"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God created in advance for us to do." - Ephesians 2: 8-10

Friends, your generosity has blessed this community beyond words. We were able to provide a delicious meal for over 100 families and many of these people took food home to eat later! We enjoyed games and a time of worship by the ocean. As we walked to the area where the games would take place we invited other families along the way! It was so wonderful to spend the morning teaching these families new fun games and they even enjoyed songs in English :). We had a little money left over from the original request and we asked them what their needs were. Gustavo and Myrna have been leading this church for many years and feeding the community is a huge way they bless the families here. They have never had a refrigerator to keep food from spoiling. They were so humble in telling us that a fridge was their biggest need. Because of your generous donations we were able to apply the extra money that was raised to purchase a new refrigerator for the church. Thank you all so very much! May each of you be blessed with abundance! Thank you Lord for your continuous provision!!

We are blessed to attend an incredible church full of missionaries with various organizations! A few weeks ago, missionaries from Extreme Response announced they were looking for volunteers for their 20th annual Christmas Party for the families who have lived and are working at the Quito dump by searching through trash to find items they can sell. We immediately knew we wanted to help! We were able to volunteer with several other teachers from Alliance, including both of Patrick's teachers. Madeleine and Patrick volunteered with the games and Madeleine also helped paint fingernails. Scott was on the "security team" :) help with crowd control. I (Brandy) applied temporary tattoos and I was blessed to be part of handing out the Samaritan's Purse boxes. Wow. What a humble experience. There were times when I couldn't even speak to the child because I was holding back tears. It was truly an experience I won't soon forget!

Scott was invited by a great friend of ours, who works with women who have been abused, to teach private self defense classes just for their small group. We had our first class last week and we look forward to weekly classes. These women are eager to learn and gain confidence in the ability to protect themselves from any chance of future abuse.  Please pray for these precious women!

We are seeking sponsors for the sweet children of Roca Fuerte, Esmeraldas and Muisne for a Christmas Blessing! We would love to help provide them with a new pair of shoes, an Operation Christmas Child Box and a Blessing Bag for their family that includes rice, tuna, oil, toilet paper and soap. There are 550 children who we hope to have sponsors for! The cost to sponsor these children is only a one-time donation of $15. All donations are 100% tax deductible!

After much prayer and discernment we feel as though we have a very clear direction as far as where and how we are to be used by the Lord here in Ecuador. We have decided to resign from Contigo and serve here as Independant Missionaries through Lead By Serving, Inc. We are continuing to support Contigo with 100% of Scott's salary being donated to their ministry for the 2016-2017 school year. Contigo has a wonderful ministry and we pray that God continues to bless all of their service in His name.
There are many, many, many opportunities to serve here and we felt as though our gifts would be better used in other areas. Our hearts have always been with the pastors on the coast. We are now able to pour more of our energy and gifts into serving these areas. We ask for your continued prayers as God guides us each and every day.

We now have Magic Jack!!! You can reach us by calling a local number!!
Our # is 678-208-5719
We look forward to seeing many of you when we travel to the states for Christmas!

"...that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting people's sins against them. And He is committed to us the message of reconciliation." - 2 Corinthians 5:19

"Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms." - 1 Peter 4:10-11

So, we received a phone call from a great friend of ours in Esmeraldas who said she was coming to visit us in Quito! Elizabeth was our precious translator when we were here during the summer of 2014. She literally quit her job because she felt that she was suppose to work with us full time! Such a servant's heart! She arrived this morning and we immediately began talking about ministry needs on the coast. She is currently working in a small community called Muisne as an English teacher. She travels 2.5 hours EACH way by bus to get to and from work everyday. As most of your remember, Ecuador experienced a very strong earthquake back in April 2016 and the epicenter of this quake was very close to Muisne. It has always been a very poor community, but after the earthquake...as you can imagine...the economy has been hit super hard. Elizabeth said that the city used to receive tourists to it's beautiful beaches, but now...nothing. There were many, many families who's homes and businesses were destroyed. Most of them are still living in the tents they were given by donors across the world. The story of poverty in Muisne makes a very disturbing and heart wrenching turn.
Men, women...and children are all desperate for money. There are more teenage pregnancies than ever before...and the Esmeraldas province has had the highest teenage pregnancy rate in all of South America for the last several years. These children...ages 12, 13, 14 years old are getting pregnant due to the high rate of prostitution. These children will ask to leave school to go home to get medicine or to take care of a family member...and they will return 30 minutes later. No, they do not need to go home to care for a family member...they are getting paid to have sex. They are swapping spouses and fathers are sexually abusing their own daughters. They are now gathering in certain tents for 'sex parties'. Y'all...these are CHILDREN! Elizabeth said that there are many of the new teenage mothers who are bringing their babies to school with them because there's no one to take care of them. In addition to the reality of this horror, Elizabeth said HIV/AIDS was on the rise because of this! My heart breaks in a million pieces learning of the harsh reality of severe poverty and desperation. With tears in my eyes I asked her how we could help. We have brainstormed and she is going to be talking to the appropriate officials in order to do 'something' there.
Have you ever been to Disney World? There is a painting on the wall there that I took a picture of years ago and it is still one of my favorites. It says "I may be only one person, but I can be one person who makes a difference." - Vadra Francene, age 10.

I plan to take a trip to Muisne within the next few weeks and find out how we can help make a difference. This is serious stuff. I ask for your prayers for safety and wisdom...as well as, divine appointments. Please pray for these precious people.

Several of you may have read on facebook about our amazing trip to the coast last week.
If not, I am posting here ;)
There was an Ecuadorian national holiday last week Wednesday through Friday, so we decided to adventure to a place we had never been before. As crazy as it sounds, we wanted to visit an area impacted heavily by the April earthquakes because they need our business! I truly believe God sent us exactly where He wanted us to go. We had such a nice time of relaxation and pure family time. We rented an apartment from a precious Canadian couple on one of the most beautiful beaches I have seen in Ecuador. It was exactly what we needed! We were able to seek clarity and pray for wisdom over several important things and simply enjoy our time as a family. Being at the beach and surrounded by the ocean is where creativity and life abounds in me :) We also ate amazing seafood for less than a McDonald's meal! YES, I ate the same meal probably 4 times of fresh caught tuna in a garlic sauce with rice, salad and plantains for....$4.50! Yall...it was amazing! I am so thankful for this time! Oh...and during one of our long walks we saw a whale!! The whales are suppose to be gone, but it was such a treat for Scott and the kids because they have never seen one in the wild before!

A few weeks back, I posted a few pictures of items I will be selling when we come to the States at Christmas! We are working diligently on a long-term exporting business from Ecuador. This is something we have considered over the years, but never moved forward with it. Well, it is getting closer...! We are meeting with several artisans next week to discuss in greater detail how we can support their families, not only with business from purchasing their crafts, but in deeper, long-lasting relationships. I truly hope that I have items available to order in time for Christmas gifts!!
As we have mentioned before, we still haven't felt as though we were suppose to actively seek financial supporters. We are praying this is an avenue that will allow us to continue our work long-term here. Please be in prayer for us to make wise decisions and for opportunities to grow this business so that we can grow our ministry!!

Contigo hosted a team comprised of 8 people from all across the US. They were here serving in partnership with Contigo and Go. Be. Love. (Previously, Visiting Orphans). They had an amazing time and life-changing experiences.  I recently saw a post that they were looking for 2 more team members for a January 2017 trip!
Click below for more details
https://gobeloveinternational.org/project/ecuador-january-2017/

Thank you all so very much for your continued love, encouragement and prayers. It is not always easy, but always worth it! We love you and we ask that Lord blesses you with abundance!
Love, The Murphy Family

We have been pretty busy over the last few weeks! There have been challenges and great accomplishments! AAI has completed both Elementary and Secondary Spiritual Emphasis Weeks which were a huge success! During this time, the students would experience a time of worship and hear from a guest speaker (usually a teacher) who has an amazing testimony. It was a wonderful time of growth for both the students and teachers. This past week, all of the high school students were late dismissing from school because there was a young lady being healed! She has struggled her entire life with severe scoliosis and would need assistance simply walking. She was told she would never walk again past the age of 25. During the service on Thursday she was healed! She is now running up and down the field, climbing stairs, and crawling on her hands and knees...simply because she CAN! Such an amazing testimony of God's ability!!

Contigo is hosting a team this week from "Visiting Orphans". We had a great time of fellowship with them yesterday after church! We enjoyed lunch together, then went to the Boy's Home to fellowship with the young men living there. It is a wonderful opportunity to visit with these children (and young men) who just need Love! The team will be working on the coast over the next few days, then return to Quito to continue visiting the orphanages here.

I (Brandy) was recently invited to help host RefresHer Gatherings for the missionary and expat women living here in Quito. I just hosted our first gathering of the year and it was wonderful! We had a great time making jewelry and getting to know each other better. This group was started by a friend of mine about 6 years ago and it has been a wonderful time to refresh the women in the community to allow them to serve here with longevity. We look forward to monthly gatherings!

Scott is finishing up his last week of coaching volleyball. It has been an incredible time for him to mentor these young men. While he greatly enjoyed coaching...we will be happy to have him home earlier! :)

We are really trying to be led by the Lord in regards to our finances. Up to this point, we have not felt as though we were suppose to actively seek supporters. We have felt that the Lord knows our needs and He will provide... He will lead specific people to support our ministry. I have had many conversations with other missionaries regarding this belief and I have asked them to pray for our hearts to be open to whatever it is God has for us. We know through experience that God leads and it is up to us to be obedient. Please pray that we are obedient in following the Lord's leading in the matter....as well as for those who are being led to support our ministry.
We have decided to raise funds by selling some beautiful items that are handmade here in Ecuador! There are so many different products that we will bring with us at Christmas, but check back on our facebook page and website to order specific items!

We thank you all for your prayers and support as we continue our journey! We love you all and pray the Lord's blessing over each and every one of you!
Love, The Murphy Family

So, my intent was to continue to give updates each week. As you can see...that didn't happen! :) We got crazy busy and every time I sat down to write a newsletter I was either distracted or my computer died! Please forgive me!
Has it really been 3 weeks since our last update? That is crazy! I feel like time is flying by. It will be Christmas before we know it and my family is super excited about that! That means they will be able to see their grandkids!! They really don't care much about seeing me and Scott...it's all about the grandkids! (I'm teasing...)
So, quite a bit has happened since our last update. The kids have finished their 1st month of school and they are adjusting better and better each day. Thank you to all of you who prayed for them after my special request to my prayer warriors. The very day I asked for prayer, Madeleine came home from school and said "Mom, I had the absolute best day at school. I don't know what it was...it just felt different!" Yes ma'am! I know exactly what it was! I had about 15 prayer warriors fighting the spiritual battle on your behalf! Y'all, prayer works. Whether you see the prayers being answered or not, prayer works. God works all things for our good...although at times we don't see that. It doesn't mean it's not true. Patrick has adjusted much better, too. They are making good grades and trying very hard. We are very proud of them. Madeleine has started taking ballet at a Christian dance school devoted to ministry through the art of dance. It reminds me so much of Steps of Faith in Cartersville. It was such a blessing to find this place! Patrick attended his first day in a soccer ministry yesterday. He absolutely loved it! These coaches are amazing, Godly men! We feel so blessed to be surrounded by so many solid people!
Last weekend was full of fellowship and such a blessing. The kids had a half day at school, so the Contigo families decided to have a fun afternoon for the kids. We were able to spend the afternoon with a young man from the Boy's Home whose birthday was the previous week. We all enjoyed a picnic lunch then we headed to a heated indoor pool! All of the kids had a great time and played so well with the young man who was spending the day with us. After a couple of hours swimming we surprised the young man with a small birthday celebration complete with chocolate cake and an ice cream sundae bar! It was a very special day for all involved!
Last week, we had a wonderful staff meeting going over new opportunities that have been presented, as well as, maping out the rest of this year. We have quite a few teams visiting within the next few months and Contigo's Christmas Shoes program will begin soon. The Women's Enrichment Program is still going strong and we hope to encourage them to come up with new ideas that will continue to provide sustainability.
Two weeks ago, as we were working with the women in the Jewelry Program, we were made aware that 2 children from the Pisuli ministry were missing. They were not in Contigo's care at this time, but their mother was in the jewelry program. Several folks from Contigo jumped in cars and began searching for these children. After about an hour of searching, they were found...unharmed! Thank you Jesus! During the time of searching Denise and Oswaldo (Contigo's Founders) stumbled across a piece of property that may be exactly what they had been looking for in order to expand the Pisuli ministry. We have outgrown the space that we are currently renting and we are having to turn children away. This breaks our hearts! We desperately need a larger facility. Please pray that the right property, in the right location for the right price becomes available!
This week at Alliance is Spiritual Emphasis Week. Scott will be teaching and sharing about Obedience! Please pray for each of the teachers who will be sharing this week and for the students to be touched by the messages being shared.
Continue to pray for the direction of Alliance. The 'Department of Education' has still not approved many of the very important things that have been the foundation of Alliance for over 80 years.
Please pray that I will be able to retain the Spanish material that I am learning! I have started intense Spanish lessons 3 hours a day, 3 days each week. I feel like I am learning so much, but there's just so much to learn!  Pray that I would be able to help Scott and the kids learn as well.
We ask that you continue to pray for provision for our family. God knows our needs. We know we are suppose to be here...and we know God will provide every penny we need. If you feel in your heart you are being led to partner with us on this mission, please be obedient and let us know. Whether you feel led to be a prayer partner, financial partner or a fellow missionary...listen and obey!
You will not regret it!!

We love you all so much and we pray you are blessed with abundance!
How can we pray for you? Please let us know!
Scott and Brandy Murphy
Madeleine and Patrick

Are we going overboard on the updates? Maybe, however, we want to do our best to show you how awesome our God is! Giving updates also helps us journal so that we can go back on our super hard days and remember "God's got this!."
So...Enjoy!
Well, we are experimenting with different ways to communicate. We will try out the 'blogging' method for a few weeks and see how we like it. I will still be sending out a link to those of you who have signed up for our newsletters, but the mailing system we are currently using costs us money...and we are trying to be good stewards of the funds we have. Let us know if you prefer one method over the other :)

The kids really enjoyed their 1st week of school. Unfortunately, Patrick's first day was Wednesday due to being sick. They have great teachers and we look forward to them growing academically and spiritually this school year.
Mr. Murphy has had a blast teaching PE to the 2nd through 6th grade students. The kids' parents have been talking about the kids being sore...so he feels like he is doing his job! The school is going through a lot of changes as they are now under the Ministry of Education (not really a ministry in our terms...) and this basically means the graduates will meet all of the requirements for the Ecuadorian government, as well as U.S. Standards. There are some benefits to this change, but it has been a very difficult process for the teachers and administration.
Please keep all of the children and teachers in your prayers as these changes are being made!

FedEx Ecuador donated 250 backpacks full of school supplies and hygiene products to the students in the Pisuli neighborhood. This was a huge blessing to the families here! Contigo is so blessed to have so many generous donors!

Every Wednesday, Contigo hosts these children for an incredible time of play, worship, crafts, Bible lesson and a hot meal! This week's lesson was from John 3:16

On Fridays, Contigo hosts a Jewelry Program for the women in the community. The women are taught a Bible lesson and learn how to make different jewelry designs. Contigo provides all of the materials used in making the jewelry, the women make the jewelry and Contigo purchases the jewelry from the women. The income that the women make from this project is crucial to their family. One of the women didn't have running water in her home for her children and this program allows them to have running water in their home. There are so many stories like this. We are hoping to expand this ministry to other communities within Ecuador. I enjoyed spending time with these women who inspire me in so many ways!

As we enter into another week, I ask that you pray for these ministries we are involved with and that our daily actions reflect those of Jesus. We have our moments of weakness and we ask that you pray that we would live with a spirit of Thankfulness...always. We want our time here to be used exactly as God would have us use it. I pray we would be used in ways that we never could have imagined.

Patrick's Bible verse for last week was 1 Timothy 4:12: Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.
My hope is that we can encourage all children to live by this scripture...and the young at heart!

I look forward to sharing more next week!
Love you all!
The Murphy Family

We have been excited to share an update with all of you, but we have been without internet! As with most things here, getting internet was a process! :) We were blessed to have phone service right away, but we weren't able to use internet on our phones easily.Tomorrow marks 3 weeks in Ecuador! Wow...what a time it has been! We feel like there's so much to update you on! We have tried to give quick updates on Facebook, but so much more has happened than what we are even able to share! Every day has been a wonderful challenge...and with those challenges come difficulties and excitement. We accomplish a small new task every day that makes us giddy :). It can be something as simple as going to the grocery store! We have met some of the most incredible people that have helped us along the way. They give us helpful information, then provide us with wings to soar on our own...:) Each time I go grocery shopping I learn one more thing! Speaking of grocery shopping...the kids are getting use to my cooking! Patrick has rated all of the dishes with approval for most! Praise God! We aren't going to starve! We have been treated to dinner at our new friends' homes and that has been wonderful too!
Our home is perfect. We arrived to a fully (mostly) furnished home. We were able to purchase most things from missionaries who were leaving Ecuador and that was a huge blessing! We hope to add small things as the weeks go by to make it feel more like home, but for now...it works. I shared on Facebook about little blessings we have received that have meant the world to us! We still needed dishes, clothes hangers, ironing board...etc. and we were able to find these things at the blessing closet the school has, as well as through a donation to Contigo! The Lord knows our needs and He will provide!
We have met some incredible missionaries from many different organizations and have already started developing great relationships with them. We have new neighbors who have a daughter Madeleine's age, going into 6th grade at Alliance also, who were just transferred here from Peru. They were in Haiti prior to that.
We spent time at a beautiful ranch in the mountains this past week worshiping and praying over several different ministries. It was an incredible time of fellowship! True, genuine friendships are being made through the work of the Holy Spirit!
We experienced our first earthquake...(last Sunday) and another one today! The one last week was very intense! It registered as a 4.6, but the epicenter was in Quito and it was a shallow depth. It shook us pretty good! We were one of the first families who made it outside and another teacher from AAI was already waiting on us at the gate to make sure we were OK! The quake today occurred during church and we evacuated for safety, but it wasn't as strong. This is very new to us! With the terrible damage on the coast in April from a 7.6 earthquake...we were prepared for the possibility of earthquakes prior to moving here. We aren't afraid...simply cautious. As both of the quakes occurred...I had the same thought each time..."I was born for such a time as this." I'm not sure exactly what this means, but I know that through whatever trial may come our way, God has us right where He wants us.
Scott's work with Alliance Academy International will be incredibly important! AAI has such an amazing mission and we are so blessed to be apart of it. Their #1 focus is developing Leaders with a Passionate Pursuit of Christ. He will be mentoring many children and young adults who are going through various seasons of life and guiding them to pursue their relationship with the Lord. His involvement with these children will lead to world-wide Life Changers! Please be in prayer over this mission!
As God has prepared our hearts for this mission over the last 3 years, He has also made it clear that He will provide our every need. It will not be easy...but we are prepared for each challenge and we have put complete faith in Him! We thank you for your continued prayers and support and we look forward to sharing more with you very soon!
May you be blessed with abundance!
Many Blessings! We love you! Scott, Brandy, Madeleine and Patrick Murphy
Would you like to be involved in our mission? We are seeking Prayer Warriors and Financial Supporters! We cannot accomplish this without you!

To the tune of John Denver’s “Leaving on a Jet Plane”:
All my bags are packed, I’m ready to go…
I’m standing here, staring at the floor…

I hate to pick them up, they’re all so full…


This whole packing thing...it’s been a journey.  Do I carry 2 or 3 pairs of jeans, you know we could use that extra 2 pounds in this bag.  This coat takes up a lot of space, maybe Patrick should just wear it onto the plane.  Would it be cheaper to just buy all this kitchen-ware when we get there than to pay for overweight luggage?  Did the wheel on that large suitcase just break?...really?  Just how many decks of Phase 10 cards are acceptable to pack?  Oh, we might get approved to carry extra luggage for free?!  Nevermind, summer baggage embargo.  Take out 2 decks of Phase 10 cards and tell Patrick to wear that coat!  I know it’s 97 degrees in Atlanta, but we’re headed to Quito and he’ll thank us later.
Boy, these last couple of weeks have been exciting.  We finished our Pre-Field Orientation training in New York, and we’re so thankful to have had the opportunity to attend.  We gained a lot of very useful insights into making a smooth transition for our family (as smooth as it can be when you’re relocating to an entirely new continent!).  We met several families and individuals that are headed to teach at Alliance Academy International, which is the same school at which Scott will be teaching.  We spent some quality time with other families moving to different countries throughout the world and were able to share common thoughts and feelings with all of them.  It was a very encouraging time.
The last few days have been spent trying to finalize what goes to Quito and what stays in Atlanta.  It’s hard to describe the thought process in making these decisions, but basically we’ve really had to distinguish between “wants” and “needs”.  God has blessed us by allowing us to keep some of our “wants”, but of course, we are also trying to be good stewards of the space we have. 
In this post, we wanted to publicly thank God and use this as a testimony for the work that He has done in our lives and our journey over the past few weeks.  We always want to remember how God was working in our lives to lead us to begin this journey, but we don’t want to get stuck in those past moments...  We also want to recognize how He continues to work in our lives and be active in leading us to serve Him in ways we could not orchestrate on our own.  So here are a few things that have happened over the last few weeks!
· We have had a great place to stay after moving out of our house! Brandy’s dad and stepmom allowed us to bring all of our remaining stuff to their guest house and it has given us time to sort through what we will be taking now and what we will have to get at Christmas.
· While we were in New York, Brandy’s family was able to sell our washer, dryer, and freezer.  Those were the last of the large items we wanted to sell before leaving and allowed us to raise more money!
· Brandy had been looking for a few months for a washer and dryer to purchase in Quito for our apartment, and was feeling frustrated because she passed on a set a few weeks back.  But a few days ago, she found a set for 1/2 the cost! Praise God!
· While in New York, Scott received a phone call that a couple of financial support checks had been sent to us- both from families that know his parents better than they know him.  One family, Scott has never actually met in person.  It’s amazing to see how God is leading His people to reach out to us - and they are being obedient!
· Without us asking for financial support from them, our church reached out and committed to support us financially while we are serving in Ecuador.  This was a major blessing to us, and we are so thankful for the hearts of the leaders at Life Bible Church. 
· Scott is getting prepared to teach a self-defense seminar in Augusta as a fundraiser for our mission.  This will be the second fundraising seminar (the first was in Gainesville and was absolutely amazing!).  Both seminars have been hosted by great friends who we are blessed to know.  They each reached out to us and offered a fun way to help support us!
For those of you who have committed to pray for us, we thank you so much for your support.  We believe that with you praying along side of us, we will be stronger in our service for the Lord.  We do have an updated prayer request - we need to be approved for our visas before we leave, and time is running short.  We have applied, and we are waiting to hear back to know if we have been accepted or denied.  The original application was filed 2 weeks ago, and we were finally able to have a follow-up conversation by phone yesterday.  In short, the Ecuadorian consulate claims they are trying to determine whether Scott’s service at the international school will take away an employment opportunity from an Ecuadorian citizen.  If so, they will be reluctant to issue a visa.  This seems a little crazy, because Scott’s “salary” is actually being donated to the orphan-care ministry in Quito.  So please pray that God will work through the consulate to approve our visas quickly and allow us to arrive in Quito without any delays.  We are confident that God has opened too many doors for us along this journey to have a single government official determine that we cannot go.  And if we are denied now, there are other options, but it will cost more money and much more time to go those routes.
A few days ago, we sent out a request for Prayer Supporters. We have received several responses, but we are still seeking a few more people who would commit to praying for us and our ministry for 15 minutes each day. Of course, we welcome and appreciate ALL of your prayers whether you feel that you can commit to 15 minutes each day or not! We simply know that we need prayer warriors to combat the spiritual battles we will likely face.
We also need prayers over financial provision. We know we are being obedient...and our faith is strong...
As I type this, I am hearing Scott tell some friends of ours about several books he has read by Mark Batterson and he is telling them that God wants us to pray for things that are completely out of our own reach. We know that without the Lord WE cannot accomplish the things we have a vision for. It is simply not possible. We must pray that HE provides what HE wants to provide in order for HIM to get all the glory! We have seen Him work and we look forward to seeing what He will continue to do!
May each of you be blessed with abundance and experience the overflowing joy of the Lord daily! Thank you from the bottom of our heart for all of your love and support!


Much Love and Many Blessings from the Murphy Family!

We’re another week closer to leaving for Ecuador, and so much has been done in the past few weeks.  Here was my thought process going into what I knew had to be done: garage sale (or actually a walk-inside-my-house-into-any-room-you-want-and-just-buy-something-from-that-room sale), move out everything that didn’t sale in that “garage” sale, pack and store some the more personal items, say goodbye to our pet (golden retriever named Sadie), console our broken-hearted daughter, pack the luggage for Ecuador, don’t forget to leave some of that out for New York, drive to New York/almost Canada from Atlanta, and attend a training that might get us prepared for life in Ecuador.  I was excited to be getting it done, but in the whirlwind of immediate progress, it was hard to process everything.  Now that we have a few minutes to reflect back on the past few weeks, here’s how it really happened.
 
In January we moved into a house for which we signed a 6-month rental agreement.  Nice house, plenty of space, beautiful views, great area for our dog - and we only had to sign a 6-month agreement.  That’s kind of unheard of in our market.  It’s typically a 12-month minimum, but God had plans for us that we didn’t know about at the time.  A week after moving in, we found out about an opportunity to serve in Ecuador and thought it might be an answer to 2 years worth of prayers...seriously.  Fast forward, that 6-month agreement is allowing us to leave for our new journey without having to break our agreement and literally “pay” the consequences.  Even more, there was a family waiting to move in, so we moved out mid-month and only paid for the time we were there.  In a time when every penny counts, half-rent is a pretty sweet blessing.
 
The process of trying to sale all of our stuff was a little different.  It’s funny to look at it now and see just how much we were able to raise off of that sale.  Looking at all of the stuff that was still left at the end of the weekend made me feel like we hadn’t sold very much at all, however, the reality was that we had sold all of our larger items and quite a bit of the smaller stuff.  But the biggest blessings through the whole process were the people that helped and the people we met.  Without a few of the family members that showed up and worked hard to help us clear out the house, I’d probably still be there trying to figure out where the “thingy that was sittin’ on top of the black shelf over there by the TV” goes.  And then there were the two Latino men who came in, purchased a few small things, and then prayed over my wife in Spanish before they left.  I have a suspicion that they were Ecuadorian.  I just see God working that way in our lives right now.  And I can’t forget about the lady who bought a few things after telling us that she had driven by each day of the sale but hadn’t stopped yet.  So the last day, after driving by she felt a strong feeling to turn around and come to our sale.  Without knowing why, she obeyed that feeling.  It turns out that her husband is a minister and she became very interested in our mission.  But the wildest blessing was from the gentleman who walked in while I was sleeping in the only chair that hadn’t sold yet (true story, and yes I’m extremely grateful for my wife and the other family members that were there to greet him and show him around).  He didn’t buy anything, but I woke up just in time to see him give a sizeable “donation” to my wife to help us out.  God is amazing!
 
So after selling all that we could, we finished packing everything else and cleared the house.  It took some serious work to get it all done in time (2:15am on move-out day), and some serious helpers with trucks and SUV’s - and a God that could hold the rain off until the truck was covered on the last run - and some other serious helpers that could move boxes into a guest house before they got wet while everyone else was loading up the next load.  And it all happened.
 
Finally, we got everything out, some things stored, some things ready for us to sort when we get back.  And we got on the road headed for Pre-Field Orientation in New York.  All the while I was thinking, “what is Pre-Field Orientation...exactly?”  We split the drive into a few days, because we had time to do so.  Along the way, we decided to stop and do a few things we had never done before.  So now I can officially say that I have seen and stood in Lake Eerie (cool for us GA folks), been to Canada and paid way too much for American food there, and visited Niagara Falls.  Truly an exciting day.
 
In the middle of all of this, God was at work in other powerful ways.  The single biggest dilemma we faced to this point was figuring out what to do with Sadie - the amazing golden retriever that was Madeleine’s gift this past Christmas.  The deal is that we cannot fly her down to Ecuador with us for now because she is not trained as a service dog, therefore, she cannot fly in the cabin with us.  Also, it is too hot in the cargo area of the plane during the summer months, so the airlines won’t fly pets down there until it gets cooler.  So we have been praying for a family that would be willing to take care of her for about 6 months and then give her back when we return at Christmas time (assuming we feel that she would be ok after a half-year of evaluating the country and our lifestyle in Ecuador).  Sounds like a crazy a prayer for sure, but guess what?!  There just happens to be a crazy awesome family who offered to do just that!  So God provided again, as He always does.  Sadie is now with a great family who is fostering her until we can decide if she can live a good lifestyle with us in Ecuador.  And if the answer to that is no, then they are happy to adopt her into their family.  Thank you, Jesus.
 
At this point, it’s time to head to the PFO (Pre-Field Orientation) and figure out exactly what this trip is all about.  And it’s everything I thought it might be and so much more.  So I’ll try to sum up our experience over the past week in a few thoughts.
 
First, WE’RE NOT CRAZY!  Some of you thought we were, but we’re not.  It’s been incredible to spend the week with so many individuals and families alike that are all in the same boat (living out of my car, waiting on my visa, and headed to a place where I can’t speak the language because I think God told me to).   There are people here who range from just graduating college and accepting their first teaching position to people who are retired from a long career and entering the mission field for the first time in their lives while quickly approaching 70 years of age.  There are single people, people who have been married for 1 week (yes, 1 week), married people with kids, and married people with grandkids.  All leaving the comforts of the lifestyle they have grown up in to head to something very new, very exciting, and yet very unknown.  Every meal has been spent with a person or couple and sharing everyone’s experiences to help encourage one another.
 
 We have had the amazing opportunity to meet several people who will also be working at Alliance Academy International in Quito, Ecuador.  There is the Peachey family from Ohio.  The husband/dad will be teaching at the school and their two kids will be students.  There is Ms. Crim from Alabama who just graduated college and is accepting her first job (missionary teacher in a foreign country).  Talk about a true step in faith.  And Mrs. Wells is here. She is one of the directors of the school, and it has been such a great experience to spend the week with her.  She has been such a big help in getting us prepared specifically for life in Quito.
 
The training here has been beyond my expectations.  Much of it at this point has been centered on cross-culture life and mission.  We have had extensive training on learning more about ourselves and our own culture/sub-culture/deeper sub-culture/etc. that we are leaving, the culture we are headed into, and trying to make that transition “successfully”.  We know
that this transition won’t be easy, but I feel much more prepared mentally than I was a week ago.  One of the best thoughts I have heard so far is week is to “fail your way forward.”  Basically, we’re going to make mistakes as far as the new culture is concerned.  I’m certainly going to make mistakes in learning a new language and testing it out on some of the locals!  But the point is to try.  Don’t expect to be perfect in the transition, just try your best.  Make mistakes and learn from them.  Fail your way forward.
 
To sum it all up, this has been an amazing few weeks of being constantly reminded by our all-powerful God that we are being obedient to His call and He will take care of every need we have.  Not a bad few weeks.        written by: Scott
 

 

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