A BRAND-NEW THING

For I am going to do a brand-new thing.
See, I have already begun. Don't you see it?
I will make a road though the wilderness of
the world for my people to go home.
Isaiah 43:19a  

“Let it go! Let it go!” exclaims a popular tune sung by little girls from the U.S. down to Ecuador. While I’d question of few of that song’s lyrics, God has certainly been asking this girl to “let go” of a lot in recent months: resigning from the school board, stepping out of leading music at church, wrapping up leadership roles with women’s ministries... 

The words of Ecclesiastes 3 resonate deeply, “There’s an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything on the earth… a right time to embrace and another to part... a right time to hold on and another to let go…” (from The Message). Thankfully, even as I’ve been letting go, God’s been filling me with hope, looking forward to what he has in store for us next! 

Pastor Len gives us his benediction

Already, God has been directing us into a “brand-new thing”. For the past eight years, we have been blessed to be part of an inter-denominational congregation, English Fellowship Church (EFC). However, God has been orchestrating a move for us, reconnecting with our roots in the Vineyard Church (of which there is one - La Viña - here in Quito). With joy and tears, we were recently commissioned by our pastor at EFC to go out to serve with La Viña.  

Something EFC has done well, and which we hope to emulate at La Viña, is to use English as an evangelistic tool. Currently, La Viña’s services are exclusively in Spanish. However, there are many English-speakers in Quito, both ex-patriates and Ecuadorians who want to practice their English skills. We are thrilled to be joining in the effort to grow La Viña into a bilingual church, with an English service kicking off on August 23.  Dave and I are currently hosting a weekly “growth group” in our home and are praying for providential connections with people who are both spiritually seeking and looking for a place to speak some English. We would really value your prayers as we launch into this “brand-new thing”! Thanks!

 

A NOT-SO-NEW THING

Our ‘95 Trooper hit its 20th “birthday” this year, and is requiring increasingly frequent cash-infusions to keep it running. We are asking for help to purchase a newer vehicle—something that will seat all six of us, with room for a friend or two, since giving rides is a super helpful and appreciated way to serve the community and to network.                   

"Wario" the Trooper has served our family over six years.

Cars maintain their value here far beyond what they would in the U.S., so we may be able to sell our car for a decent sum. However, car prices are also sky-high because of importation and the low depreciation. When you see Ecuadorian car prices, you’ll wish you could bring your car here to sell it—too bad only new cars can be imported (with import taxes upwards of 40%)! Here’s a list of a few popular cars in the U.S. and what they’ve been selling for in Ecuador:

· 2005 Nissan Altima—$18,000

· 2006 Honda CR-V $23,000

· 2009 Toyota Corolla $21,000

· 2010 Ford F-150 XLT $33,000

· 2011 Honda Odyssey $50,000

· 2012 Chevy Cruze $25,000

Don’t see your car? See if you can find it on this site (click "filtrar por marcas" and then "mostrar listado completo" to find your brand).

To keep maintenance costs down, we’d like to buy something under 10 years old, which means we aim to raise around $10,000, to add to what we make selling our car. Our hope is to buy a Kia Carnival mini-van. You can make a tax-deductible donation to our account with Reach Beyond, specifying “Car Fund”. And even if you can’t give right now, would you please pray with us for this big need to be met by our big God?  We would be so grateful!

A number of our partners have needed to discontinue regular giving recently, so we're looking for friends to join the team! Click here to give. Your financial partnership with our work with Reach Beyond keeps us going! And your e-mails and calls keep our hearts going! We would love to know how we can pray for and encourage you, too!

Every blessing in Christ to you!

Dave & Beth & Saavedra kids