With much love,
The Downings
Tag: Cayambe
With love,
The Downings
With much love,
The Downings
Have you heard our podcast about Hot Culture and Cold Culture? If not please click here!
With much love,
The Downings
We invite you on a journey into the countryside of Cayambe. We will have to leave the smooth road and the small Pueblos and use the cobblestone less traveled. Imagine, we drive along the bumpy road past the eucalyptus trees, and alongside a small rio. We encounter several large rose plantations every once in a while catching a glimpse of the beautiful plants with tall straight stems reaching up to the Equatorial sun. After a while we cross the rio and begin our ascent up a steep and winding road. We pass the ancient aqueduct build by the Incas and still in use today. We eventually we pass the tree line and see picturesque views of the surrounding mountains and valleys. Our 4×4 finally claws its way over the crest of the mountain. In the valley that unfolds below we see a large church building, that is our destination.
It is breathtaking, as we step out of our vehicle, partly because the temperature is 20 degrees cooler on the mountain as compared to the valley. But perhaps the real reason is our breath has been stolen by the altitude. The Cangahua congregation that we were visiting worships at an elevation of 10,768 feet above sea level. To put it into perspective we are well above the tallest peak in the Appalachian mountains, Mount Mitchell which has an elevation of 6,684 feet.
We had been invited to an evangelistic outreach event held by the Mt. of Olives church in Cangahua, Ecuador.
Cangahua is the oldest rural district in the Cayambe canton. It is located in the wasteland between the inactive Pambamarca volcano, and the active Cayambe volcano. The church building sets nearly on the Equator. 
Our brothers and sisters are serving Christ in a largely indigenous community with rural values. In the community there are also many who still celebrate the Sun or Inti Raymi. Each June 29 and 30th the Sun is celebrated in the city square.
Pastor Luis and the church very much love the community and are brilliant lights for the Gospel among the 16,000 people within the church’s reach.
The outreach service we were invited to began at 7:00 pm and ended at 1:15 am. It was full of great singing, powerful preaching and wonderful fellowship.
Pastor Luis is an excellent preacher and tought homiletics at our seminary but instead of preaching to the assembled crowd he invited a lady pastor from a sister congregation to give the message. She preached the best sermon over 1 John 4 that I have ever heard.
God is moving in Cangahua and has invited whomsoever will to believe in His Son and enter into eternal life!
With much love,
The Downings
Time seems to move faster on the Equator! Our last few weeks have been packed with wonderful experiences. We had intended to post these updates in separate posts but we simply have not had the time to sit down at a computer until now. If you read this post really fast it will help you understand how we feel in this awesome, fast paced ministry!
¡El tiempo parece moverse más rápido en el ecuador! Nuestras últimas semanas han estado llenas de experiencias maravillosas. Teníamos la intención de publicar estas actualizaciones en publicaciones separadas, pero simplemente no hemos tenido tiempo de sentarnos en un coumputer hasta ahora. ¡Si lees esta publicación realmente rápido, te ayudará a entender cómo nos sentimos en este increíble y rápido ministerio!
Santa Clara’s Anniversary: Aniversario de Santa Clara:
We were privileged to attended the anniversary service of the Santa Clara Church. Timothy was honored to be one of the preachers during the service.
Tuvimos el privilegio de asistir al servicio de aniversario de la Iglesia de Santa Clara. Timothy tuvo el honor de ser uno de los predicadores durante el servicio.
A Wonderful Day In Pisambilla: Un día maravilloso en Pisambilla:
We needed some video for one of our supporting Churches who are scheduled to visit the Pisambilla Church next year. So we visited Pisambilla and enjoyed a wonderful worship service and then we were able to spend the day with Pastor Carlos and his family.
Necesitábamos un video para una de nuestras Iglesias de apoyo que tiene programado visitar la Iglesia de Pisambilla el próximo año. Así que visitamos Pisambilla y disfrutamos de un maravilloso servicio de adoración y luego pudimos pasar el día con el pastor Carlos y su familia.
Carapungo’s New Work: El nuevo trabajo de Carapungo:
The Ecuadorian Church can’t help but grow! The Gospel message of hope resonates well among a people who need hope.
¡La Iglesia Ecuatoriana no puede dejar de crecer! El mensaje de esperanza del Evangelio resuena bien entre las personas que necesitan esperanza.
One evening we received word from the Pastors of our Carapungo church about a new work that they had started in a town about an hour away from Quito. We were invited to visit next weekend and we are sure to have more information and good photos for an upcoming post.
Una noche recibimos noticias de los pastores de nuestra iglesia de Carapungo sobre un nuevo trabajo que habían comenzado en un pueblo a una hora de Quito. Fuimos invitados a visitar el próximo fin de semana y estamos seguros de que tendremos más información y buenas fotos para una próxima publicación.
This is an exciting time in Ecuador! The Carapungo Church is not the only Church to expand their reach in service of the Gospel. We are aware of five other new works and several Churches that are in the process of joining our movement!
¡Este es un momento emocionante en Ecuador! La Iglesia de Carapungo no es la única Iglesia que expande su alcance al servicio del Evangelio. ¡Somos conscientes de otras cinco obras nuevas y varias iglesias que están en proceso de unirse a nuestro movimiento!
Ten Believers Baptized From The Zabala Congregation: Diez creyentes bautizados de la Congregación de Zabala:
We were honored to attend a baptism service in the beautiful cloud forest town of Pacto. The Zabala Church baptized ten young Christians!
Nos sentimos honrados de asistir a un servicio de bautismo en el hermoso pueblo de Pacto, en el bosque nublado. ¡La Iglesia de Zabala bautizó a diez jóvenes cristianos!
The river was swift and cold but the service was happy and our hearts were warm. Timothy helped baptize the young believers by standing upstream and being an anchor for each person so that the river would not take them!
El río fue rápido y frío, pero el servicio fue feliz y nuestros corazones fueron cálidos. ¡Timoteo ayudó a bautizar a los jóvenes creyentes parándose río arriba y siendo un ancla para cada persona para que el río no los llevara!
Pastor Rodrigo baptized all ten believers and then invited each one to attend the Seminary (click here to give finical support or Seminary program) intensive week this year. We sung I have decided to follow Jesus on the banks of the river then we celebrated the Lord’s Supper together.
El pastor Rodrigo bautizó a los diez creyentes y luego invitó a cada uno de ellos a asistir al Seminario (haga clic aquí para apoyarlo en forma definitiva o en el programa del Seminario) semana intensiva este año. Cantamos Decidí seguir a Jesús en la orilla del río y luego celebramos la Cena del Señor juntos.
It is an honor and a privilege to live and serve in Ecuador!
¡Es un honor y un privilegio vivir y servir en Ecuador!
With Love, Con mucho amor,
The Downings Los Downing
This week we had the honor of going to one of Ecuador’s beautiful national parks. We went to Jerusalem Bosque Protector near the Capital city of Quito. We loved the beauty and tranquility but we enjoyed the reason for our visit even more. The Mount of Olives Congregation located in Cangahua high up the Cayambe volcano invited us to thier Baptism service. The rivers of Cayambe are very cold but the national park had a public swimming pool that was perfect for the occasion.
The Church arrived in two busses and a few other vehicles. Our family arrived with the president of our National Committee and his wife.
We had a wonderful poolside worship service which seemed to draw the attention of the other guests. Baptisms are about witnessing!
Fourteen people were baptized!
After the service we had wonderful fellowship with our brothers and sisters! They fed us well!
Our family is beyond blessed to be working with so many lovely people in Eacudor!
With much love,
Timothy, Angelita, Tim, Esperanza, Ezequiel, Elias, and Adalena
Bautismos en Jerusalén
Esta semana tuvimos el honor de ir a uno de los hermosos parques nacionales de Ecuador. Fuimos a Jerusalén Bosque Protector cerca de la ciudad capital de Quito. Nos encantó la belleza y la tranquilidad, pero disfrutamos aún más el motivo de nuestra visita. La Congregación del Monte de los Olivos ubicada en Cangahua en lo alto del volcán Cayambe nos invitó a su servicio de Bautismo. Los ríos de Cayambe son muy fríos, pero el parque nacional tenía una piscina pública que era perfecta para la ocasión.
La Iglesia llegó en dos autobuses y algunos otros vehículos. Nuestra familia llegó con el presidente de nuestro Comité Nacional y su esposa.
Tuvimos un maravilloso servicio de adoración junto a la piscina que parecía llamar la atención de los otros huéspedes. ¡Los bautismos son sobre testificar!
¡Catorce personas fueron bautizadas!
¡Después del servicio tuvimos una maravillosa comunión con nuestros hermanos y hermanas! ¡Nos alimentaron bien!
¡Nuestra familia está más que bendecida de estar trabajando con tanta gente encantadora en Ecuador!
Con mucho Amor, Timothy, Angelita, Tim, Esperanza, Ezequiel, Elias, y Adalena
Our supporters are the best! Over the years we have heard the words “just tell us what you need and we will be glad to help.” Today we would like to tell you want we need. We have two projects that are designed to help our Brothers and Sisters in the Ecuadorian Chruch. One project is a leadership development project. The other is a construction project.
There is an exciting expansion underway in the ministry of the Ecuadorian Seminary. This year we are offering more classes, more choices and we are expecting many more students. This is a crucial time in the leadership development of the Ecuadorian Church.
How can you help? We need your to help in two ways. We need you to pray for the Seminary ministry. Please lift us up to the our Father in the Throne Room of Grace especially leading up to our next week long intensive class the first week in August.
We also need financial support for this ministry. Your generous support along with the sacrificial giving of the Ecuadorian Church will help train the current and next generation of leadership in the Church.
We are not asking you to do anything that we are not doing. We help teach in and organize the Seminary ministry but we also give financially to ensure this ministry reaches as many as we can while the evening light still shines! To join us in supporting this ministry please click here!
Another exciting opportunity to make a lasting impact in Ecuador is through the Pisambilla Church’s construction project. The Pisambilla Church is located in a community high up on the Cayambe Volcano. This congregation is the only evangelistic light in its area. The church is currently meeting in a three sided building. They are collecting materials to build a new worship space.
How can you help? We need your help in three ways. First, please pray for this Church. Pastor Carlos and the Pisambilla congregation are doing a wonderful ministry at the “ends of the earth” and they need your prayer support.
We also need financial support for this building project. The Church is very faithful and are collecting their building materials on their own but they need your help. Will you please bless them by supporting thier ministry in this way? The estamated cost is $8000 to complete their project. If you are like us $8000 is more than we can donate alone but if we join with others in the Body of Christ we can meet this need! To help your Brothers in Pisambilla click here!
The third way you can help with this project is in person. We are looking for a hearty group of people to come and help with the construction. If your family, Church, or small group would like to experience a hands on ministry in a beautiful high altitude location we need you to contact us at ourmissionpath@gmail.com
Thank you for your prayers, support and encouragement!
Blessings,
The Downings
Necesitamos tu ayuda para…
¡Nuestros seguidores son los mejores! A lo largo de los años, hemos escuchado las palabras “solo díganos lo que necesita y con gusto lo ayudaremos”. Hoy quisiéramos contarle lo que necesitamos. Tenemos dos proyectos diseñados para ayudar a nuestros Hermanos y Hermanas en la Iglesia Ecuatoriana. Un proyecto es un proyecto de desarrollo de liderazgo. El otro es un proyecto de construcción.
Hay una expansión emocionante en marcha en el ministerio del Seminario Ecuatoriano. Este año estamos ofreciendo más clases, más opciones y esperamos muchos más estudiantes. Este es un momento crucial en el desarrollo del liderazgo de la Iglesia Ecuatoriana.
¿Como puedes ayudar? Necesitamos que ayudes de dos maneras. Necesitamos que ores por el ministerio del Seminario. Por favor, elevámonos al Padre nuestro en el Salón del Trono de la Gracia, especialmente antes de nuestra clase intensiva de la próxima semana que ofrece la primera semana de agosto.
También necesitamos apoyo financiero para este ministerio. Su generoso apoyo junto con la entrega sacrificial de la Iglesia Ecuatoriana ayudará a capacitar a la actual y la próxima generación de líderes en la Iglesia.
No te estamos pidiendo que hagas nada que no estemos haciendo. Ayudamos a enseñar y organizar el ministerio del Seminario, pero también ofrecemos ayuda financiera para asegurarnos de que este ministerio llegue a todos los que podamos mientras la luz del atardecer aún brilla. Para unirse a nosotros para apoyar este ministerio, ¡haga clic aquí!
Otra oportunidad emocionante para tener un impacto duradero en Ecuador es a través del proyecto de construcción de la iglesia de Pisambilla. La iglesia de Pisambilla se encuentra en una comunidad en lo alto del volcán Cayambe. Esta congregación es la única luz de evangelización en su área. La iglesia se está reuniendo en un edificio de tres lados. Están recolectando materiales para construir un nuevo espacio de adoración.
¿Como puedes ayudar? Necesitamos su ayuda de tres maneras. Primero, por favor oren por esta Iglesia. El pastor Carlos y la congregación de Pisambilla están haciendo un ministerio maravilloso en los “confines de la tierra” y necesitan su apoyo de oración.
También necesitamos apoyo financiero para este proyecto de construcción. La Iglesia es muy fiel y está recolectando sus materiales de construcción por su propia cuenta, pero necesitan su ayuda. ¿Podrían bendecirlos apoyando su ministerio de esta manera? El costo establecido es de $8000 para completar su proyecto. Si usted es como nosotros, $8000 es más de lo que podemos donar solos, pero si nos unimos a otros en el Cuerpo de Cristo podemos satisfacer esta necesidad. ¡Para ayudar a tus Hermanos en Pisambilla, haz clic aquí!
La tercera forma en que puede ayudar con este proyecto es en persona. Estamos buscando un grupo abundante de personas que vengan y ayuden con la construcción. Si a su familia, iglesia o grupo pequeño le gustaría experimentar un ministerio práctico en una hermosa ubicación a gran altitud, necesitamos que se comunique con nosotros en ourmissionpath@gmail.com
¡Gracias por sus oraciones, apoyo y aliento!
Bendiciones,Los Downing
People have been struggling to put pen to paper and define beauty for millennia. Consequently there are a plethora of eloquent and pithy quotations about the essence of beauty. Though our words might not be quotable or poetic what we have to share in this post is beauty personified.
This week we worshiped with our brothers and sisters in the Pisambilla Church.
Cayambe is on the equator! After Church we descended down the mountain and enjoyed some time on the equator. Elias even spent some time running around the world.
Blessings,
The Downings
If you would like to join our support network Please click here. We need several new supporters to join our team!
Living as missionaries in Ecuador, we often forget that what may be a common experience for us now might be somewhat of an adventure for you. With that in mind we want to share with you our weekend experiences. This weekend we began our concerted effort to visit all of our churches located outside of the city of Quito. To visit each church will require a little bit of travel, and we hope to be able to share quite a few interesting photos.
The first non-Quito church we choose to visit as a family was the one that Timothy knew the way to. Most churches on our visit list are in places unknown to us.
Part one: Where we stayed
In the future we hope to be able to visit the Cangahua congregation without first staying overnight in a hotel. With a two month old baby and the lack of sleep that she brings we decided it was safer to stay near the church than to try to travel early in the morning in order to make the morning service.
We stayed in one of the oldest buildings in Ecuador, a place called Guachala.
The Cangahua Church of God is located high above the pueblo of Cangahua on Mt. Cayambe. Part of our family had visited before but this was the first time that both Angelita and Adelena were able to attend with the family. Face time with each church is very important because although we meet with each pastor at the monthly pastors’ meeting we have yet to meet over half of our Children of Promise participants (please click on the link to learn more about this part of our ministry).
On our way home we stopped at a public park in the city of Cayambe. We try to involve our children in as much of what we do as possible. We also try to avail ourselves of any opportunity to pour into the lives of our kids.
Thank you for taking this adventure with us! Regardless if you pray for us regularly, read and share our updates, or support us financially we are proud to be part of your life. And we are honored that you are part of our lives. We love serving Christ in Ecuador and we love that you are on the journey with us!With love,
