (Updates are available on Facebook) To hear of their testimonies from their trips, please plan on attending the worship service on January 17th at 6pm at FBC Bowling Green. 

2014 Summer Mission Team Update

FBCBG Ecuador Team Update-Thursday, the last day in Ecuador. Our hearts are full. Our hearts are sad. Today was such a wonderful day filled with amazing instances of God's grace and provision. It is also the day we have to say goodbye to Ecuador because we leave for the airport at 5 am tomorrow (Friday) morning. But we won't talk about that just yet, as it is too sad to contemplate. Chip began our day with a devotional about worry, which was quite appropriate, because with all we had planned on the last day, we were a little worried about getting it all in. We split the team from the very beginning because of all our plans. Bruce, Chip and Alexsupernova went to visit with Joe and Johanna, Emilio and his family, Leonardo, and our new contact, Tiana, from the video store. They had lunch at Augustin's in order to confirm our ride to the airport in huge morning, and because Bruce really wanted a steak (just kidding). After lunch, they headed to Cayambe to pick up the sound equipment and Paola for the event we had planned at Malchinguí. Now back to the ladies. Jane , Janice and Kristy packed up, cleaned (well, actually Janice cleaned while Jane and Kristy tried to find some last minute items to prepare the apartment for the August mission team). At 1 pm, all three ladies headed to Daysi's store for a last visit with her. She had two customer friends with her and they both wanted to hear more about the peace they saw in Daysi's life (very cool). Then they headed over to take Veronica to lunch. She also had a friend who had lots of questions. Kristy definitely got a workout with her Spanish. Afterward the entire team headed to Malchinguí, where we showed the movie 'Bandera Blanca', cooked and served popcorn, Coke and coffee. 27 people attended the event and 6 made decisions for Christ. AMEN!!! Pray these were true heart decisions. Please pray also because we will not be able to follow up with these people. Our flight for Florida leaves from Quito at 8:30 tomorrow morning and we should be back in Bowling Green by around 7 pm. Thank you for sharing this experience through your prayers. Maybe next time God will ask you to join us !!!!!

FBCBG Ecuador Team Update-Friday-We have arrived safely and uneventfully at Tampa Intl Airport. Hope you can come to our share time at FBCBG on July 6th at 6 pm.

A few words from those that the FBCBG Mission Team has touched.... 

"Just getting back home from saying bye to our amazing friends from Florida. This has been a really blessed week with y'all. I will miss y'all and I hope to see y'all soon. Have a nice fly ; ) love y'all"

"So sad tonight to say goodbye to our friends from FBCBG of Florida! We are always so blessed to spend time with you guys. You are all such an inspiration. I have never seen a group give more time, love, or effort than you all! Thank you for being the beautiful feet of Jesus in Ecuador and for letting us share some of your love while you guys are here.  we love you all so much and can't wait to see you again!!!"

"World Cup" action in Tabacundo!!
Last December, God introduced the team to Oscar (#2) and his family. Our friendship with him has been growing with each trip. This trip he invited us to watch a local futbol game made up of taxi and truck-taxi drivers 35 years and up. Although his team, 23 de Septiembre, was beaten badly, he scored the first, and only goal for his team, and his wife, Lorena, said that during the first period they played better because we were there!!

 

Christian movie night at the colosseum in Malchingui. Through an invitation as a result of our December trip, 8 people responded to the Gospel!! Additionally, we have met a guy saved out of a life of alcohol and gang violence. Jose Luis loves Jesus and will be a great help to our efforts in the future!!

2014 Summer Mission Team Updates

Today is the last day to order your Send One Shirt which will help send one short term missionary to the Dominican Republic this summer. 

The team attended our friend Oscar's soccer game tonight (bottom row third from left) He is a taxi cab driver in Tabacundo and invited us to his game.He was very excited that we came!!

FBCBG Ecuador Team update-Tuesday We began our day in James 1, with a reminder that all trials will ultimately make us mature in our faith through patience. AMEN! We split our team with Chip, Jane, Bruce and Alex heading toward Emilio's. They also planned to do surveys on their way. I wish I could give their experience the excitement they shared when they got back. Let me just say Chip took the lead, with Jane and Bruce and Alex just trying to keep up! He made a great contact with a mother and her daughter, one which should lead to future visits. They also followed up with old friends. Janice andKristy felt led to spend some time with Daysi. On their way they had a few detours to see Maria and make new friends. Their time with Daysi was truly sweet. She had a friend who had noticed the peace in Daysi's life and wanted to know more. Tania is her name. We gave her a Bible, at her request, and she is truly searching. Please pray for her. Something special also occurred. Daysi asked if she could pray for us and it was so very sweet. Both groups had more encounters with new and old friends. We met for lunch, then split up in different groups, with some of us going to Cayambe and others sharing around Tabacundo. There are so many stories I have not time to share. We finished out the day with an indoor soccer game. Oscar, one of our taxi driver contacts, is on a local team and invited us to his game. What fun!!! Tomorrow we will be visiting a flower plantation and then, if the weather permits, will be heading up to Lake Mojanda where we will be singing and having a time of devotions and testimonies. Pray as we share the gospel at the lake.

FBCBG Ecuador Team Update: Wednesday. WOW!!! what an awesome and fun and worshipful and all around SUPER day. The morning dawned bright and early. We left the apartment at 8am and loaded up on a bus that Paolahad acquired for the day and headed to a rose plantation called Monterosas. For those of you who are NOT aware, Ecuador is the top exporter of roses in the world. We got to walk through and see every aspect of the growth, cutting, sorting, and packaging of those beautiful creations of our wonderful Father. After that we headed to Lake Mojanda. Kristy said that reminded her of her home in Spain. Check out Jane Long or Chip Walker Facebook pages for pictures. Before you start to wonder what roses and lakes have to do with missions, let me tell you we did not go to these places alone. Paola had invited her mom and brother, her teacher from when she was in high school, a work colleague and a friend to join us. We (the team) had invited several of our contacts in Tabacundo, and four of them were able to join us on the trip. On the way up the mountain to the lakes, we sang songs. Paola's friend played the guitar and we sang in English and Spanish, depending on which language one preferred. Once at the lake, we ate lunch, took pictures, and then we had a time of testimonies and a devotional and shared the gospel. Chip did an awesome job sharing his testimony. Jane shared her devotional about the apostle Paul as he wrote II Timothy. In the middle of Jane's devotional, the bottom dropped out of the sky and we ran to the bus where we simply picked up where we had left off. Then Janice shared the gospel. Most of those who came with us are not believers, so we felt very blessed to have this time to help them understand the reason we come to Ecuador. It's not the beauty of the landscape (although that is an awesome plus) and we don't come to vacation (as did the guy we gave a ride to on the way up to the lake and the two gals we gave a ride to on the way down). We come to Ecuador because God loves each and every one of them and wants to have a personal relationship with them! After we left the lake, we went back to Tabacundo, and watched the Ecuador/France World Cup game with Celezh and her family at their chicken restaurant. Then we split up the team again. Jane and Kristy went with Paola to Cayambe to finalize some shopping for our movie night tomorrow, and the others stayed in Tabacundo, some visiting and some preparing for tomorrow. Speaking of tomorrow, our main event of the day will be in the evening in Malchinguí, and came as the result of the last movie night we had here in Tabacundo. We will be showing the film "Bandera Blanca", which is a very evangelistic short film. We will be serving popcorn and coke and coffee and Paola will be sharing her testimony. Prayers are greatly appreciated for Paola and the team, as we will also be needing to pack in preparation for leaving Friday morning (WAH!!!!).

Our bus ride up to Mojanda Lake.

L