August 2017 Prayer Letter
Greetings from an unusually cool southern Ohio!
You may wonder why this letter is coming from Ohio and not Ecuador. This is Dave and Cindy’s daughter Lori. I usually do the behind-the-scene work of proofreading and sending out of my parent’s prayer letter, but this month I have the privilege of writing one!
As I sat in church Sunday night while the pastor spoke on idols, I pondered the words of Christ: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.” (Luke14:26) When asked to name present-day idols, we often rattle off things like football, soccer, cars, tv, games, food; but do we ever consider that our own family can be our idol? We all know there is a cost to following Christ, but are we willing to give up our own family for the cause of Christ? Are we allowing our love for family to take precedence over our love for God and His calling? One of the hardest things missionary families face is the pain of being separated from loved ones. You may say, “you all have been missionaries your whole life, you are used to it by now.” It never gets any easier; knowing that strangers have spent more Christmases with your family than you have; missing birthdays; seeing each other 2 to 4 weeks over a period of four years. It seems terrible, but if you ask any one of us, we would not change it for the world, because we know the sacrifice is worth it for the cause of Christ! This furlough my dad spoke to you about the importance of challenging the younger generations to consider full-time ministry. The number of missionaries coming off the field is far above those willing to go. Are you letting the idea of leaving behind loved ones and the familiar keep you from answering God’s call to serve Him?
Dad and mom hit Ecuadorian soil running on July 18th. They quickly went on the hunt for a house, but still have not been able to find one. They were praying to find one before an 18-member team from Jeremiah 38 arrived, but as I sit here writing this letter, the team should be arriving. Not having a house will certainly make having a work team more complicated, but we know God’s timing is perfect. We know He will bless the trip and provide a house when the time is right. Continue to pray the Lord will provide housing, and especially pray for the team and the ministries that will be done this week. The team will be split into two groups. One will be staying in Riobamba, the other will be going to Alausi. Both teams will be doing a VBS. Pray that God will work in the lives of the children, and that it will result in new contacts.
Since our last prayer letter, Dad and Mom were able to be a part of the Jeremiah 38 missions trip to Peru. The trip was a medical missions trip to Iquitos, Peru, a city located on the Amazon river, and surrounded by jungle. Both dad and mom helped to translate, and they also had the opportunity to be counselors. After the people of Iquitos would come in to have their physical needs cared for, they would be directed to counselors who would tend to their spiritual needs. The Lord blessed and they were able to lead many people to the Lord.
The rest of us left here in Ohio are getting settled into a new routine. We praise the Lord that He provided a beautiful home for us to buy. We were able to get moved in while mom and dad were on the mission’s trip to Peru. There is still work to be done, but God has provided above and beyond what we ever expected.
Continue to pray that the Lord will provide a job for Nathan. He has worked hard at putting in applications, but nothing has come of them yet. We celebrated his 20th birthday the 12th of July. Hannah will be going back to school this month. She is excited to be teaching only one grade this year: second grade. She will have Caleb in her class. Both Caleb and Lauren will be attending Christian Life Academy. It will be a new experience for them as Melissa has homeschooled them the past two years. Tim started as a teller at Ohio Valley Bank this summer. He has been working out of the Oak Hill office, only a few miles from home. Melissa works hard from home, and will spend the day with Noah once the other two head off to school. Daniel is working for a friend from our home church. He has a heart for the ministry, his desire is to start a Spanish ministry. He has made a few contacts with some Latino families in the area. Pray that the Lord would open doors for him to grow these relationships. We had the surprise party for dad when they returned from their trip to Peru.
Thank you so much for all of the cards! It was such a blessing to watch him open and read each of them. We did not quite reach 60, but we got over half way there! It is such a blessing knowing that so many people all over the United States love and support my parents, and keep them faithfully lifted up before the Throne. Continue to pray for the ministry. Pray for God to open doors in Chambo. Pray that the Lord would continue to work in the lives of those who may feel the Lord calling them to the field. The fields are in desperate need of laborers willing to harvest.
Together in the King's Service,
Lori for Dave and Cindy
