Espinozas in Ecuador
“The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; And He knows those who trust in Him." Nahum 1:7
Hello dear Wallenstein family,
Summer seems to have slipped away on us! Here is an update on what's been going on in our corner of the world!
Youth began in June and it has been a joy to be with the Bastion young people again. We began with a planning meeting, to which Raul invited some of the youth along with the youth leaders so that they could give input. However, some understood that this meeting was actually a youth event and invited friends and we ended up with around 15 youth. Instead of planning for the year, we ended up having a youth event! Though we didn’t get planning checked off our list, we were encouraged by the youth’s eagerness to be together again.
Eventually we got our planning meeting in and had our real kick-off to the youth season, complete with a baked potato bar. The youth who had come to the “planning” meeting had decided they wanted to help with the potato bar and pitched in with bringing toppings and even baking the potatoes! And they actually followed through with everything! (As you can tell by the exclamation marks, we were impressed).
There is a group of friends who come to the youth group who have started an Instagram account for themselves and call them selves in English “Team in Christ”. (It’s really cute hearing them try to say it!). They get together for meals and hang out- all with the purpose of encouraging each other to stay in Christ. Please pray for these dear youth as they struggle together to follow Jesus. Already we have seen forces at work trying to pull them a part. One of them is struggling with her sexual identity and this has caused some tension in the group.
In July we had a visit from some of our MSC leaders to give us a crash course on “risk-management”. The insecurity in Guayaquil has been steadily increasing and it was time for us to take a good look at our situation and see what measures we can take to live as safely as possible. We were grateful for the input we received, and Raul has been working with a team to create safety plans for the school in case of earthquakes, shootings outside the school, extortioners, and robbery. Bastion has never been a “safe” community, but even those who have lived there for years are feeling tense these days. Raul’s mom and step-dad live right on one of the streets where a lot of “activity” happens and have to live very cautiously. Youth group has also had to change, as we no longer feel free to just invite whoever to youth group and we carry out our meetings with the church doors closed for security measures.
Personally, we are doing well as a family. Tiago and Danilo have started playing together and we are pleased with how well they are getting along. Danilo is getting to be a fierce little firecracker and continually keeps us on our toes. Lately, because of the tension in Guayaquil, we have chosen to limit how often we go out and mostly are just at home or at the church and school. We are grateful to live in a gated community with a few playgrounds and pool in it which help us not feel too trapped.
Please pray for us as we continue to adapt to these times and yet give thanks for the assurance that we are in the Lord’s hands. There is such beauty in seeing God at work in people’s lives in spite of the ugliness that Satan has wrought in the society around them.
Thank you for your continued prayer and support as you partner with us in God’s work here in Guayaquil,
Raul, Jessenia, Tiago and Danilo