Prayer Updates for El Encuentro

There have been a lot of changes going on at El Encuentro the church that I used to work at. As I mentioned before, Jimmy and Marisa, decided to return to Ecuador a couple months ago. These months flew by as they prepared for their departure and trained up Julio Olivera as the new Pastor of the church. They ended up leaving Argentina on August 6 to start their new life in Ecuador. Please be in prayer for the whole family as well as the church they left behind.

Life for Julio has changed completely in the last two months or so. Not only has he taken on the role of Pastor for El Encuentro, he also was married to one of my friends Maggie. They have been engaged for awhile but kept changing the wedding date until they quickly put together a wedding before Jimmy and Marisa left. Currently they are still living with Julio’s mother. Pray that God will provide a place of their own as they start this new season of life as a married couple. Weeks after they got married they were hit by another big event, Maggie’s father passed away which left them as legal custodians of her younger siblings (5 ranging from 11-19). The youngest would like to live with them but due to circumstances has not been able to yet. Pray for wisdom during these difficult times not only in their personal life but also regarding the church.

Also pray for the various families of the church. As expected during a time of many changes, not every one is happy with the outcome. Some people have left the church, hurt and upset and others are hanging in their. Pray that God would give them peace, perseverance and healing. Also pray for Laura Russell, a missionary from Canada who is still serving at El Encuentro, as she helps the various people work through the changes.

I am hoping to stop by and visit Maggie (and Julio) on a regular basis to be an encouragement and a support. Maggie and I have a really good relationship and she has mentioned that she is struggling during this time with all the adjustments. Pray that God will give me words of encouragement for her and that I would be able to constantly point her to the one that is ALWAYS there for her!