July 29, 2020
Dear Family and Friends,
Guess what... we know what you did?!? (And possibly you were not even aware!) I am sure you can find yourself somewhere in these verses:
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they shall be filled.
“Blessed are the merciful,
For they shall obtain mercy.” Matthew 5:6 & 7 (NKJV)
And if you did not find yourself those verses, I know you will in this:
“. . . Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see you sick, or in prison, and come to You?' And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ Matthew 25:37-40 (NKJV)
In the midst of Covid - 19, political upheaval and destructive protesting, you have stepped out of that horrific negativity and chosen to focus on kindness, generosity, compassion and love to impoverished, sick, orphaned and widowed individuals in a country where many of you have never been. This is fulfilling the words spoken by Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
We sincerely thank you for the response to our mid-year fundraising letter and also those of you that were able to join the Colonna’s Pizza Restaurant fundraiser this past Sunday. We are now able to cover the next two months of salaries for both the Buen Samaritano Clinic and Water staff plus all the ‘extras’ that were necessary to reopen the clinic safely. . . This is IMMENSE!
And we would be remiss if not mentioning 12-year-old Isabela Intriago who took it upon herself to fund raise and brought in $853. She also is quite the artist and designed the evite for invitations and also our poster for the Colonna’s Pizza and Pasta Restaurant. And, I think it was moral support from brother, Owen.
Yes, the clinic reopened June 23 after Dra. Silvia held an in-service with all staff to introduce Covid - 19 biosecurity protocol for staff and patients. The clinic waiting room is no longer open to patients. Patients must make an appointment and prior to entering the clinic they are sprayed with ozone and given a gown. Seem extreme? Cases in this area have doubled and the Manabí Province ranks #3 in severity, Quito is now #1 and the Province of Guayas is #2. Besides patient appointments to see Dra. Silvia, the laboratory is open to individual patients; however, our dental office has not been able to open since Dra. Karolina lives in a town that remains on ‘lock down.’
Richard and I have been detained from our two attempts to return to Ecuador. Bags have been packed for months! Our first attempt in June was halted by Ecuador closing boarders to foreigners; and plans for July were halted after both Ecuadorian national airlines cancelled all flights for July and the 8 hour trip by car was impossible with restrictions going from province to province and in some cases city to city. August is possible but it would probably be the end of the month. (Dra. Silvia is more than capable to run the clinic, but the water technicians are very much needing Richard.)
Our only fundraiser of Ecuadorian merchandise is scheduled for Saturday, October 10, 9am- 4pm at the Broadmoor Community Church in Colorado Springs. This event will be held outside in their patio area. We will update you on this as the date draws near.
Lastly, final finishing touches to our ‘renovated’ web site are complete; however, information on mission trips, etc. will change from time to time . All because of Board Member Cindy Reagan taking great pains and endless hours (actually months) with this major project. If she sends us a bill, we are out of business!
Prayer Requests
*Thanksgiving for financial means to cover Ecuador staff
*God’s protection for Dra. Silvia and staff as they labor at Buen Samaritano
Faithfulness to our mission statement:
Proverbs 31:8&9 “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute, Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.” (NIV)
We pray your families stay well.
Dios los bendiga,
Richard, Elizabeth and the FYTA board