Day 6 - Scenic Loss of Power at Rio Verde

"By the river on its bank, on one side and on the other, will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither and their fruit will not fail. They will bear every month because their water flows from the sanctuary, and their fruit will be for food and their leaves for healing.”
Ezekiel 47:12

Dear friends and family,

On day 6 (Monday), the team returned to see Awa patients at Rio Verde. (The night before we experienced the loss of all electrical power in the area. We had devotion time by flashlight -- the singing was strong -- and then contemplated how dark the world can be without light.) the trip to the village is always scenic, and this year the team was treated to some great views of the Rio Verde.

 We saw about 60 families of varying size at the clinic that day.  Problems included back pain, headaches ( including migraine), gastroenteritis, sciatica, cerumen impaction, small cuts, plantar fasciitis, warts, asthma, pneumonia, and probable tuberculosis.

We also saw patients we have seen before, including an older couple who have two young children with Down's syndrome.  They have done a great job in raising the older son and younger daughter, despite having had no access to resources.  This year, however, the team was joined by a pediatrician from Otavalo who attends a church pastured by one of our friends.  We asked Dr. Jose to see these two delightful children, and he helped direct the couple to some available training locally to address the daughter's inability to walk.  Shelia and I enjoy seeing this courageous family.

As the team drove back home that night, I reflected on how circumstances had improved for this Awa community.  Their road was better, they had light available with the introduction of electrical power, and through the lives of Kevin and Kathy Bruce (as well as others) God had brought them the life and hope found in Jesus.  The scripture found in Ezekiel 47 seemed very prophetic and pertinent.

Encouraged by what He is doing,
Dr. Kim and Dr. Tim

Day 5 - Worship with the Awa

Dear friends and family,

One of the biggest treats for this year's team was to worship with the Awa people at their new church building.  It was built about two years ago, and is located adjacent to the homes of the missionaries with whom we work - Kevin and Kathy Bruce, and Andy and Krissy Shaub.  These two families live on a ridge, high above the community of middle Rio Verde where the team holds its clinics for the past several years.  It used to be that the only way to get to the ridge top was by walking (See Trail of Mud), but now there is a road of packed dirt and rock that can be traveled by truck.

And so it was that our team of twenty (ten Kentuckians and ten Galilea church members from Otavalo) joined the missionaries and about sixty Awa in worship on Sunday morning.  Kevin played guitar, and Andy played flute, while Kathy led the singing.  We had song books with both the Spanish as well as the Awa words to the songs.  The presence of the Holy Spirit was strong as people of three languages lifted up praises to our Father.  I especially enjoyed the song "Family of God". The views from the ridge were majestic.

Interestingly, the verse of the week was Colossians 1:17, which we at TCAT have been studying as well.  Some of the teaching was given by Awa leaders, and the sermon was given by Kevin, taken from the book of Hebrews.

After church, all of us enjoyed a meal in the missionaries home. It was great. Afterwards, the team provided dental, medical and optometric care for all the church down at the Rio Verde clinic.

Blessed to be a part of the family of God,
Drs. Tim and Kim

Day 4 - Gathering Gifts in Otavalo then on to Lita

“For as therein and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth And making it bear and sprout, And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it."
Isaiah 55:10-11

Dear saints,

The team had a good night's rest last night, and today we are enjoying obtaining gifts for many of you.  It rained for awhile here this morning, which is uncommon here in Otavalo.  The soil here is usually dry, but the plants nevertheless flourish with the small amounts of rain that they receive.

Our Christian brothers and sisters here also seem to be flourishing, despite difficult circumstances.  They struggle each day to make a living for themselves and their family.  Hard manual labor is a way of life.  Yet, God has given them deep faith, and a joy and love that sustains them.  As we encourage them with our care and resources, they encourage us with their love and faithfulness.  They are treasures to us.

So it is with God's word.  We need it to grow.  And He has a purpose for it in each of our lives.

This afternoon, we travel to Lita where we will work with the Awa people at Rio Verde.  The climate there is tropical, which appeals to those of us who love adventure.  Please keep our team and our mission in your prayers for the next two days.

In His mercy and in His grip,
Drs. Tim and Kim

Day 3 - Gualsaqui blessings and miracles and prayer

“I will open rivers on the bare heights and springs in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water and the dry land fountains of water."
Isaiah 41:18

Dear saints,

Pharmacist Jessica mixing meds at clinic

Today the team went to Gualsaqui, a rural community where our friend Roberto pastors at the Nazarene church.  He is looking healthy and strong these days, after years of persecution for his faith.  He says that God is doing great work in this land, as many are coming to faith and the church is being blessed with good growth.

Shelia Duncan started the day off with two home visits.  Our dear friend and pastor Wilman drove us and Roberto to the homes in the Trooper that our team gave him last year.  The first patient we saw was Manuel. He had been unable to walk without falling for six months. He had previously been injured when a bus ran over him. We determined that he now was weak on the right side due to a stoke.  We provided exercises for him to do, along with some medication. He was Quechua, so Roberto translated for us, while Wilman lifted him in and out of bed, and demonstrated the exercises.  His family was very supportive, and Roberto told us that he was a believer.  We prayed over him in three languages.

The second visit was with a lady who had had a headache and fever. We treated her with two medications, and learned that she too was a new believer.

Dr. Kim and nurse Lynn bidding farewell to their patient

Kim was busy all day seeing patients, assisted by nurse Lynn, who is from Vermont.  Randy and Connie Baker took care of many dental patients, despite back pain suffered by Randy.  Please pray for relief for him.

We had a very blessed day.  I was especially impressed by Roberto's prayer to begin the day.  He was joined by 10-12 members of his church who were volunteering to help for the day.  Their praying was powerful, as many tears came forth.  We were able to help most of the patients we saw, by the grace and power of God.  Everyone left at the end of the day in a state of peace and contentment.

Tomorrow, the team takes a day off to see the sights of Otavalo on market day. The tomorrow afternoon we travel to Lita and the land of the Awa.

Mercy, peace, and grace to each of you,
Tim and Kim

Day 2: Water in Otavalo then Punyaro

"...but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”
John 4:14

Dear friends,

The team is eating breakfast, ready for a new day. We rested well here at Dona Esther Hostal in Otavalo, high in the Andes.  Today we serve in the village of Punyaro, where the local pastor has made arrangements for our first clinic to be held.

Our devotional theme this year is water.  How critical to life is water?  Completely!  We cannot live long without it.  As we serve those with needs today, we will seek to educate them about basic principles of good health.  One of those is to drink plenty of clean fluids every day.  Indeed, every team member will be carrying a bottle of clean water.  We are teachers more by what we do than what we say.

Jesus is our true Water.  He is our life.  We will watch today for living evidence of that fact.

Dependent on Him for life,
Drs. Tim and Kim

Mission to Ecuador 2014: Day One

Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.
James 1:17

To the saints at Tatesbrook and to all who may read this letter:

Mercy and peace to each of you, from the Son and the Father. 

Dr. Kim and I greet you from the sunny land of Miami. Our team of ten assembled last evening in northern Kentucky, and departed early this morning. Everything went remarkably smoothly, in accordance with your prayers.  Our two hour flight was both comfortable and beautiful.  Praise be to God!

Our team consists of two nurses (Leah and Lynn), two physicians (Kim and Tim), a dentist and assistant (Randy and Connie), a pharmacist (Jessica), an optician (Thomas), a student (Tatum), and one organizing director supreme (Shelia).  It appears to be a well balanced and effective mission organism.  The Body of Christ has enormous, yet unrealized, potential. Christ in us enables us to be used for God's purpose over the next seven days in the rugged mountains and green forests of Ecuador.

The people we will be serving eagerly await our arrival.  We join them, with the anticipation of discovering what God has in store for us to live out, together.  All praise, glory and honor be unto Him!

Following His leading,
Dr. Tim