In the last couple of weeks, construction on the church has started in earnest. We’ve made huge progress on the foundations of the first wall, and it’s been amazing to see how much the church has come together to help out. We began by digging six deep holes for the columns, and by the end of the day we were covered head to toe in mud! Though it is physically demanding work, we all find it rewarding to see the hard work paying off.

A particular favourite task for some has been cement mixing – we often compare it to making pasta, it just requires a tiny bit more strength. For others, the highlight was our morning break for a Coke and pan. We couldn’t possibly have worked without the sugar hits.

As well as working on site during the day, the team have enjoyed spending more time with the church community, by attending cell groups in some of the members’ houses. They’ve all been so generous in cooking lots of food for us, and the feeling of fellowship among everyone hasn’t been hindered by the language barrier. We’ve all been touched by the musical forms of worship here – whether it’s one lead singer with a guitar, or a whole band – it’s been an amazing way of connecting with our new church family and praising God together.

By Friday we were all pretty shattered from a hard week of working, so some of us decided to use our afternoon off to relax and enjoy some British food in the city centre. Burgers and pizza never tasted so good! We also managed to squeeze in a trip to the market to buy an essential Ecuadorian item – the country’s football top. It’s a good thing we bought them, as on Sunday we all got involved in a big football game with the young (and young at heart) people from the church and community! It was a highly entertaining evening and a great way to reach out to the community.

Saturday was a busy day, with Pablo running workshops in the morning, the youth group meeting in the afternoon, and an unexpected dinner party in the evening! This was the highlight of the week for a few of us – cooking with and for people from the church felt like a lovely way to serve and care for each other. God has really blessed us with amazing people that we can laugh and cry with, and this week has brought us so much closer to the church family.

For all of us, last Monday was a day of new experiences; and for some, 10 hours of travelling…

One group went to Minto – a small rainforest town where the main attraction was definitely the forest zip line and delicious hot chocolate. Another group decided to go further afield and explore the Mitad del Mundo – the Equator line in Quito! Thankfully, 10 hours travelling on the bus was worth it, as everyone had a great time sightseeing and enjoying a meal together. God’s protection was with us all day as we travelled, and it couldn’t have been smoother.

For our final Saturday we planned and ran an outreach event for the kids in the local community – a great opportunity to connect with non-Christians in the area.

Thank you for praying for us while we have been in Ecuador!

To view the previous report click here