In the past three years, the Lord has blessed me with the privilege of participating in three mission trips to Ecuador, and they have been wonderful experiences! Our church in El Paso, Paseo Christian (http://www.paseochristian.com/), has partnered with Iglesia de Christo Iberoamericana (ICI), a local church in El Recreo (http://www.iamweb.org/recreo.html), which is just half an hour east of Guayaquil, Ecuador (http://goo.gl/59oIPj). Marcelo Puentes, a church planter from Chile, planted this ICI church in El Recreo by working through IberoAmerican Ministries (http://iamweb.org/), whose mission is "to establish indigenous churches, which leads to movements among people groups by mobilizing, equipping, and deploying servant leaders to fulfill His great commission." Our previous teams from Paseo (https://www.facebook.com/PaseoEcuador) have distributed microfiltration systems (http://sawyer.com/international/products/sawyer-pointone-filter-with-bucket-adapter-kit-3-ft-hose/) house by house to nearly 300 families. These filters are designed to provide bacteria-free water for decades, which will save these families about ten percent of their monthly income typically spent on purchasing purified water (as well as the cost of medical treatment and lost work due to waterborne diseases). By partnering with ICI, we are able to bless the local community and provide long-term relational connections between people of the community and the local church. Following up from our previous trips, the local church has hosted children's soccer tournaments, provided marriage seminars, and started Bible studies in many homes. Over time, these Bible studies grow into house churches, and they begin multiplying throughout the local community. Our prayer is that this partnership will help us all be salt and light in our local communities and around the world.
We have planned an upcoming trip July 7-14, 2014 (https://www.facebook.com/notes/paseo-ecuador/2014-team/705806129442666), and our goal is to distribute filters to another 75-100 families, as well as provide teacher training for some of the primary and elementary school teachers in the local church. Thirsty People (http://www.thirstypeople.org/) has already generously sponsored the purchase of the filters, but our team still needs support in several ways. First, our goal is for each person on our team to have seven prayer partners praying for the preparation for our trip and praying for us daily during our trip. If you would like to commit to pray for me and our team, please reply to this email and let me know. Second, each team member needs to raise funds for airfare and room and board, which is approximately $1800 per person. If you would like to support me financially, you can give online with a credit card or electronic check (http://www.paseochristian.com/?page_id=23), or you can mail a check to:
PASEO CHRISTIAN CHURCH
PO Box 960218
EL PASO, TX-79996
Please include "Ecuador-Shane" in the Memo field, and no gift is too small. (Paseo is a registered non-profit, so financial gifts to Paseo are tax-deductible.)
In addition to the joy of working with ICI in El Recreo and seeing these families have clean drinking water, I am also glad that one of my students from UTEP will be traveling with us on this trip. In the Water & Wastewater Treatment course that teach every semester at UTEP, I give a brief presentation about our trips to Ecuador and the importance of clean drinking water around the world. I am praying that the Lord will use this trip to teach me how to better inspire my students to invest themselves in helping people get clean water around the world, and I am praying that the Lord will use me to show my students how they can use their skills and opportunities to help people. I pray that I will be able to help students see a clear picture of the Church, the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, actively serving the community with the love of Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit.
Thank you for reading this email and for prayerfully considering how the Lord may lead you to support this this ministry. Please don't hesitate to call or email me if you want to find out more details about this ministry.
We have planned an upcoming trip July 7-14, 2014 (https://www.facebook.com/notes/paseo-ecuador/2014-team/705806129442666), and our goal is to distribute filters to another 75-100 families, as well as provide teacher training for some of the primary and elementary school teachers in the local church. Thirsty People (http://www.thirstypeople.org/) has already generously sponsored the purchase of the filters, but our team still needs support in several ways. First, our goal is for each person on our team to have seven prayer partners praying for the preparation for our trip and praying for us daily during our trip. If you would like to commit to pray for me and our team, please reply to this email and let me know. Second, each team member needs to raise funds for airfare and room and board, which is approximately $1800 per person. If you would like to support me financially, you can give online with a credit card or electronic check (http://www.paseochristian.com/?page_id=23), or you can mail a check to:
PASEO CHRISTIAN CHURCH
PO Box 960218
EL PASO, TX-79996
Please include "Ecuador-Shane" in the Memo field, and no gift is too small. (Paseo is a registered non-profit, so financial gifts to Paseo are tax-deductible.)
In addition to the joy of working with ICI in El Recreo and seeing these families have clean drinking water, I am also glad that one of my students from UTEP will be traveling with us on this trip. In the Water & Wastewater Treatment course that teach every semester at UTEP, I give a brief presentation about our trips to Ecuador and the importance of clean drinking water around the world. I am praying that the Lord will use this trip to teach me how to better inspire my students to invest themselves in helping people get clean water around the world, and I am praying that the Lord will use me to show my students how they can use their skills and opportunities to help people. I pray that I will be able to help students see a clear picture of the Church, the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, actively serving the community with the love of Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit.
Thank you for reading this email and for prayerfully considering how the Lord may lead you to support this this ministry. Please don't hesitate to call or email me if you want to find out more details about this ministry.
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