The work and Witness team from Kokomo, IN Church of the Nazarene, had one main goal in mind upon arriving in Latacunga, Ecuador and that was to get the roof on.
What the team didn't expect was the overwhelmingly welcome they received Sunday from their sister church. The only thin g lacking was the red carpet as they walked through a wall of friendly faces on each side as they were welcomed into the chapel where they were fed a nice lunch and roses were handed to them from sweet children.
The Latacunga church had worked super hard to get the 2-story, 22-foot high building ready for the roof structure to be put in place. Putting the roof structure up requires a lot of prayers, welding, brave people crawling around carefully in high places, and more prayers. The team and church people linked arm in arm in support of each other and by day  3 they had the big heavy beams, the purlins, and the roof on! Mission Accomplished!
It is hard to keep up with the energy of Pastor Marcelo and he had his own goal to get a baptistry done by Sunday. He wasted no time in directing the others to help him getting the platform prepped and digging for the baptistry while the roofing was installed. So when the roof was on, everyone poured the concrete platform and 3/4 of the floor in record time. It only took half the  time they were expecting. God blessed these enthusiastic people's desire to accomplish more than what they thought they would be able to do.
There were many activities taking place such as English classes in which the team members teamed up with each student and they each shared their stories. Kokomo Youth Pastor Trevor spoke to the youth and they participated in child evangelism events in the neighborhood and also at the church plant Pujili about 15 min away. Saturday night they participated in the Jesus Film showing in a market plaza area.
It is hard to explain the joy of the people as they came to their church Sunday from seeing no roof structure to a roof and a platform and part of a concrete floor. It was a beautiful open-air church service. Pastor Marcelo was excited to baptize his 9-year-old daughter along with 6 others. Esteban, the youth pastor from the church was baptized and his family, not from the church, traveled 5 hours to share in his baptism!
Pastor Marcelo and his wife Viviana and their three children have been pastors of this new Latacunga church plant for 3 years now. A portable chapel was put on the property shortly after the purchase of the land. They cared for the little chapel and made it look like a real church. The team built around the chapel as it is security for musical equipment and church materials since the church is not enclosed yet.
The church has a unique feature in its roof that no other church in Ecuador has. It has one RED ridge cap in the middle. When District Superintendent "Super Mario" Paredes went to buy the missing sheets they only had one red one and wanting to complete the roof, he bought it. Work and Witness Coordinator Jon Fischer says it is a sign to show the church is covered by the blood of Jesus. |
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