April 2016 Update

ONE MORE MONTH IN BALSAS!!   We are cleaning all of the mold off of our bags (literally), and gearing up to finish out our last month in Balsas. However, before we talk about the future, lets look back at our experiences in April. We do want to start off by sharing our appreciation for all of you praying for Ecuador as they are recovering from a massive earthquake. It means a lot to us when you all check on us from the States to see how we are doing. It also means a lot to our friends from Ecuador as we have shared with them about you all praying.

Sophie's Birthday Party 5 Years Old! Wow, how time flies! We celebrated with a fun little party and invited her friends here in the community. We played games, did crafts, and a piñata. We sang Happy Birthday in Spanish and English and enjoyed some yummy cake and ice cream.   Sophie's Birthday Part 2   We celebrated Sophie's birthday one more time in Loja! We took her to Parque Jiropiro and some fellow missionaries helped make the day more special by cooking her dinner.   Adventure in Saracay! This precious family invited us to a pool in a town about 30 minutes away. We arrived to beautiful scenery, a fun playground, a pool, and a zip-line across the river to a pen of ostrich. But even better than the atmosphere was the company! We thoroughly enjoyed getting to know their family better and have since continued the friendship with eating meals together. The hospitality we have been shown during our time in Ecuador is overwhelming!    Men's Retreat Saumlito(Clint's nick-name) had an opportunity to to travel with the rest of the OMS men to Banós in Ambato. It was about a 12 hour drive from Balsas, but worth it. We spent time doing fun guy things like zip-lining over waterfalls, riding 4-wheelers up mountains, and seeing some of the most amazing scenery in the world, like active volcanos. We also watched some videos by Ray Vander Laan and then discussed them as a group. These were some awesome videos and I would recommend them to everyone.

Chaguarpamba Kid's Club   While Clint Was away at men's retreat Sophie and Lacey traveled to Chaguarpamaba to take part in the Kids Club where kids color, play, and hear a Bible story. Of course we also did fun girly activities such as having a tea party and painting our nails too! We enjoyed this special time together, but were reminded daily of how important Clint is in our lives! Our family truly functions as a team and when one member is missing their absence is felt. Sophie and I began to make a list everyday when Clint's absence was most apparent and how much we missed him!   Kitchen Skills  We have made some wonderful friends in Balsas who are willing to teach us a thing or two! It started with one friend teaching us to make empanadas queso and ended with another precious family teaching us to make a traditional chicken and rice dish. This gives us a great opportunity to learn Spanish, share our faith and actually eat real food!   VBS The church in Marcabeli held it's annual VBS (Yes, it is summer break here in the coastal communities in Ecuador. The new school year begins in May.) The VBS hosted approximately 50 kids from Marcabeli, Bellamaria, and Balsas! This event was another great opportunity for Sophie to check something off of her bucket list: only gringo to attend VBS in Marcabeli. She has done really well with making friends even though there are huge cultural and language barriers. I pray that we can have her same perspective and just do life with others trusting that God will work through every situation if we let Him.   Shoeboxes in Catamayo   We were blessed to be able to take part in the Samaritans Purse shoe box distribution hosted by the church in Catamayo. The day included songs, lessons, and games (led by Lacey), and snacks all leading up to the kids receiving these precious gifts. It was a wonderful time to see the other side of such a wonderful ministry! We want to thank our missionary friends from Catayamo ( Jennifer Riggs and Susan Stiles) for letting us help out and be apart of this event. Final Thoughts "Be still and know that I am God" Psalm 46:10 "Trust in the Lord with all of your heart; Do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all that you do, and He will show you which path to take". Proverbs 3:5   Question: How do we manage our time and stress level when we have only one month left to try to accomplish so many things before saying good bye (possibly forever) to our new family; WHILE trying to prepare for our re-entry into our old life; WHILE trying to prepare and discern for our future; WHILE trying to manage all of the business stuff that needs to be done when we return.  WHILE continuing to be in God's word every day and putting our priorities first. Be still and listen to God WHILE trusting with all of our hearts that he will show us what to do. We are a little overwhelmed by all that we want to accomplish both here in Balsas and when we return to Alabama in July and if we are not careful, we could take on too much and loose focus of our priorities and purpose. We pray that we will be still and listen to God and that we will trust Him.