Wrapping Up in Quito...

We are less than a month away from leaving Quito and heading to Cali, Colombia for the final and most intense part of Team Ibarra Training!  I remember when Cole came home from Cali in July of 2011, he was a changed man...  I am so excited to see and experience the great passion that is growing and flows from the people of God there.  The ironic thing about what is happening in Cali is that it is not a new idea really...it is what Jesus has asked His followers do do from the very beginning - "Go and Make Disciples" (Mat 28:19) and "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you." (Luke 11:9).   The whole structure of the church is focused on prayer and discipleship as the sincere and life-changing mark of a believer.  Our team will be in training for a month practicing and learning the disciplines of prayer, fasting, and how to effectively disciple new believers.

We finish up in Colombia and return to Ecuador on the 19th and on the 29th we will move into Ibarra!  This coming Monday through Wednesday our family will be in Ibarra looking for houses/apartments for the us, the pastors and the team.  Please pray for God's hand to be guiding us with wisdom and His divine voice to find the right places.  We have 3 appointments to see houses and are hoping to come across some more options while we are there.  We have some very specific needs and also want to be sure they will be locations that provide safety and comfort for everyone while being prime locations for ministry.  We really appreciate your prayers!  In general keep the whole team in prayer as we grow and develop together.

This month Teddy turned 6 years old!  I can't believe how fast these kids are growing up!  Reese is sounding out words and just as busy as ever!  They are the most amazing little people : )  I just read somewhere about children that "the days are long but the years go by fast"...true stuff.  They are also missionaries with another organization and will be running a camp (that we are hoping to possibly use for church retreats!).

This month and next month are feeling like the final warm-ups for the big race...  Deep Breath.  I am looking forward to settling down and getting this project underway!  It will be nice for the family to stay in one house for the next two years as compared to the 9 different homes we will have lived in since Feb of last year... Can you believe it??  Since Feb of last year through this coming December we will have lived a month or more in 5 countries, in 7 cities, and 9 homes.  As you can imagine, we are very excited to stop with the transitions, suitcases, packing, and unpacking for a short spell as the Lord allows : )

Please keep especially our kids in prayer as we strive to provide them with all they need and also for the community that surrounds them.  We have a lot of open months for the Kid's Prayer Team if you feel called to pray for them for a month or two over the duration of our missionary journey.

Teddy is on a T-Ball team here in Quito!  It is mostly other missionary kids and diplomatic families.  He will miss the last 3 games of the season but he is really enjoying it!!! Teddy has an awesome throwing arm!  I will have to film it so we don't forget : )

Sing Like Never Before

"Bless the Lord, O my soul
O my soul
Worship His holy name
Sing like never before
O my soul
I worship Your holy name

The sun comes up; it's a new day dawning
It's time to sing Your song again
Whatever may pass and whatever lies before me
Let me be singing when the evening comes"

 From 10,000 Reasons by Matt Redman

To preface this post a little, read through it with an attitude of praise, worship and thankfulness : ) Don't mistake the worship for sorrow.  What began as sorrow has ended in praise.  

My aunt Pamela Geisler passed away last weekend and I was able to come home amazingly thanks to tons of airline miles... death is so crazy.  We just don't get it and it always seems to catch us not ready even though "death is the destiny of every man...the living should take this to heart." (Ecc 7:2)  These are the times when I can easily feel like what God asks of me is too hard.  I have missed many special and important moments being away.  At the same time, being home this weekend reminds me exactly why what we do is so important... 2 people got saved this Saturday at my aunts funeral and the beautiful ceremony was to me so worshipful and honoring of the Lord because that is just how my Aunt Pam lived....in praise of God at all times. The following song was sung just before the last prayer:

 I had heard it before but never experienced it quite so real...   I raised my hands and sung in worship right there in the church...not loud, but I worshiped in that sad moment of loss knowing that life is nothing without our worship and love for Christ.  We take nothing home but our heavenly treasures and that day we enter nothing here will seem quite as big as we make it seem right now.  No matter what a day may bring... Bless the Lord Oh my soul! Worship His Holy Name!  Sing like never before, oh my soul! 

Each new day is a chance to sing our song of praise again, a new moment to witness the promises of God fulfilled.  "Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thes. (5:16-18)  This is not to say that we don't mourn or feel sorrow...even Jesus wept when Lazarus died in spite of knowing he was about to raise him... but we can be thankful in all circumstances and look in wisdom on even the most difficult of days.  

God is powerful and always good.  He continues to work in amazing ways.  As a great testament to the unstoppable will of the Lord...we are so excited to say the Team Ibarra is now COMPLETE!  We just received word that our final team member has been approved which sets us at 6 amazing women and 4 men of God!  In just about a month we went from no leads and an incomplete team of only 5 to a full 10.  God is providing and doing great things on behalf of the people of Ibarra, Ecuador.  The team is doing great.  I can hardly believe they have already been here for over a month.  We are nearing the time when we will be travelling a few times to Ibarra in search of places to live for us, the team and the pastoral family.  Finding homes, especially for so many of us that will be close in proximity, is not as easy in South America as it would be in the states.  Many homes and apartments tend to be available for sale more often than they are for rent and often they are smaller spaces.  We have very specific needs for the team as far as housing so please, please keep this aspect of our ministry in prayer over the next month and a half.  We hope to have our places secured by the beginning of November.  As a team we head to Cali, Colombia for training from Nov 21-Dec 19 and we would LOVE to come home to a home : )  Once we finish up in Cali, we plan to celebrate the birth of our Saviour and then we begin the full time work of ministering to the people in Ibarra!  

We hope you consider joining us as at some point on a short-term missions trip!  There is an open college group trip planned for May of next year.  You can also work with the Extreme Mobilizers to plan a short-term project specific to your church.  Short-term events are so important to what we do.  I love that they create an opportunity for you our supporters to come and be blessed to see and do for the Lord with your own eyes and hands what God is doing in Ecuador.  It also allows us to do bigger outreach events, it creates increased momentum and jump-off points in the ministry, and often it expands involvement with Extreme for those called to missions on a long-term basis.  Not to mention the great encouragement short-termers bring to the field.  Check out www.extremenazarene.org for more information about short-term opportunities.

Cole and I will be participating as missions representatives in the  Join HiStory event this weekend held at PortNaz in Porterville, CA.  Join HiStory is a conference on missions designed to engage and inspire more believers in the great commission on an international level.  You can find out more about it on facebook or at http://www.joinhistory.org/event.html.

Lastly, Extreme is still mobilizing 40/40's for the Manta and Portoviejo teams starting next year.  We are looking for young men and women that are called to missions and willing to serve for a 28-month term in Ecuador.  If God is calling you to Ecuador, don't be like Jonah... after being spewed out of the great fish I imagine he was pretty stinky : )    If you are called to Send others to the field, I pray that you continue to do so or ready your heart to let go of whatever God is asking you to give.  Don't miss what God has for you...any of you...no matter what He has called you to.  Don't live wanting to serve the Lord, serve Him NOW.

Grace and Peace to each of you, 

The Williams Family

www.extremenazarene.org/williams

Getting Schooled!

So, we came down to Ecuador prepared to homeschool the kids, mainly Teddy right now as Reese is preschool still... and that is exactly what we are doing! I say that with an exclamation point because I was so nervous about it before.  I have never before had a desire to be a homeschooling parent...maybe the introvert in me found the idea a little intense.   It turns out that it is not as hard as it seems, doesn't take all day and Teddy is actually, truly, really learning things!!!!  This boy has memorized a poem that he can still repeat effortlessly a month later, has also memorized bible verses, the difference between common and proper nouns, his handwriting is improving, he is telling me his 1st grade math book is too easy so we have skipped ahead about 60 pages to find something "new", he is also doing Spanish class online with duolingo.com ALL BY HIMSELF, and he is excited and eager for class each day!  Who knew!?  I teach him math, language and writing each day while Cole teaches him history, PE and early science about 3 days a week.

Reese joins in on a lot of the lessons though we don't pressure her with the same amount of schoolwork.  She is however working on the beginning skills to be reading soon and "teaching" her stuffed animals while Teddy and I aren't using the white board.  It is an unexpected bonus that Reese gets to see Teddy in school and gets excited about the idea for herself.  Ted even helps Reese with her writing practice and re-teaches what he is learning to her a little here and there.  This week we are planning to do a volcano project since we are living in a crazy volcano range here in the Andes... should be fun and apropos : )  We get all this done in the mornings while the team is at the seminary Monday through Friday 8am-12pm... Thanks to those of you that helped me find the right materials and were great encouragers as I prepared for this...  It has been a very awesome blessing this past month to home school...      Which brings me to the team!  This past Saturday they practiced evangelism for the first time as a team and it went awesome!!!

We are still praying with great hope for the remainder of our team.  We have 7 on our team officially right now, interviewing a young man this week and still very much praying for the last South American girl and North American boys to complete the team.  It is crazy and crazy cool hanging on the edge of our front row seats to God's plan for our team and ministry in Ibarra.  Our girls, Caty, Michaela and Rebecca are all in language school and the other half of the team, Priscila, Abby and Diego are in seminary classes.  They are doing awesome!  You can bookmark the team blog at http://equipoibarra.wordpress.com/ for news about the team.   ALSO, I am working on keeping our Flickr album updated for those of you that don't use facebook.  You can see our online Flickr album at http://www.flickr.com/photos/50908506@N02/.  

Thanks for your prayers!!! If you get a chance, check out this article, http://engagemagazine.com/content/when-call-send.... It is for those of you who SEND others to the mission field.  We Love you all very much!!!

Grace and Peace, 

The Williams Family

www.extremenazarene.org/williams 

First Visit to Ibarra, Ecuador and Great News about God's Plan for us...

We made our first trip to Ibarra this last weekend and it was so wonderful!  For those of you who know us well, you know we like countryside and calm more than the closeness of city life... well, God has called us into city  life and more closeness than we ever imagined we would face as a family!  In just three days most of our team will be arriving in Quito and moving in with us!  We have lived on regular-neighborhood-side-by-side-houses streets for about a year and a half now, but in this stuff, God has blessed us and continues to bless us with sweet family time in spite of the 24 hour working day, patches of warm grass, climbing trees, flowers, and here in Ecuador the most incredible collection of hummingbirds that hang outside our dining room window all day long. Which brings me back to our visit to Ibarra this last weekend... it is the calmest little busy city!  It has a neat and quaint busy little city center with homemade ice cream, plazas, Sunday afternoons in the park, a big open market for fruits and vegetables, and silent nights.  We could imagine our team and evangelism in the streets... kids running to hear about Jesus in the park...  It  is also filled with massive saint shrines that just make me uneasy and so eager to share with them something of real power in prayer...to the great I AM.  I don't quite know how to describe the strangeness of these shrines.  They are large wooden dolls, painted, adorned, lit up, prayed to, worshiped and expected to bring blessing. I recently learned that in Catholic teachings they completely leave out the following verses in their version of the 10 Commandments:

"You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments." Ex 20:4-6. 

We are seriously so excited to plant a church there...and not just any church...one that is truly committed to God, discipleship, loving others, prayer, service, tithing, and kingdom work!  I can't stop thinking about the warnings to the 7 churches in Revelation... what kind of churches are out there right now?  Is it possible that some of us are missing the whole point of Jesus' words to us?  I know I want to hear from my Lord, "Well done, good and faithful servant."  I want to really KNOW my God, to hear his call in my heart, his approval, his life, love and forgiveness.  I want to feed his sheep

Already the mission in Ibarra has begun...  we have another trip planned to Ibarra to scout locations for the new church plant and possible houses for the team and an apartment for the pastor.  Since our arrival in Quito, Cole and I have been praying with Yoan and Astrid, our pastor and his wife, over the 4040's, the people in Ibarra, funding for the whole project in all categories, and for the right locations in Ibarra.  The goal is for us to have a complete team of 10 4040's and right now we are short.  I have asked you to pray for us in this matter previously and I ask you again to pray with fervency on our behalf.  We need 2 North American men to join our team, 1 South American male, and 1 South American female in addition to complete funding for one of our NA females, Rebecca Fahrni, who has struggled to find those willing to obey God's call in supporting her.  If you know of any young men that are excellent leaders and called to international missions, we would love for them to consider if God is calling them to Ibarra. Please know that your prayers are so, so important. We know God will provide every need, just as he has up to this point and this situation we are in nowncall out in us another leap of faith, a trusting that though we see obstacles ahead, to God they are moments for glory and power that only come through Him.

***Just as I am writing this, Cole returned home from a leadership conference here in Quito with amazing news...  The whole day was filled with incredible sermons, lessons and stories.  The very last speaker, Doug Carter shared on generosity in our living...more than just our finances, but true generosity in our spirits. He was being translated by Christian Sarmiento, the Regional Director for South America.  He translated the last bits of Doug Carter's message then continued talking.  He talked about Extreme and the need for more missionaries to serve in Ibarra and Manta.  He waited and began singing until about 6 young men came forward to the altar to answer the call! God is so good all the time!! Oh my goodness we are humbled.***

Help us get 4040's to the field!  If you have influence in your district's NYI, youth group, college, college group, spread the word.  Your invitation for someone to check out Extreme and join us in Ibarra could be the very thing God is planning to use to get us our last 2 North American males!

I know you all are invested in this project along with us and I ask that you not neglect praying for the ministry and that God would send more workers to the field for harvest.  Let us be churches and people that SEND and GO when God calls!

Seriously, it is a tremendous blessing to get to know our leaders like Christian Sarmiento and Dr. David Graves and both of their sweet wives (not pictured here), The Rich's and Howard's and many others.  We as a church are in very good hands...first God's and in those that lead us from within the body.  They are truly humble servants and amazing examples of disciples.

Some pictures of Ibarra...our soon to be home : )

 

 

 
 

 

 

IMBABURA volcano and Ibarra, the White City below it!

WWW.EXTREMENAZARENE.ORG for more information about becoming a 4040 for Ibarra!!!

If you have made it this far... THANKS!  Check out this song that I can't get out of my head right now...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSIVjjY8Ou8 

Blessings to you my friends, brothers and sisters in Christ!

Hi friends!!!

We have been in Quito for almost a month!  We spent the first 2 weeks buying and setting up the 4040 house where all the missionary teams will be living during their training time in Quito... the next 2 weeks we spent helping with the current 40 days program for folks interested in missions and discipleship.  We have been tagging along on their "tour" days and helping teach and cook.  In addition we have side trips to Ambato for cluster planning for the Ibarra project and soon a trip to Ibarra to scout locations for team housing and the church plant.  

Things are going well! I think no small part is the joy of being where God has called us to be.  It is cool looking back on all the nervousness we felt before joining Extreme...the nervousness and really worry about the unknown.  In fact, we had been told by a non-Christian before leaving CA in 2012 that what we were doing made no sense, it was abnormal, extreme, and illogical behavior to be uprooting one's family in a struggling economy for something uncertain and as dangerous as South American living.  That man does not know our God.  Our God makes the very best, most perfect plans.  While they may not be considered "safe" the way the world thinks, there is no safer place than in the hands of our God.  

We are working through lots of details as we eagerly await the arrival of our team.  Please, please keep our team and pastors in prayer.  We are still in need of 1 or 2 North American young men to join our team.  For some reason there is a shortage of male applicants.  If you are feeling called or know someone that is called to missions... supply the need, answer the call!  This too is in God's hands.  We expect God's very best in our team.  

As I close this little update I have a request if you are able and willing to help...  I am in need of a smartphone, used or new, and it needs to be unblocked/unlocked so that we can use it internationally.  The one I was able to bring down has a broken screen and is worsening.  Right now I am able to use it but I do need to replace it.  If you have an upgrade coming on your phone plan or a smartphone in good condition that is not being used, I could definitely use it!   My mom may be shipping a small box in September and I could get you in touch with her.  In addition, we need a couple of other items that are very costly here even considering the expense of shipment from the states, or are simply unavailable here... If you are willing to help out with one or more of these my mom is able to ship them to us, or we can coordinate with you directly for shipment...  for the most part there is a lot more available here than we found in Paraguay but still are missing a few bits if you are interested in helping...

Costco Items: 

Kirkland Adult Multi-Vitamins

Kirkland Adult Vitamin C

2-4 Bottles Gummi Vitamins for Kids

Others:

1000mg chewable Vitamin C -large bottle(s)

Twelve Extraordinary Women by John MacAurthur - English Book, Spanish copy, and study book used or new

Twelve Ordinary Men by John MacAurthur - English Book, Spanish copy, and study book used or new

As always, we appreciate your support, encouragement and prayers.  I hope you feel as privileged as we do in the service of our Lord!!!  Very seriously, consider and start praying about a visit to Ecuador while we are here...  Love Extreme Quito 2014 is on the calendar for July 17-29 next summer... In addition, you can find out more about coordinating a separate Short Term group on another date in 2014 or 2015 to Ibarra and help us minister!   At all costs, do what the Lord asks of you.  

Lots and Lots of Love to you all from The Williams Family in Quito for now!!!

www.extremenazarene.org/williams for online giving

In Quito...

After a sort of eventful couple of days in the Miami airport ( we expected this to be our shortest trip to South America), we finally arrived in Quito safe and sound, amazingly, with all of our luggage...9 checked bags, 4 backpacks, 2 computers, 1 projector, 1 guitar and a partridge in a pear tree.   Flying over Ecuador was beautiful! It really is a lovely country filled with mountains, lakes, and lots of green.

Within about a week or so we had ventured all over Quito buying household goods and beds for what is now the 4040 House on the NMI Work and Witness grounds (thanks John Fischer and Dwight Rich!).  The house and grounds are very peaceful and beautiful!  Yoan and Astrid Camacarro, our pastor family, is also living here in a casita and so we have really been able to spend some important time with them sharing meals, praying for our team that will be arriving in August, and working on strategies for ministry and team structure.

 The Work and Witness House and neighborhood that will serve as the 4040 House for our team and all other teams training in Quito.

Agregar leyenda

 Reese and Teddy making fairy houses : )

Quito city views

 Buying beds and mattresses! All on one small truck!

the livingroom in our Quito home.

Our first weekend we traveled with Yoan, Astrid and their 8 month old boy Yared to Otavalo and Gualsaqui because Yoan had been invited to preach to the Gualsaqui Church.  This town of Otavalo is similar to Ibarra, though we have not yet been to Ibarra (we are planning our trip right now).  The community of Gualsaqui is about 20-30 minutes outside of Otavalo via a very rustic and dusty road.  We took a city bus from the hostel where we slept the night before and then hired a local pick-up truck to take us all up the mountain as it is rough for taxis.  We have a clip of the truck ride below as well as a clip of the beautiful  special music the women presented that Sunday.  It was such a wonderful Sabbath praising God with these believers.  Last Sunday we went to another new community church in Quito that has about 10 people and is growing. It is such a blessing to worship with believers from all over the world.  Such a rare treat... 

   Volcan Imbabura near Araque and Lago San Pedro

 Getting to church!

 Pastor Yoan arriving in true missionary style : )

 Yoan preaching

 Truck Ride Clip

 Special music from Gualsaqui Church

 Helping prepare lunch afterward

Right now we are feeling pretty settled in here for the time being.  We are helping teach and cook for the current 40 days group of 10 young men and women and planning to visit Ambato this next weekend to see the Ambato Cluster and their developing church plant as well as nail down some financial details and plans for the Ibarra church plant.  Monday we are accompanying the 40 days group to "La Mitad del Mundo", the equatorial center of the earth, then later visiting Shell, Ecuador with them as well (which is the site of the End of the Spear events).  We have a lot going right now even as we wait and pray on our teams arrival and the super cool blessing being that even as we have given much up to be here, our cup overflows.  

I would ask special prayer for our team as they are fundraising in their communities.  In addition, we really need 1 or 2 more North American males to join our team.  This need is quite urgent as time is short for planning, fundraising and the Visa process.  It would be an amazing blessing to receive a young man that already speaks Spanish as he would not be required to be to the field until November for training in Colombia right before our deployment to Ibarra.  Please pray for God's call on exactly the right young men and women and that they would be faithful to say "Yes, Here I am Send Me".  We as a church, are in desperate need of men who are willing to stand up and lead.

Lastly, Love Extreme Peru 2013 is underway and the short term volunteers are rolling in tomorrow in Arequipa, Peru! Pray for this amazing opportunity to expand the kingdom of God! The harvest is plentiful!!!

We Love and appreciate you who support us through your prayers, encouragement and funding.  We are so blessed to be serving God in this way...we hope some of you will be able to join us at some point and share the experience as well!

Grace and Peace, 

The Williams Family

www.extremenazarene.org/williams

Visas Granted!

Praises! Yesterday in San Francisco we were granted our Visas to Ecuador for 2 years!  Thank You so much for your faithful prayers!  We are getting so close to the send off! Only 23 more days...  Oh my goodness we have so much still to do!  We are visiting family a bit this weekend then finish up packing both our bags and the home we have been living in.  W still are in need of a few items to take with us if you feel led and able to help in any way... they would be incredible blessings to the ministry but we will be pleased with however God provides or does not provide.

Still need:
1.  Projector (mid-size, light weight enough to travel and portable but equipped for medium size group display)

2.  Digital Camera with Zoom

We could also use your support through regular prayer.  Our team is still being formed so keep each person that will comprise the Ibarra team in your prayers throughout this 27 month term.  When we have our full and complete team all together for the first time in Quito we will of course post pictures and link you to their blogs so you can read about the ministry from their perspectives as well.  We will also be putting together an Ibarra Team page that I hope you will follow as well.  We want to connect you as much as possible to what God is doing so that you may join us as you are able and be blessed as the body of Christ. 

Stay tuned because over the next 3 months things will be getting REALLY exciting!  For Thanksgiving this year we will share with you the inspiration of the Church in Cali, Colombia and finish up the year with our first greetings from Ibarra!  There are exciting times filled with lots of transition for us and the kids.  Please consider joining the Kids Prayer Team and commit to prayer for one month.  You can sign up by sending me an email and seeing more details at http://jesusadventure.blogspot.com/p/kids-prayer-team.html.  I will update our mailing address each time it changes. 

We LOVE you all!  We are so blessed to be on this crazy journey with you!  Grace and Peace from our Lord Jesus Christ to you, and may you always be experiencing the joy that comes from His daily blessings in your lives!

With Great Love,

The Williams Family

 

For One-Time or Monthly giving go to http://www.extremenazarene.org/Volunteer.aspx?ID=190

 

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