To all the saints in Christ Jesus...Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Thanks for your prayers for us and the ministry which He has called us to. May you have a very Merry and joyful season of celebrating the birth and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We ask during these busy days of shopping and gatherings with family, friends and fellow believers, you take some time to reflect and share the reason for this time. Isaiah 9:6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 6:3...Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of His glory.

God tells us in His Word that He loves a cheerful giver. But let’s be honest — financial hardship can make it difficult to give with smiles on our faces. We’re grateful for your gifts to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. Without your contributions to the offering, we couldn’t be here working among the Quechua people in the Southern Andeas of Ecuador.

Giving during tough times can mean making sacrifices, but we aren’t asking you to sacrifice for us. We know that a rough economy hasn’t changed your heart for the lost any more than it’s changed our call to reach them. Thank you for your faithful partnership. May God bless you abundantly this Christmas season.

Praise and Payer Request Dec 09
1. God opened doors at the schools in Gonzol and Zhud as the volunteer from Wellford BC came to pray about adopting these two communities. Invitations were given to come and share with the parents on parenting and the children about God’s love for them. Pray as we plan visits with some of the indigenous Christian leaders from nearby communities and begin with Bible storying and parenting through the Bible.
2. Pray for the 16 new believers who were baptized in Nov to walk in obedience and holiness. That they will be faithful in sharing what Christ is doing in their lives. That 2 of these new believers will begin a new house church in Hoyagshi where they are the only two believers in that community.
3. Pray for continuing in preparing students enrolled in the lay counseling institute this year from a quite few different churches. Pray for their faithfulness and commitment to drawing to the truths of God first in their personal walks with the Lord so they may share with the hurting and broken hearted. Meetings are held Tuesdays 6-8 and Saturdays 2:30 to 7:00.
4. Pray as we encourage pastors and their wives to take at least 2 days a month to rest. Anna and I are asking the Lord to help us minister to them by each month taking a pastor and his wife to spend with us away from their work and ministry.
5. Pray as we seek God’s direction in going to communities with no gospel or evangelicals and leading us to men of peace giving us opportunities to start home Bible studies resulting in new house church plants.
6. Pray as we seek God’s help in planning for Marriage conferences and retreats for restoration of broken homes and marriages.
7. Pray for Linda as she has a busy schedule this next couple of months getting ready for retirement and returning to the states in caring for her mom. And continue to pray for her mom’s health.
8. Continue to pray for Al’s sister (Margie) who is still battling cancer in both lungs and still going through chemo and therapy.
9. Pray that during this season of Christmas as we have abundant opportunities to share the real reason for the celebration, people’s hearts will be softened and opened to receive the gospel message and begin to live transformed lives that are pleasing and glorifying to His name.
10. Praise Him for all his wonderful works and his faithful saints.

It was quit an an adventure on our way to Guigra to do some sharing and encouraging the few local believers and do some prayer walking and praying for their property. The wait allowed us to stop and pray for the surrounding communities and the construction workers working on covering up a deep ditch so we could drive through. They need a place to meet as now they are meeting at a believers home but they need more space. Their old building was destroyed by a giant boulder during the rainy season and mudslides. The people are always very hospitable and prepare a meal for us in their kitchen (old style). Thank you Wellford BC

Thank you for all your prayers as God continues to open doors. in the community of Gonzol we were able to speak with the the staff and the children of the pre-school and kindergarten children about Jesus and His love for them. The Weatherford BC vol team was very helpful as they also committed to adopt this community to win it for Christ. Lot's of prayer walking was done as it is embraced by the darkness and worshiping of St. Jude. There was a big celebration and parading St Jude around the community. It has been very difficult to the handful of Christians now living there. Please continue to pray for the Spirit of God to strengthened the few Christians there that they may be bold and to speak the truth of the gospel and their lives will reflect the transformed lives in Jesus Christ drawing and breaking the spiritual darkness of their friends and neighbors.

As God opened doors with the Wellford BC from SC vol team coming looking for communities to adopt, Lucas leads with songs about Jesus. The school staff with open arms invited us to share with students with testimonies and how trusting in Jesus makes a difference in one's life when completely surrendered under his Lordship.

The exciting part of house churches is when everyone participates and you have little ones like Anthony running to join with us and asking to read the Bible. Thank you Lord and may you help us be like your little children.

Lunch time! Hmmmm! This Cuy (guinnie pig) with potatoes and rice looks delicious and it taste awesome. Come visit us and you can try some of Ecuador's finest cuisines

Praise God for the opportunity to go into the school of Gonzol and share testimonies and meaning of knowing and having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. God used the volunteer team from Wellford BC to share with the students and staff. Doors were opened and invitation to return that we may show movies and give workshops in how to have healthy family relationships through a relationship with Christ. Keep the family of Guillermo in prayer who works in maintenance at the school that the Lord will strengthened and use him to start a church in Gonzol. Also for Welford BC fro SC as they committed to adopt and work with the community of Gonzol.

We thank you Lord and praise you for the life and commitment of of Lucas and his family to serving you. We gathered and celebrated Lucas' birthday with his mom and family joined by the Wellford BC from SC volunteer team.

Thank you Lord for the radio ministry that you are using to bring many unto yourself and for restoration and reconciliation of broken relationships. Pray as Ligia and Linda work on the recordings of God's Word, messages, and encouragement from their home. We thank you for your prayers as God has provided the necessary equipment to record form the home.

Join Anna in prayer asking the Lord of the harvest to work through Alycia and her sister Elisa and their mom Luz the only Christians in Ayaloma a community near Nabon to start a house church.
Praise God for these two sisters from Nabón, Alicia and Elsa. You remember, they were the ones who heard our radio broadcasts and became very determined followers of Christ. Now they've been talking with and ministering to their family. Alicia came one day to C.A.S.A. and poured out her heart to the Lord, particularly in reference to her mother who had threatened to commit suicide (very common among rural Quichua women). On Monday Dec 7th, Alicia traveled to Cuenca again, this time with her mother, and met with me. After brief introductions, Luz looked at Linda straight in the eye and said, "I've come today to give my life to God. I'm tired of my fits of anger, my wicked tongue and unruly behavior. I want forgiveness of my sins and I want to change." Point blank. The woman knew what she wanted. Jesus Christ in her life. She had observed the change in her daughters and was drawn to the Source. Linda explained the gospel to her, and it was obvious her daughters had already done a good job. We prayed, she cried, we all rejoiced. Her name, Luz, means "light" in Spanish. Her face was lit up with joy as she left the office to return home.
Wow! Thank you God for receiving her unto you and your kingdom.

Praise The Lord, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples. For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord Ps 117. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever Ps 118:1.
Though a little long, please take the time to read as you will be encouraged and blessed. We also thank you for your patience in waiting so long for our updates and you were probably have been wondering what happened to us, but God has been watching over us and using us.
I want to thank first God then each one of you for all your prayers. A lot has happened this past six to seven months while on our STAS and God has answered your prayers. We had a wonderful time visiting with our family and friends, leading three children’s summer camps, one mission’s week conference, many speaking engagements and Bible studies.
So we share this Psalm with you: I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, and m=maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip—he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord watches over you—the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm—he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forever. Psalm 121.
While in the states, God was doing great works back in Ecuador as people you and us have been praying for, have responded to walking with God receiving him as Lord and Savior and being baptized. We are now back on the field and landed in Ecuador getting our driver’s license in Quito then driving to Cuenca to meet a volunteer team from SC. God continues to open new doors of opportunities for ministry. He is using a team from Wellford BC in Greenville, SC to encourage a hand full of believers in the communities of Zhud and Gonzol to reach out to a people lost in the darkness of tradition and idolatry.
Scroll down to see our prayer requests/praises and enjoy some of the pics form the past six to seven months and get up to date.
1. Pray as we spend time visiting our co laborers sharing and encouraging with new and refreshed spirits and visions.
2. Prays as God has opened new doors and leaders of ZHud and Gonzol have invited us to return to the schools to give talks to parents on family relationships and for the children on living in a way pleasing to God. Though they have lived their lives believing and worshipping idols, they have some sense of seeking truth and God.
3. Pray as we join Linda and Ligia continuing in preparing 31 students enrolled in the lay counseling institute this year from a quite few different churches. The first level has 25 students and 12 returning students for advance level and discipleship. Meetings are held Tuesdays 6-8 and Saturdays 2:30 to 8:30.
4. Pray as we encourage pastors and their wives to take at least 2 days a month to rest. Anna and I are asking the Lord to help us minister to them by each month taking a pastor and his wife to spend with us away from their work and ministry.
5. Pray as we seek God’s direction in going to communities with no gospel or evangelicals and leading us to men of peace giving us opportunities to start home Bible studies resulting in new house church plants.
6. Pray as we seek God’s help in planning for Marriage conferences and retreats. Restoration of broken homes and marriages.
7. Pray for Linda as she has a busy schedule this next couple of months getting ready for retirement and returning to the states in caring for her mom. And continue to pray for her mom’s health.
8. Continue to pray for Al’s sister (Margie) who is still battling cancer in both lungs and still going through chemo and therapy.
9. Pray that those following in obedience with baptisms will continue to grow and have a deep hunger to walk in holiness pleasing “Abba”.
10. Praise Him for all his wonderful works and his faithful saints.

Thank you Faithful prayer warriors. May your prayers and support be multiplied for God's Kingdom.

FBC Templeton, FL thank you for your prayers and support of missionaries and work in God's Kingdom. Your invitation and hosting us was an encouragement to us during our STAS. May the Lord multiply your efforts in His Kingdom.

Thank you Carl and Roxy for the Labor weekend you dedicated to our family and bringing the devotionals. May God continue to bless your dedication and commitment to His Kingdom.

Prayer and quiet time was a special time for the girls at girl's summer camp of the Interstate Association, WA. Thank you for allowing us and Ecuador be a part of you and your prayers,

EBC VBS East Wenatchee, WA was a real blessing and the people of Ecuador say thank you for your prayers and contributions. Thank you all he teachers and workers.

2nd summer all girls children's camp from the Columbian basin Association, WA. It was great learning form you and sharing with you about missions in Ecuador. Summer 09

Thank you EBC from E. Wenatchee, WA for the opportunity to join you in a very worshipful experience at summer camp.

Thank you team for seeing us off to STAS/Medical leave for Anna's surgery and praying for us.

We were blessed in seeing one of our grandsons (Nathaniel) graduate from kindergarten.
It was a joy for Anna to spend Mother's Day with the family before her surgery. Thank you for your prayers.

Praise God and thank you for your prayers. Back in March you were asked to pray for Angel and Gladys' salvation. While we were on STAS they both made commitments to ask JC be their Lord and Savior and have followed in obedience in baptism. They are hungry for God and are walking in being the parents God wants them and raising their two little ones in the ways of the Lord.

We know this is a little long, but please take the time to read as you will find it a blessing and joy in the Lord. We also want to say thank you and praise to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ then to you for your prayers, love and support as we have completed our first term of three years. Coming to an end we had to return to the states early due to the medical situation with Anna as cancer cells were discovered in the process of taking our physicals to return after our stateside assignment.

God has been faithful and we will continue to magnify His glorious name. It has definitely been a joy during these difficult first three years as we have grown through the experiences of being robbed, incarcerated, illness, death in the family and Anna’s cancer. Amidst the hardships, not only have we grown, but God has allowed us the blessing of seeing Him at work in the lives of many non-believers coming to have a relationship with Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, new believers being discipled and broken homes and relationships being restored. Much work still needs to be done as we prepare in our stateside assignment to return and continue in the work the Lord has called us to.

1500 Communities for Christ: Healthy churches, obedient to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, pleasing to God, who disciple and take care of their members, who bless and impact their communities for good, and who carry the gospel to other places.

“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.” Ep 3:20
"Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with My righteous right hand." (2 Corinthians 1:4)

God continues His amazing work through His faithful prayer warriors. Your fervent prayers bring glory to His name as we continue to receive of his blessings, provisions and amazing care. This could not be done without the strength, guidance and provisions given by the Lord. God is being honored through the commitment of His people in these past three years and these difficult days.

We would like to share with you some of the devotionals we have been clinging on to as you have been praying for us and may they be of encouragement to you as well. Some are taken from "Experiencing God Day By Day" and "My Utmost Of His Highest."

LIFE WITH THE SHEPHERD: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters”. Ps 23:1–2

COMFORT FROM THE SHEPHERD: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” Ps 23:4
As a child of God you are never alone! Your Shepherd is with you at all times. You never have to call Him in to your situation. You never have to wonder where He is. You never have to fear that if things become too difficult, He will abandon you. He goes before you; He walks beside you; He comes behind you. He protects you securely. Just as He sees every sparrow and knows every hair that is on your head, so His gaze is constantly upon you (Lu 12:6–7). Even when you cannot see Him, He always keeps His eyes upon you. He comforts you with His strong presence in times of sorrow and grief. He leads you through the valley of the shadow of death. He does not necessarily lead you around the valley as you might wish. There are times when your Shepherd knows that the only way to get you where He wants to take you is to lead you down the path that passes through the dark valley. Yet, at those times He walks closely with you, reassuring you throughout the journey that He still loves you and is with you. It is during those times that you experience His love and compassion in a deeper dimension than you ever have before.
You never need to fear evil. As intimidating as evil can be, there is nothing you will ever face that intimidates your Shepherd. He has seen it all and soundly defeated every form of wickedness. Evil never catches Him by surprise. Your Shepherd is always prepared and knows exactly when and where you will experience difficulty. Place your absolute trust in your Good Shepherd that He will protect you and demonstrate His love for you through the darkest valley.

RESTORATION FROM THE SHEPHERD: “He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.” Ps 23:3
Your Shepherd knows your every need. He knows you will grow weary in your pilgrimage with Him. He knows there are times when you need rest. Your Shepherd knows just what you need to be refreshed. At times you need to lie in lush meadows or beside quiet streams. Sometimes you need to be held by your Shepherd. At other times you need to enjoy the pleasures the Shepherd provides. The Shepherd will not always replenish you in the same way; His response to you will always perfectly correspond to your present need.
As you follow your Shepherd there will be times when your soul becomes exhausted, perhaps because of trials you are experiencing or temptations you are resisting. The persecution you face or the burdens you are carrying for others may be wearing you down. You may be weary from the discipline the Shepherd has brought upon you. There will be times when you feel you can go no further in your Christian pilgrimage. Your Shepherd knows when you have reached this point, and He always has a remedy! There are many ways He can strengthen you: through His word, through others, or through your circumstances. He knows what you need even better than you do.
Have you grown weary? Does your soul need to be refreshed? Don’t attempt to recover on your own. Only God knows how to heal and rejuvenate a soul (Is 40:28–31; Mt 11:28–30). He will do it perfectly, sometimes in surprising ways. Ask Him to restore you, and then be prepared to respond to what He does next.

These next few months we would ask you to join us in prayer as we take up our cross.

TAKE UP YOUR CROSS: Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” Mt 16:24

May the Lord bless you all.
Al and Anna Rodriguez

A pure joy as various house churches from the Oikos house churches in the north Quito area gather once a month in fellowship, praying, sharing testimonies, communing in the Lord's Supper, baptisms and drawing unto God's Word. Their obedience and growing in their walk and relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ is evident as He continues to multiply their number. A father baptizes his daughter after giving her testimony. God is at work everywhere and in all peoples evident by the coming together of Quechuas, mestizos, and coastal people.