Engaging in Community and Building Unity

 The last month has been filled with a plethora of community outreach events. Some we participated in and some we facilitated. A primary goal of our ministry is to cooperate with movement while not necessarily being at the center of the movement. Our desire is to be the cheerleaders who say, "Good work! We are will you! Keep trucking! We see progress and promise in your investment!" Raising up local leadership is key to long-term impact. Sometimes this engagement and cooperating with new and existing movement is with foreigners and sometimes it is with nationals.

Women's Lunch Meetings - Lately we've heard many women talk about loneliness and being in their homes working away without a sense of community. Many of the women living in and around Shell have been pulled out of their tribal communities, have married a man from another tribal group and culture and now live in Shell with new cultural norms and systems. Women are longing to be together and Tina is overjoyed to cooperate with this movement of women meeting together. Above you see a women's lunch organized by one of Tina's friends. The idea is that each woman contributes $3 for food and we join together months to eat and chat. So fun!! In response to expressed needs, Tina is also starting a women's bible study in Spanish with another of her friends. 

AMA Group - Association of Missionaries in the Amazon. This is a group we are overjoyed to support. Every quarter we meet to pray together, share challenges and victories and pray. It is our belief that great fruit will come from this group. 

Casa Tao - A dear Ecuadorian woman has been running a care home for young tribal single-moms.  Cooperating with her heart to minister to these ladies and train them up in parenting, cooking, sewing, and other practical life skills is easy! Sometimes we get together and just enjoy each other's company and other times we teach them to cook a fun recipe. Really our presence is about encouraging Anita who is investing so much in this ministry and cheering her on to "Keep On!"