You've given us hope!

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"Can you help us with our churches?" That's the question we always begin with, because the indigenous, rural churches are decreasing in number. The members are migrating to the cities looking for jobs. We met in Gabriel's home in Ambato, on our way to Quito. Gabriel is the brother of a student I taught in a seminary course four years ago in Guayaquil. He and his father, the pastor, are looking for help. We discussed typical church problems: lack of attendance, people are eager to begin something but soon lose interest, youth are looking for something else. But when we began to share our vision of helping the church prosper, not only spiritually, but also economically, the conversation changed tone. Once Gabriel grasped the vision of working together in a church-sponsored economic project, his reaction sums it all up in two statements: 1) "You've given us hope!" and 2) "We've always wanted a complete gospel that include both the spiritual and the physical."
We trust in God to complete the process that has just begun. First we need to "socialize" the idea by meeting with everyone interested to talk about their needs and our proposal. Afterwards we begin the process of planning and training. This is new for us too, but we are trusting God to lead us every step of the way. Proverbs 3:5-6.


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