Possessing The Land

Written by John Eldredge

     Praise the Lord! God is good and always faithful! When I flew into Ecuador, due to some bad weather, my flight was diverted to Guayaquil. The airline provided something that looked like a bus to take us to a hotel. The Guayaquil Hilton turned out to be a pretty nice hotel. After spending a few hours trying to contact my host family in Quito , I went to bed around 2 a.m. and awoke to a 5 a.m. wake up call informing me that the bus would be leaving

In 45 minutes to take us back to the airport. I was a little tired by the time we got there. Tired, but happy to have finally arrived in Quito. While in Quito I stayed with a family from the church, Marco and Rosio Medina.  They were very hospitable and took good care of me.
     This trip was the first time I actually had the chance to personally meet with David Ingman (the American pastor of the church we will be working with) to discuss his vision for 
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Dear Friends and Family:
As we continue to raise the monthly support needed to sustain us on the mission field, we have begun the task of packing for Ecuador. This is a time-consuming process requiring detailed lists of what will be taken and what will stay behind to be sold, stored or given away.  Needless to say, garage sales, storing and packing will take up a lot of our time, especially during the last few weeks of our remaining time in the States.
We also are planning  to visit both of our families in Florida before leaving for Ecuador.  Some of our family members will be traveling from as far away as California.  This will likely be our last extended visit with them before our departure.  We plan to be in Ecuador for at least 2 years, so this visit will be marked by a mixture of sadness and joy for us both.
It seems a bit strange to be telling you about our preparations for leaving the "good ole' US of A", but I think it may be helpful for you to know something of the "practical" side of going overseas.  Usually, when we visit with churches and friends we only have time to share the more "spiritual" aspects of our missionary call, but there is a lot of "grunt work" that must be done before we ever step foot on foreign soil.
  As we continue to complete our itineration, we want to say thank you for the many blessings we have received  from individuals.  We could never have made it this far without you! God bless!                    -JoAnna

Ecuador FAQ's

Written by JoAnna Eldredge
Place: The Capital City of Ecuador -   The capital city of Quito is nestled 15,710 ft. above sea level and surrounded by beautiful snow-capped volcanoes. Blessed with spring-like climate all year round, Quito is an unusual and beautiful city.
Language: Quichua Contribution -
Though the national language of Ecuador is Spanish, Quichua is still spoken as a second language in many indígenas (Indian) households. Quichua  was first adapted by the Incas, who then spread it thought out the Andes as they expanded their empire. Believe it or not, the Quichua language has contributed one word to English: "Jerky", derived from chaqui, meaning dried meat.
Food: From Pet to Pot -  Until the arrival of the Europeans, guinea-pig, known as cuy, was the main source of meat for the indígenas living in the Andes. Today, it is only eaten on special occasions. Though there is not much meat, cuy is said to be delicious, and as the Ecuadorians put it, "What else are guinea-pigs good for?"   
Export: Panama Hats - The

Panama hat is an adaptation of the headgear worn by the Manabi people living in Ecuador at the time of Spanish conquest. Eventually, becoming popular with mestizos (mixed European-Indian blood) farm workers who wore them to protect their heads from the strong Ecuadorian sun. So why are they called Panama hats? A mistake, apparently, attributed to some 19th century gold miners who forgot where they bought their innovative headgear.
Natural Wonder: Volcanic Avenue - The term "Avenue of the Volcanoes" was first coined by the early 19th century German explorer Alexander Von Humboldt during his five year expedition to the Andes. The northern end of the Ecuadorian Andes is dominated by 10 glaciated volcanoes that tower over 19,500 feet.  The Andean   volcano, Cotopoxi, is the highest active volcano in the world. Altitude sickness, due to lack of oxygen, is a common problem experienced by many visiting this amazing region.                                  Page 1

Possessing The Land (continued from page 1)

the churches in Ecuador and for us.  His gift is church planting.  His goal is to planting.  His goal is to plant a spirit filled church in every province of Ecuador. The church he pastors, Comunidad de Fe in Quito, has a Bible Institute in it's second year, a Christian grade school and are in the process of instituting a cell group system to help in the expansion process of the churches.
     Pastor David has asked us to be involved with just about every area of ministry in the church.  Pastor will have me traveling and ministering in the 8  satellite churches located through out Ecuador.  In order to encourage and strengthen them.  In Quito, JoAnna and I will be hosting a weekly cell group in our home to disciple and train believers, who will eventually do the same in their own homes. JoAnna will be teaching English at Victory Christian Academy (their school).  And I will be teaching in the Bible Institute.  Pastor David and his wife Kathy have many plans for spreading the gospel in Ecuador and we will be kept busy churches in Quito.
     During my time in Ecuador I was given the opportunity to minister in some of the churches in Quito. he first time I ministered it was in Comunidad de Fe's South Church in the old section of Quito.  It was their mid week and there was about 100 people in attendance. I was a little nervous in the beginning since I hadn't preached with a while.

After the message I gave a call for those who wanted God to minister to them.  Many people came forward and I prayed for them. God touched his people and many were slain by the power of the Holy Spirit. Another church I preached in was La Iglesia America in North Quito. This time I was a lot more relaxed and spoke on the importance of knowing God's Word. God confirmed His Word with signs following. Three people came forward to receive Jesus Christ in that service. I also ministered in some of the cell groups and used that time to get to know the people better. I just want to say that I give God all glory for all the great things He did during my trip in Ecuador! 
     Pastor David says he has plenty of work for us and has asked us to come to Ecuador as soon as possible. Apartments down there do not have the essentials that we are used to here in the states. We will have to buy our own stove, refrigerator, washer machine and other necessary items.  Pastor David wants us to get a car as well.  All these things cost more there due to difficulties in importing.  The good news is that we can sell them when we leave and use the money for future missionary trips. All we need is $300 more in monthly support. That will help us reach our minimum goal to get us started there.  Please pray about helping us reach our goal. Every little bit helps.   

Special Note:
       We have decided to take the leap of faith to leave family and friends and live by monthly support on the mission field. It is a little scary at times, but we have been blessed by peoples generosity and we know God is our provider.  We are still in need of many more people who will commit to support us on a monthly basis. Please let us know if you would like to help, and pray that God's provision would continue.
       "How then, can they call on Him in whom they have not believed in?  And how can they believe in Him of whom they have not heard?  And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?  And how can they preach unless they are sent?"

Romans 10:14,15                                                       

      We pray that every blessing the Lord Jesus Christ has made available for his saints will be yours! 

Until All Have Heard,
John & JoAnna

"Mission Ecuador" is a newsletter written and designed by John & JoAnna Eldredge.

Our current address is 3521 Fawn Valley Drive, #2006, Dallas, Texas 75224. Or you can e-mail us at: missionecuador@hotmail.com

While in Ecuador, mail within the U.S. will be forwarded to us by Paul and Cathy Lawrence, 28188 Moulten Drive, #2327, Laguna Niguel, California 92677.

We are supported through Koinonia Apostolic Ministries, P.O. Box 2755 Mission Viejo CA. 92690.  Tax deductible contributions sent to Koinonia for our support must be made out to Koinonia Ministries, specifying that it is for the Eldredges.