Back at El Refugio

We made it back to El Refugio last night at 7:30 pm after a great trip of work and ministry in the high jungles of Ecuador.

This is a little recap of our time there.

On Tuesday we split in 3 teams and worked on different projects to help in the missionary work in the local area.  The jungle did not disappoint us in regards to rain.  We had some major rain storms, and did take a couple breaks from the worst of it, but for the most part we just got wet and kept working.

On Wednesday we went to the nearby town of Rio Negro and had a wonderful time of ministry with the local elementary school.  There are no Evangelical churches in this town.  The young people shared some about their lives, did a drama on the topic of God creating the earth and everything in it and played games. The children and teachers enjoyed the time very much.
We spent the afternoon in the town's park and gymnasium playing with the kids.
At 5:00pm we returned to where we were staying and did an hour jungle hike.  I enjoyed this very much of course, and everyone returned muddy, wet and with a great experience.

Thursday morning was a very special time.  We went to a beautiful spot on a jungle river where 14 of the students on the trip were baptized.  It was wonderful to hear their testimonies.  A number of them referred to their last years trip to El Refugio as a time that God used greatly in developing their faith in Him.

Then for me, the highlight, was when Juan Carlos (our program director) and I had the privilege of baptizing Esteban Santos.  He is a young man from the nearby town of Cala Cali.  He became a Christian when he was young, but attested to the fact that teams that came through El Refugio from the US and ministered in his church to him as a child and the relationship he has with our camp, is a big part of what has strengthened his faith and encouraged him to turn away from the temptations of this world and serve Christ.

  Thank you for your prayers.  Please continue to pray for us as we will be working hard on projects all day at El Refugio.