Notes from the Chambers

Showers Of Blessings

2012-01-23T18:06:00.000-06:00

We are right in the middle of rainy season. People often complain during this time because when it rains, it pours here in Quito...every day....most of the day! We rarely see the sun these days, and that tends to bring out the grumpy in folks. However, I love rainy season. Everything is green. The flowers and plants that surround our house are in full bloom and oh, so beautiful. The smog is at a minimum. The evenings are cool and crisp (well, we tend to have that year-round!) Needless to say, I choose to see the bright side of the daily showers.

Speaking of showers, Darryl and I have experienced some showers of our own. Showers of blessings! As we look back over the past year, we realize that God has been so faithful in every aspect of our lives, and we are go grateful.

The Central District Team

In September we changed ministries, as I've blogged about before. We were received by the pastors in our district with open arms. We have had the opportunity to meet on several occasions with each pastor, and are looking forward to hosting each of them and their families for an overnight stay in our home over the next few months to get to know them better. We have several events coming up that will enable both Darryl and I to step out of our comfort zones and host some speaking and teaching events. We are excited to see how God will use us even in our weakest areas! More showers to come!

We ended up hosting over 1,000 people in our home last year. God has really grown the guest house ministry, and we hardly ever have an empty house. So many wonderful people have passed through our home in this ministry, and we have been able to get a real feel for all that God is doing right now in Ecuador. Our lives have been enriched by each guest. In January and February we have no open nights in the guest house. We are preparing for the showers of blessing that each guest will bring.

OMS Ecuador Team

We survived the holidays! Yes, I say survived, because this was our first holiday season to not be with family. Thanksgiving was okay because we decided to get together this year as a mission family and celebrate Thanksgiving together in Cuenca. It was such a wonderful time of fellowship, and we so enjoyed watching our Ecuadorian and other non-USA missionaries celebrate...and eat....and eat...and eat!

Christmas was a little different story. From the time we put up our decorations I felt depressed. My parents retired in October and weren't going to be here, which meant no visits from brothers and sisters. The worst part was that, for the first Christmas in 24 years, we were going to be childless. I just couldn't imagine having Christmas without kids in the house. Thank God for dear friends! I was reminded that maybe I should focus on who was there for Christmas and not on who wasn't. Jesus--Christmas is still all about him, no matter who is or isn't gathered around the Christmas tree! It still was difficult, but Darryl and I were able to spend our day (and the next five days after that we spent at the beach) really focusing on our greatest gift--Christ.

We also were showered with blessings in December by so many of you. Our support account had a really great Christmas! Thank you to each one who gave so sacrificially so that we can continue to carry on our ministry that God has called us to. What a blessing!

Now, as we enter the new year, and the new rainy season, we are excited for the "showers" that are to come: a full guest house, 15 different speaking opportunities (so far), working alongside the pastors of our district to help them grow and strengthen their churches, 6 mission teams, returning to the states for our HMA (home ministry assignment) in August...and who knows what else God has in store?! God is so faithful, and we are bursting at the seems with excitement at what is in store for us this year. We pray that you, too, will experience showers of blessings in 2012!

Building God's Kingdom in Ecuador,
Kelly, for the Chambers

Season of Change

2011-10-07T00:58:00.000-05:00

"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven..." Ecc. 3:1

Darryl and I find ourselves going through a season of change as I write this update. Most people who leave for the mission field, leave their parents behind. I have the had the most wonderful blessing of joining mine when we arrived in 2005. However, as it says in Ecclesiates, to everything there is a season, and the season for my parent's retirement is upon us. We said good-bye to them on Wednesday, and I have found myself wondering around in a dazed-like state wondering, "What now?" They have been our best friends, our trustiest confidants, our wisest source of advice. We have been so thankful for the years we have had together. We have learned so much from them and have enjoyed watching how the people respond to them. They are so loved and respected by everyone, and it has been a privilege to observe their relationships with their Ecuadorian brothers and sisters in Christ. We have been given a wonderful legacy to follow, and our prayer is that we will leave as rich a legacy behind us as the one we have been handed. Please pray for Mike and Bonnie Shrode as they begin this new season in their lives. Pray that they will quickly adjust to life in the states and that the Lord will open up new opportunities for ministry as they continue to serve him.

entertainment center before

entertainment center after

During the first two weeks of September, we were finally able to do some work on our apartment. It was in desperate need of some sprucing up. We did a little remodeling, some painting, and finally ordered some furniture. I guess it's about time after six years! As in true Ecuadorian fashion, we are still waiting for our furniture (one month later), but our part is finished! Well, all but the final decorative touches, which, for those of you who know me know that decorative touches are not my forte!

September 18th-24th we were with a group of nursing students from Indiana Wesleyan University. We were at a missions conference at IWU when we received our call into full-time missions, so it was special to work with a group from there. We spent the week in a small little village called Susudel, where we attended around 700 paitents. We left the church with lots of follow-up work to do, as many people accepted the Lord for the first time or requested a home visit to learn more about the gospel message that was presented. Please pray for pastor Carlos and his ministry team as they begin the follow up work of visiting the homes of those who accepted the Lord or requested home visits.

On September 25th, we attended the 34th annual anniversary celebration of the church association that we work with. Each year, for the anniversary celebration, all of the churches of the Central District get together for a worship service. This year, the service was held at Yatchil in the exact place where two of the current pastors were persecuted for several days for being Christians. It was very inspirational to hear a brief account of the suffering and torture that they endured and to rejoice with them at God's goodness and mercy for so faithfully bringing them through that horrible ordeal. It was a very exciting day for us because we were officially introduced as the District Liaisons for the Central District. It was extra special because my parents were there with us on the stage receiving recognition for their thirty-one years of service, while we were being recognized for the start of our new ministry. Please continue to lift us before the throne as we begin this new season in our ministry.

Dwight, Tandy and Jonathan

For the next ten days we are getting to play "grandparents" to Jonathan. Dwight and Tandy Martin, who have become like family, are in the process of adopting Jonathan. They currently need to be in the states, and Jonathan does not have the necessary paperwork to travel to the U.S., so we get to keep him until they return. Please pray for Jonathan as he adjusts to us and to his new surroundings. Pray for peace for Dwight and Tandy as they leave Jonathan with us to take care of some much needed business in the states. Pray for extra energy, patience and wisdom for us as we attempt to keep up with a very energetic three year old!

We pray that whatever season you are in at this point in your lives, that you will walk in the knowledge and assurance that God is right there with you!

Building God's Kingdom,

Kelly, for the Chambers

2011-08-22T20:10:00.000-05:00

"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men."

Matthew 5:13-14

This morning during my devotion time I was challenged by a few questions. "Are you salty salt? Does your presence in the world cause others to thirst after the Fountain of Living Water?" We are called to have a distinctive "flavor" from those who are not saved. If our lives are indistguishable from those who don't claim to follow Christ, then what are we doing here? Good food for thought!

Our VBS in Puyo was great. We took a team of seven down to help with a week-long VBS the first week in August. We had 96 kids that came during the week, and our group was responsible for arts and crafts, music, game time and helping out wherever needed. Darryl and I were very moved by how the group immediately loved on and ministered to all of the children. Even through language barriers, the group was able to have a wonderful impact in the lives of so many children as well as the national team members who we worked with during the week. This video was taken during one of the opening ceremonies. In it the kids are singing, "My Savior is not dead. He is not in the grave. My Savior is not dead, because he has risen. Christ lives!"

Alejandro & Rosa performing with their family

Our "high" for the week came when the Lord put an opportunity before us to witness to and pray with a family of Shuar Indians. We met Rosa on Sunday night when she, along with her children and a few other Shuar women, came to do a special presentation for our group. During the church service she shared her sadness of living with an alcoholic husband who, even that night, was out drunk in the street. The group committed to pray for her during the week, and on Tuesday night, during the evening service, we noticed that Alejandro, her husband, had come to church with her. On Wednesday, we had the chance to go to Alejandro and Rosa's home to visit and pray with them. It was such a moving time, as Alejandro rededicated his life to the Lord and then spoke a blessing over each of his children and over Rosa. What a blessing to be used by God even in a small way in the transformation of that family. On Friday, when we had our closing ceremony for VBS, Alejandro and his family came to do one more presentation for us, and as he led his family in praising the Lord through songs and dance, we all were moved to tears.

Jess & Ryan at the rehearsal

We sent the group off on the morning of August 7th and filled the house with wedding guests that evening for the following week. My sister Jessica and her fiancee Ryan got married August 12th here in Quito, and we had a week filled with activites for the family and friends who came to Ecuador for the wedding. It was such a fun week, and we enjoyed getting to know Ryan's family and friends better. The wedding was absolutely beautiful, and we were so blessed to be able to be a part of that special time for Ryan and Jess.

Thankfully, we have a pretty slow couple of weeks coming up. We have a full guest house this week, but after that, things slow down a little bit, and we plan on FINALLY working on our apartment. We have made improvements to every part of the guest house except for our apartment. Hopefully, we will be able to at least get it painted before things pick up again.

We pray that your presence will cause others to thirst for the Fountain of Living Water this week.

Building His Kingdom in Ecuador,
Kelly, for the Chambers

2011-07-28T22:37:00.000-05:00

Greetings from Ecuador. We just want to assure you that we are still alive!! Extremely busy, but alive. God, as always, has been faithfully sustaining us with just the right amount of energy and health to run a full guest house, to continue to work with teams, attend meetings and all of the daily activities that life sends our way. We continue to value and depend on your prayers, and we are so thankful to have each one of you as part of our ministry team.

Our meetings in June with the association that we work with did not go as well as we were hoping, but we continue to desire to maintain a working relationship with the AIEE. We are currently looking for other opportunities for ministry as well and are excited about the possibilities for church planting in Ecuador. Thank you for your prayers for our meeting.

We had our annual business meeting last week. It was great to be together as a mission family once again. We were really blessed to have a group come from North Carolina to bless us by taking care of the kids and with some great teaching each morning before we began our business meetings. Thank you to the Fletchers and the Baylors for your willingness to come and serve the Lord by serving our mission family!

On Saturday, our next group arrives. Our dear friends, Doug and Cindy Tankersley are bringing down a Vacation Bible School team to minister to our church in Puyo. We asked you to pray for a team for this church and God graciously provided us with this team as an answer. The team arrives on Saturday, and we will be leaving on Sunday for Puyo. We will hold our VBS from Monday through Friday, and return to Quito on Saturday. The team will return to the states on the August 7th.

On the 7th, we have the house reserved for my sister's wedding. She is getting married on August 12, and most of the wedding guests will be staying with us. It is an exciting time for our family and we are so happy it is taking place here so we can be a part of it.

Praise Reports:

Thank you for praying for our team in June. The Lord had his hand of protection over us as we traveled, everyone stayed healthy, and they were able to have some very productive meetings with the pastors at each of the churches in our district.
Praise God for his presence and guidance during our annual meetings. We had several decisions to make about our future ministry here, and we felt God's presence and peace at every session. We are excited about where we are heading and the ministry opportunities that lie ahead.
Join us in praising God for his continual provision of health and energy for Darryl and me. We have gone for several months now with very few days off, yet we continue to be able to keep on going. God is so faithful!

Prayer Requests:

Please continue to pray for our relationship with the AIEE. We want to continue to work with the churches that want to work with us. Pray also as we look for new churches to partner with.
Pray for the Tankersley team and the VBS in Puyo. Pray for travel safety, for good health, and for the children who will attend.
Please pray for my sister Jessica and Ryan as they begin their life together. Pray for all of the guests as they travel to Ecuador, and pray for us as we show them a "good time" while they are here.
Josh has had some health problems lately. He had to spend the night in the emergency room, get a cat scan, plus he needs some follow up with a doctor, all of this with no insurance. Please pray that the doctor will find the problem quickly and that somehow he will find the means to pay for everything.

We appreciate you and love you all dearly. We pray that God will bless each of you as you continue to walk with him.

Building God's Kingdom in Ecuador,
Kelly, for the Chambers

On The Road Again!

2011-06-20T21:28:00.000-05:00

Even though I'm a day late, Happy Father's Day to all you daddies out there. We pray that you all had a wonderful day and received the honor you so deserve! I enjoyed spending the day with my dad, and was reminded, once again, just how blessed I am to have my parents here with me in Ecuador.

We have had a whirlwind couple of weeks, and things are not going to slow down anytime soon. We so enjoyed having the Tankersleys here and the opportunity that we had to travel with them as they said good-bye to the pastors and congregations that they have served so lovingly over the last four years. We are going to miss them as co-workers here in Ecuador, but are excited for the opportunity that God has put before them for the next three years, and we are thrilled to be taking over their ministry as liaisons in the Central District.

Having said that, even though we are not scheduled to start that ministry officially until September, we have had the opportunity to travel with Antonio Zabala, the district superintendent over the last couple of weeks, and it has been an absolute joy to get to know him better as well as the pastors we will be serving.

We also had the privilege of traveling with my parents to a church service in their honor in Milagro. The church we visited was the first church that my dad helped plant when we arrived, and it was the church we attended when we lived in Guayaquil. It was so touching to see how much the church has grown and what wonderful ministries they are involved in presently. I have added a picture of the church today. It is quite a bit different from the tiny garage we met in before. God is so good!

Tomorrow we have a small group that will be arriving to do a scouting mission for future partnership opportunities in our district. They arrive tomorrow evening and we take off early Wednesday morning. Here is our schedule so that you know how to pray:
Wednesday: Travel to Ibarra to meet with the pastor and the leadership team. Church service that night.
Thursday: Travel to Latacunga to meet with the pastor. Travel to Sucre for an evening service.
Friday: Meeting with the pastor and leadership team in Pillaro. Meeting with pastor and leadership team in Puyo. Evening service in Puyo.
Saturday: Meeting with FLET students in Salcedo in the morning. Travel to Ambato for a meeting with the pastor. Evening service in Yatchil. Travel back to Ambato that night to sleep.
Sunday: Morning service (10:00) in Riobamba. Meet with pastor and leadership team after service. Return to Quito in the afternoon.
Monday: Day of tourism in Quito and a debriefing meeting with Antonio and the team.
Tuesday: Team returns to Indiana.
As you can see, we need a LOT of prayer for travel safety. I know that you have no idea where these towns are located, but all of them are in the Andes Mountains and the roads are quite curvy. The team will also be eating most of their meals in local restaurants, so please pray for their health while they are here as well. Pray also that as the team meets with the different pastors, they will be sensitive to the Lord's guidance as to future ministry in this district. The team members are Alan Landes, and Bill and Spring Brown.

On June 29th, I will be flying to Cuenca for a meeting with the AIEE (our partner association) to look at the future of our partnership. Please pray that the Holy Spirit will be noticeably present as we look at how we can work together in the future. The last time we had a joint meeting, it was not very pleasant, and we want to avoid another meeting like that. Pray for the association president Alfredo Gonzales, who seems to have some bad feelings toward the mission. Pray that we will be an example of Christ's love to him and to each member of the association that will be present. Pray for our field leader, Tom Stiles, as well, for wisdom as he directs the meeting.

We have much more coming up in July, but I will close for now. Thank each of you for your prayer coverage. It is evident to us each day and we are so grateful. May God richly bless each one of you this week!

Building God's Kingdom in Ecuador,
Kelly, for the Chambers

2011-05-30T13:51:00.000-05:00

Happy Memorial Day! I hope that as you reflect today on your gratitude for those who have sacrificed that we may live in freedom, you will also take the time to thank the ONE who sacrificed His life that we may live in victory! I also want to take this time to say Happy 51st to my beloved! ( I just had to get the age in there somehow, Darryl.)

We have had a very busy three weeks. Thank you so much for praying for the UIndy medical team. We had a team of 34 members including doctors, nurses and missionaries. Even though it was quite warm, and we had several who had to battle through illnesses, we were able to attend over 700 patients in four and a half days. I have heard several numbers, but I think that the final number of those who made decisions for Christ was 311. We ask you to pray for the team in Santo Domingo that is responsible for the follow up on each person who made a decision for the Lord. They definitely have their work cut out for them!

We sent the team back to the states on May 19th, and left on May 20th for Cuenca, where we attended two days of mission meetings. As the OMS Ecuador team, we had to come together to make some decisions about the future of our ministry here and our future partnership with one of the associations that we currently work with. Thank you so much for praying for us as we met. I know that the Holy Spirit was present as we met as a team to look at our future. We still have hopes of being able to continue in partnership with the A.I.E.E., and we are excited about the opportunities to form new partnerships as well. Please pray for us as the leadership committees of OMS and A.I.E.E. meet together here at the guest house to look at our future partnership on June 28th.

On Saturday I was able to participate in a women's retreat for the women of the Central District with my mom and Cindy Tankersley. We had a time of teaching and group activity in the morning. The afternoon session was a special service to honor my mom for 31 years of missionary service. It was such a blessing to me to be able to have a small part in honoring my mom for her influence in my life, and to listen as many women shared of the impact her life and her ministry have had on so many people over the last 31 years. I know that she and my dad will be greatly missed when they retire in October!

Darryl and I are excited to announce an upcoming change in ministry. We have been so blessed to be able to coordinate all of the mission teams that have come to Ecuador to serve the Lord in ministry over the past six years. It has enabled us to be involved in work all over the country. However, we have been feeling a tug at our hearts to be more directly involved with our Ecuadorian brothers and sisters in Christ. Starting in September, we will serve as the District Liaisons for the Central District. We will be serving in a support role for 14 different churches. We will come alongside the pastors and their wives to help them grow and strengthen their existing churches. We will also be helping them with the planting of new churches. We are so thankful to the Lord for this opportunity to move into a different area of ministry, but we are also a little intimidated by all that this ministry will require. Thankfully, we have a really big God who equips those he calls with exactly what they need to do the task! We will still run the guest house and coordinate them teams that come into our district, so we will continue to have a "full plate"!

We have one week in Quito and then we will be off and traveling again. We are hoping to travel with Doug and Cindy Tankersley (the current district liaisons) next week as they inform the churches of their change in ministry. They will be serving stateside for the next three years. This trip will be a time for them to say good-bye to the churches they worked with for the past four years and to introduce us as the new liaisons. Please pray for the Tankersleys as they transition into a new ministry and for us as we continue on with the liaison ministry in the central district.

Praise Reports:

Courtney made all A's for the first time in her school career! We are so proud of her.
We also want to praise the Lord and thank you for your prayers for Courtney as she has struggled with some difficult choices in her life. She informed us on Mother's Day that she had ended a relationship that we were very concerned about. Thank you for praying for our kids!
We had another good month in our support account! Thanks to all of you who faithfully give so that we can stay here.
Praise God for the 311 new believers in Santo Domingo.
We are praising God for giving us such a wonderful team of missionaries to work with here in Ecuador.
Praise God for blessing Darryl and me with 14 years of a wonderful life together this month.

Prayer Requests:

Pray for my (Kelly) health. I have a very sore throat right now, and we have a lot of traveling coming up. Please pray for a quick healing!
Continue to pray for Josh and Courtney as they figure out what their relationship with the Lord is going to be. Pray that God will reveal himself in mighty ways that they can not ignore.
Please keep my parents (Mike and Bonnie Shrode) in your prayers as they finish up their time here in Ecuador. They still are involved in ministry, are planning my sister's wedding in August here in Ecuador, and are trying to take care of all of the things that come with retirement. Pray for strength, health and stamina as they finish their time here and prepare to return to the states in October.
We have a team coming from June 19th -28th. Pray for us as we get the final preparations done for thatteam.
Join us in praying for all of those who are suffering due to the natural disasters around the world. We know that many in the states have been devastated by the recent tornadoes. We are praying that in the midst of such hard times, people will turn to the Lord for their strength.

We pray that each of you has a blessed week as you walk with the Lord.

Serving the King,
Kelly, for the Chambers

2011-05-03T14:54:00.000-05:00

We finally did it! We shut down the guest house for four days and took a vacation. It was a much needed break for us, as we have only had three days with no guests since January. Last Tuesday, Darryl and I headed for Baños, one of our favorite places to "get away". As we were leaving Quito, Darryl mentioned how glad he was that we finally were able to get out of the city without anything getting in our way and stopping us as has happened several times before.

About an hour into our trip, I looked up and noticed a strange "cloud" in the sky. I told Darryl that I thought it looked like Tungurahua, an active volcano here in Ecuador, was erupting. We stopped and pulled over to take some pictures, and just about that time we saw an explosion of black ash coming from the crater. Wouldn't you know that Tungurahua is located right where we were going! I looked at Darryl and said, "Well, we thought nothing was going to stop us this time!" Darryl, however, with the excitement a child has on Christmas morning looked at me and said, "Never in my life did I think I would have the chance to see a volcano erupting. We are going to get as close as we can!"

As we drove toward the erupting volcano, we noticed a continuous stream of smoke and ash shooting out. We stopped several times to take pictures, just waiting to come to a blockade where we would have to turn around. However, we never arrived at that blockade. About ten minutes before we arrived in Baños, we pulled over, stood at the base of the volcano, and marveled at one of God's amazing creations.

We did end up staying in Baños just as planned. We were able to sit on the terrace of our hotel and watch Tungurahua erupt for three days. We drove up to a lookout point where we were 2.5 kilometers from the volcano. We heard it rumbling, saw the ash and smoke spewing, and even went back up at night to see the lava shooting out. It was quite an amazing and exciting spectacle.

We had a wonderful, relaxing time in Baños. On Thursday, we rented bikes and rode 35 kilometers (round trip) to see a waterfall. It was a beautiful site and another reminder of how creation speaks of God's majesty. The 17.5 kilometers back to Baños were mostly all uphill and took us about two and a half hours to finish. But we did finish! We turned our bikes in, cleaned up and proceeded directly to get massages on our aching bodies!

We planned to leave on Friday, which was just perfect, as Thursday night, the winds shifted, and we awoke to an ash-covered Baños Friday morning. Everyone in the town was out in their masks, sweeping the ash from the sidewalks and streets. The whole trip was a fun, new experience for us...one that we will never forget!

On Sunday, we attended a church service in Riobamba. They are building a new church and had a celebration Sunday for the next phase of their building process. They had a special service to collect funds for this next phase, and Darryl and I had the privilege of praying for each person (or family) as they gave their offering to the project. We then had a prayer service at the sight of the new church. It was great to be able to see how far they have come on the building. Currently, two families from the church spend the night on the property each night so that none of the materials get stolen. Every night different families are on "duty". Is that dedication, or what? Would you please pray for this body of believers in Riobamba as they work to build their new place of worship?

This week we are preparing for our next team. The team arrives on May 9th, and we will head out on May 10th to Santo Domingo for a medical ministry. We are still trying to locate at least one more doctor for this team, so please be in prayer for that. We also are trying to finish up with the transportation arrangements. This will be a team of 32 members altogether, so transportation is an issue. Please pray for the 17 nursing students from University of Indianapolis as well as the three team leaders and two doctors as they prepare to come and minister to the physical and spiritual health of all those who will be attending.

We return from Santo Domingo on the 17th for two days of "touristy" activities before the group returns to the states. Then, on the 20th, we leave for Cuenca, where we will be attending an extraordinary field council meeting. We are going to be taking a close look at each of our ministries, at our partnerships, and at the future direction that we as a mission are going to be headed. It is a very important meeting, and we really need God's guidance as we look at the future of OMS Ecuador. Please join us in prayer as we seek God's wisdom for our meetings on May 21st-23rd.

We pray that each of you will have a blessed week!

Building God's Kingdom in Ecuador,
Kelly, for the Chambers

2011-04-17T17:58:00.001-05:00

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.'" Galatians 6:9

Yes, we are still alive! It has been way too long since our last update, I know, and I do apologize. I have sat down four different times to write this update, and each time it seemed like something or someone else needed my attention. It is a Sunday afternoon, the door to our apartment is shut, the guests are quiet, and I am going to try to get this update finished.

Darryl has been gone for two weeks working with a team at our camp in Pallatanga. The team is working on building a new dorm for the camp and set a goal of building one wall a day for the remaining nine days that they had. Darryl has been the designated cement mixer for the team. I don't know how many of you have mixed cement by hand (or shovel, I should say), but for those of you who have had the privilege of that experience you can imagine how sore Darryl is! Praise the Lord, it looks like they are going to accomplish their goal, and Darryl will be returning on Tuesday.

With Darryl in Pallatanga, I have had the sole responsibility of running the guest house. I had a week with 17 guests, then an easy week with only 5 guests. Today the house is full again with 15 guests. One thing I have discovered....running a guest house is a two-person ministry! I am grateful for God's provision of energy and good health while Darryl has been away, but I am even more grateful that these two weeks are almost over!

Thank you so much for your prayers for us in March with the Asbury team. An hour before the team arrived it looked like we were going to have to scrap the project and quickly come up with something else for the team to do. However, after much prayer, we felt the Lord's guidance to continue with part of the project and another project in the same town where we were staying just "fell" into our laps. God is so good and so faithful to those who call upon his name! The four students from Asbury were amazing and came willing to serve in whatever capacity they could. We completely finished both projects and were able to worship with the congregations of both churches that we worked in. They were so pleased to have "new and improved" places to worship.

Our next team arrives May 9th, so we are gearing up for them. We are going to be doing a medical team in Santo Domingo with 17 nursing students from University of Indianapolis. We will leave for Santo Domingo on May 10th, begin our ministry on the 11th and then return to Quito for a couple of days of sight-seeing and "touristy" things on the 17th. Please pray that God will be preparing the hearts of those who are coming to serve as well as the hearts of the Ecuadorians who will be coming to receive. We currently are short a couple of doctors for this team, so please pray that God will lead us to the right people soon!

I still do not have a driver's license yet! I have been 5 different times, and each time I have come away empty handed. The last I heard, there is a possibility that I can drive using my Texas license because of a recent law change. The only problem is that no one can seem to find an actual written copy of the new law, so until it is found, I continue to "hoof" it or depend on others to get me where I need to be.

One last update from our last blog. When I went to visit my dermatologist about my skin cancer, he assured me that there was going to be no more cutting for a while. YIPPEE!!! I only need to come in every couple of months to have the spots on my skin observed. He felt very positive about my biopsy results and didn't see any need to do any further biopsies. Thank you so much for praying for me!

Praise Reports:

Praise God for answered prayers for the Asbury team.
Praise him for a good report from the dermatologist.
Praise him for his faithfulness to both Darryl and to me as we have been involved in separate ministries over the past two weeks.
Thank you, Lord, for faithful supporters!

Prayer Requests:

Please continue to pray for my license situation.
Pray for the upcoming medical team May 9th-20th. WE NEED DOCTORS!
Pray for Darryl as he travels back from Pallatanga on Tuesday. He is tired and sore and has a six hour drive through the mountains.
Please pray for Josh's health. Two weeks ago he was watching TV when he started feeling dizzy and and quickly got a high fever. He ended up passing out and having seizures. We aren't sure what is going on, so please keep him in your prayers.
We are still looking for a VBS team for our church in Puyo sometime in July or August. Pray that a team will step forward, or that God will give us peace about not being able to fulfill that request.

We pray that as you enter into this holy week, you will experience the joy of knowing that Christ has risen. He has risen indeed!

Serving the King,

Kelly, for the Chambers

2011-03-06T21:53:00.000-06:00

"give thanks in all circumstances for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

1Thessalonians 5:18

Every week I sit and stare at a blank screen for what seems like forever. What can I say that will capture your attention? How can I be "clever" this week? "Please, Lord, bring to mind the things I need to share with our ministry partners." Tonight is no different. I started this at 9:00, and it is now 9:34, and up until 9:33, my screen was blank. It has been a hard week, and nothing cute and clever comes to mind...just the thought of how thankful I am that I serve a sovereign God; a God who is in control, who lets nothing touch me without his knowledge and permission. I am thankful that he works his purposes out in my life, even in the difficult circumstances. Aren't you? What an awesome God we serve!!!

The results from my biopsies did not come back as I had wished. Both spots turned out to be skin cancer. I went to get my stitches out on Friday, but they had not healed enough. I took my results for the doctor to look at, and she said that unfortunately it meant I would have to get all of the spots on my skin cut out and biopsied. So far she has found 5 more. Needless to say, I am not looking forward to that! I go back to my dermatologist on Wednesday. Maybe he will have some better news. One praise report is that my skin cancer was just on the surface, so by removing the spots the problem was taken care of according to the plastic surgeon. Thank you, Lord!

We didn't fare any better in the attempt to get my license either. Happy news...I didn't fail the test. Of course, I didn't take it either. When we arrived, there had to have been about a bazillion people in line in front of us. We didn't wait. Monday and Tuesday the offices are closed for Carnaval, and Wednesday I go back to get my stitches taken out and see the doctor. It looks like Thursday will be the next chance to get my license. I'm loving it, because that means I don't have to drive in this crazy traffic. Darryl, on the other hand, is not too happy about waiting another week for me to get my license!

We also gave a praise report about finding a couple to run the guest house while we are working with the Asbury team. Unfortunately, we are not sure if that is going to pan out. We haven't received any confirmation from them yet. Depending on what the doctor says, we might not need them after all. If I have to get the spots removed immediately, I will be here instead of with the team.

My parents were able to visit the church in Nuevo Zapotal, and they decided that replacing the roof was not a possibility for this team. It will be a much bigger project than what this group is prepared to do. We will look for a team that can come and help the church out, but as far as the Asbury team, we are back to doing what we originally planned. The team will be arriving on Saturday. We will meet them on Sunday and begin working on Monday. We can't wait to get to work!

Praise Reports:

We praise God that my skin cancer was only on the surface.
Thank you, Lord for a few days with no guests lately. We needed the rest!
Praise the Lord for such a faithful support team--both prayer support and financial support.

Prayer Requests:

Please continue to pray for me as I go through this skin cancer process.
Once again, please pray that I will get my driver's license this week.
Pray for the Asbury team and the work we will be doing on the two churches (March 14-17); also for our travel safety and health during the week.
Please pray that the couple will be able to run the guest house while we are gone.

We pray that no matter what your circumstances are this week, you can join us in giving thanks for each thing, knowing that God is in control.

Serving the King,

Kelly, for the Chambers

2011-02-28T22:11:00.000-06:00

Hello, friends. I can't believe tomorrow is March 1st! Normally, this would be the start of our "busy" season, but we really haven't seen an end of the "busy" season since last year! We praise the Lord, though, for all of the opportunities for ministry that he places before us every day.

For two years I have had the intention of getting a spot removed from my right arm that I have watched grow for the last 11 years. Finally, at the insistence of my family, I had that spot and another one like it on my left arm removed on Thursday. It is amazing just how far down into your arm people can cut! I am having biopsies done on them, and I should get the results on Wednesday. Hopefully, that will be the end of all of that mess, as I do not relish having any more digging done on my body!

Thank you all for praying for our trip to Santo Domingo. Fabian had some "connections" and we were able to take a taxi to Santo Domingo instead of a bus. It was a little more expensive , but well worth the peace of mind that I had when we travelled. Actually, I was much calmer than usual when we make that trip in our car. I certainly knew that people were praying for me. Our trip went well and we were able to get pretty much everything done in one day, so we got to come home a day earlier.

Now we are gearing up for a team coming from Asbury University. A team of four college students and two leaders will arrive on March 12th to work on two work projects, one in Nuevo Zapotal and one in El Laurel. Both projects are on churches in those communities. We did hear from the pastor today that he would like to change the project from painting and some general improvements to replacing the roof of the church. We will be discussing the possibility of that when we meet tomorrow with my parents. The group will be here from March 12th-18th.

In the meantime, we have a house full of people for the next couple of weeks. The couple who we thought was going to be able to run the guest house while we are with the Asbury team informed us today that the dates don't work out for them. Wouldn't you know it that just today I was visiting with a lady who said she and her husband would be willing to come during that time! Praise the Lord!!

Praise Reports:

I found my document that I asked you to pray about last week in the pocket of a pair of pants the very next day. Thank you for praying.
Praise God for leading us to a couple that can run the guest house while we are gone.
Praise God for guiding us during our trip to Santo Domingo. Everything fell into place, and the church we will be working with is very excited to have us there!
We are so grateful to God for good health and for just enough energy to get us through each task he places in front of us.

Prayer Requests:

Pray that my biopsy reports will come back clean.
Pray that we will be wise in deciding how to handle Pastor Adolfo's request about replacing the roof on the church in Nuevo Zapotal.
Pray that I will be able to pass the written driver's test to renew my license. I will be taking that test on Thursday.
Pray for my mom as she flies home tomorrow morning from Guayaquil. She has spent the last several days helping our treasurer with all of her end of the year paperwork which is due in April.
Pray for the Asbury team and their leaders Paul Cox and Randy Coleman as they prepare to come serve the Lord in a little less than two weeks.
We have developed a friendship with a man who has stayed at the guest house several times over the last two years. His four year old son has begun testing to try and find out why he is throwing up every morning and having headaches and double vision for a couple of hours every morning as well. Tom's son is named Brady. He is currently here in Ecuador while his son is undergoing the testing, so please pray for his wife Carey as well.
Continue to pray for Josh and Courtney and their walk with the Lord.

We, as always, thank God so much for the blessing of having each one of you as part of our ministry team. We pray that God will pour out his blessings in new and fresh ways on you this week. We love you!

Serving the King,
Kelly, for the Chambers

2011-02-20T22:25:00.000-06:00

Greetings from a guest-free house! This is the first night this year that we do not have anyone in the house. Darryl has been gone for the weekend and was scheduled to come home tomorrow, but when he realized that we were going to have one night with no guests, he surprised me and came home today. The Lord has blessed this guest house ministry in such a big way by bringing a constant stream of wonderful people who come to Ecuador to serve God and to bless the Ecuadorians, and we are so thankful to be a part of it. However, it has been nice to have a quiet night at home with just the two of us before it starts up again tomorrow night.

Today in church we celebrated ten baptisms. It was a really special time for me, as I have had the privilege of watching several of those who got baptised today grow in their walk with Christ over the last few years. An extra special blessing was to be there for the baptism of Jeremy Cortez, the son of Fabian and Levis Cortez. Fabian is the coordinator of our ECC work here. ECC (Every Community for Christ) is the church planting branch of OMS. Fabian is currently pastoring Iglesia Biblica Familiar where we attend, so he was able to baptize Jeremy. It was a very precious time for their family, and I was so glad to be a part of it.

One of the special things about running this guest house is that we often get to see our guests involved in ministry. Yesterday, Rosa, who often visits our home asking for food, shoes and clothes, came while I was out. I arrived just in time to see one of our guests taking the time to talk with and pray with Rosa. She had given her a bag of food that her group had purchased for their meals while they are staying at the guest house, and she was just about to begin praying with her. I was so touched by Bekah's tender heart towards Rosa, and was reminded of the importance of taking time out of my schedule and busy day to just listen to the people who come to our house in need. Darryl and I find that we tend to get a little bit cynical of the many people who come to our house with their stories of why they are in need. Seeing Bekah reach out and take Rosa's hand and pray with her for her needs was a much needed reminder of what is important...of why we are here.

Darryl went to Pallatanga on Friday to help out with a team who is working on finishing another dorm for our camp there. He was blessed to be able to meet a wonderful group of brothers and sisters in Christ from Canada and to be able to spend a couple of days working with them on the dorm. He came back good and sore from moving so many heavy cement blocks, but blessed by his time in Pallatanga.

On Tuesday Darryl and I, along with Fabian Cortez, will be leaving for Santo Domingo. We will meet up with my parents to make the final arrangements for a medical team from the University of Indianapolis that will be coming in May. We are going to be going there on the bus. Not only is the road to Santo Domingo a challenging road, but I have already had what I consider to be a "near death" experience the last time I took a trip by bus. Needless to say, I am experiencing a little...no, a LOT of uneasiness about this trip.

Praise Reports:

My parents held a mini retreat this weekend in Santo Domingo. I talked with them today and they reported that things went very well. Thank you, Lord, for answered prayer!
We praise God for Darryl's safe travel to and from our camp in Pallatanga.
Join us in praising God for the ten believers at Iglesia Biblica Familiar who were baptised today.

Prayer Requests:

Please pray for our trip to Santo Domingo. Pray that I will be able to put aside my fear and that the Lord will have his hand on the bus and the bus driver as we travel that dangerous road.
Pray also, that we will be able to finalize all of the arrangements for the May medical team.
Pray for me as I take the test to renew my license this week. My license expired in December, and I have put off renewing it as long as I can. I have to pass the written driving test in order to renew it.
I have lost a very important document which shows I am legal to live here. Please pray that I will be able to remember or to run across my censo this week. If I don't find it, the process to get another one is not a simple one, so it would be much easier just to find it.
Continue to pray for a couple to run the guest house from March 11th-19th while we are away working with a team.
We are still looking for a team to come do a VBS in August, as well as two other work teams.
Pray for continued energy for us as we continue to try and manage two different ministries; especially for Darryl, as he has done quite a bit of traveling lately.

We pray that each of you have a very blessed week as well!

Serving the King,

Kelly, for the Chambers

2011-02-13T21:59:00.000-06:00

Greetings to you all and Happy Valentine's Day! (That is for tomorrow!) As you celebrate this special day dedicated to love, Darryl and I pray that you will walk in confidence knowing that "neither death nor life, nor angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Rom. 8:38-39)

We want to thank you all for praying for the national assembly of the association that we partner with. We asked you to pray that my parents would be instruments of peace during the week, and God answered. My parents' presence there was well received and they even were honored several times during the week by the pastors that they have spent the last 31 years working beside to build God's kingdom here in Ecuador. It was a very positive week and my parents left feeling much more encouraged about our partnership with the AIEE. We would appreciate your prayers as we (OMS) continue to look for ways to improve our relationship with the AIEE.

Darryl and I had a wonderful surprise last week when we received a visit from BJ, Andi, Elijah and Lydia Williamson. We have been praying that the Lord would bless them during their time in the states while raising funds and bring them back quickly. They have had several "issues" to deal with since they returned; one of them caused them to have to come to Quito, which was a treat for us. Once again, we were reminded of how blessed we are to have such a wonderful OMS family. Please pray for the Williamsons as they tackle visa and car problems over the next week, and especially for Elijah, who fractured his leg the day after he left our house.

Today we traveled to Pillaro with my parents to visit one of our OMS churches. The pastor invited my parents to come visit before they leave Ecuador for retirement. It was so great to listen to people honor my parents for their years of service. Darryl and I only hope that we will be that well-loved and respected when we retire. On the 19th and 20th, they will be doing a mini retreat for a church in Santo Domingo. Please pray for them as they finish preparing for that event and as they prepare for retirement over the next several months.

We continue to have a busy guest house, with people coming and going almost every day. We are still trying to find a couple who can come and run the guest house in March while we are with team doing a work project. We have a couple who can possibly come during that time. Please pray that we will be able to find someone quickly.

Finally, we are looking to line up a couple of teams for several projects. We have a church on the edge of the jungle who has requested a VBS team for late July or early August. We also have two work projects we would like to find teams for. One is helping to finish construction on a new church and the other is a work project on one of our pastor's homes. If you are interested in putting a team together for any of these projects, we would love to visit with you--especially for a VBS team in Puyo, as July will be here quickly. Please join us in praying that we will sense God's direction as we try to put these three teams together.

Have a great week!

Serving the King,

Kelly, for the Chambers

2011-02-01T16:32:00.000-06:00

Greetings from sunny Quito. (Hee hee hee!) We have been watching the news and reading reports on the Internet of this winter storm many of you are living through right now--one more reason for us to be thankful for our call to a beautiful country with perfect weather year-round.

Well, it finally happened....Darryl and I performed our first "duet" in church on Sunday. We were invited to attend a new church plant in the south part of Quito. When we arrived the pastor informed us that the church members would love to receive a greeting from OMS and to hear us sing a special in English. What can ya do? We did give a disclaimer before we sang, just so they wouldn't be expecting something spectacular. We sang "Open the Eyes of Our Heart, Lord", which they sing in Spanish, so we weren't singing alone for long. It was a lot of fun, and as always, we were so blessed by our Ecuadorian brothers and sisters in Christ. They are just so great!

This week the church association that we partner with is having their general assembly. This is really our main prayer request of the week. Things between the mission and the leader of the association are a little tense, so we are just praying that the presence of the missionaries at the assembly this week will be a blessing. My parents are there and we are looking forward to hearing from them as to how things are going throughout the week. Please pray that the Holy Spirit's presence will be evident to all this week. Pray also that the decisions made will honor God and will be positive decisions that help us move forward in building God's kingdom here in Ecuador.

I received several inquiries about our guest blogger and if he had anything else to say, so I will continue to post his remaining blogs in the next couple of weeks.

Guest Blogger….part 3

I shared earlier about how Kelly and Darryl had such a positive impact on our ministry. We were there to work with some of the poorest people in Quito. Our days generally started before 6am as we took our turns in the showers, and had devotions before getting picked up by the bus at 7:30a. In between those events, we were treated to a great breakfast that Kelly and Darryl prepared for us. I’m not talking about toast and cold cereal here. How about pancakes, homemade coffee cake, breakfast burritos with eggs, sausage, bacon and cheese, passion fruit or guanabana juice, freshly baked banana bread…well, you get the idea.

We arrived on Tuesday night and got started bright and early on Wednesday. Our day was generally divided into two parts: preparation and outreach. Extreme Response works with smaller ministry partners and helps them fulfill their ministry through leadership development, fund raising operations and encouragement. On Wednesday morning we unloaded over 50,000 pounds of food from two trucks, prepared children’s gift bags (called Navidad bags) and got packed up for our ministry day. That afternoon we split into two groups to hold Christmas parties for two organizations; Pan de Vida (Bread of Life), an organization that provides spiritual and physical food for people in Quito, and Hogar Betania, a Christian facility for elderly people. In total we ministered to over 550 people that first day. After cleaning up and getting everything ready for day 2, we were beat. We got back to the OMS house at about 9pm. When we arrived Darryl and Kelly were there to listen to our stories, share snacks and hot tea and just make us feel welcome and loved. It was a great way to end an amazing day.

On Thursday the day started much the same: great breakfast courtesy of the Chambers, early bus ride, a worship & chapel time with our whole team, then preparation for the afternoon. That day we went to a very poor part of north Quito to assist a church called Carman Bajo in their outreach to the community. This was a first-time event for the church. As the busses arrived, there were over 1000 people lined up, waiting for us. We got everything set up and then had a party with school carnival-type games for about 1200 people. We finished with a food distribution to each family in attendance; staples such as rice, beans, sugar and salt were given along with a Navidad bag for each child containing toys, pencils & crayons, and hygiene items. After all the people had left, we had a joint worship service with the people of Carman Bajo. It concluded with them encircling our team and praying for us and our ministry in Quito. We then paired up with a member of the church and prayed for their continued outreach in their community. It was a powerful way to end the day.

We thank God for each of you and pray that you will be blessed (and warm) this week!

Serving the King,
Kelly, for the Chambers

Happy New Year...three weeks late!

2011-01-23T22:06:00.000-06:00

It's already January 23rd! How can it be? It has been a long time since our last blog entry. Sorry about that! We have been super busy, so here is the short version of what we've been up to...

We had a really good Christmas break. We enjoyed having Courntey here. Thank you all so much for your prayers for us during what was an emotionally draining week. We are so thankful to Michael and Shawnee for volunteering their time to come and help walk us through a really difficult situation. Even though we didn't end up with the exact results we wanted, we are so pleased with all that transpired throughout the week. Please pray that God will continue to work in Courtney's life and for wisdom for Darryl and me.

The Tallmans with one of the families we fed

On December 25th, we spent a wonderful afternoon in a local park with my parents and the Tallmans. We decided last year to spend Christmas day sharing God's love in a practical way, so we took food to the park and fed several poor families. It was such a great experience that we did it again this year. One thing that I have found to be true...it truly is better to give than to receive!

We said good-bye to the Tallmans on the night of the 25th, and went right over to pick up by brother and sister-in-law. It was great to have them here for the holidays. We celebrated our family Christmas on the 26th, and left for the beach on the 27th. I even got to celebrate my 44th birthday at my favorite restaurant on the beach! It was great to have some time just to relax and enjoy family.

When January arrived, so did the guests! We have been busy all month, and there is no end in sight. We have a full guest house, and we are also making some trips to take care of the logistics for our upcoming teams. We just returned on Saturday from Ventanas, where we set up the final arrangements for a team coming in March. It looks like everything is falling into place (Thank you, Lord!). Please pray for the students from Asbury University as they prepare to come during their spring break to do some work projects and a couple of children's programs. We will give more information on this team in the upcoming updates.

Well, I said I would give the short version so I guess I had better end this update for now. Once again, I have made a goal of doing a weekly blog update, but we'll see how that goes!

Praise Reports:

We praise him for a wonderful week of healing for our family during our time with the Tallmans.
Praise the Lord for the gift of family time that we were blessed with over the holidays.
Praise him for protection over us as we traveled this past month.
Praise the Lord for the return of the Williamsons, Pazmiños, and Orellanas. We thank him for providing the necessary funds for them to return to Ecuador. We missed them!
Praise the Lord for a great December for our support account, and thank you so much to all of you who gave during December.

Prayer Requests:

We are going to be really busy in the next several months. Please pray that the Lord will supply us with the energy and health for each upcoming activity.
Please pray for Josh and Courtney. Courtney has started her 4th semester of college and Josh is continuing to pursue his music career.
Continue to pray for our support account. We had a great December, and we are trusting God for more good months to come.

As always, we thank God for you. We are so blessed to have you as part of our ministry team. We pray that God will pour out his blessings on each of you this week!

Serving the King,
Kelly, for the Chambers

2010-12-19T18:54:00.000-06:00

It's 7:15, Sunday night. I was in the middle of watching the football game when it dawned on me that I had not written a blog lately. Last Sunday, our blog entry got forgotten in the excitement of the arrival of our daughter, Courtney. Tonight, we are awaiting the arrival of Michael and Shawnee Tallman, who have graciously offered their counseling services to us over this next week, while Courtney is here. But, this week, we know that we are in desperate need of prayer, so I am not about to let another week pass without a blog entry!

We have been faced with a very difficult situation with our daughter. She has made a life decision that we don't agree with, and we need help in knowing how to move on as a family. Thus...Michael and Shawnee's visit. We don't feel at liberty to share the specifics, but please know that we need your prayers for wisdom, patience and God's guidance this week.

For the next couple of blog entries, one of our guests has offered to write about our ministry from his viewpoint. It was a trade-off for me playing a game of Apples to Apples one night instead of writing my blog. I definitely got the better end of that deal!

I will continue to add our praise updates and prayer requests, but I thought you might enjoy hearing about what we do from someone else besides us!

Guest Blogger….part 1

Merry Christmas and ‘Hola!’ from someone who has recently left our friends at the OMS Guest House in Quito. I, along with a team from our church in north Indianapolis, have just completed a short-term mission trip to Quito and we experienced the extreme blessing of enjoying Kelly & Darryl’s hospitality. While talking with Kelly one evening, I told her she probably needed a break from writing her blog entries and perhaps her readers might like to hear of the ministry from the viewpoint of someone who has benefited from it.

Our team from Harvest Bible Chapel North Indianapolis (www.harvestnorthindy.org) stayed with Kelly and Darryl for a week while we served with Extreme Response International (www.extremeresponse.org) in their Christmas Outreach. This was a return visit for part of our team as many of us have previously been to Quito with ER. Since Extreme Response books rooms at the OMS House every year, we requested for our team to stay with the Chambers.

In order to give them a break from writing their blog posts, we’re sharing some of our thoughts and observations along with the experiences of our trip and our stay with them. Thanks for indulging us - and keep praying for Kelly & Darryl. More to follow…

Guest Blogger….part 2
As you know, Darryl and Kelly organize work teams for OMS. Even though we were in Quito with another ministry, their experience made for a very gracious and welcoming place for us because they anticipated our needs and cared for them. When we arrived, handshakes quickly turned to hugs as old friendships were renewed and new ones were made. They gave us an initial briefing in the living room with a decorated Christmas tree in the corner and we soon felt right at home. We heard about the intricacies of getting the maximum amount of hot water in the showers, where to find snacks and coffee supplies and the joys of fully functioning toilets (which are in short supply in Quito). We all agreed that it was as though the Chambers had opened their home to us – and in fact, they had. This wasn’t just about hospitality however, they were extending God’s kingdom in Quito to visitors from the states.

In the next few posts we want to share with you part of the ministry that is being accomplished in Quito and how the ministry of Kelly and Darryl Chambers at the OMS Guest House greatly facilitates it. If you are supporting or praying for them, it is your ministry, too! Check back soon for an update.

Praise Updates:

Praise the Lord for Courtney's safe arrival.
We enjoyed a wonderful Christmas celebration service at our OMS church in South Quito. We praise the Lord for the wonderful brothers and sisters in Christ at Betel.
Praise God for good health. We have been surrounded by several "sicklies" this week. We thank God for protection against the illnesses that have been being passed around.
Praise God for a good November support account. For the first time in several months our support account didn't go down. What a blessing!

Prayer Updates:

We have already asked for prayer for us as a family this week, but that is our most pressing request.
Continue to pray for our support account.
Pray for my brother Jeremiah and his wife Kate as they prepare to come to Ecuador on the 25th. It will be great to have more family here with us for the holiday.
On the 25th, we are going (along with my parents and the Tallmans) to a local park to give out food to families who are needy. We did it last year, and it was such a blessing that we have decided to make it a yearly event. Please pray that we will be able to show God's love to each family we feed. Pray also for opportunities to share the true message of Christmas with all who attend.

We pray that you have a great week and that you experience the Lord's blessings in incredible ways this week!

Serving the King,
Kelly, for the Chambers

2010-12-05T23:11:00.000-06:00

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16

This is my favorite Christmas verse. I never really thought of it as a Christmas verse until a couple of years ago. However, isn't that the reason we celebrate Christmas--because God sent his Son to the world to take on the punishment that we deserve? It is our prayer for you that your Christmas season will be centered on God and all that the gift of his son means to you and to the world; that you will focus on relishing the awesomeness of his unearned favor. Then, you can find yourself joyfully declaring with the apostle Paul, "Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!" (2 Cor.9:15--thoughts taken from devotional by Kay Arthur)

This week we have had a house full of guests. It has been a wonderful group of people who have been down here hosting Christmas parties for several thousand people from various poor areas around Quito. We have been extremely blessed as we have listened to their stories each evening. All of those who attended the parties heard the gospel, and there were several decisions for Christ. We rejoice with our new brothers and sisters in Christ!

Tomorrow Darryl and I will be traveling with my parents and our field leader and his wife, Tom and Susan Stiles, to Santo Domingo to check out a site for a future medical team. We will get the chance to work with the Tsachila Indians, which will be a first for us. We always enjoy getting to work with new people, so we are exited about the trip.

Praise Reports:

Praise the Lord for the people who accepted the Lord this week during the EXtreme Response Christmas parties.
As always, we give God the praise for the strength to make it through a week with a full guest house!
Praise God for answered prayer. A wonderful Christian counselor has volunteered to come down and do some family counseling for us while Courtney is here.

Prayer Requests:

Please pray for us as we travel tomorrow. We are going to be on one of the more dangerous roads in Ecuador.
Pray that things will go smoothly as we attempt to make arrangements for the medical team.
Pray for our guests as they return to the states on Tuesday morning.
Please continue to pray for our support account.
Continue to pray for our children and their walk with the Lord.

Have a great week!

Serving the King,

Kelly, for the Chambers

2010-11-21T21:53:00.001-06:00

"...give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men." Psalm 107:8

I LOVE Thanksgiving! It is one of my favorite holidays. There is just something about a holiday that is all about giving thanks; not asking for anything...just thanking God. Darryl and I have so much to be thankful for. We have experienced God's faithfulness and unfailing love through each ministry opportunity, through each difficult situation and in our every day walk with him. God is so good, and we thank him for all of his wonderful deeds in our lives this past year.

We finally finished the island in the kitchen. It was one of those projects that took longer than it should have, but we had a house full of guests last week, so we had to work on it in "spurts". It is good to have one thing checked off on our to-do list.

We have a busy week this week. A group of 15 arrives tonight, and we have people coming and going throughout the week. This means lots of cooking, cleaning and entertaining. We are impressed, though, that there are people out there who are willing to give up a holiday to come to serve the people of Ecuador.

Thursday, we will be spending Thanksgiving with my parents. It is such a blessing to have them here, especially during the holidays. We will have the traditional turkey, dressing and all of the trimmings. Mery and Augusto, who have been with us at the guest house since we arrived in 2005 will be joining us. They have decided that the Thanksgiving meal is the best meal of the year. They have been talking about it for weeks! And of course, it wouldn't be Thanksgiving without the Cowboys! God even takes care of the smallest details!

Praise Reports:

Praise the Lord for a finished project!
Courtney is coming for Christmas! She arrives December 12th. We are really looking forward to having her here.
Josh and his girlfriend have been attending church in Amarillo. My cousin leads worship there, and Josh has been playing with the worship team. That truly is a huge praise for Darryl and me!
Darryl spent several days not feeling well. Praise the Lord that he is better.

Prayer Requests:

This week we have to pay our medical insurance for the next year. This will take our support account down to where we basically have a month of funds left. Please continue to pray that God will bring in an "abundance" of support in the next couple of months.
Pray for our children as we are separated from them for the holidays.
Pray for our time with Courtney. We have some difficult issues to work through, and we definitely need God's guidance.
Pray that our children will seek the Lord and his will for their lives.
Pray that the Lord will allow us to be a blessing to the guests we have in the house this week.

As you celebrate Thanksgiving this week, may you remember to thank God for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds in your life!

Serving the King,

Kelly, for the Chambers

2010-11-07T22:32:00.001-06:00

But as for me, I trust in you, O LORD; I say, "You are my God. My times are in your hands."

Psalm 31:14-15

I recently read a daily devotion that really spoke to me. It seems like when things are going my way I find it easy to trust in God and his timing. However, when I am facing a situation that seems to have no end in sight, I question God's timing in answering my prayers. I want results to my prayers right away. In this devotion that I read Kay Arthur says, "God does not want compliant resignation. When life is difficult, God wants us to have a faith that doesn't complain while waiting but rejoices because we know our times are in His hands--nail-scarred hands that labor for our highest good." What an encouraging thought to know that God is laboring for my highest good...in EVERY situation.

making bracelets

Thank you for your prayers for our "Pastors' Day". We had such a fun time. There were 100 confirmed to come, but we ended up with around 40 people, due to the holiday and the difficulty in finding transportation. I think God, in his infinite wisdom, brought exactly who needed to come. It was a day of great encouragement for the pastors and their families. We enjoyed getting to know each of them and spending the day with them.

one of the banana plantation churches

Darryl had a very productive trip to scout out future places for ministry with Joe Gionti and Scott Kennedy, our two visitors from Pennsylvania. The three of them, plus my dad, left Thursday to visit some "churches" located outside of La Union in the middle of several banana plantations. I put churches in quotation marks, because basically these are new areas where we are planting churches, and right now they consist of some benches located outside of homes. Joe and Scott were very touched by what they saw and see the potential for some great ministry to occur in these areas. We look forward to what God will bring forth from this trip.

Praise Reports:

We praise God for the wonderful notes and words of encouragement we received from so many of you this past week. God used you to lift our spirits. Thank you!
Praise him for protection over us during our travels. I think Joe and Scott have a new understanding of just what we mean when we ask for prayer while we travel. It definitely is an exhausting ordeal.
We praise God for the opportunity that he gave us to fellowship with and encourage the pastors of the North Coast district. Not only that, but we thank God for the privilege of allowing us to work in ministry alongside my parents. What a gift!

Praise Requests:

Although the trip to La Union was productive, our pick-up did not fair so well. The air conditioner went out, and someone slit the tarp that covers our pick-up bed with a knife. Please pray for us as we attempt to get these things repaired this week.
We have a full guest house once again this coming week. Please pray that the Holy Spirit will fill this house with his presence so that our house will truly be a place of rest for our guests. Pray also for energy and for the Lord's provision of grace so that we will be hosts who reflect God's love to each person who passes through our doors.
Pray that we will be able to finish the kitchen project this week, as we have some other things we need to tackle before the end of the year.
Continue to pray for Josh and Courtney and their walk with the Lord.
Please continue to pray for our support account.

We pray that you have a truly blessed week this week.

Serving the King,

Kelly, for the Chambers

2010-10-31T22:51:00.000-05:00

Surprise!!! I haven’t let a month pass between updates. I hope the shock doesn’t get to you. I have made a goal to send out an update every Sunday, even if I don’t have a lot to say, just so you will know how to pray for the week. Right now, it would be great if you could offer up a prayer for the Texas Rangers, as it looks like they are digging themselves a huge hole in this World Series! :)

Actually, Darryl and I have had a busier week than we expected. We did start one of our guest house projects, but we have also had a full guest house all week, which we weren’t expecting. One group of guests was several MAF (Mission Aviation Fellowship) missionaries. They came for the dedication of the refurbished Nate Saint house in Shell. I’m sure most of you know of the story of the 5 missionaries who were killed by the Woarani Indians. If you don’t, you should watch the movie The End of the Spear. We received a wonderful update from one of the missionaries today with pictures of the worship service they held in the refurbished house. They house was full of Christian Woaranis who were singing praise and worship songs along with the missionaries and visitors. It was a touching picture and a reminder of just how awesome God is!

This week, once again, Darryl and I have a “full plate”. We are leaving tomorrow for Quevedo (a small town about 5 hours away) to attend a pastors’ retreat on Tuesday. Darryl and I are responsible for some group activities which should be fun. It will be a day to celebrate the pastors of the North Coast District, which is the district that my parents are the liaisons for. We are looking forward to a day of fun with our national pastors and their families.

We return on Wednesday and immediately will be receiving two men from Pennsylvania that evening. They are coming to Ecuador to scout out some potential places to bring future teams. Darryl will be traveling to Yanzatza, La Union and to our camp at Pallatanga. That is A LOT of traveling! They will only be here for 5 days, so this will be a packed trip for the three of them. I will be staying here and running the guest house, as we have several guests booked for the time Darryl will be gone.

Praise Updates:

• Praise the Lord for a productive week even though we had a house full of guests. Darryl was able to get the island for the kitchen completely constructed.

• Praise the Lord for safe travels for Josh. He traveled back from New York to Texas, passing through some dangerous weather areas. They made it back with no trouble.

• Praise the Lord for good health and for his hand of protection over us during the week.

Prayer Requests:

• Pray for us as we travel tomorrow and Wednesday, and for Darryl, Joe and Scott as they travel around Ecuador this next week.

• Pray that we will be an encouragement to the pastors and their families on Tuesday.

• Pray that the guys will have a productive trip and that they will listen to the Lord as they search out future ministry sites.

• Pray for Josh. He is really suffering with what we think is gastritis. Pray for God’s healing.

• Pray for Courtney as she continues to struggle in her walk with the Lord.

• Please continue to pray for our support account. Pray for wisdom for us as we look at where we can cut expenses.

We continue to give God thanks for each one of you. It has been a long time since we have felt like we have been in the “valley”. Even though we are experiencing the valley right now, we have such confidence and hope in the Lord, and we have the confidence of knowing we have some incredible prayer warriors praying for us daily. May God richly bless each one of you!

Serving the King,

Kelly, for the Chambers

2010-10-24T20:20:00.000-05:00

"Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." 1 Corinthians 15:58

This was one of the verses used in church today as we talked about having faith in a God who always comes through “for our good”. It is one of my favorite verses, especially since becoming a missionary. It is our prayer and sincere desire to always give ourselves fully to God’s work, and we are truly thankful to each one of you for your partnership in this ministry to which God has called us.

We enjoyed a wonderful time in the states. Yes…I said we. When I asked for prayers in our last update, I asked you to pray for Darryl as he traveled to the states. I didn’t mention that I was coming as well, because I wanted to surprise my kids. It was fun to see Courtney’s face when I walked out of the airport instead of Darryl (he was held up in Houston due to the tropical storm that passed through that day!) We had a much needed time of relaxation, fellowship with dear friends and family, and even got the chance to speak at a couple of churches which was an absolute joy for us. Thank you for your prayers for us as we traveled.

We returned October 4th, and hit the ground running. We had a medical team coming in on the 9th, so we went to San Juan (where we held the medical clinic) on Wednesday, the 6th, to make sure everything was in working order and ready for the team. The bathroom was not working, so we had to return Saturday and spend that afternoon and most of Sunday getting it ready. Together with my mom and dad, we were able to get both stalls and the sink working and ready for the clinic, which started on Monday. It was a fun time, even though we were dripping sweat, and once again I was reminded how blessed I am to be able to serve the Lord alongside my parents.

The "Triage" Team

We saw 822 patients during the week. We had two Ecuadorian doctors and a team of five who came from the states to serve the Lord and the people from Ecuador. Darryl made sure order was kept and that the medical group’s needs were taken care of during the week. I had the opportunity to visit with EVERY patient who came in, as I wrote down their reason for wanting to see the doctor. Oh, if I only had the time to tell you just how interesting it is to ask Ecuadorians what their problem is! There were several decisions made to accept Christ that week, but one of the great things I noticed is that many of the patients who came already had a relationship with the Lord. That was very encouraging.

Now, we have a couple of months of break time before we start working on next year’s teams. We will continue to have guests in the guest house, but no teams. During the next few months, we are tackling some projects that need to be done at the guest house. These are projects that we have needed to do for a long time, so we are excited about having the opportunity to get them finished.

Praise Reports:

• Praise the Lord for a successful medical team, for good health during the week and for the new brothers and sisters we have in Christ.

• Praise the Lord for time to work on some guest house projects.

• Praise the Lord that Josh has made the decision to get involved in church again.

• Praise the Lord for faithful ministry partners who continue to pray and to give financially so that we can

can continue to serve the Lord here in Ecuador.

Prayer Requests:

• Pray for the “Pastors’ Day” that we will be a part of on November 2nd. We will be working with mom and dad in their district to honor the pastors and their families. Pray that we will have safe travel and that we will be a blessing and encouragement to those who sacrifice so much to serve the Lord in the role of pastor.

• Pray for Courtney. She is facing some tough decisions in her life and needs God’s guidance.

• Pray for our support account. We are watching it go down little by little each month. Pray that God will bring in new supporters and that he will put our ministry on the minds of those who have supported us in the past.

Have a great week!

Serving the King,

Kelly, for the Chambers

Rest for the Weary

2010-08-29T19:34:00.000-05:00

Silence, glorious silence! It has been a busy four months, with groups and guests in and out of our home, lots of travels and many, many ministry opportunities. Now, we sit in silence. For the first time in months we have a quiet home. Of course, it will only last until 11:00 P.M., when Darryl brings the next group of guests from the airport, but for the next couple of hours, we will enjoy the silence.

Another month has passed since my last update. How in the world that continues to happen I have no idea! In our last update we asked you to pray for our mission retreat that was being held here at the guest house. We had a wonderful time. The team that came from Canada really came prepared to serve. Darryl and I especially enjoyed it because it meant we didn't have to cook. We definitely left with our bellies filled to overflowing! Our speakers for the week filled our hearts and our minds to overflowing with the Word of God. The children learned about the armor of God, and everyday the kids came from class wearing a new piece of armor and telling us all about what each piece meant. We were so blessed! Thank you for praying for us and for the team. It was an absolutely wonderful and much needed week for our mission family.

The house has been full ever since our retreat, and we have thoroughly enjoyed getting to minister to those who have come to Ecuador to bring God's good news and his love to the people here. It amazes us how the Lord can use any gift we offer him to bless others. We are so thankful to be able to serve God through this guest house.

Now....REST TIME! We are going to take the next month off to recuperate. Darryl will be traveling to Texas for the month of September. He has some personal business to take care of. We would appreciate your prayers as he is trying to get everything taken care of while he is there in order to avoid having to make a trip back. We thought he would be able to easily get everything done, but it seems that is not the case. Please pray that God will supernaturally intervene to speed up the paperwork and the entire process. While he is there, he is also hoping to do some speaking at some churches and small groups about what all the Lord has allowed us to be a part of over the last two and a half years that we have been back. Would you please pray with us that the Lord will provide opportunities for Darryl while he is there? He will be there from September 7th through October 4th (that is for our Texas panhandle friends who might be interested in having Darryl speak at your church or small group).

When he returns in October it is back to work. We have a medical team coming four days after his return. We will be ministering in San Juan, a town located in the North Coast District, where my parents minister, so we will get the privilege of ministering with them again. Yippee!! Please pray for all of the last minute details to come together and for God to be preparing the hearts of the team that is coming as well as the team here in Ecuador. Pray that he will already be working in the hearts of each person who comes to the medical clinic. Physical healing is why they come, but spiritual healing is what we pray for!

We pray that all of you have had a blessed summer. As we begin preparing for next year's teams, would you pray about possibly coming on one? Maybe you can lead your church in it's first mission trip ever! If you are interested, we would love to visit with you about the possibilities for next year. Our email address is dkchamb1@gmail.com . Pray about it...it could be a life-changing experience!

Serving the King,

Kelly, for the Chambers

Oh, The Places You Will Go!

2010-07-17T11:18:00.000-05:00

Oh The Places You Will Go…if Dr. Seuss hadn’t already written this book, Darryl and I certainly would be able to. We have definitely traveled all over Ecuador during the last five weeks. It has been a wonderful experience, leaving us feeling tired yet ready for more! Thank you so much for your prayers for us as over the past weeks. God has been our source of energy and strength throughout each trip we have taken. His faithfulness has been so evident with each team. How we LOVE what we do! Here is a little of what has been going on recently….

Wayland Baptist University Team, June 9-23

We had a group of 10 come down from WBU. It was very exciting for us, as that is the university our daughter attends. This was what is known as a “scouting team”, as they came to see what ministries they might like to partner with in the future. They combined college credit classes with a mission trip, so we were able to do lots of things. We climbed a mountain, trekked through the jungle, went canyoning and white-water rafting, worked at a construction site for a new orphanage, held a three-day VBS for the kids of the orphanage, and attended a church service of a new church that has joined the association we work with. We all felt challenged many times during the trip, but that was when we were able to see God come through and to draw our strength from Him. It really was a wonderful two weeks, and we are so excited to form a partnership with WBU

Murphy’s Landing, June 26-July 4

A group of 13 came with this group. We went to La Union to hold a VBS and a marriage seminar. We had our hands full with an average of 300 kids coming to VBS (we had over 350 the last day!). At night, we had over 100 couples attend the marriage seminar based on the movie Fireproof. Darryl and I found ourselves in constant prayer during this week, as the group was definitely stretched to their limits. God was so good to completely take care of all our concerns…the lodging, the food, the weather, the mosquitoes…everything we were worried about ended up being taken care of. We saw several couples give their lives to the Lord during the marriage seminar. We were the first mission group to ever come to this town, and they were so appreciative. The church we worked with was able to take great encouragement from this team, and many doors were open for future ministry opportunities in La Union. Thank you, Lord!

Ovid Community Church, July 6-14

This is Ovid’s third time to come to Ecuador. This year they brought a group of 17, many of whom had been here before. Ovid has committed to partnering with the Central District, and it has been such a blessing to see so many wonderful friendships formed over the past three years. This year they worked at Betel, a church in South Quito. They painted all of the Sunday school rooms and held a three-day VBS in the afternoons. On Saturday, they held a church summit where they offered several workshops for leaders in the churches of the Central District. They closed the summit with a foot-washing ceremony. There are no words to express that afternoon. It was the first time any of the Ecuadorian in attendance had ever experienced anything like that. We were all moved to tears as we saw husbands washing their wive's feet, mentors washing the feet of the pastors who mentored them, and so many more touching pictures of people humbling themselves before others. It was a wonderful afternoon. Darryl and I were so touched to see the union of hearts between brothers and sisters in Christ who don’t share the same language or culture. They truly show an example of one church, one body, one calling.

We wanted to say a special thank you to Alan, Tandi, Olivia and Anna Landes. Alan has led the Ovid team for the last three years. This summer he and his family came down two weeks before the Ovid team arrived to help run the guest house while we were gone with teams. They were such a blessing to us, as well as to the

guests who passed through our house during those two weeks. May God richly bless you, Landes family, for your sacrificial service to your King!

We also have a special prayer request. While Alan was here, he, Doug Tankersley and Pastor Antonio Zabala held a meeting for our FLET students. FLET is a program that allows people to study at home and at their local church to become leaders of our churches. On the way home from the meeting, the FLET students returning to Ibarra were in a very serious accident. Three students were killed and many are still in the hospital. It was a devastating blow for all of us. However, God has continued to strengthen the church at Ibarra, and we have had several members of the church who have called asking to be able to join the FLET program to carry on the work of those who died. Please pray for Pastor Hebert and the members of the church in Ibarra. Pray for the family members of those who died and for those who are still in the hospital. We know that in all things God WILL be glorified!

Field Retreat, July 27-31

We ask your prayers for our last team of the summer. They arrive from Canada on Monday. Some of them will stay here at Quito and work on the guest house. The others are headed to Loja to do a Vacation Bible School for a week. Then, starting on Tuesday, July 27th, this same team will minister to all of the missionaries here with OMS. We will have our annual field retreat here at the guest house. Please pray for strength and health for the Canadian team. Pray that the Lord will guide them as they do their VBS in Loja and as they minister to each of us during the field retreat. Pray also that our time together as a mission family will be a time to reconnect with each other, a time to get some much needed rest and just a sweet time of fellowship.

Thank you so much for your faithful partnership in this wonderful ministry in which God has placed us. We pray that our Heavenly Father will bless you with every spiritual blessing in Christ.

Serving the King,

Kelly, for the Chambers

2010-06-07T12:30:00.000-05:00

“Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength…But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him.”
Jeremiah 17:5,7

It is always about this time, when Darryl and I are “knee-deep” in teams, guests, and so many things going on, that we get a little nervous. Have we done enough? Have we thought of everything that needs to be taken care of before the teams arrive? Have our Ecuadorian partners done their parts to prepare for the teams? What else can we do? Today, during my devotion time, I read these verses in Jeremiah. I could barely keep my mind on what I was reading because of thinking about what all needed to be done today and in the next couple of days. It seems like Darryl and I tend to put the focus on us, and what all we must do to make these trips a success, when really, our trust and confidence need to be in the Lord, who is the one in control anyway! Please pray that as the time quickly approaches for the arrival of our teams for the summer, that we will realize who is in control, that we will seek his will, and that we will not be focused on us and our ability to put together a meaningful experience for these teams, but that we will allow God to “do his thing”, and that we will give him the glory for what he accomplishes this summer with our teams.

Before I get into the upcoming events, I want to give you an update and a praise report on our medical team and the women’s retreat.

Medical Team:
We always enjoy the nursing students from UIndy who come every May. This year they were accompanied by three doctors and a dentist. We held medical clinics in two different places: Biblian and La Villa. We were able to see about 500 patients during the week and had over 250 decisions to accept Christ. Praise the Lord! We had a wonderful team of Ecuadorians who counseled with each person. This Ecuadorian team is also responsible for the follow-up of each person who made a decision for Christ or requested a home visit. I had the chance to talk with two of the team members recently, and they are so excited about what God is doing. So far, they have been able to locate each family they have looked for, and have been invited in to visit with the family every time. That is not always the case. They are praising God for the results that they are seeing. Please keep Sergio, Jacob and Pablo in your prayers as they continue to make home visits and get these new believers plugged into a church.

Women’s Retreat:
I asked you to pray for the Central District women’s retreat that we held at the guest house on May 21-23. Up until the actual time that they were to arrive, we had no idea how many were coming. We had planned for 30, but, as often happens, even though they were supposed to be registered to come, there was no one registered ahead of time. We did some serious praying that day because we were afraid that there would be 50 show up, and not enough room, food or materials for all of them. When it was all said and done, there were exactly 30 women who came to the retreat. God is so good! Thank you for praying for my mom and for me, as she spoke and I led the worship. She did a great job, and even though it was definitely confirmed that I was not called to lead worship, we were able to have a good worship time. The women had a wonderful time, and were truly blessed by their time together. They were also very touched by Darryl, Doug Tankersley and my dad, who served them all weekend. I think that might have been their favorite thing of the whole weekend! One of the things we realized is that there are a lot of hurting women here in Ecuador. We have received several prayer requests from women with very serious issues. Please pray, along with us, that these women will see victory in their lives and in each situation they face.

Upcoming Teams:
Our first team arrives on Wednesday. They will be here from the 9th through the 23rd. This is a group of college students from Wayland Baptist University in Texas (where our daughter attends). We will be spending the majority of our time near the jungle. Right now, Tungurahua, a volcano located right where we are going to be, is very active. We have not come up with a plan B, but we are praying for God’s wisdom. The group is scheduled to work at an orphanage, to attend a jungle course and to do some adventure sports (all for college credits). It is going to be very difficult to come up with something else this late. Please pray that God will either calm down the volcano, or miraculously bring to our attention some other opportunity. Either way, we pretty much need a miracle!

Our next team arrives on June 26th. They are coming from Murphy’s Landing, a church in Indiana. They will be doing a VBS, a marriage seminar and some work on the church there. We are taking them to a very poor area called La Union. My parents are the liaisons for this area, so we will be working with them during this week. We are expecting up to 300 children and 100 couples, so we are going to have our hands full! Please pray for the team as they prepare to come. Pray that all of the last minute details will work themselves out, and for safety and health for all of us.

We have two more teams after that, but I will write about them in the next email, as this has already turned into a small novel!

One big praise note:
Our support account continues to remain in the black. Last month we even brought in more money than we spent! Thank you to all of you who support us financially. Having a positive support account allows us to focus on what God has called us to do here in Ecuador.

Thank you so much for your prayers. We sense them every day. It brings us such comfort to know our ministry is the hands of so many amazing prayer warriors. We love each of you, and we are praying for you, too.

Serving the King,
Kelly, for the Chambers

Praise & Prayer Update

2010-04-27T19:54:00.007-05:00

"This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us--whatever we ask--we know that we have what we asked of him." 1 John 5:14-15

I don't think we realize how busy we actually are until I look at how long ago I sent out our last update. A whole month—WOW! It's definitely been an eventful one.
(Of course, lately, they all are!)

We had a full guest house this past month, which seems to be the case these days. However, we had one special guest who really touched our hearts. Gelen (you would pronounce it Helen) was dropped off at an orphanage in Shell by a desperate mother who had nowhere else to go. The lady who runs the guest house immediately brought her to Quito for medical attention. She was 11 months old, weighed 10 pounds and was struggling for every breath that night when she arrived. Of course, Darryl and I, being the baby-lovers that we are, took her immediately when she arrived and held her for the longest time. Our hearts were taken with this baby. She was quite the fighter in the hospital, but her little body had been through too much, and it eventually shut down. Heaven has inherited one precious, little girl. We don’t really know anything about Gelen’s family, but we would ask you to pray that they would see God’s love revealed to them in an amazing way through the loss of their daughter.

Thank you for praying for the women’s retreat. We had a wonderful time of fellowship. We were able to pamper ourselves, shop, eat at great restaurants…all of those girly things! God has really blessed us with a great OMS Ecuador family, and we are truly grateful for each of them.

Darryl and I will be heading out tomorrow to drop off some furniture at our camp and take some VBS material to one of the churches that we are going to bring a team to this summer. As I have mentioned before, traveling is always a concern (especially for me, the second most nervous passenger I know…my mom would be the first, so it runs in the family!). Please pray for safe travels, for good health and for a productive meeting with the VBS teachers in La Union. I just spent three days being sick, so I am not anxious to go there again! We will be back on Friday in time to receive some guests.

On May 4th-14th we will be working with a group of nursing students from University of Indiana. This is the third year for us to work with this group, and we always look forward to them coming. We will be having a medical clinic in Azogues. As always, pray for travel safety and good health, but we would also ask you to pray that we would be a light in that community that would draw people to come and know the true healer.

One last prayer request: May 21-23 we are hosting a women’s retreat for the women in the central district. That is the district we live in. My mom will be speaking on the fruits of the spirit, and I will be leading worship. The thing is, I am really just learning to play the keyboard, I am not a worship leader and all of this has to be in Spanish. Okay…you can guess my prayer request. That’s right—A MIRACLE! I’m sure my mom would appreciate your prayers as well.

I have the verses from 1 John 5 posted on a note card that I can see every day. They not only remind me of the confidence I can place in my prayers, but they also remind me of the confidence I have in you as our prayer warriors. We know that you pray for God’s will in every situation that you lift before the throne concerning us, our ministry and our children. Thank you so much for your partnership with us in these ministries that we are so blessed to be a part of!

Serving the King,
Kelly, for the Chambers

Praise & Prayer Update

2010-03-30T18:37:00.000-05:00

“He made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in him." 2 Corinthians 5:21

Easter is my favorite holiday, simply because of what it stands for. The fact that God sent his son to earth is an amazing act of love, but the fact that Jesus died on the cross in my place…well that is just mind-blowing to me. This verse is particularly meaningful to me this year, as I think about Jesus’ death on the cross. When God looks at me now, he sees me as righteous. Not because of anything I am or because of anything I have done, but because of Christ took my place on the cross. Thank you, Jesus!

This month has been a busy one for us. We have made two trips with my parents to the North Coast District. The first trip was to get to know the pastors of that district. The second was to attend a joint worship service between two churches. Reality set in when we got to San Juan for the joint worship service only to find out that the host church didn’t know anything about it, and had already made plans for a mini marriage seminar. Most of the pastors of this district live in poverty, not owning a computer, a cell phone, or even a land-line phone…the things that Darryl and I take for granted. Therefore, communication becomes a big issue. Please pray for Xavier Borja and my parents, Mike and Bonnie Shrode, as they work together to find ways to improve communication within the district. One praise note…we saw the Lord move in a very touching way among the couples that attended the marriage seminar. Displays of affection are not common among married couples, but it was so touching to see so many couples asking each other for forgiveness, crying and praying together. We went for one reason, but we were totally blessed in a way we didn’t expect. God is good!

We have had a full guest house, which has been fun for us. We had three days in March with no guests, so that gave us a chance to catch up on some rest. April looks to be another very busy month. Please pray that God will continue to provide us with the energy that we need to serve our guests.

Darryl will be traveling quite a bit this month. He is scheduled to travel April 8-11 to Cuenca and Yantzaza. Later on this month he will be traveling to Pallatanga. Traveling in this country is always a safety issue, so please pray for God’s protective hand to be on Darryl as he travels. Pray for me as well, as I will be running the guest house “solo” during those times.

April 16-18 we will have a women’s retreat for all of the missionary women here with OMS. There are few times during the year that we get to see each other, so I am looking forward to that weekend. Please pray for each of us as we travel, and that the Lord will bless our fellowship.

We pray that you have a very blessed Easter.

Serving the King,
Kelly, for the Chambers

Praise & Prayer Update

2010-03-05T10:32:00.000-06:00

"Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain."

1 Cor. 15:58

This verse is one of the verses I have posted on a notecard in our house where we can see it every day. What a wonderful promise and word of encouragement this is from the Lord! There are times when we wonder if we are making any difference in God's kingdom by being here. We deal with daily frustrations and often don't see the "fruits" of our labor. Then, we come home, see this verse, and are reminded that our work is not in vain, and we are encouraged to press onward. Dear friends, we pray that you will receive the same encouragement from this verse. Know that anything you do for the Lord, whether it is on the "front lines" or supporting those who are is never in vain. Thank you, Lord!

It has been a while since our last update, and I apoligize for not doing better at communicating with you. I always have such great intentions, but...well, you know how it is with my good intentions--they often go unrealized! We do think about you and pray for you every day. You are so important to our ministry through your prayers and financial support, and we pray for God's blessing and protection over your lives as you continue to partner with us in such sacrificial ways. We are so thankful for each of you.

The guest house was very busy in February. There were only four days when we didn't have guests! The Lord has really blessed and grown this ministry over the past year. It is quickly becoming a full-time ministry in itself. Because of that fact, we would ask you to be in prayer for us as we seek guidance for our future. We want to be in God's will concerning our ministry here in Ecuador, whether it is running the guest house or coordinating the short-term mission teams.

We recently completed a ministry trip with my parents to the North Coast District. My parents are the liaisons of that district, and we are looking at bringing some teams into that area. My heart was burdened for the pastors of that area. It is a very poor district, and many of our pastors live in extreme situations, yet they faithfully serve the Lord with grateful hearts for his blessings in their lives. The question that continued to plague me throughout the trip was, "Lord, why is it that I was born in such a blessed nation, in a loving family, with every need I ever had met without even giving it a second thought?" I believe the Lord's answer came in the form of a verse that he brought to my mind, "...From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded." Please pray for us as we begin the process of finding teams to come to this area. We truly believe that God has laid it on our hearts to bless the pastors of this district. Pray that as we seek God's will concerning the North Coast, he will reveal himself clearly to us.

A year ago I had the opportunity to share my testimony with a group of women at the English Fellowship Church. There wasa high school girl in attendance that night who had suffered a very similar past as mine. She asked me if I would be willing to meet with her, and we had our first meeting three weeks ago. The Lord has really blessed that time, and each week I am able to recognize more and more just what a wonderful work of healing God has done in my life as I share with her and listen to her. Please pray for me as I meet with this young lady. Pray for wisdom as I try to guide her closer to the Father, who can completely restore her life as he is doing in mine.

Darryl is at a men's retreat as I am writing this update. He is with the other OMS missionaries from Ecuador. Please pray that they will have a wonderful time of fellowhip, that they will each return refreshed, and for safe travel home on Sunday.

Thank you for your partnership. We know that we are only able to be here because you said, "Yes!" when the Lord laid us on your hearts. May he richly repay you for your obedience and for your faithfulness.

Serving the King,

Kelly, for the Chambers

Back Home Again

2009-10-23T12:01:00.000-05:00

Greetings from a sunny Quito. We have had three days of no sun, so the bright sunshine today is most welcome! We have finally entered the rainy season which was much needed because everything was looking brown. Pretty soon, things will be looking green and lush. I guess it's just the opposite of what you all are experiencing in the states.

Thank you for your prayers for us over the last month. Our missionary-pastor retreat went well. We had a wonderful time of fellowship. We were a little disappointed because there weren't many pastors there, but it was a good beginning to what we hope will be an annual event. We had a wonderful speaker who talked to us about dealing with change. God sent just the right man to speak to us at just the right time, as we all seemed to be going through some real changes in our lives. We were able to pray and worship together for two days, and even found time to fit in some volleyball. It was a great time together with our Ecuadorian co-laborers in Christ.

After the retreat, we headed off to La Libertad to help with a medical team. We had an amazing week! The Ecuadorian brothers and sisters that we partnered with were so great. They had everything organized and ready for us to go when we arrived. They served us all week with such love, and they truly ministered to the team of doctors and nurses who came from the states. We saw close to 700 patients throughout the week. The best part is that 213 people made decisions to accept Christ for the first time. Praise the Lord! Now comes the huge task of following up on each person. Please pray for Pastor Gerardo and the members of the church as they begin the process of getting those new believers plugged into churches.

After some much needed days of vacation in Guayaquil (thank you Pablo and Rebecca), we are now back in Quito getting ready for our next event which is tomorrow. We are hosting a Pastor Appreciation Day for the pastors in the North District. The pastors and their families have been invited for a day of fun and fellowship. We are busy getting ready for 50+ people. We have been able to put together gift bags for each of the pastors and their families, as well as gift bags for each church's Sunday school program. We want to say thank you to the many teams that brought down boxes of crayons, scissors, glue, paints, markers, stickers, etc...Because of you, there are 14 churches who now have supplies for their Sunday school classes. MUCHAS GRACIAS! Please pray for us tomorrow. Most of the pastors will be traveling by bus to get here, so pray for their safe travel. Pray that our time of fellowship will be sweet, and pray for Tom Bowen, who will be our guest speaker for the event.

We currently have a group of 16 in the guest house. They arrived last night and will be here for a week. Please pray for them as they spend this week ministering in Quito and Salcedo.

We would also ask that you be in prayer for my dad, Mike Shrode, this week. He has had a biopsy of a lymph node done and should go in this Friday for the results. Please join us in praying that the doctors will find him cancer free.

We love you and appreciate your partnership. We pray that God will richly bless you and keep you this coming week.

Serving the King,
Kelly (for the Chambers)

We're Alive!!!

2009-09-23T14:53:00.000-05:00

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

2009-06-11T21:45:00.000-05:00

Well, we knew it was coming, and it's just around the corner---the empty nest. Waaaahhhhh! (That would be me crying!) Tomorrow Courtney will graduate from high school. We have such mixed emotions. We are so proud of Courtney and the wonderful young woman that she has become, and we are so excited to see where the Lord will take her. Yet, it seems like there is a tear just on the verge of falling anytime we think of her leaving. She has one final exam that she will take tomorrow morning, and then she will finally (as she says) be done with high school. She will be returning to Texas on June 17th where she will work as a waitress for the summer--her first job, by the way. Then, on August 5th she will begin the next phase of her life--college. She will be going to Wayland Baptist University where she plans on playing soccer and majoring in sports and exercise science. We want to thank you so much for praying for our children over the years. Please pray for Courtney during this time of transition in her life.

We have had a special blessing this week. Three of Courtney's friends from the states are here for her graduation. Courtney has spent the week showing them around Quito. Yesterday we were able to go to a soccer game between Ecuador and Argentina, which was quite an experience. Ecuadorians are extremely passionate about their soccer team! We were relieved that Ecuador won, as we could forsee a riot coming if they didn't. Courtney and her friends are planning on taking a trip on Saturday to a town about four hours from Quito to go canyoning and white-water rafting. Please pray for their safety as they travel and as they participate in some adventurous activities over the next couple of days. They will be returning on Monday just in time for Courtney to pack and leave on Wednesday.

We had an unfortunate event happen at the soccer game. At the end of the game, as we were leaving, Darryl got his wallet stolen. He knew exactly when it happened, but there were so many people crowding around us that there was no way of knowing who had taken it. We weren't as concerned about losing the money as we were the documents that were in it. Replacing documents here is no easy task. Darryl is going to have to get a new driver's license, and we both lost our documents that show we are legal to live here. Please pray for us as we begin the process of renewing the stolen documents.

We currently have 22 guests at the house. They will be here through the 18th, and then we have a team coming to work on the guest house from the 20th-30th. We will be painting the outside of the house and replacing the rain gutters, as well as whatever other jobs we might be able to accomplish. We also will be taking a little time out to do some evangelizing while they are here. Please pray that we will be able to get everything ready this week.

We have been so blessed over the past couple of months to see God doing amazing things through the teams we have worked with. Over 300 people have come to know the Lord. Two foundations have been laid for a church and a pastoral training center. We have given medical attention to more than 1300 people. We hosted a vision clinic in the women's prison that lead to an increase in our Bible study attendance from 35 to 60 women. Wow--just reading this gives me goose bumps! We hope that you don't think that your prayers and financial support aren't making a difference here in Ecuador. You are a huge part of our team, and you share in each victory. We love and appreciate each one of you!

Serving the King,

Kelly, for the Chambers

2009-04-07T21:48:00.000-05:00

What an amazing two weeks we have had! The Lord has blessed us with the opportunity to work with so many wonderful teams. These last two weeks were no exception.

On March 21-28, I had the privilege of hosting the Dynamic Women in Missions team. This group of women came down to spend a week in three different areas of the country to get a better understanding of just how women across the world are involved in ministry. Their desire was to get to know personally women who are involved in building God's kingdom in Ecuador. We visited Guayaquil, Cuenca and Quito. During this time they were able to get to know the pastors' wives, other women with leadership roles in various churches and the OMS missionaries in each area. The ladies had several opportunities to minister to their Ecuadorian sisters in Christ despite the language differences. In one of the meetings we had, Patricia, a pastor's wife, had been going through several months of difficult trials in her ministry. We were able to have a wonderful time of prayer with her. Before she left she said that there were a few events in her life that she considered treasures, and that the time of prayer we had for her was one of those treasured events. The funny thing was that she was not even going to attend the meeting because she didn't know what to expect. It was a wonderul week in which the ladies got a better understanding of how to pray for and to partner with women in ministries here in Ecuador.

On March 27th through April 4th, a team from Ovid Community Church arrived to do a week of ministry in two different towns. Part of the group went to Riobamba to help with the construction of a new church. Darryl and I spent the week with them. We were able to build the frames for the columns of the church. During the week we were also able to attend two cell groups. The members of the group shared their testimonies and sang songs (in English) for each group. Darryl and I were blessed, as we always are, to see how cultural and language differences are overcome and two complete groups of strangers quickly become brothers and sisters in Christ. The second group went to Salcedo to spend the week working with the members of our OMS church there to do evangelizing. They did a drama in the market and visited door to door presenting the gospel in several different ways. Doug Tankersley went with this team and reported to us that they lost track of how many people accepted the Lord as their Savior during the week. It was a wonderful week of ministry in both towns.

Tonight we attended the spring sports' banquet at Courtney's school. Courtney fractured her right hand and had to miss the last two weeks of her basketball season, but she still received the Most Valuable Player and Best Offensive Player awards. She is done with sports for the rest of the school year, and now is just waiting to graduate. She has 8 weeks left of school. Please pray that she will finish her senior year well. Pray also that she will be able to find a job for the summer. She has been accepted to Wayland Baptist University in Plainview, Texas. She is hoping to get a job in our home town for the summer before she heads to school.

Josh is looking for a job as well. He quit his job thinking that he would be living in Austin by now, but his plans have changed, so now he is looking for another job until he moves. Please pray that something will come his way soon. He is wanting to come down for Courtney's graduation, but without a job, it will be very difficult.

We are so thankful for your faithful prayers for our ministry. We have seen God working in amazing ways over the past several weeks, and we feel so privileged to be a part of it. Through your prayers and your faithful financial support, you are a huge part of it as well. We are praying that God will richly bless you as you remain faithful to his call on your lives to support missions around the world.

Serving the King,

Kelly, for the Chambers

March 20, 2009

2009-03-20T18:43:00.000-05:00

Well, for those of you who receive our prayer updates and were expecting this a week ago--sorry. Life in the guest house is hopping these days which keeps us quite busy. I did want to catch you up on life here in Ecuador before I leave for the week.

The women's day we planned for February 14th went very well. My mom, Cindy and I were

somewhat concerned when we saw the ladies coming in for the day, because, at first glance, it looked like we didn't have much in common. Our theme for the day was "Extravagant Love", and these ladies had no idea what the word extravagant meant. Most of them knew only poverty and very hard work their whole lives. As we watched them coming in we just had to stop and pray--once again--giving the day to the Lord and asking him to bridge the differences between us. That was exactly what he did. It was amazing to watch how the Lord moved throughout the day. My favorite part of the day was when we asked the women to pray in partners. We gave them some hand lotion and asked them to massage each other's hands as they prayed. At first they were unsure what to do, so my mom partnered with one of the women to give an example. It was so moving to see each couple praying for each other, crying, sharing burdens with each other and pampering each other with a hand massage--many receiving this kind of pampering for the first time in their lives. The whole day was just amazing!

At the end of February, we had the privilege of working with a team from Pennsylvania. They were here for two weeks. During that time we hosted several medical and vision clinics. Because the team had 28 members, we were able to hold VBS activities for children and the distribution of new shoes during the medical and vision clinics. We had an evangelism day at a local park and worked one evening at Opcion de Vida (Option of Life), sharing with several 12 to 17 year old homeless boys. We were amazed at how inhibited they were in sharing the gospel, even though none of them spoke much Spanish. We were also touched by the youth on the team. They did several puppet shows, worked with the VBS activities and washed countless numbers of little, dirty feet as they gave out new shoes.

We took Courtney in on the day before her 18th birthday to the emergency room to have her hand checked out. She was playing around during basketball practice on Friday evening and hit a pole. It had padding around it, but the padding was deceiving, and she ended up fracturing her hand. She will have to keep in bandaged and ina sling for the next 4 to 6 weeks. The doctor told us that if the bone does not reconnect in the next four weeks, she will need to have surgery to put a pin in it. That injury put an end to her basketball season two weeks early. She will have to miss the final tournament this next week. Please keep her in your prayers. She has had a good attitude about the whole thing, but I know she was bummed about missing the end of her basketball season--especially since it is her senior year.

I'm leaving tomorrow for Guayaquil to meet a group of 7 women who are coming to Ecuador to minister to women in ministry and to get a feel for what we do as missionaries here. The program is called Dynamic Women and this will be their second mission trip. We will be in Guayaquil, Cuenca and end up in Quito. This is the first group that I am responsible for by myself. Please pray for us as we travel and minister. We will be sharing with several missionary women and several pastors' wives as well.

On Monday, Darryl will be traveling to Riobamba to meet with the church leadership there. We have a team that will be arriving on March 27th. Part of that team will be working at the construction site for the new church building in Riobamba. Please pray for traveling safety and for a productive meeting. This will be the last meeting before the team arrives.

2009-02-10T22:11:00.000-06:00

Dear Praying Partners,

I told Darryl yesterday, before our area prayer meeting, to please not let me go to bed without sending out an update. Obviously he did! I told myself this morning that I would not let this day get by without sending out an update. It is 11:00 P.M., so I still have an hour left. However, if I ramble, or don't make any sense in this update, I am going to blame it on the hour.

We were looking at our calendar this weekend and noticed that from now until August we only have a couple of weeks where we aren't working with any teams or keeping guests at the guest house. Needless to say, we are entering a very busy time of the year! We have guests in the house until February 26th, and then we have three mission teams that we are coordinating right in a row. As time gets closer, we will send out more specific prayer requests, but for now we just ask that we would see the Lord's guidance as we put the finishing touches on the three teams that are coming. Pray also for good time management in the next two weeks as we get things finalized for these three teams.

We just got our downstairs bathroom remodeled, and now we are in the process of repainting it and trying to get it ready by Wednesday when we have the next wave of guests coming. Please pray that all will go smoothly and that we will get everything done in time to facilitate our guests.

We had a serious incident happen in the prison several weeks ago that involved three of the girls that attend our Bible study and are also a part of the card making ministry. The incident involved a dispute between two girls who are in a lesbian relationship. One of the girls is married and there was an altercation between her husband and the girl that she is involved with in prison. The altercation resulted in the husband getting stabbed by a friend of the two girls during a time when the prisoner was open to visitors. The saddest part is that there has been no remorse shown by any of the three girls, so we felt that we had to suspend them from making cards for a period of time until they had undergone some discipleship. They were not willing to do that, and as of last week none of them are even attending the Bible study anymore. My heart was broken over the situation because I have come to have a very good relationship with all three of the girls involved. This is a tough ministry. and I sometimes wonder what we are doing there. I have to believe that seeds are being planted in El Inca each week, and we just have to trust God to take care of the rest. Please pray for Juana, Nelcy, Andrea and Maryorie. The first three were the ones involved. Maryorie is a good friend of theirs who is just mad and has quit attending Bible study to support her friends. Pray that through this situation, these four girls will see the unconditional love of Christ and be drawn back to him. Pray also for our ministry team. We are meeting tomorrow from 9 until 4 here at the guest house to discuss this issue, pray and plan for the upcoming months.

Courtney has entered basketball season. She is a co-captain of the team, and we have been very proud of her leadership on the court. She is playing with a very inexperienced group of girls, so please pray that she will not only be a good example for them, but that she will be filled with patience as she helps the members of her team get better. Alliance Academy is hosting the American schools tournament this week on Thursday and Friday. We will be keeping five players from Guayaquil during the tournament. Alliance is the only Christian school out of the five American schools, so pray that the kids from Alliance will reflect Christ well during the tournament.

It has been a while since we have heard from Josh. One of the hardest things about being a missionary is being so far away from your college-age kids. Please continue to pray for Josh and his walk with the Lord. I know he is struggling with that area of his life. Pray also that we will be able to find a way to get in touch with him to make sure he is alright.

This Saturday Cindy Tankersly, my mom and I are hosting a special day for the women of five churches. Most of the women attending will be Indian women who come from very poor situations. The theme is "Extravagant Love". We will have some praise and worship, a short message, some prayer time and an arts and crafts activity. I got "voted" on to give the message, which as you know, is a big stresser for me. How I keep getting picked to speak in public is totally beyond me! Please keep us in your prayers this Saturday. Pray for our travel safety as well as our time with the women. Please pray that they will understand and experience God's extravagant love for them and that they will leave feeling encouraged and motivated to go out and show that love to others.

Well, it is now almost midnight, and I have an exercise date with my mom tomorrow at 6:45 A.M. Yuck! (to the time, not the activity) I will close for now, but not without wishing you all a Happy Valentine's Day on Saturday. Our prayer for each of you is that you, too, will experience God's extravagant love, and that you will pass it on to others!

Serving the King,
Kelly, for the Chambers

January 21, 2009

2009-01-21T10:44:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year! Yes, we know it's a little late, well, maybe a lot late, but we wanted to wish you one all the same. We rang in the new year on the beach with several other missionary families. We had a wonderful time of praise and worship where each family shared how the Lord had blessed them in 2008. We began 2009 by speaking blessings over each other. It was a great way to start the year!

Last week we had our annual business meetings in Pallatanga. We had a great time of fellowship with our fellow OMS missionaries. We were able to hear reports of this past year's ministries and of the work that was done to advance God's kingdom here in Ecuador. I came out of the meetings with a new ministry. I am the new Ecuador Member Care contact. I am responsible for helping prepare the new missionaries who are coming to Ecuador, which basically means I will be the one they contact with any questions as they prepare to come to Ecuador. I am excited about this new, much needed ministry. Please pray for me as I begin the process of setting this ministry up.

Courtney is enjoying a week off from school. This is first semester finals week, and she only had to take one final on Tuesday. She doesn't have to be back at school until next Wednesday! Please pray for her as she begins her last semester of high school (Oh how it pains me to say that!). She has been accepted to the two universities she applied to, so now all she has to do is decide what she wants to do. She also is considering taking a year off and working at a Christian sports camp in New Zealand. I know she would appreciate your prayers as she decides what to do next year.

Josh has decided to leave school for a while. He has had a desire to pursue a music career for quite some time now, and feels like this is his time to do that. He is working in Canyon right now, trying to save some money so that he can move to Austin in May. Please keep him in your prayers as he makes this change in his life.

Darryl left today for Pallatanga once again. One of the team members who is there working on a building project fell and cut his head open and broke his hip. This has caused the couple running the camp to have to be with him in Guayaquil. Darryl is going to Pallatanga to help facilitate the team that is at the camp while the other couple attends to this man. Please pray for him. The doctors in Guayaquil have recommended a hip replacement surgery. His family in the states is now trying to decide what is the best thing to do.

Praise the Lord, we finally have a van! In fact, we drove it to Pallatanga for a test run to see how it handled these rough, mountain roads. We were able to take all of the Quito missionaries with us to Pallatanga, which made the trip very enjoyable. This brings us to an urgent prayer request. We have been raising money over the last year for this van, however, we lack $5000 in funds to complete our goal. We bought this van in faith, trusting that the money will come in soon. We are asking you to join us in prayer for the last $5000. This van will be an important assett to both our guest house ministry and our ministry of coordinating teams that come into Ecuador. If you would like to make a contribution to the van, or know of a Sunday school class or group who is looking to take on a mission project, here is the information you need:

Make checks payable to OMS International.
Mail to P.O. Box 1648, Monument, CO 80132-1648

Put the project number 40630 on the memo line.

I must apologize for my lack of correspondence. I saw that our last update was posted on December 26th. We know that you continue to pray for us, but I will try to do better about sending out these updates. It is important for us that you know what is going on so you will better know how to pray for us. Thank you for your patience and your continued prayers. We love you bunches!

Serving the King,
Kelly, for the Chambers

2008-12-26T09:26:00.001-06:00

Can it be that Christmas has already come and gone? I just checked our blog site and our last update went out on December 9th! Where does the time go?

Darryl and I hope that you had a very blessed Christmas season. We always have a little bit of trouble getting into the "spirit" of things here because of several things. First, and don't misunderstand me when I say this because I am definitely not complaining, the weather just doesn't feel like Christmas weather should. Of course, yesterday when Courtney and I had the chance to lay out in the sun and work on our tans for our upcoming beach trip, I really was not missing that cold, Christmas chill in the air!

Secondly, shopping is just never the same. I used to love making our annual shopping trip to the nearby city and spending the day getting all of our shopping done. Here, Darryl and I have to make ourselves get out in that traffic (I don't know where everyone comes from, but during December it seems like the traffic doubles). It takes you several days just to find what you are looking for and then the lines you have to stand in to buy anything--- well it's just absolutely exhausting.

Probably the hardest part is being away from family. This year we were not able to spend Christmas with Josh which was hard for us. However, Josh was able to spend it with his girlfriend's family, and he had a wonderful time, so that made it easier.

Even with all of these "Christmas spirit" obstacles in the way, we still had a very blessed time and were filled with awe, once again, of the fact that Christ became a baby, leaving paradise to come and dwell among us on this earth, so that we one day could leave this place to live with him in paradise. Doesn't that just amaze you?

We were able to share food and clothes with the poor who came to our house asking for "Navidades" (Christmas gifts). I was able to visit the prison with our prison ministry team and take Christmas gifts not only to our Bible study ladies, but to all 300+ prisoners on the day of our Christmas party. We shared about God's love for each one of them and planted many seeds that day. I was also able to work with Samaritan's purse to take Christmas boxes into prison couple of days after our Christmas party for the kids who are living with their mom's in prison. We watched as each wide-eyed child opened his or her box. We translated the letters written by families in the states for each mother and child so that they could know of people who were sending them "love in a box" just because of their love for Christ. The following day, I took pizza and a little monetary gift into the prison for the girls that work in the card ministry. I sat with them for a couple of hours, listening to them, providing words of encouragement for them as they went through the difficult time of spending Christmas in prison, and praying for each one. Finally, we spent Christmas Eve with around 200 people at the English Fellowship Church worshipping the One who became the greatest Gift of all time.

So, maybe we didn't have the snow. Maybe we would have rather pulled our teeth out than go shopping for Christmas presents. Maybe we weren't able to be with all of the people we wanted to on Christmas day, but I think we had the opportunity to truly celebrate what Christmas is all about--a baby who came to earth and taught us just what it means to love others.

We will be heading to the beach on the 29th for a couple of days of vacation. We pray that as you ring in this new year, you will be looking forward to all that God has in store for you and that you will ask him to open your eyes so that you don't miss it!

We love you!!!!!

Serving the King,
Kelly, for the Chambers

Praise & Prayer Update

2008-12-09T11:11:00.000-06:00

Greetings, dear friends. We trust that you had a great Thanksgiving holiday and are now well into the Christmas season. We had a wonderful time with our OMS family eating way too much and watching lots of football--not much different than how we celebrate in the states.

Thank you for praying for my foot. I finally got my pin out on Monday. Today I started my first day of physical therapy (which was not fun at all). I have to go for ten days, then hopefully I will be walking again. Right now, my foot is just a big lump that doesn't serve for anything! Please continue to pray for me over the next nine days that my therapy will go well and that I will quickly become mobile again.

Darryl also is very thankful for your prayers over the last six weeks. We have had a constant flow of guests which Darryl has had to take care of pretty much on his own. Last week we had twenty-one guests in the house. The Lord provided Darryl with the energy to take care of all of the responsibilities, and he knows it is because of your prayers. Thank you!

This week is a busy one for me. The prison ministry team is planning the annual prison Christmas party for December 15th. There is only one veteran on the team. The rest of us are rookies, so we are all learning how everything works. We will be meeting here at the house this week to put together gift bags for each of the prisoners in our Bible study and having prayer time for each of the ladies. Please pray that as we plan this party the Lord will guide us in each step. Pray also that each of the prisoners will come to understand the real meaning of Christmas and learn to love the one, true Gift.

On Thursday I will be sharing my testimony with the women of the English Fellowship Church. It is the annual Christmas party and they have asked me to be the speaker. There will be several non-believers there who have been invited by friends or family. I would appreciate your prayers over the next couple of days as I prepare for this event. Pray that I will be sensitive to what the Lord wants me to share. I will be working with a translator for the first time so please pray for that as well.

On Friday I will selling the greeting cards made by the prisoners at a Christmas bazaar. Due to the situation with the economy, we have had to cut back on the production of cards and their pay as well. This has been difficult on the ladies as they have gone from making about $60 a week to $15 a week. Please pray that I will have success selling these cards and that the Lord will give us wisdom as we help these ladies work through dealing with the cut in their income.

We are so thankful for you and for your continued prayers on our behalf. We pray for God's richest blessings on each of you this week.

Serving the King,
Kelly, for the Chambers

2008-11-24T15:44:00.000-06:00

He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth so great is his love for those who fear him." Psalm 103:17

Greetings, dear brothers and sisters in Christ. No, we have not fallen off of the face of the earth as you might have been led to believe. I can't even say that I have been so extremely busy that I couldn't find time to send out an update. I think it is the fact that I have been confined to life on a couch for the last three weeks, and it is hard to write anything interesting when you have become a true "couch potato".

Unfortunately, my doctor's appointments have not gone as I had hoped. I have been in two different times for a check up. Each time the doctor tells me all is going well, but I need to wait for three more weeks before getting the pin out of my foot. I am now on the final two weeks of his last "three more weeks" diagnosis. I have developed a deep bruise on the left side of my chest which makes it very painful for me to walk on crutches. Therefore, it's couch city for me! Please pray for me as I wait this out. I have been feeling a little down due to my couch confinement. Pray that I will see the Lord working in my life through this experience and that I will be able to rejoice in all things.

Darryl has ever so graciously been running the guest house on his own for the last three weeks. We had have a steady flow of guests, but fortunately the groups have been pretty small. We have had a couple here for ten days doing a scouting trip for their church. They have been looking for ministries for their church to partner with, which has meant quite a bit of traveling for Darryl as he has taken them to visit various areas of ministry here in Ecuador. They also blessed us while they were here by changing out some floor tiles for us in one area of the house. Please pray for Ed and Pat Anderson as they return to Colorado Springs next week. Pray that the Lord will give them a clear vision of how he wants their church to get involved with missions in South America. Pray also for Darryl as he holds down the fort for a couple more weeks.

Courtney finished her soccer season last week. She had a very successful season and made it through with minimal injuries. Thank you for praying for her. She was chosen for the "ideal team" in both tournaments she played in, so that was an honor. She is now counting the days until basketball season begins which is in January. She has a major Spanish project due tomorrow. Pray that she will be able to finish that up quickly today and that the Lord will help her as she does her presentation to the class tomorrow.

We received an email from Josh last week in which he shared that he is struggling somewhat with depression. He is quite unsatisfied with his life right now, and is not sure what he can do to make it better. Please pray that Josh will come to realize where the true source of joy comes from in life. Pray that God will use this time in Josh's life to draw him back into a deeper relationship with the only one who brings us true joy.

On Thursday we are having our OMS mission family over for Thanksgiving. I volunteered to make several things and to host the meal, which means that basically Darryl will be the one doing all of the work! Pray for us, Doug, Cindy, David and Jonathan Tankersley and my parents, Mike and Bonnie Shrode as we gather together to give thanks to our awesome God for his many blessings in our lives. Pray for our families that we are separated from as well. We always miss being away from our family in the states, but during holidays that separation becomes a little bit bigger.

Psalm 103:17 always comes to my mind as I enter this Thanksgiving season. How thankful I am for the truth of this verse in my life. We pray that whatever you have planned for this Thanksgiving, that our heavenly Father will be in the center of your celebration.

Serving the King,
Kelly, for the Chambers

Welcome to Our Blog

2008-11-09T22:18:00.000-06:00

Well, we finally broke down and did it! For several months we have talked about having a blog site to post our Prayer & Praise Updates. This is our attempt at that. We are excited about this new way to communicate with our supporters and anyone else interested in our ministry in Quito, Ecuador. Hopefully it will work!

Serving the King,
Darryl & Kelly