Misión Compartida 2010

The very next weekend after the Extreme Response Christmas party and the Quito Day concerts, we jumped right into the annual fundraiser/share-a-thon/open house for our two local radio stations. Radio HCJB in Quito ran their share-a-thon from Friday thru Sunday while HCJB-2 in Guayaquil ran theirs from Thurs thru Sunday.

Here in Quito we open the doors to the radio station while at the same time inviting them to give to the station. And they do come. This year we estimate that 5,700 people passed through our gates. They come to see their favorite producer. They come to leave their donation. They come to express their appreciation for the ministry our producers have had in their lives. This is a time of sharing together.

Listeners can pledge their donation by calling us or they can come to the station and leave their donation with us. Then they can enter our "live studio" to see how radio is made from behind the scenes. Much of our music is also performed "live" during the event. Many listeners will come to see their favorite musical group in person. This year we invited the group "Blest" from the USA as well as several local groups from Ecuador.

The children can be dropped off in the "Children's tent" where a local church volunteers to entertain them with face painting, coloring, games and presentations where clowns teach the kids about Jesus. We also have inflatable trampolines for the kids when the presentations are not going on.

Misión Compartida is about connection. It is about connecting with our listeners. It is about our listeners connecting with us. It is about financial support for the station. It is about sharing in the mission of reaching Ecuador and the world with the good news about Jesus Christ. This year our listeners pledged over $215,000 for the station. Unbelievable? History shows that here in Quito, our listeners will likely give more than they have pledged. This is a testimony to the work our producers do on the air. Our listeners give out of gratitude for the ministry they receive every day over the airwaves. That is why we are so excited about the ministry of HCJB in Latin America. Thanks for being a part of that ministry through your prayers and support of our family in so many ways.

Doug & Ruth

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

Oct update

Hi All,

It has been a long time since I have updated the blog. Lots has been happening but I just ahve not had time to sit down and talk about it...

Ruth and the kids are back at school, of course. Ruth is enjoying this year as she works with her students. David (4th grade) is playing soccer now and having a great time. Daniel is working as a leader for the AWANA club that the school sponsors. Becca is loving her work at the orphanage and has made some new friends there. I am still working on social media projects for hte radio station, but I have also taken over the engineering/accounting/maintenance areas while another missionary is in serving in the Dominican Republic for a few months.

As many of you know, Becca is raising support in order to be able to go on a missions trip with an HCJB medical team next month. She needs $5,000 or so in order to be able to go. Many of you have written to her or us in order to let us know that you are helping out with that funding. We think she has over $1,000 already, but she has quite a ways to go yet. We are very hopeful that she will make her goal before she needs to leave on her trip. If you want to give still, please let us know.

Thanks for praying for us...

Doug

Summer Missions

I have had the privilege, the last couple of weeks, to spend some time with HCJB Global's summer missionaries. What's a summer missionary? They are typically college students who have completed their junior year in school and who want to spend their summer overseas as a missionary. Many times they are here to see how they might be able to use their future profession in service to the Lord.

The students this year are from all over the USA. They come from Wyoming to Boston. Several of them are preparing for nursing and are working in our hospital. One is working in administration. Another is working at the same orphanage that Becca hopes to volunteer with this next year. Two more are engineers who are helping out with clean water projects for communities that don't have a clean water source.

I was able to share with them some stories of how God has protected us while we have been here. And I also encouraged them to realize that everyone they come in contact with is in a process of knowing God. And we never really know how God will use some little thing that they say or do to bring someone closer to him. We don't always see the fruit of our labor. But God can use even the little things to bring someone one step closer to Him.

Many of these students will likely return to missions after college, not only with HCJB Global, but with other ministries too. What a great opportunity we have to introduce these young people to missions. Won't you pray for our summer missionaries and ask that God will work in their hearts during their time with us?

Thanks,

Doug