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Words could not not begin to express the joy and excitement these guys had when the last wheelbarrow of concrete was poured into the slab. They have worked so hard to see this project through and they finished! So proud of them and their willingness to serve and love Kairos church this week.

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Leaning our prints in the cement...

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A view of the entire lot the church owns with the new slab on the far left. When we arrived there was a giant hole full of garbage and weeds. Now there is a firm foundation upon which they can build and contiu=nue to reach their community with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

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Another sample of the amazing community and teamwork these students demonstrated. Did I mention that they mixed five batches of concrete? That's ten wheel barrow loads of sand, three 150 pound bags of cement, four loads of small rock, add water as needed... stir

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A sample of the activity involved in Ecuadorian foundation prep. This is what the area looked like when we arrived day nine.

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We had to re-level one area to prepare it for concrete, add the smaller rocks as filler to the other larger area, and mix five batches of concrete, sand and rock like the one you see in this picture.

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Today was the last day we would have to work on the new church foundation. You can see in the background of this picture that the foundation is divided into roughly four equal parts. (Actually 4 and about a half) Two and a half of these parts were covered in concrete so far.

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A shot of some of the Kairos players. You cna tell just by their clothes they mean business! We were able to watch them play a few pick-up games with other neighborhood teams - impressive!

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The girls defended the TWCA honor with a 1-1 tie match

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Tradition holds that a "friendly" game of football (soccer) be played on Sunday afternoon. We played a few matches and gave it our best shot... let's just say next year we need to play basketball. Tom Earle is an amazing goalie though!

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After service the entire church ate lunch together. Our students fit right in with their new friends and truly encouraged eachother.

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Sunday morning service at Kairos was a special service highlighting the many missionary efforts of this small, but exceedingly active church. We heard testimonies from the many missionaries (even one 7 year old) that go weekly into small jungle villages and regions to plant churches and bring the Gospel. The students were challenged and encouraged by the service

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Later in the evening on Saturday we attended a service for young people. Here that means 25 and under... We played some get to know you games, showed them our dramas, worshiped the Lord in Spanish, and had a great time getting to know our new friends.

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Good times in the river. It's nice when you can cool down and clean up at the sae time!

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After working in the morning and part of the afternoon we took a ten minute car ride to a rainforest wildlife refuge.  We planned on seeing a few monkeys and parrots and cooling off in the river.  Several students got the thrill of a lifetime when this mamma monkey and her baby showed a little affection (probably hoping we had food)

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Pastor Jaime even got in on the rock writing. "On this rock I will build my church"

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We brought sharpies and asked the students and Kairos church members to write scriptures or encouragement on the stones in the foundation. It was a great moment for all of us and left an impression on many of the students know they will never forget.

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We continued to move mucho mas grande rocks as the foundation took shape. Many of the Kairos Church members joined us on their day off (Saturday) to mix concrete, pass rocks, and share in the fellowship as we worked.

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This was the last day of VBS for our team. They truly set the bar for reaching children with the gospel. We even had some participants who saw our dramas the night before. The influence these students have had for the glory of God is certainly eternal. Soli Deo Gloria

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We had an amazing dinner at a local place owned by a Cuban/Venezuelan couple. Amazing empanadas! Along the way there these three were spotted exhibiting their brothership. Good times

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It seems that every time we take a break or think we have made some progress another load of rocks shows up for us to sort, move, stack, or mix into the concrete. Never a dull moment! As you can see... we almost got washed away by a turential summer rain the last two days.

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This was taken at lunch... we covered an area roughly 14 by 24 feet in four hours. Hard work.

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Smaller rocks are placed inside the foundation like re-bar... each one hand delivered con mucho amor! Hand mixed concrete is added and smoothed. Members of the church are on hand to help as well as DIego (seen near the wheel barrow) hired by the church as a job foreman of sorts.

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From piles (and piles) of rocks like these we have been sorting them and moving them to be used for a variety of purposes

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The final scene of the main drama... Jesus bearing all our sin and restoring us to right relationship with him. All oft he students were completely engaged and did an amazing job. They followed up by witnessing PERSONALLY to those looking on. Some amazing testimonies from this evening!

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After working all day we took the students to a park not far from our hotel.  They invited everyone in the park to come see a drama presentation.  Members of the church we are serving came as well to help speak to the crowd after our performance.

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Rain of biblical proportions... the team mad great progress and managed to keep their spirits up singing and encouraging eachother all day.

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The students have continued to grow the attendance by inviting kids door to door. They have planned the entire week and really given their best.

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Our crack team of cement mixers.

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The students enjoyed some amazing poizza for dinner. Everyone ate their fill

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Our students continued to invest the Gospel in the lives of young people. They have truly gone above and beyond by working tirelessly all morning and then providing hours of VBS fun. We will try to get some more photos of these truly amazing students at work!

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Yesterday we helped put in the sewer main. Today, Tom and Grant tunneled through prison escape style (no sewage in the pipes yet). With only the small hammer in the picture, a small chisel, and a couple of sticks, and MASSIVE amounts of perseverance they managed to break through!

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Students are fast becoming master mixers! The recipe is 15 wheel barrow loads of sand to 150 pound bag of concrete. Mix dry, add water and stir, and stir, and stir, etc...

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We have been working the last several days to help level this area and prepare it for the foundation of a new church building for Kairos church in Puyo. This church has been so moved by the efforts of these students over the years that they have arranged their entire summer so that they can utilize them for this specific project. This photo shows where the church lot ajoins several others. The rocks we sorted out from the piles are placed in this space, a layer of concrete is added, more rocks, more concrete, until level with the foundation surface.

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The place where the new church building will be built was an empty lot full of trash and debris when we arrived. Students moved the piles of trash, sorted through 20 loads of river rock to save out rocks for the foundation to be built later this week. They also helped put in a sewage line and cement in access points. We had a few scrapes and bruises but Nurse King was able to doctor them up and never a complaint was heard.

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After lunch, a brief rest with a few games and then off to more rock moving and VBS prep. The first day of VBS was a big hit... Pray that more young people will come and that they will be changed by the Gospel of Christ. Pray tht the students will grow in their boldness to share their faith.

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Working hard often means you get a little dirty... Notice the rock piles in the background. They are about 15-20 pounds a piece and they will be used for the foundation of a new church building to go up on this site.

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At the end of each day we gather together to discus everything we experienced, how we saw God moving, what was good, missed opportunities, etc... Chef Sean led us in worship! One of our hosts, Andrea, shared her testimony with the students. They continue to grow closer and support each other in amazing ways.

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The Rollins family met us in Puyo were we enjoyed a delicious grilled fish dinner Ecuador style! We had fun eating fish eyes and laughing about the days events. This team is truly coming together. We concluded our evening preparing several dramas the students will use to share the Gospel in a variety of places. I was amazed by the energy and enthusiasm they brought to the effort even though they were exhausted from the travel. We will be up at 7:30 for breakfast and head out to Kairos church for a day of construction and VBS.

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We spent roughly 7 hours in a bus traveling to Puyo. The students practiced their evangelism skills on each other, played cards, mafia, and grew closer as a team. They truly used the time to their advantage.

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Just a sample of the scenery along the road... the picture doesn't begin to capture the beauty.

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The road to Puyo follows several rivers and winds through gorgeous rain forest terrain. Our driver was amazing and delivered us safe and sound.

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The Hostel in Puyo is amazing!

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Check back here every day for updates and photos. We will try to keep up as we have reliable WiFi available. Everyone is doing well and getting aclimated to their surroundings and the amazing culture of Ecuador. Most recent posts will appear at the top.

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Quito Panorama- Day one












    
  

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Quito Panorama- Day one












    
  

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Today we explored the Quito Basilica and got a bird's eye view of the city.  <br>

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After climbing hundreds of stairs and ladders exploring the Basilica we rested...

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We marveled at the way the Basilica was built... or should we say, still being built.

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We walked... and walked... and strugled to breathe in the thin air at 9000 feet above sea level. What an amazing city with beautiful and diverse people.