Amazing Day

Events of Saturday:
We travel by bus two hours today to Ventanas Ecuador. It gave everyone a good chance to talk with their translator. I showed Stephen’s translator (who is from Ecaudor) a picture of my family. She said, “Your husband look like Stone Cold Steve Austin”. Several others have said the same thing when seeing the picture. I don’t know how they know who “Stone Cold” is in Ecuador.

Today after getting settled into the hotel in Ventanas, we were to travel to the village that we would be working in and doing prayer walking (walking through the village and praying the Lord would open the heaven, their hearts, their home, the highways and our hands). Tabitha and I were placed on the same team. We meet our pastor and he explained to us that the only form of transportation that he had was a dirt bike. He asked if we were ok with traveling an hour to our village on the back of his dirt bike. I had prayed and told the Lord to make me willing to do whatever He asked. I did not have a dirt bike in mind but I was willing. Luckily, my translator came up with a car. Andy Gill was glad to hear that we scratched the dirt bike idea. He said my husband would have killed him because Steve put Andy in charge of watching out for me and Stephen.

We literally traveled an hour into a banana field to get to the village where Pastor Omar would like to start a church. There are 200 people in the village and only four Christians. Pastor Omar said he does not think an American has ever been into their village. The following is from Tabitha's blog about Anita:

This afternoon, we were prayer walking, and Sam had recommended that we pray for a person of peace. God showed up 4 years ago in the life of Anita (that is as close as I can get to her spanish name.) Anita was sent to Ventanas to develop and build a Catholic Church. As Anita built the church and searched the sciptures, God told her to stop worshipping idols. The next day she cleared out the church of all forms of Catholisism. When the priest found out that Anita had accepted Christ, he came and removed all the children from her care. Therefore, we have a catholic church turned Christian, and a community of 200 where there are only 4 Christians in which to present the gospel. We are in the country, on a bannana farm, but we expect to reap a more spiritual harvest. May God prepare their hearts! Please pray for Kelly and I as we teach the mother church how to disciple, because discipleship is their heart. The church is not confined to 4 walls and a roof. Praise God!!!
Tabatha Hyde

Amazing-they already have a building and a person willing to lead the church.

We had a great time of prayer walking. Only one minor problem: I am only afraid of one type of dog- a routwiller. A friend in high school was attacked by a routwillier and they have scared me ever since. Do you want to guess what type of dog followed us while we were praying walking and circle around while we walked? You guessed it- a routwiller. He circled around us for about half of a mile.

At the end of our visit with Anita, we went into the church building to pray. She has a son name Clever that has Down’s Syndrome. Anita has put him in charge of keeping up with the keys to the church. They call him guardian of church. He was so proud to unlock and open the church doors for us. We went inside the church and prayed. Inside the church was an old guitar hanging on the wall. Tabitha’s translator is a guitar player. He took down the guitar and played/sang the 23rd Psalm. We all sang and worshipped together as Anita’s 1 year old granddaughter danced in the middle of us. I loved hearing Clever singing praises.

The road into the village are too rough to travel by car. For the next week, Tabitha and I will be traveling each day standing up on the back of a bananna truck. We are going to wear bandannas to keep the dust out of our face and the bugs out of our teeth.

I believe it is going to be an amazing week. God has already provided the building and a leader for the church. We just need for the people to be drawn to the church. I know that the Lord is going to do a mighty work. Please be praying.