We're Alive!!!

Wow...June 11th seems like forever ago! I have sent out several prayer updates since then, but I had kind of given up on this blog idea. We weren't sure that there was much interest in it, so I decided to quit adding posts. However, a couple of weeks ago, we received an email from a fellow missionary who works at our headquarters in Indiana. He had been in contact with a man who had shown interest in bringing a team to Ecuador to work with us. When he contacted the man to find out how he knew us, he said that he surfed the web looking for missionaries to pray for and found our blog site. God just never ceases to amaze me. Just when we think about giving up on something, He sends someone along to encourage us to keep on doing what we are doing.

Since our last blog update, we have had some absolutely wonderful teams and opportunities for ministry here. We had an awesome group of youth come down from Iowa to paint our huge (or so they thought when they started painting it) house. We also had the chance to partner with some former street boys to witness to people in a park near our house. It was a great experience, and 8 people were led to the Lord in one afternoon! It was amazing to watch the Lord build the language gap between these U.S. and Ecuadorian brothers and sisters in Christ. It was also especially touching to us to watch these teenage boys, who had been rescued from a life on the streets, share their testimonies with strangers in the park of how God had saved them. The Iowa team also had an opportunity to do a kids' program during a "Gran Celebracion", which is gathering of several churches for a corporate worship service. They led in some games, arts and crafts and face painting. It was a fun day and the kids had a wonderful time.

In July we had a group from the Second Baptist Church of Houston, Texas come down to give away freee wheelchairs. It was amazing to be a part of helping to change people's lives just by giving them the gift of mobility. We saw people who were brought to us in the backs of pick-ups and people who were carried in on the backs of family members. I can't even put into words the gratitude that was shown to us as families left the churches. We were hugged, kissed and thanked so deeply as tears streamed down all of our faces. Each wheelchair recipient was given a Bible and was prayed for before he/she left. Not only were physical needs met, but each person was presented with an opportunity to make a life-changing decision for Christ. Many accepted Christ for the first time. It was an amazing week!

In August, Darryl took a group from New Jersey and Illinois to Cuenca to do construction on our seminary and to hold a VBS. The construction group laid the drain lines and did electrical work. The VBS group worked with about 50-60 kids during the week. Darryl said that after the first day of VBS, he had a hard time keeping people at the construction site because they were so blessed by the kids! I took that week to spend time with my brothers and sisters who were here in Ecuador visiting. We went to the beach for the week.

In September, we went to our camp in Pallatanga to work with a team from Pennsylvania who came down to work on one of the dorms. We spent the first day painting our local OMS church in Pallatanga, and the rest of the week painting, pouring cement and remodelling the bathrooms of one dorm. It was a tiring, but wonderful week of hard work and fellowship. We enjoyed getting to know the group and seeing their their desire to serve the Lord and the missionaries at camp Pallatanga. We felt truly blessed to be able to join them for the week. We also found out that we will be in charge of all of the groups that come to work at the camp from now on, so we are excited about the new opportunities that will bring.

On Sunday, we traveled to Salcedo to celebrate AIEE's 31st anniversary with the churches of the North District. AIEE is one of the associations that OMS works with in Ecuador. It is always very exciting for us to get together with the churches of the district and see the growth. We have taken teams to most of the churches in our district, so it is always great to reunite with the friends that we have made in the various churches. Once again, Cindy, my mom and me were asked to sing. This time I attempted to play the guitar as we sang. I have been taking lessons and this was my debut. Fortunately, one of the pastors accompanied us on the keyboard, so I didn't have to play

solo!

Now we are getting ready for October. We have a pastor-missionary retreat at Camp Pallatanga from the 8th-10th. We will leave straight from there to meet a medical team in Guayaquil. We will be working with that team in a coastal town called La Libertad from October 10th-17th. Please keep us in your prayers as we prepare for the upcoming events. Pray that the Lord would really bless our time with the pastors from the AIEE association. Pray that there would be a wonderful sense of unity experienced between the missionaries, the pastors and their spouses. Pray also that the Lord will already be preparing the hearts of the people that we will treat and minister to during the medical clinic at La Libertad. Pray for the team as they are preparing to come, and pray for Susan Stiles as she is doing the last minute things to get everything organized.

We love you all, and we are always blessed by your faithfulness to us and our ministry! We pray that you all will continue to see the blessings of the Lord in your lives as you walk faithfully with Him.

Serving the King,

Kelly, for the Chambers