Two Weeks in Quito Ecuador
This was the test trip for my boss to see if I could work from Quito. During the planning of this trip, I knew that hotel wifi was not going to work. Enrique suggested AirBnB as an alternative. I came up with a list of places to rent that had at least 20m up and down. We finally selected this one:
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/21552586
This is a tough life visiting Ecuador! The TV was moved to the kitchen counter as my second monitor and that is where I worked Monday thru Saturday. I was able to successfully work a 50 hour week with no impact on performance. I performed better with all the Columbian/Ecuadorian coffee and fruit juices. After the trip, my boss said it was a success and to let him know our future plans for Ecuador.
Some scriptures that we believe support our purpose to work in Ecuador are:
Rom_1:11 For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you—
Act 15:41 And he went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.
We clearly see how our trips are strengthening the churches we visit. On this trip, we decided to see what impact we could have if we focused on just one church the whole trip. The church "Rey de Reyes" wanted to be that focus church. So we preached in four Sunday services, two Monday night Holy Spirit activation meetings, a men's service, a women's service, a young adult service and a couples service. Each meeting was two to three hours long. The people of Rey de Reyes were gracious to have so many meetings together during this one trip.
The focus of the sermons was on having a personal relationship with the Holy Spirit and Holy Spririt led evangelizing. I wish I could have gotten video of the women's conference with Deborah speaking. But Pastor Fausto wanted the men to go for coffee at McDonalds. This was a three section McDonalds with food on one section, a coffee bar (like a full Starbucks) and finally a dessert bar in the mall. After the service, all the women said Deborah did great. Alba also did a great job as a translator, even though this was her first time translating in public speaking. ` After each meeting, the pastors and leadership team leaders would take us out to eat, no matter how late at night. We now know where the locals go for food. During this time, they would ask us many questions. They were serious about maturing their church. After a few days I was concerned if my voice would survive! We had a great time being with our friends and meeting new ones. Not speaking Spanish continues to be a barrier, but we are working on it. We thank God for the impact of the Holy Spirit in people's lives. We look forward to returning to Ecuador.
We would like prayer for our Spanish, continued favor at my work, and building relationally with more Ecuadorians.