Thank you, Friends Christian School!

Friends Christian School, an affiliate of Rose Drive Friends Church and Friends Church Yorba Linda, committed to give their chapel offerings from the first semester of school to our "Christmas in Quito" team to help purchase the supplies needed for the Extreme Response Christmas parties! All of the money raised has gone to buy school supplies, toiletries, and toys that will be distributed to the kids who live in the dumps at the events Nov. 26 - Dec. 4, 2012. 

Thanks to FCS's students, parents, and staff, over $1800 was raised to support this ministry! What a huge blessing!! We are so thankful for our partnership with Friends Christian School and, that through prayer and offering, the FCS family is a staple part of our team!

Three of our team members  - Megan Ilertsen, Mandi Pettikas, and Aaron Steiger - are FCS alumni. After the new year, our team will be speaking in chapel at Friends Christian School to share our experience with the students. 


For more information about Friends Christian School, please visit their website: www.friendschristian.org

Commissioning

This weekend at Rose Drive Friends Church, Gregg Prickett (Lay Pastor of Missions), commissioned our team in front of the congregation - praying for our upcoming trip and encouraging us with words of wisdom and affirmation. He read us this passage from the book of 1 Timothy: 

"Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity. Until I get there, focus on reading the Scriptures to the church, encouraging the believers, and teaching them. Do not neglect the spiritual gift you received..."

Each member of our team has special and unique gifts God has given us. Whether it be the gift of empathy, the gift of listening, the gift of encouragement, the gift of including, or the gift of prayer... all of our gifts will certainly be a blessing to the people we will be serving and to each other. Each of us feels called to go to Ecuador and serve the Lord. Because of this calling, we trust that God has equipped us with the gifts we need to be effective in ministry! We just continue to pray that we'd be open to God's leading and trust in the gifts He's given when called to use them. 

We also trust that the way each of our team members live and love each other would be a reflection of God's love living in each of our hearts. May we truly "be an example" for others around us - Ecuadorians, ER staff, and other volunteers - of genuine community and compassion. We are blessed to have such a close team, with deep friendships (and family!) already formed. It is exciting to get to experience this with other people we love and care about! Undoubtedly, too, we will walk away from this knowing even more about ourselves and each other. Thank you, Lord, for uniting this team and for, in advance, growing us closer together and we grow closer to you by serving your people in Quito. 

Begin to Pray Now

Our team invites you to pray with us for our upcoming trip to Quito. Please begin to pray now that God will multiply our efforts, allowing our hands-on work to help make the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ available to everyone in a language that speaks to their heart.

Please also remember to pray for:

• The spiritual health of our team.

• The final preparations: travel plans, availability of work/ministry supplies, and lodging details

• Safety in travel.

• Those left at home.

• Ministry responsibilities we are leaving behind.

• Help from God to see the world as He sees it.

• Each team member to be sensitive to God’s leading regarding future involvement in world missions.

• The Leadership Team: Our Team Leader, General Christmas Events Coordinator, ER Team Host

• Physical and spiritual strength and stamina.

• Each team member to seize opportunities given by God to be an encouragement to those with whom he/she comes in contact.

• The testimony of the team and of ER, that they will not be compromised or tarnished in any way.

Pray, too, for the spiritual condition of those we will pass on the street. Pray for the country (Ecuador) and for the city (Quito) in which we will work. Pray that we would take the opportunities God puts before us and trust Him to provide the results.

Thank you for partnering with us in this way! We covet your prayers.