Christ Changes Things

We have begun to observe the truth that when Jesus begins to change people on a spiritual level, it quickly begins to affect all levels of their life.  Just as Paul wrote to the Ephesians: “He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.” (4:28)  When Jesus begins to transform a life, all aspects of life begin to change.  In this newsletter, we’d like to share with you some ways we’ve seen this change in action.

Changed Lives

When Gustavo accepted Christ as his personal Savior, his life underwent a radical transformation.  The first change his friends noticed was that his speech lost its foul language.  Then he began to notice his economic situation improving as his salary as a security guard at night and a shoe-maker during the day suddenly stretched farther due to the fact that he was no longer spending his money on alcohol, cigarettes and prostitutes.  His family life changed completely as he suddenly had free time to spend taking them out to the park or to participate in activities of the church, rather than spending his time in bars and dance halls.  His daughter’s grades have begun to rapidly improve.  Even his wife who was a staunch Catholic, has begun attending the church and studying the Bible.  He is meeting with Dave for discipleship twice a week and is soaking up everything he can from the Word of God.  He was also recently baptized with 11 others new believers in our church in testimony to the life-change God has done.

Changed Community

When we first came to Primero de Mayo, the community center was literally falling down and full of cobwebs.  There was a lot of effort put into community dances and parties, but little time was spent on community improvement projects.  When our church began meeting in the community center, there were fleas in the dust on the floor and the ceiling rained dust down on us throughout the service.  After 5 years of bringing Christ to the community, things have changed.  There hasn’t been a drinking party for the last two years.  The dirt roads are being leveled to put down paving stones.  Over the summer, the community center was renovated on the inside by our church with the help of some teams from the US.  Inspired by the interior transformation, the community rallied to renovate the exterior. The roof has been completely replaced and the walls are being patched and painted.  They are even preparing to pave walkways all around the center.  When Christ enters a community, things change.  We have been privileged to be a part of that transformation because of your support of the ministry.  Thank you for your sacrifices to make sure Christ is brought to Cayambe.

Changes in the Midst of Crisis

We told you about Diana in our newsletter last month.  We’d like to update you on how God has been working in that family and give you an opportunity to participate in reaching out to them in Christian love.  We wrote about the transformation we have seen in Diana since her decision to trust Christ as her Savior.  God has recently given her a real test of that transformation.  On the Saturday before our baptism Sunday, Diana was playing a game in youth group and had a bad fall.  She landed right on her left wrist exploding the bones in a compound fracture.  We immediately rushed her to Quito where they operated on her wrist installing four pins.  Two weeks later, the surgeon confirmed that she would need a second surgery to install a permanent plate in her wrist.  Diana was on her high school basketball team and was hoping for an eventual college scholarship.  That all evaporated before her eyes in an instant.  Before knowing Christ, her mother who is not yet a believer told us Diana would have slipped into a deep depression and probably dropped out of school.  Now she is amazed at her daughters positive attitude and hopeful outlook despite the suffering and pain of two surgeries.  Diana is on the mend now, and her mother and older brother now attend the church with her on Sunday mornings.  Please continue to pray for the salvation of her family which is Diana’s greatest desire.
Also, the two surgeries that Diana had on her wrist cost approximately $3000.  We have helped her from our funds as much as we can and we have taken up the majority of a benevolence fund maintained by the Ecuador ministry field.  If God is leading you to do so, would you consider a special gift to the “Ecuador Benevolence Fund” to help us recover the funds we have used?  Any gift for the ministry should be made out to “Crossworld” accompanied by a note stating the purpose of the gift then sent to the address at the base of this E-mail.  Thank you for your active part in this ministry.