Quito Day Concerts

The same weekend that Extreme Response was doing their big Christmas party, Radio Station HCJB was presenting their Quito Day Concerts in honor of the anniversary of the founding of the city of Quito. This is an annual event and HCJB has been taking advantage of the celebration to present the gospel for many years. We have done this through song, dance, and video.

I was part of the welcoming team on Sunday which greeted people at the door of the Sucre Theater and helped them find their way to their seats. Ruth and the family came for the second of the three concerts that day. Saturday also had three presentations.

We were told this year that the rules of the theater had changed and that the city no longer allowed religious activities in the theater. This put a bit of a damper on how strongly we could present the gospel, but as we talked to theater officials, it became apparent that most of what we wanted to do was not considered "religious". That was refreshing, as we see these concerts as an outreach to the community more than anything. Not looking "religious" is a good thing.

Two or More, a Christian, Latin rock style music group from the USA joined us for the concerts. The 3 brothers who form the core of the group were born in Southern Caligornia to Ecuadorian parents. The 70 member choir sang a mixture of music including some traditional Ecuadorian songs that honor the city of Quito. The gospel message was woven through the dialog of the 3 hosts whose humor kept the crowds entertained throughout the presentation, culminating in Jesus being the real present of Christmas and the real reason we celebrate Christmas.

The concerts were sold out the first day that tickets went on sale. This has happened several times in the last few years. We also have the opportunity, a few days later, to present some of our music to several government Ministers at the Ecuadorian Presidential Palace. We pray that each year we can present a clear message of Jesus Christ to those attending and help them remember that Jesus' birth is the real reason we celebrate Christmas.

Doug

Extreme Response Christmas Party

We have been very busy the last few weeks with lots of ministry/outreach activities, so I will do several updates over the next week or so to catch you up on things. On Dec 4th, the whole family (minus Rachel, of course) helped with the Extreme Response Christmas Party at the Quito Dump. Extreme Response is an organization that does humanitarian aid for people who live in extreme circumstances. They have been in Quito for several years and we have many friends who work with them, but this year was the first time we have helped with their Christmas party.

Some 2,000+ people came to the party at the dump. This would include the families of those who work at the dump pulling recyclicable materials out of the trash before the front end loaders scoop the garbage back up and place it in large, open-top semi truck trailers for transport to the landfill several miles outside of Quito. Becca, Daniel and David all worked with the games for the children. Ruth and I worked on the evangelism team, sharing the real meaning of Christmas and passing out tracts to the crowds as they waited in line. Most seemed more interested in the games, prizes and candy bags that awaited them, than in the reason for the party.

Extreme Response does several Christmas parties in and around Quito every year, but this is by far the largest one. One of those parties was done near El Tablon where we planted a church some years ago. The El Tablon church was invited to that party although we could not go. Extreme Response invites people from churches in North America to help them with this ministry eavch year, as well as recruiting many volunteers from Ecuador. Their volunteer staff can number as many as 600 for this one party at the dump.

Extreme Response works at the dump all year round. They have set up a Day-care facility for the children of the workers. Before that, the children played in and around the trash where their parents were working. Now they have a very nice, clean facility where they can learn in a school environment while their parents work.

Although Ruth and I did not see any conversions that day, we know that the Extreme Response staff will be following up with many of the families. Please pray that the seeds we have planted will be watered and God will help them grow into new life...

Doug & Ruth