Wednesday, November 30, 2011

November In Ecuador!

What a great month we had!  God continues to give us great opportunities to get to know the Ecuadorians, the country and the ministries here!  At the beginning of the month we participated in a Couples'/Family Retreat with our association of churches in Valle Hermoso...

We had a great time getting to know everybody and studying the Bible together, but we especially enjoyed our extended time with the only other couple from our church who attended...Dilita (with me here sporting the seeds from the guava we just ate!)...
and Vicente (one of our deacons) - here with the fish we ate at Dilita's mom's house on our way back to Cayambe!

Then we joined Crossworlders Dan and Diana McKeen - who are involved in ministries in Borja - in a visit to the home and ministries of Crossworld's Linda Arens and Martha Craymer in Chillanes...


Dan taught the pastors and leaders from the area's Quichua churches and Glenn led the devotional time each day.  The men, and women, were hungry to learn and have already requested another conference!


Martha, Linda, Diana and I visited the final day of the conference and were able to enjoy one of the delicious meals that the Quichua women prepared each day for the men!

We had a great day with our neighbors one Sunday...our 1:30p lunch date turned into an adventure to the forest & to see the Cariacu waterfall near Ayora...I'm hoping we'll have pics to share with you soon!


Finally, we celebrated Thanksgiving with our Primero de Mayo church planting team a week before Thanksgiving (again - I'm hoping to have a pic of that for you soon!)  and again with the ten in-country Crossworlders on Thanksgiving Day.  We had a traditional Thanksgiving meal in our house, beginning with a craft focused on giving thanks to God for our many blessings here in Ecuador...
Here are the 10 us - blurry, but content with all that God is doing here in Ecuador and for the privilege of serving Him here!


The day after Thanksgiving we celebrated CHRISTMAS together at the Meyer home!  We all joined in on a great Christmas gift scavenger hunt and then in making Shish Kabobs - a new, but wonderful Christmas meal!  We ate many of the leftovers from the day before, plus an assortment of amazing sweets...
 and we celebrated the birth of our Savior - God's gift of love to us - by singing Happy Birthday to Him!

Grandma and Grandpa Regier made sure Daniel and Luke had a piƱata, and we played ALOT of Mexican Train dominoes - what a great time as a Crossworld family!  Thanks for your ongoing prayers and support!

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

October 2011 with the Primero de Mayo Church


We started out the month with a teen girls' "pijamada" to introduce the new Bible Study groups          
and to just enjoy being together - eating spaghetti!





The highlight of the month was the church's baptism service...let's head there together...

Glenn preached on baptism...

Eleven people were baptized!

Here's our new church treasurer being baptized by Pablo and Glenn!
Of course we had great food...
and TONS of fun!  Soccer...
Ecuavoli (Glenn has been learning by watching since we moved here and finally got to play!)
and tossing people in the pool - "involuntary baptisms" !  We had a great day!
We were honored to host the celebration of Carlito's birthday!
We had a sports day...futbol first but THEN "American Futbol!" was requested!  The teens learned quickly and played well!

Gissela led a teacher training in her home...
the same Saturday that the men had a "minga" to get Diana's family set up in their new Primero de Mayo home!
We had our first Guagua de Pan...store bought..
Glenn had fun decorating it!
God blessed us with a vehicle - Vicente was SO helpful in the process!
Susie is enjoying her Bible Studies with the teen girls (and with the women!)
We ended the month by celebrating Pastor Appreciation Day.  Pablo and David and their wives, Lourdes and Brenda, were honored and personally thanked for their labor of love!  God has blessed us as a church!                                   




        


Wednesday, September 28, 2011

A bit of our life in Cayambe and how God is at work!

 God is at work in Ecuador, in Primero de Mayo, in Cayambe, in us!  Here's a bit of our life and our testimony of God's work:
Flowers from a new friend - new neighbors.  God is giving us great opportunities to meet and befriend neighbors and store-keepers in Cayambe!
Hospitality - God is using our home for His service!  Eleven guys from the Primero de Mayo Youth Group spent the night in our living room and weekly 7 women meet here for Bible Study and training as Bible Study leaders!
We had great meetings with our Crossworld President and his wife, with our International Director (who spent two nights with us!) and with most of the Crossworld-Ecuador team!
Our new beds arrived too late for our International Director to enjoy, but we love them!
We're also pleased that God is building a friendship between Glenn and the man who made our new furniture!
CHANGE OF PACE...let's go on a walk!  Because we have yet to purchase a vehicle, we walk alot!  Here is what we see on our approx 1 mile walk back from the city of Cayambe...school-children, farm animals and the "cobblestoned" streets!
These sheep graze on the hill between a local school and a soccer field.
Our buddy - who paused from eating long enough to grunt at us!
There are so many beautiful old homes in Cayambe and on our walk home!
We're getting closer to home now - that's our apartment building up ahead on the left- but we keep our eyes on the grass so to avoid stepping in cow pies!
Right before we open the gate to our apartment building, we visit our newest neighbors - 3 lambs have been added to the fold!  They remind us of God's work in the Primero de Mayo church - where 3 new believers have just been added to God's Kingdom!  Praise God with us and please pray for Diana, Werner and Laura!
Home sweet home!  After our walk back from Cayambe, we climb up to the top floor and are happy to be home!  Thanks for walking this journey with us - especially as we seek to bring God's love to life here in Cayambe, Ecuador!

Monday, August 1, 2011

One Month In Ecuador!


It´s been a busy but great month here in Ecuador...here are some fotos of what we´ve been up to!  If you´d like to get our e-newsletter and prayer updates for more info and other pictures, please email Glenn at:    glenn.wittmann@gmail.com

We had a special welcome at the Primero de Mayo church on July 3, after a warm welcome the night before at the Quito airport!  We were surrounded by the church leaders, prayed for and given a basket of Cayambe goodies...what a wonderful start to our time here!
 After just one full day with a great team who was here doing a Kids Camp, we had a week with an amazing team from the McLean, Virginia area!  It was an honor to work alongside them as they attended to the medical, physical and spiritual needs of the Santa Monica community!  Glenn and David Meyer made good contacts with believers in the community and plans are in process to begin an ongoing ministry there in Santa Monica with the Primero de Mayo team!
Glenn takes a break from meeting with the adults to read the Bible to some children outside!
 Gissela (our co-worker in Primero de Mayo) teaches the children while they wait to see the doctor!
 The team's children's program director in action - what a joy to work with her all week!
Our 2nd weekend here a fantastic team arrived from Indiana and we joined them in fixing up the Primero de Mayo Community Center, where the church has been meeting, and in pouring into the youth of the church via an English/Sports/Bible Camp!  What a joy it was to get to know this team, to minister alongside of them and to get to know the youth and members of the Primero de Mayo church!
The Community Center BEFORE...
and AFTER...the new-improved Community Center!
The Townsend Team and Primero de Mayo teens - being silly!  

Susie with one of the teens - her family started attending church the week after we arrived!

Glenn pitching in the end of camp baseball game!       
Susie with Dilita and with Vicente and daughter at the team/church bonfire!

sightseeing with the team as a part of our orientation!
We went with the team to a traditional festival "Las Octavas" that lasts 8 weeks!



 This past weekend was super special!  After spending a wonderful month living with our co-workers, David, Brenda, Daniel and Luke Meyer, God blessed us with an apartment to live in!  We moved in on Saturday night and then Glenn preached at church on Sunday!  Here are some 1st fotos...we have much to do yet to make this ¨home¨ but we´re thankful for a place to live and to welcome our first out-of-country visitor - our daughter Rachel!  She arrives on August 5th!

Estefany (the pastor's daughter) helps Glenn in his sermon illustration!
Moving in...up 3 flights of stairs...
Our living room...currently being used as a dining room with borrowed furniture!
Our kitchen - with just-purchased stove and refrigerator!
Our office area - looking out through the living room to our small balcony!
The view from our bedroom!  Mt. Cayambe/ "El Nevado".