Yoder’s Restaurant

Today I might be going to Yoder’s so check back to see the report.

The Yoder’s segment is at 5:30 on the video time line. Check back this evening to see if we made it to Yoder’s and did some consuming!

It was really good!

Half A Minute At My Home Town

How To Eat Leftover Christmas Dinner

Little White Lilly

The new year is coming! They come and go because we come and go. Remember often you have as yet to pass from death unto life and you will love much better!

More delightful poems here.

Santa Day

It’s almost over praise the Lord and the planets other invisible friend Jesus will not have to share the spotlight for the rest of the year!

Little Jungle Birds

 

CEMIM Bible Seminary in Ecuador

Exciting is when you can see the ministry all coming together in a way that only God could have orchestrated!  Everything is starting to click!  We started zeroing in on the CEMIM Bible seminary about a 1 ½ years ago and really just pouring everything into the lives and communities of the seminary students.

A really cool, functioning cycle has developed:

1. Students come to seminary.
2. They become spiritual leaders.
3. They learn trade skills.
4. They practice and become community leaders.
5. Their communities benefit.
6. Missions teams further train students and assist in their villages.
7. Other villages see, want, ask and decide to send students.
8. Seminary participation and influence grows.
9. More communities are involved and served.

A past dilemma has always been that communities ask for pastors, teams and missionaries, but there just aren’t enough to go around. By responding to these requests with a firm “send someone from your village to seminary” approach, the petition is genuinely dealt with.  (We have discovered that even if students aren’t Christians they soon will be!)  Faithful students get helpful teams for their communities, so this encourages participation and rewards faithfulness.  Our students are today’s community leaders.  IT’S SO COOL – I just wish I could explain it as clearly as GOD is making it happen!  God directed this new approach and He is richly blessing it.

By Don and Mary Wolfram, Field Coordinators in Ecuador

Be Less to Be Blessed

Having recently returned from the jungle my mind has been grinding away sifting and sorting all the vivid experiences my senses have witnessed. In the simplest terms the lesson I am left with began developing in my thoughts a few days ago as I contemplated the word in the English language we know as “Bless” or “Blessed”. The word in Hebrew is bârak which means to kneel.

Traditionally in the Christian community here in America, I hear the word blessed used most often in relationship to an increase in prosperity and possessions. As I contemplated the word bless I realized that in my experience it is what I have been able to do without as a direct result of finding my value and provision in Jesus to be the true blessing in this life.

B-lessed Having the cares and necessities of this life and the effect of the curse of sin lessened, now that is a blessing. In fact, knowing that as a child of God there is no need for me to fight for greatness and rise in popularity brings peace and contentment. My only challenge is to step aside, lifting up Jesus, allowing Him to draw all those around into eternal relationship.

John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven. Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him. He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease. He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all.
(Joh 3:27-31)

In the scripture above the statement “A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven” is quite bold. I am aware that much of what I have is in fact nothing of value in the heavenly economy. This fact leaves me to ponder those eternal and true blessing I have received from heaven. We cannot know blessing if we are not seeking to B-lessed. Only God can transform us into individuals who actively seek to be less. It is in direct opposition to our sinful nature that demands we become the gods of our own little universe. In a season when the hero of the day is a jolly man who give everyone the things they desire if they have behaved in ways that please him we can be encouraged. The true hero is the one who gives us everything we do not deserve because he has taken the wages of our sin and replaced them with His Grace. He is the one who provided us with eternal gifts that are impervious to moths, rust, thieves and even fire. He does not force us to value what He has to offer. We are free to chase after all the stuff in the world. It is one or the other .

But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
(Mat 6:20-34)

To Ankuash and back DAY 10

Ok let’s wrap this up. On this day we got up early and flew home with no problems! The video below will give you a quick recap of our travels by Don Wolfram just as we witnessed it ourselves.

Here is our trip from Ankuash village back to Quito.

Here is Don Wolframs Testimony as told while winding our way through the Andes

 

 

Ecuador trip brief as recorded by Don Wolfram our missionary guide in Ecuador.

Day 10: Sunday 06^th- Head out to the airport about 5:30 a.m. Farewells and board plane at the Quito Mariscal Sucre airport.

To Ankuash and back DAY 9

Dr. Wally Swanson and his son Tod Swanson

These were the blessed beds we slumbered in after 5 days in the jungle!

 

We had a shower, toilet and sink!

We had another delicious meal prepared by Tod’s wife! French toast!

Tod also educated us about local beliefs reflected in their art work.

Dr. Wally and his wife Helen were at breakfast to.

The morning revealed just how beautiful the Napo river is!

The camera gang.

This day was packed with sights and as we snaked our way back towards Quito we saw the mountains in all their glory! Our first stop was a little tourist town about an hour away from our Napo paradise.

After playing tourist for an hour we were off through the most spectacular mountain scenery of the trip.

We then stopped for a Trout lunch at 12,500 ft.

Absolutely a delight to my taste buds !

Then after a few more hours it was shopping at the market on the equator.

We then ended up back at the guest house in Quito and in the same beds we stayed in the first night but only after a pasta dinner at a place called spaghettis. Man I am exhausted and exhilarated all at the same time.

 

 Ecuador trip brief as recorded by Don Wolfram our missionary guide in Ecuador.

Day 9: Saturday 05^th- Head out, but first have devotions with Tod and his family. We then head down the road, crossing the Napo river at Misahualli to see the monkeys and look around this interesting town. Then up to Puerto Napo, going thru Tena (stopping for ice cream of course! Coconut & Rum raisin), through Archidonat, up into the mountains gaining a lot of altitude in a short time.

During this time Don shares about their calling to Ecuador, the retreat center, the vision and sponsorship of sessions for the CEMIM Bible seminary, selecting a mission agency and some of the various confirmations that God gave them in their ministry.

We proceed through Cosanga, Baeza (where we pee and get snacks), along the Quijos River and through Papallacta. We cross the continental divide at about 14,000 ft briefly stopping to collect some and then head down towards Quito. We stop for trout and local mountain food including mioco, avas and choclo.

We bee-line it for the “Mitad del Mundo” (middle of the world i.e. Equator) - shop, and go through ethnic nations museum, learn about the different tribes and types of people in Ecuador and about the geography, provinces, politics and influences on culture. Then back to Angelica’s Guesthouse and a nice wrap-up meal at “Spaghettis” restaurant. Wrap-up meeting. All agree that God orchestrated the week and put the group together! God is Good!

New People: Met Mary and Jenna Wolfram (14).

Places: Napo River, Misahualli, Puerto Napo, Tena, Archidonat, through Cosanga, Baeza, Quijos River, Papallacta, Penas Blancas, Pifo, Tumbaco, Mitad Del Mundo (Equator & the middle of the world)

New Things & Food: Mioco (potato/water chestnut) Avas (bean), choclo (hogs corn) trucha (trout). That night we ate spaghetti at Spaghetti’s restaurant in Quito.

To Ankuash and back DAY 8

This is the day we say goodbye to everyone in our new jungle home away from home.

Earlier in the week the people reenacted a traditional welcoming ceremony and gave us a taste of the way things used to be for their elders.

It was delightful to see the little ones reenacting the traditions of their grandparents and the laughter of the mothers at the sight of their children playing house was heart warming.

It is goodbye time and we are all getting mentally prepared for the hike out. We have seen so many amazing sights on this adventure with Jesus and some of my most vivid memories will be the fantastic creatures we have encountered.

 

Out of the jungle we hike and not a person was left behind.

After transferring between a few vehicles we end up in a comfy bus and by nightfall arrive at Venecia on the Napo river. We cannot see much of our surroundings but it is apparent that this place is beautiful and I look forward to seeing it in the morning light.

Here we had a spectacular meal and met Tod Swanson and his father Dr. Wally Swanson.

here is a very good recording of Dr. Wally I found on the net.

Tomorrow I will get images of the beauty that surrounds us here in the darkness.

 

Ecuador trip brief as recorded by Don Wolfram our missionary guide in Ecuador.

Day 8: Friday 04^th- After breakfast we met

Packed up and left Ankuash about 8 – 8:30 am

Once in the bus, we headed north and west towards Puyo, passed through Puyo and headed to Shell to drop off the extra meds and get our dry clothes at Rick & Sharon LaBouef’s house, then back through Puyo and towards Tena. Before Tena, we turn east again, but this time down the Napo River towards Ahuano, but stop in Venecia, which is along the Napo River. We proceeded without too many stops and arrived in Christmas Party 2009. about 7:00 pm. A very nice supper and accommodations greeted us there along with Tod Swanson and his Kichwa family.

Places: Ankuash, Chuwitayu, Shell, and Puyo all in Pastaza province, then Arosa-mena-tol and Venecia in Napo province.

New People: Rick and Sharon LaBouef in Shell, Tod Swanson (Arizona State U.), Dr. Wally Swanson & wife Helen (Broach) Swanson in Venecia at the Hostal on the Napo River.

Things & Food: “Fasting for lunch”, Coconut & Ron Pasas Ice-cream in Tena, Arroz con pollo (chicken/rice dish) at Tod’s place.