RUMBLING AWAY!

A recent view from our roof

Lava is percolating under the flanks of the volcano Cotopaxi, thirty miles south of Quito. Volcanologists say this giant, which has slept for over a hundred years, could erupt any day. The plumes of smoke we can see from our roof confirm it! As we watch the English service of La Viña grow week by week, I (Beth) am reminded that so much spiritual growth is like the fire and steam inside a volcano, often unseen, but growing in power nonetheless. My prayer for our first Sunday service was just that someone besides our own family would show up! The emotional rollercoaster of hope and discouragement I’ve felt week by week (mentally reviewing whom we’ve invited and wondering why some don’t come) has shown me how very far I still have to grow in trusting God with whatever results come from our obedience. Yet while a few church services have felt quiet as Cotopaxi over the last century, we’re slowly seeing life wake up, even celebrating a good friend's baptism in a service that held 70 adults and kids. The Spanish service continues to grow, as well, and a third service (in Spanish) will be added mid-November. Praise God for that!

Beth baptizes a longtime friend

Please pray with us that we keep connecting with English-speakers seeking God and a faith-community here in Ecuador. We’ve been hosting a full growth group each week and would like to see another English group open soon. We also need more musicians and children’s ministry volunteers to help out as we grow. Finally, please pray for our hearts, that whether life is quiet or an erupting volcano, we will trust God and obey his call.

P.S. We aren’t in the path of potential lava flow here in North Quito, but people closer to the volcano have been evacuated for safety. Please pray for protection and provision for the many farmers and city-dwellers near Cotopaxi. Pray also that emergency-response plans the government is orchestrating would work smoothly and effectively to deal with any mudslides, ash fall, water cut-offs, and earthquakes. Thanks! 

LEVI TAKES A LEAP

Mopping up mud and feeding pigs are two activities our nearly eleven-year-old son, Levi, is looking forward to as he heads out on his first mission trip. His grandparents, Americo and Kathy, invited him along for a workshop with indigenous pastors in rural Chimborazo province, several hours from Quito. Please pray that God cultivates a servant heart in Levi, as he helps with cleaning, cooking, animal care, and the kids’ club run by the local church. We greatly appreciate partners to keep him in prayer as he is gone from October 28-31. Thanks! 

Church leaders of San Bartolo, Chimborazo,
where Levi will be an all-purpose helper

CAR UPDATE

A big high-five goes to those who have donated to our car fund. We are nearly a third of the way to our goal of $10,000. Our Trooper has been getting extra miles the last few months, as Dave runs the unofficial church shuttle for the Viña English service. This Sunday he made five trips back and forth from church. Please considering making a tax-deductible gift toward this project here, adding a comment that it's for the car fund. Thanks! 

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

NOT SUPERWOMAN

Even walking in the rain is great with this guy!

“I need to tell you something, but I don’t want to hurt you.”  Our January date night had been full of reminiscing and dreaming up until Dave spoke those fateful words. “How do you feel about things at home?” he asked.    

Honestly, I knew life had been chaotic. I was in Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) two mornings a week, in Entre Nosotras at school every other week, involved in the school board, and had led music six recent Sundays. With all the December social festivities, there hadn’t been much time for family. “I feel like things at home are slipping,” Dave gently continued.  

It was true. I couldn’t remember the last time I had reviewed spelling words with Aaron or practiced at the keyboard with Luke. And I felt awful about it. In BSF, we had just read that when marching out of Sinai, the Israelites organized their camp with God’s presence in the center of them. I had been convicted at that time that my “doing” for God was edging out my “being” in God’s presence—and being with my family. I knew I needed God at the center of my life again and that to get there, I would need to say “no”. I love to help others (read also: I’m a total people pleaser) so it’s tough for me to say no to activities and even harder to end prior commitments. Yet I know I need to trust God to provide for needs I cannot meet, and to lead me to the needs that he is actually calling me to meet—like serving my family. That hard conversation on our anniversary was a gift—to remind me that I am not Superwoman, but a child of God, who needs to keep listening, learning, and centering on Jesus. I’ve been reordering my priorities and phasing out some activities and I appreciate your prayers that I can hear and obey God’s direction for the future!

SAAVEDRA KIDDOS

Levi, Evangeline, Aaron (birthday boy) and Luke

Our children are enjoying school at the Alliance Academy International, though with the typical dramas of childhood, too. We are so grateful that they are learning in an environment jam-packed with Christian teachers.  Add in their grandparents living nearby, and they have so many wonderful role models in their lives. Our kids do periodically struggle with feeling lonely because of being from a different cultural and language background than nearly all their peers. Please keep their tender hearts in your prayers, that they would be brave and persistent in connecting across barriers to their classmates. Thanks!

Hiking outside the city

Carnaval (the Tuesday before Lent) is
celebrated here with water and foam fights

Crazy Carnaval hair

  

YEAR (and KNEE) in REVIEW

Merry Christmas from Ecuador!

Knee Injury Update: Walking Again!

 “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” – Galatians 5:16

I want to thank everyone who has been praying for me (Dave) as I recover from a ruptured ACL and a torn meniscus.  After a three hour surgery and a month of physical therapy I am walking again. 

Whoever told me that the first month would be very difficult wasn’t exaggerating.  There were sleepless nights, a few falls, debilitating fears and moments of intense pain. 

But there have also been numerous signs of God’s grace:  beginning with the surprising number of meals from friends, the concerns of my students, the countless prayers, and new insight into our walk with Christ.

There were two constants for the first several weeks after the surgery; pain and people asking me about that pain.  I never really knew how to respond to the question, “Does it hurt?” Hard pressed to explain what I was feeling, my default answer was, “Yes, but it’s good pain… I hope.” 

Even my physical therapist would insist on asking me how my pain was as she bent my reconstructed knee in half.  “Yes, it still hurts!  But it’s good pain…right?” I would say with a grimace. 

 At first I was unable to discern the difference between good pain - pain that strengthens - and bad pain - pain that damages.  Likewise it was difficult to tell the difference between comfort that restores and comfort that debilitates.

However, now that I am done with thirty sessions of therapy I have gained the wisdom to know when to push through the pain and when to back off, when to rest in comfort and when to flee from it. 

Learning to walk as a follower of Christ isn’t any different.  Wisdom is the ability to know when to embrace suffering that leads to the strengthening of our faith and to delight in His comfort when it restores our souls.  These two gifts, suffering and comfort, often seem to conflict with each other.  Through time, prayer and reflection we will learn to embrace both of them as tools in the hands of the great physician who longs for us to walk by the freedom of His Spirit.

2014 in Photos: 

Dave celebrated with grads of the class of 2014

We made it to Machu Picchu with Dave's family

We enjoyed a family reunion
 at Dave's uncle's home in Pucallpa, Peru

We gathered with the Bible Study Fellowship
small group Beth leads

We baptized our son Luke!

Thank you for your friendship in 2014. 

We look forward to journeying together in 2015!

ENTROPY CATCHES UP WITH US

Entropy, that gradual decline into disorder, has made itself know to us lately. After returning from an unforgettable trip to Peru, our clothes drier stopped heating, our microwave melted down, our car started randomly stalling out, a black spot started growing on the computer screen, and Dave seriously injured his knee playing soccer. Sometimes you have to laugh so you won't cry!

This feels like a good snapshot of our lives lately!

We so appreciate your prayers for Dave as he undergoes knee surgery at our mission hospital, Friday, October 17, and then for the slow process of rehab. After six mechanic visits, our car motor still randomly turns off at intersections, so we also appreciate wisdom to know whether to try to keep our aging vehicle or try to sell and find something new in this country of astronomical car prices. Most of all, we see the great need for people to stand along with us in prayer for teachable, grateful spirits as we navigate disorder in our lives. May the frustration of entropy turn our hearts more toward heaven, where all will be made new forever! 

LOTS OF GROWTH!

An area where entropy is being beaten back is in my (Beth's) outreach opportunities. As our youngest, Evangeline, has started morning preschool, I've felt a lot like a college freshman, ready to sign up at every booth at the activity fair. I ask for prayer for good time management, since those four daily hours to myself go fast!

Monday and Tuesday I am committed as a group leader with Bible Study Fellowship. BSF is in over 30 countries, but Ecuador is one of just two countries that have Spanish classes. It's an honor to serve in the Quito class, and we pray that the Spanish classes keep growing. Thursdays I continue with Entre Nosotras, our mom's group at school, reading the Spanish translation of Stasi Eldredge's book Becoming Myself. I also have a number of regular mentoring meetings, including with a Brazilian university student in campus ministry. Please pray that we can communicate well in Spanish, a second language for both of us! Finally, leading music at our international church a time or two a month continues to bring me great joy. 

PERU PICS!

Our family reunion time in Peru was filled with great memories. We're so glad we got to strengthen connections with Dave's Peruvian roots!

On the boat Dave's dad takes for ministry
in remote jungle villages

Cousins head up the river to see the mission base
where their grandparents first met

Bakery equipment that belonged to
Dave's grandfather

Borrowing their great-uncle's motocarrito

The family business carries on

Enjoying the softness of products made
with llama and alpaca fur

Machu Picchu!

MY HOME IS A TAMBO

Excitement is high in our home as we get ready for a trip to Peru in July. Thanks to the generous help of Dave's parents, we'll have a reunion in the Amazon jungle with Dave's dad's clan, as well as visit Macchu Pichu in the mountains. To prepare, we've been learning about the Incas and how their vast empire was connected by roads. Tambos were way stations where travelers were housed and fed, and also served as storehouses for times of need.

I'd like to make a sign for our door reading Tambo Saavedra, since this school year has been one of intense hospitality. We've lived out the truth of Proverbs 11:24-25*, gaining so much and finding refreshment in our tambo.

On average, Tambo Saavedra has visitors twice a week, and in this nomadic community, we still feel we barely scratch the surface in offering refuge. Tambo Saavedra hosts lots of Dave's students, a weekly tribe of moms, assorted children whose parents need a respite, many school colleagues (including one at whose Quito wedding Dave will officiate in July), as well as a potpourri of travelers from our international church.

Our last family hangout with our dear friend, Sarah

The vision of Tambo Saavedra can be summed up in Matthew 25:35-36, "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me." A sweet German friend of ours wrote about these verses, "Wow!! Thank you sooo much for showing me the love of Christ in all these acts!!! I'm glad the nakedness and prison ones never happened, but we could add, 'For I was in tears and you gave me a hug, I was sad and you listened to me.' Thank you for blessing me and so many other people. I will miss you!"

And we thank YOU for helping us keep our tambo open!

JOY IN NEW BEGINNINGS

Baptism Sunday

A visitor to Tambo Saavedra who brought immense joy to our family this year is Sarah, the Iranian Alliance Academy International (AAI) graduate we mentioned in our last update. Dave had the great joy of baptizing her on her last Sunday in Ecuador. Please keep her and her mother in your prayers as they get settled in the Netherlands and as Sarah explores school and ministry options for her future. 

KEEPING ON KEEPING ON

Beth wraps her 3rd year teaching with Entre Nosotras,
the mom's group at AAI

Luke celebrates his birthday with friends

Moms from the play group Beth hosts,
 ready to send kids in search of Easter eggs

Visiting in our yard, post-egg hunt

Celebrating Abuela's birthday
(Dave made the lemon cheesecake)

Ready to cheer on Ecuador in their
World Cup game on Father's Day

Sweet Aaron graduates from kindergarten

* Bonus: This wonderful speech from Tim Keller (on Money in Proverbs) has deeply impacted our approach to hospitality as a part of a generous life. The whole talk is great, but if your time is limited, start watching at 28:05.

REACH BEYOND

Reach Beyond! It's not a new and improved toothbrush... it's the new name of our mission. HCJB Global started in 1931 as a radio station in Ecuador and the radio call letters eventually became the name of the mission. But as HCJB Global partnered more and more with people around the world, a name was sought that would resonate not just in Latin America, but beyond. Our mission's new name, Reach Beyond, reflects the vision to "employ every resource, talent and ounce of energy God gives us to shine the light of his grace into the darkest recesses of the planet." (Read more from the new mission manifesto here)

God invites us all to go beyond our comfort zones to help, to learn, and to share the life-transforming love of Jesus. Reach Beyond continues the work in media and health care which has been the distinctive of our mission's history. And we Saavedras will continue serving in Quito, in the community of the Alliance Academy International (AAI) - which has its own updated logo! Here we can support the children of Reach Beyond missionaries, as we all "work relentlessly for the day when a gaze around the expanse of heaven reveals thousands worshiping at Jesus' feet because of the mission He gave us for this moment in eternity," (from the Reach Beyond manifesto). Thank you for reaching beyond - alongside of us!

ALLIANCE ACADEMY IMPACT

Beyond the blessing of supporting Reach Beyond missionaries, we are privileged to reach out to many other families through the AAI. Two recent stories:

First, an Ecuadorian mom of a kindergarten student just told me that her son is the reason she has come to God. "He constantly asked us to pray with him and to read to him from the Bible before bed and eventually that drew us back to God." The impact of this boy's Christian teachers keeps rippling outward into his whole family!

The first AAI grad of 2014 with some of her mentors

Second, we have to enjoyed getting to know a lovely Iranian student who came to AAI this year as she awaited a refugee visa from the European Union. When "Sarah" arrived at AAI, in her own words, she felt lost, scared, and uncertain about the future. But just a few days ago, she stood before the whole high school at her early graduation ceremony (her visa was granted and she leaves for Holland shortly) and delivered a speech that left us in tears. "I am a different person now than when I came here... You showed me that I was not alone... that He was with me." She referenced a verse that Dave shared with her as being a great comfort. Zephaniah 3:17:

The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save. 

He will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love, 

he will exult over you with loud singing. 

PRAYERS FOR PROTECTION

We are thankful that God protects us in all circumstances and we pray that even if we are victims of crime, God will make those experiences count somehow for his kingdom. There has been a noticeable uptick in crime in our neighborhood in the last few months, and we ask that you please keep up your valuable prayers for us!

I (Beth) experienced an attempted robbery while driving my car at the end of the year, and four of our neighbors have been victimized in separate incidents lately. This leads us to believe our area is being targeted. The police have been very helpful and supportive, but have yet to apprehend the criminals. The laws here hold minimal consequences for minor theft (under $500), so there is little deterrent for such illicit activities. 

These events have reminded us to pray more diligently for police officers whenever we see them and especially to intercede for our neighbors (and fellow AAI colleagues) who are young, single women. Please pray that God keeps our eyes open to other ways we can turn this situation to His purposes and glory!

KICKING OFF 2014 IN PICTURES

Celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary

Enjoying Ecuador's great weather
and great climbing trees

Sharpening his skills as a goalie
on the AAI soccer field

Getting ready for a train ride to honor an AAI
teacher's 50th birthday

Success on his first trout fishing outing
(the stocked pond helped!)