June 2022

One day at a time

GordonTeran

The doctor had prescribed the medicine Amitriptilina for Faby. We tried it for two days, but the side effects were too much for Faby. As they say in Spanish, "The medicine is worse than the illness." The doctor told us it would take two weeks for the medicine to take effect, but he didn't mention any side effects. So we're trying other remedies, including natural teas, sleep, and relaxing in the park. We take it one day at a time. Yesterday was tough. Faby had a headaches all day long. Thankfully she got a good night's rest and today we had a good day with no headaches or high blood pressure. We thank God for the good days and continue to pray for wisdom and healing.

Health Issues

GordonTeran

For several years now we have been dealing with some health issues for Faby. It started with high blood pressure and visiting several cardiologists. Their conclusion was that Faby’s condition was variable/labile blood pressure. This combined with severe headaches, anxiety, and dizziness. We couldn’t find the right medicine or combination that would control her condition. My best solution for every crisis was a sedative.

As a result, Faby doesn’t travel well, and we have severely limited our trips to Riobamba and the Quichua communities.

Finally, a good friend told us, “Go to the best hospital in Quito and find a specialist.” Good advice. This week we went to a highly respected neurologist. He had Faby get a MRI scan of her head, and thankfully she has no tumors or lesions. The doctor prescribed a medicine for anxiety, explaining that, in Faby’s case, her headaches are caused by tension and stress. So we’re trying the new medicine and praying for God’s healing.

A Visit from Capulispungo

AntonioAbel

Wednesday, pastor Antonio from Capulispungo and his disciple Abel, who pastors in Quito, paid us a visit in El-Tingo. Antonio gave me my first invitation to the Quichua communities over 10 years ago, and, ironically, I met him here at our house. He showed up one night with a mutual friend because they didn't have any place to stay overnight at the end of a conference nearby. Abel pastors some of the immigrants from Capulispungo who live in Quito. They came to pray for Faby's health. We've been battling labile blood pressure, headaches, and anxiety for some time now, and this has limited our visits to the communities. We continue to pray for Faby, and really appreciated a visit from our good friends who are now pretty much family.

From pastor to lawyer

Vinicio01

Over the years I've gained a reputation for doing legal paperwork, specifically for incorporating a church. Vinicio was a student of mine at the seminary in Riobamba, and is now the head deacon of his church in Latacunga. We've had many a conversation about incorporating his church, but he's always run into difficulties. Finally, we seem to be making progress. I convinced him and another deacon (who's a lawyer) to form a small corporation FOR the church, rather than try to form a corporation with THE WHOLE church. Santiago, the other deacon, understood what I was suggesting and endorsed the idea. The next day I sent them a rough draft of the bylaws. Once they review them and make any changes, we can move to the next step of signing the paperwork and sending it to the government. Lord willing, we won't have any difficulties.