Pastor's Letter: Ecuador (EC-261)

Here's a letter from the pastor of the church which is the central focus of EC261. I'd heard about this "center" for a while before I had a child there- unlike most centers, which you can think of as after-school programs based out of churches, this center covers a huge area in the Amazon jungle. Some of the little communities are closer to major infrastructure, but a lot of them are only visited by little airplanes piloted by missionaries every few months. So by and large, people don't get letters from these kids very often. And I hate it when they complain about it. We shouldn't be doing this because of the number of letters we receive- that goes right back to my gratitude post last week, where I said we should try to check our motives for giving. Anyway. I thought about the center and the people with kids there as I was reading this letter. It's so sweet. 

Dear Jessi,

Greetings and a big hug in the love of our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ.

My name is Lloyd Daniel Rogers. I am the pastor of the church "Mision Evangelica Ecuador para Cristo" and the Child Development Center, Copataza, where Mary Paola is sponsored. The center is located in the Amazon Jungle of Ecuador. In this area of the jungle there are indigenous communities like Quichua, Huaorani, Zapara, Shuar, and Achuar.

Our vision is to be leaders in planting churches with the healthy doctrine of contributing to the integral development of children, youth, and their families. This is done in various activities held each year including conferences, summer schools, camps, and sporting events.

Through this letter I want to express my sincere gratitude for the sponsorship and the help offered to our children and youth, and I thank God for it is He who puts in the hearts of people the desire to support and be a part of the life of each of our children and youth.

Our Center serves over 250 children in their education through the provision of school materials and supplies. We assist in the physical area with medical care, and socio-emotional and spiritual areas through various activities. In these months we are making individual medical checkups with the help of volunteer doctors. We also provide some food for each child to supplement their diet because in the jungle we do not have all the necessary vitamins. This year we are planning to have summer camps, conferences, and celebrate their birthdays; in the Center we celebrate all their birthdays because it is really nice to see the happiness of the children when we do so.

Our Center has been greatly blessed by the Complementary Interventions funds in transportation, which has allowed us to reach a wider range of children in the region. We also received the Complementary Intervention for individual medical attention. This fund helps us to buy medicine and pay for the doctor's flights into the area who help us detect and prevent diseases, and if necessary, transport children to larger hospitals with specialists.

The impact that Compassion has on the lives of children and youth of our Center is reflected in their attitudes and actions and faithfulness to God. The Center itself has led to a great change in the lives of people and communities sharing the Word of God and respecting their culture, which has allowed us to raise men and women that have become responsible leaders in their communities and in the local church. Many of the youth have finished school and felt the call of the Lord, continued to the Bible Institute, and have returned to their communities to collaborate and support in various areas in their churches. Some of them have decided to serve God in helping in the Center.

Our children and youth are very shy and do not express their feelings too much, but when they receive a letter from their sponsors they show so much joy and happiness. For them it is very important because in their culture they do not communicate through letters. The dream of every child is to someday meet their sponsors. We have had several visits and this has been an unforgettable experience.

My prayer request is for you to continue praying for the lives of children, youth, families, and Center workers so together we can glorify the Lord and be an example of the love of Christ where he has placed us.

I am grateful to God for your ministry through the sponsorship of Mary Paola. Thank you for your great work and being part of what God is doing in the jungle of Ecuador.

May God bless you and reward you.