Family and a CFC Workteam of Friends in August!

After 3 weeks in Florida helping Glenn's parents pack and move, Susie took a break and flew to PA with a free ticket given after a cancelled flight in May!

Per the Schille family custom, Susie and Jeff celebrated their birthdays together!

Josh came to visit and Susie's sister Gail housed us and spoiled us with her cooking!

Susie got to spend a lot of time with Rachel too, and she prepared a Dominican Dinner at her house for us!

On Susie's birth DAY, she Rachel and Josh spent the day together - here at one of their favorite spots - Struble Trail!

Susie also had the joy of meeting newborn Heidi Sadio - the VERY LOVED and adorable daughter of Philippe and Laurie!

Then it was time to head back to Florida to help Glenn's parents settle in and get some needed support services.  Susie joined Glenn's mom and sister and a dear friend from church at the tea room one morning to relax!

Then it was back to Ecuador for Glenn and Susie!  We arrived on Aug 21 and received a WONDERFUL 5 person team of our good friends from Calvary Fellowship Church on Aug 25!  We saw SO many rainbows together, as here, at the equator!

The team worked hard at putting up bathroom tiles and installing electricity in the new Primero de Mayo church building...

and we were all rewarded by incredible and HUGE lunches every day at Dilita's home - prepared by our wonderful church ladies and teen girls!

We even celebrated Paul's birthday during the week and he was introduced to the Ecuadorian tradition of being encouraged to bite the cake...and then having his face smashed into it!  FUN!

The construction work was not easy and we were CONSTANTLY buffeted by the STRONG August winds...

but with the help of the Ecuadorians, the work advanced and the church is SO grateful to the team for their help!!!

Midweek we took a break and visited the beautiful, but cold,  Mount Mojanda...

and had lunch on Saint Paul Lake and took this HIGHLY desired team photo with a llama!

But the team didn't only do construction, they helped Glenn and Susie build relationships and meet needs in Cayambe by teaching ENGLISH Monday thru Friday night!

We offered a Basic class, where Glenn translated and helped teach...

and an Intermediate class, where Susie translated.

Forty-nine students passed through our week of classes and we gave each faithful attender a certificate and prizes...in both the Basic...

and the Intermediate classes!  It was great to work as a team working towards the eventual beginning of a church in Cayambe!

But the ministry continued for the CFC team!  On Saturday the team men joined the Primero de Mayo church men on a fishing trip where testimonies where shared by both Ecuadorians and Americans!  The women also had a time of encouragement and sharing back at the Primero de Mayo Community Center!

Glenn preached at the Primero de Mayo Church for the team's last Sunday...

and Marlon, one of our teens, was sent-off with prayer to begin his year of Bible Study and discipleship at the Quito Word of Life Training Center!  What a joy to send our SECOND teen to Word of Life!

Sunday afternoon we took a FUN trip with the team to see the Pyramids of Cochasqui - tho we only saw them from afar!

This team of 5 - Sheldon, Marcie, Paul, Chuck and Cathi - was small, but they left a BIG mark on the hearts of the Ecuadorians...and on our hearts!  Thank you CFC and friends for sending this team!  We are forever grateful and look forward to more teams in the future!

July graduations and an outreach!

July is graduation time in Cayambe, Ecuador!  We had 5 High School graduates from our youth group!  Glenn and I were able to attend 3 of the ceremonies - celebrating with 4 of the graduates and their families!

First we saw Jonathan graduate from Nelson Torres with the other day students...


Then we celebrated with Vicky, her boyfriend, Edison, and her family as she graduated from Cayambe's Technical School.  Edison's sister, Estefany, graduated at the same time and same day, so we couldn't get to her ceremony, but we're proud of her all the same!  Our coworker, David, was able to be there for her and her family thankfully!

One thing we loved about the graduations was the way families were honored and involved in the ceremonies.  Here, Vicky's parents put on her graduation cape and have a minute together before she receives her diploma.

 We also enjoyed attending 2 of the ceremonies with Gissela, the Ecuadorian missionary we work with.  She has SUCH a special relationship with the teens!

Then we attended Salvador's and Fabiola's graduation from Nelson Torres' Night School.  Here, Salvador and his family pose for the special occasion!  They are a very special and active family in our church.



Fabiola and her mom, Cecilia, pose with us after the ceremony!  They are both very special to us and Susie had the joy of being in a Bible study with them in Primero de Mayo. 

Our church was invited to the community of Cangauhuapungo for their family day in early July...



Our pastor, Pablo, here as the head clown, and Gissela, worked with our teens to present an interactive evangelistic outreach...they did SUCH a great job!

As is typical in Ecuador, the community responded to our program by giving back!  They not only fed us an AMAZING meal, but the men came and danced a traditional dance for us!

Gissela, Pablo and the teens ran games for the children and for the adults...

We presented a skit and puppet show, with help here from Glenn, Orlando and others from our church...

It was a special day watching our teens and our Word of Life Student, Alex, do the ministry with very little help from the adults!

It was a VERY special day for Vicente, one of our church deacons, here next to his daughter in pink.  He grew up in this community and has been longing to begin a church here.  The community responded very well to us and we trust we have an open door to return for more programs and possibly to begin a Bible study!

Our month ended with us in Florida, helping Glenn's parents with the HUGE transition of downsizing, selling their old home, and buying and moving into a new home.  God worked out the timing perfectly for us to help out at this VERY crucial time in their lives!

Glenn's parents say goodbye to their home of 21 years...

and with their dog, say hello to their new home, which is closer to Glenn's sister's home and in the same neighborhood of good friends of theirs! 

Thank you SO much for your prayers for us!

Cayambe in June - Fiesta Time!

June is THE month of fiestas in Cayambe.  They're called the San Pedro Fiestas del Sol en la Mitad del Mundo (Saint Peter Sun Celebrations in the Middle of the World).  But before you join us in the celebrations, meet our newest neighbor ...what a joy to look out the window each day and see him!

And meet Allie and Santiago...Allie is from Philadelphia Biblical University (now Cairn U).  She is here for two months living in Cali Cali, Ecuador, where Santiago is from.  We have gotten together with them three times, helping Allie to experience life and ministry here, helping her to see if and how God is calling her to overseas ministry.  We're actually going to see them again today!

Okay, on to the fiestas!  They started with a "Pregon" - the opening parade...

The Diabluma - a main character/the representation of evil

A mom and daughter in typical dress dancing together

A Race of Wooden "Coches" was on the fiestas schedule...and I got excited thinking there would be carriages - one of the definitions of "coche" - but it was more like a go-cart race!  It was fun though, because I watched it while talking with Dayana, and then her boyfriend Victor, and Glenn joined us after their Bible Study.

We decided to move away from the race to a quiet ice cream shop to talk....but an UNscheduled parade came by the shop!  Glenn, Victor, Dayana and I still had a great long talk despite the noise!

 Then there was the Rose Parade...one of the most popular parades.  We went with our neighbors Luis, Ale and Vero, and Alejandra, her kids and the family of her husband, Santiago...

The recently elected Queen of Cayambe throws a rose to child who asks for one

A local school for Special Needs children participated in the parade including a girl from our church who danced!

Every day life here was well represented in the parade...

by the roses that Cayambe is famous for!

But the highlight of the parade for us was seeing our good friend, Edwin, and his son, Esteban...

and our good friend and neighbor, Santiago!  What fun to know people IN the parade!

We didn't fully understand the importance of this bull in the Rose Parade until later in the week!

After the Rose Parade, we all headed to the 2nd National Open-Air Galloping Competition!

We had a great time just being together...

and watching the horses together in a beautiful area of Cayambe that we'd never seen!

 Finally, we made it to the "Popular Bullfighting" event - the first of more than five scheduled events focused on bulls!  We found out that "popular" means 'not professional'...anyone and everyone enters the ring!

One of the bulls...waiting to enter the ring...

Some of the many people who entered the ring at their own risk...

and some of the many people, like us, who stayed behind the wooden walls that were built that day!

Living here in Cayambe is exciting, full of culture and full of opportunities to share God's love, truth and hope!  Thanks for praying for us and supporting us!