Just after sending off the last report we had a very emotional moment. As all things are in Ecuador, it was quite sudden! Pastor William, who has been with us throughout our time here, left the campamento and so we had to say goodbye. His kindness and generosity have been such a blessing and we will all miss him! We are so thankful to God for the help Pastor has given us in our time here and for the way he selflessly serves the Primera Iglesia Bautista in Santo Domingo.

Saturday 9th July was our long-awaited community day that we organised with the help of the church. Pastor Rodrigo and his family came to the camp along with members from church to help out with the day. On Saturday morning, we shredded 16 chicken breasts to make 200 sandwiches! It was amazing to see their willingness to share God’s word and serve him joyfully.

Before starting the event we all prayed together – we asked for God’s presence in the afternoon, in our hearts and for those coming to learn of His love and sacrifice for us. It was a very special and reflective moment as we realised how much God has blessed us while we have been here, how much His Spirit has been with us and how he is at work here.

We arranged a range of activities for the afternoon, from colouring and games for the children, to craft and English lessons for the adults. We shared our testimonies of why God brought us here and sang ‘Your Love’ with them which they all loved dancing to. Pastor Rodrigo and Hermana Blanca both shared a short bible message and then we gave out food. It was such a joyful and glorious day and we praise God that 97 people came, including many of the children we teach at school, and the day ran smoothly.

There were more sad goodbyes on our last day teaching English at the ‘San Miguel Bancos Educacion Básica’ (the school near the campamento). Many of the students had letters and pictures to give us and were very sad to see us leave. We gave them all a small gift with a bible verse and a note and played games and sang songs with them. They have been such an important part of our time here in Ecuador and we will miss them very much. We ask that you would keep the school, and the pupils, in your prayers. That the children would catch up on what covid made them miss, that they would be excited about the connections with the Campamento and that they would continue to have opportunities to learn about our Great God.

Please pray for us in the coming week as we say our final goodbyes to the people we’ve grown so close to.

“Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done.” Psalms 105:1

Gracias!

Jessie, Charlotte, Abi, Lily and Kate