A few weeks in...

Hello friends and family!

Thank you so much for your patience, as getting internet here at El Refugio isn't the easiest task, but I am blessed to have it right now that I can update you with how things are going!

Daniela and I have been really enjoying pouring our time and efforts into the five interns here at El Refugio.  Their names are Ashley, Laura, Bryce, Anna, Danielle.  There are a couple other full time staff members named Danny and Israel that come and join some of our devotions and lesson times.  Ashley and Bryce will be leaving El Refugio next Thursday, so it will be hard to see them go, as we have gotten to know them so well.

Our devotionals and lessons have been going very well.  Last week, we studied the importance of what it means to "die to yourself daily", to "take up your cross", and "to follow Christ".  I feel these lessons have been going very well, and Daniela's and my prayer is that these interns are really taking something away from our lessons about what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.  Tonight we will be studying how we can take the mission statement of El Refugio, and how we can apply it to our lives biblically (Give 110%, Challenge by Choice, Be Here Now, and Choose Joy).

Last week (Saturday), Daniela and I served at a road and bike raced called "El Reto" ("The Challenge"). It was held in Pintag, which is located southeast of Quito in the valley.  Daniela and I got up very early (2:30 AM) and went into Quito with Danny, and picked up other El Refugio facilitators to help with this race that is held about 3 times a year in different locations.  The race consisted of two parts, running and biking.  Each team was made up of three members, and at each check point, they had to get their team card hole-punched by one of the facilitators from El Refugio.  It was a fun day, although it was an early morning!

A couple days ago, I hiked the "Perimeter Hike" here at El Refugio at 5:00 AM with the Geneva, IL group.  It was a beautiful hike, and it wasn't too hard.  The reason why we hiked it at 5:00 AM was to see the beautiful sunrise from the top of the mountain.  It was a gorgeous sunrise! (I enclose a photo below)

The Geneva group left yesterday early morning.  They helped dig a lot of trenches in the new prayer garden here at El Refugio, and helped lay new flowerbeds in the garden.  Some other students from the group helped lay a cement foundation to the climbing wall and to new high ropes elements.  They really helped get a lot done here at the camp, and it's been incredible how much the Geneva, IL church has done here over the past 12 years!

In a couple weeks, the director of El Refugio (Paul Reichert) will be hosting 20 people his home church and 10 members from the youth group here at El Refugio.  Daniela and I are planning on going to the jungle with his church in mid-July, so we are definitely in for a fun experience there!

Towards the end of July, Daniela and few other facilitators will be going to another region of Ecuador for a mission trip with Juan Carlos, the program director here at El Refugio.  We will ministering to children, families, and youth here, as well as doing some personal discipleship and hiking in some canyons.

I have been taking Spanish lessons with a woman named Marianela, and for our group session a couple days ago, we went to Pululahua, an inactive volcano nearby.  I enclosed a photo below.  You can see behind me is the crater and there are people that live in the crater, and use the land there for farming because it is so fertile.

That is the news up to now.  We have a couple more retreat groups coming in the next couple weeks here to El Refugio, so Daniela and I will be busy getting ready for them, and serving them while they are here at the camp.


Please continue to pray for wisdom and discernment in our time here with the interns with discipleship and in our lessons.  Also, pray for safety from the bees (both the honey bees and the big black bumble bees), as flowers are starting to bloom and there are a lot around our cabin!  Also, there are a couple dogs along the road into the town of Calacali that bite, so please pray for safety from them when we are walking into and from town.  Thank you again everyone for your support and your love!  We will write again soon! :)