Dave

From the time that I recognized the call God had placed on my life, I began making preparations to return to Ecuador. Something I didn’t realize at the time was how much God had already done to begin preparing me.
As a child, my parents served as missionaries to the Navajo Indians in New Mexico. I think this early experience in missions set a foundation of sensitivity to other cultures that would stay with me for life. I had learned to build friendships with people who came from a very different cultural perspective.
God also gave me a desire to work with my hands. I have always had a knack for working on cars, and construction sites. I see now that God was giving me experiences that will come in handy in the rugged environment of Ecuador.
God had also been preparing me spiritually. When I was a freshman in High School, I attended a camp led by Daniel Anderson, the president of Appalachian Bible College. During that camp, he challenged us to commit ourselves to a year in Bible College to give us a foundation in which God could direct us. It was during my first year of Bible College that I went to Ecuador the first time. It was because of that trip that I committed to the work of church planting in Ecuador.

Brenda

When my parents decided to go to the mission field they asked all of us kids how we felt and included us in their decision. I wasn’t sure I liked the idea of moving, but I knew it was something my parents were convinced was God’s will for us. Four moves and three years later, we were in Ecuador. I immediately fell in love with the country and the people. While I was in Ecuador I got to help my parents and really got a taste for ministry. I loved it, and I knew that God wanted me in some type of full-time service. When I returned to the states for college I went through some hard times where I began to look to myself rather than the Lord. I even considered settling in a “normal” 9-5 job here in the states. But the Lord had other plans. Ken Epp, of Berean Mission, came to our mission conference at Calvary as the speaker. It was then that I said to the Lord “Anything, anytime, anywhere. I am ready.” After that I began to look at mission organizations and different countries. I wanted to be sure that anything that I did was the Lord’s leading and not mine. Through a ladies Bible study at my church, the Lord started directing me. I accepted the Lord’s leading me to Ecuador, South America as a full-time missionary. That night I called Dave and told him that I was going to Ecuador, South America as a missionary. No more excuses. (We started dating soon after that!!!!) :-)