Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from The Door of Hope

FEED MY LAMBS = 40 GRADUATES

40 Sunday school teachers trained and already in action to raise up little disciples of Christ in 25+ churches. For the first
time in Ecuador this new course from FLET was offered to a group of indigenous churches of Pichincha. It took 4 months
meeting twice/month for 6 hours. We began by studying what the Bible says about teaching children, what does a good SS
teacher look like, what are the needs and characteristics of kids at different ages. The course than took us to effective teaching
tools and techniques to be used in developing a 4 point technique to develop any Bible story. Each student had to prepare
and present each of the 4 points to me or Tim and the rest of the class. It was amazing and they learned so much.
One highlight was 10 year old Jenifer who came to every class to help her grandmother who can’t read. They worked together
to learn and added much emotion and attention to all the students. Teaching this course was one of the best and
fruitful things we did this year. I plan to repeat this training with several more groups in the coming year. Pray that these
seeds will produce abundant fruit for the King for many years to come.

BRICKS AND MORTER

Almost 3 months of building brick by brick results in not just a beautiful building but sooo much more.
1. New, improved and larger worship area.
2. Space to divide groups of kids for more effective learning.
3. Better attention without distraction from passers by and late arrivals.
4. No more flying papers and craft supplies.
5. Less cleaning time due to blowing dirt and leaves.
6. Brick oven = fellowship and blessing.
Receive a big shout, hug, and applause from all of us a Puerta de Esperanza and Compassion International EC 162 for all you do to
make improvements possible to grow God’s kingdom.

JOIN WORSHIP AND BAPTISM SERVICE

On the 15th of September we had the privilege at the Door of Hope to host a joint worship service with the Methodist
church of Quinche. We worshipped and celebrated baptisms together followed by a fellowship meal. The Bishop of
the Methodist church who is also the pastor in Quinche, Pastor Silvio Cevallos and myself baptized 24 brothers and sisters
that day. The water was frigid but the hearts were warm. It was a great experience for both congregations to celebrate together
and to grow deeper into relationship with one another. Doubly exciting to celebrate the church’s second anniversary.
What a way to celebrate God’s movement in the Kingdom and His love for each of us.

TIM´S PURSUIT…TO MOW THE GRASS

It all started 2 months ago with “I just want to mow the lawn.” (the entire lawn is still not done) He mowed
with the lawn tractor for 30 minutes when the steering went out so he stopped, took it apart, welded it and was
off again. 20 minutes later the pulley broke so he got the push mower out which has seen better days. He
tuned it up but still didn’t start so he took out the older mower, stripped some of its parts to get one mower
working….nope…3 days later he was at it again after driving 3 hours to get parts. The part for the tractor is the
wrong size but he got the push mower running enough to mow the ministry areas before the Christmas parties.
The grass is getting tall even though we have not had much rain. He then tried to fix the old weed eater
but it did not want to be resurrected either. As you can imagine, this 2.5 acres has consumed several machines
and a good portion of Tim’s patience but we will not give up just yet. And it all started with a noble desire to
cut the grass.
He has also spent countless hours (days and weeks) keeping the overworked truck running. Now you have
heard of a few of the reasons he is always so tired and skinny. At least we have victory in Christ!

TIM TO USA

Once again Tim will be on the move in the USA. His trip will begin in FL for The Mission Society Global
Gathering in mid Jan. He will then base out of the Atlanta area until mid March. Several churches have asked
him to share but there is still room to make your request. Please contact us via email to set up a time to hear
about a first heart account of what God is up to in Ecuador. We are trusting God for new support since the
reality is we have many aging supporters and there are MANY opportunities out there. Daina. Kevin and
Esther will continue ministry in his absence so keep them held up in prayer. The battle rages for the hearts and
minds of kids, youth and adults all over the world—we need your help more than ever.

“Never tire in doing good, for at the proper time you
will reap a harvest if you don’t give up.”

We have had a busy season of teaching, preaching, blessing and building. 4 Christmas celebrations with lots of
new faces and hearts to plant seeds in. We made progress with bathroom walls and an office for Compassion
with a roof which will be the floor for a youth meeting area in 2014. We thank you all for the part you play in
keeping us here to be your hands and feet which will impact eternity. You always ask us what we need so here
are a few things. RAIN, youth room, computer lab, library, a well so we can plant and grow what we serve the
kids 3-4 meals/week, cabinets and storage, cabinetry workshop. I hope that is a good enough wish list in addition
to funding training and discipleship. God is amazing, you are amazing so to God and each of you we say
THANK YOU for allowing us to serve with you.

BE PART OF PUERTA

The Danger in Abundance

Heavy rains make the grass grow—along with it the weeds grow even faster. Be diligent to pluck out the weeds before they take over. Or the job of cleaning the weeds can get so overwhelming that you just learn to enjoy the weeds and forget about the beautiful lawn or flowers. The same is true for us when He showers down His blessing. Are you comfortable?