We first met the Alyalas when they spoke at the Northeast, Ohio camp meeting. We remember speaking to them during lunch one day about their missionary work in Belize, and how to be certain of a missionary calling.
Alfonso helps church and community leaders with community initiatives, including the implementation of community service projects to satisfy basic health and educational needs. In the area of pastoral and leadership development, he facilitates training workshops and courses with pastors and teachers. Equipping and supporting pastors is a priority. He participates and teaches in regional, national, and local conferences; retreats; and seminars.
Elizabeth encourages, mentors, and coaches former students and high school teachers in their educational endeavors and challenges. She meets with women’s groups and individuals for fellowship, counseling, mutual edification, and friendship.
The Ayalas also coordinate specialized visiting teams, which serve churches and communities in a variety of areas—development, infrastructure building, music ministry, children’s ministry, women’s ministry, skills development, evangelism, worship, health ministry, and teaching.
The mother, daughter team of Deborah and Sarah Hunnicutt are winning people for Christ in Roatan, Honduras by reaching one student at a time.
Deborah is both the school administrator and a teacher at Samuel Raymond Christian School, a community-based bilingual Christian school. She also leads English classes for adults and teaches English classes for the national police on the island. All of these ministries are a means to live out the gospel and to share it in relationship. Here is a quick interdiction video for Deborah.
Sarah has already been in Roatan, Honduras for three years and feels honored God has allowed her to be a part of the work He’s doing there. Sarah’s main job is as a teacher and mentor at a Christian school on the island, and she has a heart for the middle school students there, especially the middle school girls. In 2017, God led Sarah to connect her passion through Global Strategy. Here is Sarah’s introduction video.
Dave and Barbara work through the Lausanne Church Planting Network and the 220 Challenge to encourage church planting and disciple multiplication across the Churches of God and other evangelical churches in Latin America. They are also working to raise up a new generation of leaders through organizing and planning the International Forum and other regional events for the Church of God.
Our first encounter with the Millers was when they spoke at the Newton Falls Church of God. We were serving the church at the time. The clarity of their calling stuck us as they spoke of their ministry in Bolivia.
We are honored to call them co-laborers for Christ!
Our friends and fellow missionaries Jonathan and Beth Todd serve Christ in Brazil. We love them, support them and believe in their ministry.
Here is what our friends wrote on Facebook recently: “We have our visas, we have our plane tickets, and we are returning to Brazil on February 25! As we are getting ready to fly out, we find ourselves in the position that we are in need of more financial partners so that we can continue to serve in Brazil.”
Today’s Together Tuesday is a continuation from yesterday’s cultural insight podcast. If you have not heard the podcast, no worries just click on the play button below to hear it.
To put the events in Ibarra into context here is a segment from a local news source:
In Ibarra, an ugly night. Immigrant women and children had to receive police protection when leaving the houses where they lived, after a mob surrounded them on Sunday night. A group of people, who had participated in a march against gender violence, entered a house inhabited by foreign citizens in the center of Ibarra. They took their belongings and burned them in the street. Afterwards, the group went to a municipal shelter, where poor immigrants spend the night, and tried to enter. But the police guarded the place. The protesters roamed the streets. The climate of tension forced several immigrants to leave the city, following the femicide of Diana Carolina Ramirez by a former partner who is a foreigner.
The violent reaction against immigrants came hours after President Moreno announced in a statement that he had arranged the formation of “brigades” to control the legal status of citizens of Venezuela on the streets, in the workplace and at the border. He said the government is analyzing the possibility of creating a special permit to enter the country. Critics say Moreno’s announcement opened the door for xenophobia. Ramiro García, president of the Pichincha Bar Association, called Moreno’s announcement “inadequate.” He added: “The problem is not the victimizer’s nationality, but the machismo that made him act like that. This legitimizes xenophobia.” One of the protesters who wanted Venezuelans out of the city said “It is not xenophobia, this we do to safeguard the safety of our families.”
We spent some time on Monday in Ibarra and spoke with a fellow missionary who works with Venezuelans in that Northern city. He told of the impact the recent riots and anti-Venezuelan violence has had on the people in his ministry. Currently the streets are empty of Venezuelan faces. Most have fled Ibarra due to the violence. Last week there were roaming gangs of people “hunting” Venezuelans. Some have hidden and are afraid even to flee. Our friend has spent much of his time helping the Venezuelans he knows to escape to Peru or Colombia. He is devastated by the violence.
In response to the violence more than 3,000 students, parents and teachers marched through the streets Thursday morning to ask for more security and say “no more xenophobia.” Sebastián Maya, president of the student government, said that after the death of Diana Carolina, students took the initiative to organize. The students traveled 13 blocks through the downtown streets until they reached the city’s train station. There, they gave the new governor of Imbabura, Galo Zamora, a document requesting the government ensure the safety of all residents. The governor made a commitment to show Ibarra is a city of peace.
We saw only three people the we could identify as Venezuelan in our travels. We saw two begging for food and one we met through our friend. We did see police in riot gear and several protests.
We ask that you pray for our missionary friend. (We have chosen not to identify him for the safety of his family.) We ask that you would pray for the Venezuelans who have been caught up in this terrible situation. Finally we ask you to pray that God will lead our church leaders into practical ways that we can help.
We are always amazed by the generosity of our supporters! We know that many of you are actively looking for opportunities to make a positive difference in this world. Many of you have asked about needs in our ministry here in Ecuador. With that in mind we want to introduce Jean to you.
Jean is one of our Children of Promise kids who are currently waiting for a sponsor. He lives in a small costal town and is an active member of the church there.
The church meets in this beautiful building for worship.
Jean is in 7th grade and his favorite subjects are Math and Natural Science. He has one brother and one sister and along with them he lives with his Mom and Dad in a three room house made of cement and zinc roofing. There is water, electricity, and a latrine at the house. Assistance is needed for Jean’s school fees and basic necessities.
Jean has a bright future and we invite you, your family, your Sunday school, your small group or your church to become part of his life.
For just $38 dollars a month you can partner with Jean through Children of Promise and our ministry. You can help mentor him through your letters and your monthly donation will help him succeed educationally.
The Downings
The Downings
The Downings
The Downings
The Downings
