Work crews took important steps in the last several weeks as your church plant, El Nazareno Church, approaches the construction phase in the Tres Vías community of Mompiche, Muisne, Ecuador. We apologize for the delays in receiving updates, which are explained in the field report below, yet we also continue to join with this small but growing congregation in expressing our gratitude for your giving.
Construction Progress
We removed trees and cleared the land on the former cocoa plantation where we will build.
Meanwhile, one person donated a small room to use as a temporary meeting place for services while construction is in progress.
Church Activities
Currently, six adults and 140 children attend the church regularly.
The pastor meets frequently with the parents, and they are learning more about the child development center.
Some parents were originally wary of this unknown, new child development center. But now that they are involved in the church, they know this project is truly meant to help the children and their families.
Challenges Encountered
We continue working out legal details for the ownership of the land. The problem is that the land was divided up as a farm, and that information has not been updated in the municipal system. We have already cleared the land, and we hope to begin work in February 2019.
Distance has been a great challenge for the tutors and pastors. The city of Esmeraldas, where they live, is two hours’ travel from Mompiche, and the parents had a lot of doubt about their ability to commit to coming to the church site. But as everyone became more involved in the church, they became more confident.
Next Steps
We will begin to level the land and fill with dirt where necessary to start construction.
Testimony of Impact
Mothers are happy to see the child development center become active. They have already seen results in their spiritual lives and those of their children.
Praises and Prayer Requests
We thank God because through Compassion International, the dreams of many children and their families have come true.
We are so thankful to the sponsors at Thrive Community Church for their great help making this possible.
Please pray for this community, which has a low level of education and many women who become pregnant at a very young age.
Photos of Progress