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ECUADOR, QUITO
JOSH & MICHELLE VOGEL (Diaconal Missionary)
If you know a little Spanish, you may be wondering what in the
world these words are, and what they mean. Welcome to coast-
al Ecuador. These are just a few of the many slangs, or “modis-
mos” that we have slowly learned, and we asked ourselves the
same thing when we moved to Quinindé 2.5 months ago. After
learning the language for a year in Quito, we were not surprised
to discover that in Quinindé our language skills were not quite
as good anymore as they were in Quito. A lot of adjustment
has been, and is being made learning new “modismos”, under-
standing a much faster rate of speech, and a very strong coastal
accent; but after 2 months, some of the things that used to be
foreign to us are now a regular part of the vocabulary, especially
for our children.
That being said, “Greetings from Quinindé”! Truthfully, the
move to Quinindé felt like one of the biggest hurdles that we
have had to take to date. After a few years of preparations and
back and forth to different countries, there were many built up
anxieties, emotions and expectations that again came to the
surface. Once again, we thank our good Heavenly Father as He
has proved faithful – time and time again. When we thought,
“we can’t” our Lord has always said, “Come to me, all you who
are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke
upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in
heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matt. 11:28-29)
On May 2nd we made the move to Quinindé. At 7am we
began loading trucks in Quito, and nearing 10pm, we finished
unloading at our new home in Quinindé. Since the move, we
thank the Lord that we have always felt His kindness, grace, pa-
tience, steadfast love and watchfulness over our family. In just
this short time, we have realized that this feels like home. If we
travel now, when we get back to Quinindé we say, “It feels good
to be home”, and we mean it. What a blessing that is for us. The
family has very quickly become accustomed to living 90% out-
doors, loving having more space to play, making new friends,
and living in a different culture, and it brings us great joy to
work together with the people here for the kingdom and glory
of Christ.
For about three weeks in June, a national strike led by the
Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador began.
Tensions between them and the current government reached a
boiling point over rising prices, and for more than two weeks the
situation – especially in the Capital – was very violent. Thankfully
Quinindé was much less affected by violence, and there were
only a few protest demonstrations, but food became scarce due
to all the roadblocks and prices skyrocketed, causing many to
fear for their already-hard-to-afford daily bread. Thankfully an
agreement was finally reached, and food again began to arrive.
We were very thankful that we had already moved to Quinindé
during that time. Life is different than when we were in Quito, but different in
many good ways. During our year in daily intensive language
classes, it could often feel as though we weren’t being ‘useful’,
though it was a very important time of preparation. Now that we
are on the ground in Quinindé, there is no shortage of work to
do, and we find ourselves having to be careful not to become
too busy. Krystal and Jackson attend one of the children’s proj-
ects 3 days per week, and Michelle and I have been teaching
music to the children two days per week, alternating between
the three projects. The children all love to sing and are always
excited for our visits. In between, I have been keeping quite a
full schedule with various maintenance items between the three
projects and the medical clinic. The culture here is not one of
maintenance, so I often find unmentioned surprise repairs that
are needed. Each project has an evening of Bible Study each
week, directed towards the parent(s) or primary caregivers of
the children. The weekly study is the same topic or Bible les-
son that the children are learning that week in the project. It is
the desire of the Mission to establish a connection between
what the children hear in the projects and what they talk about
in their homes. It is often difficult to connect with the parent(s),
but we know that through Christ all things are possible, and His
word will never return void (Isaiah 55). We are attending at least
1 of these Bible Studies as a family each week, and in time I will
be helping with the teaching as well.
Construction of a new pavilion (with kitchen) and bathrooms
is ongoing on the medical clinic property, and it is nearing
completion. Excitement is beginning to grow for the ministry
opportunities, such as events, studies and classes that will be
held there. I’ve already had opportunity to teach some mechan-
ical skills by repairing an old Toyota pickup truck engine for one of the
tutors of the mission, and we are excited to put the new pavilion
to good use in those kinds of ways. We are also very excited
and thankful that the fund-raising threshold for break-ing ground
on the Mission House has been met! We hope to begin the first stages of this
construction within a few weeks’ time. We appreciate your prayers
and financial contributions to this project; we pray it will be a blessing to many.
We’ve also begun men’s and women’s groups with the staff at
the projects as well as some of their friends. In July we held both
a woman’s breakfast get-together, as well as a men’s, as an infor-
mal way to get to know each-other better and enjoy one-anoth-
er’s company outside of their work. We hope to continue that
practice with regularity. We’ve also had the entire team at our
home at different times to have a time of singing and encour-
agement. In mid-July we were pleased to welcome Pastor Rich
Bout (URCNA Missions Coordinator) for a three-day visit. Our
time together was filled with visits, Bible studies, and encourag-
ing conversation.
Though at times it is difficult to see the poverty and hear of the
many horrific situations that go on daily in this city, we are very
thankful. Thankful that God has heard so many prayers, opened
so many doors, provided for us in abundance, and most of all,
that His plan is perfect, and that His light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness has not overcome it (John 1:5). Please con-
tinue in prayer for this city, and for our family as we continue to
adjust to the differences in culture and learn how to integrate
into the mission here. May our light never be extinguished nor
hidden; may it be set on its lampstand for the glory of the one
true God, who sent His Son for our ransom, and who’s Spirit will
never depart.
In Christ, and for HIS glory,
Josh & Michelle & Family