Friends

"Peace be to you. The friends greet you. Greet the friends by name."

3 John 1:15

Dear family and friends,

Our time in Rio Verde is always a time of blessing for the team. Those of us who love adventure are always excited to travel through the western Andes and their amazing views. The vegetation is tropical, with an abundance of palm, elephant ears and banana trees. It rains most afternoons, and on this trip we had some impressive thunderstorms. Fortunately, the road to Rio Verde held up quite well, and we held our three day clinic in the school at the village.

One of the best things each year is to see old friends. Kevin and Kathy Bruce, of course, coordinate all of our activities. Their youngest daughter Kimberly helped as well. They are wonderful people who represent the grace and love of Jesus very well. I got to hear much more of Kevin's story as he drove us back and forth to clinic. He describes himself as a prodigal whose heart was captured one summer in Alaska as a teen. He is a jack of all trades.

One of our friends is Gloria. She is an active member of the Awa church here. I first met her several years ago during our first trip to Lita. She had lost one of her fingers to a mysterious disease, and was at risk of losing more. We got her to the university hospital in Quito, where a diagnosis of scleroderma was established. We bring her medication each year, and she is doing better. She is our friend. Please pray for her.

Some new friends are an older couple we met last year. They have two children, ages 14 and 4. Both the son as well as the daughter have Down's syndrome. Although the daughter cannot yet walk, they are clean and are happy. Please pray for them as well.

At peace,
Tim