God is working!!!

It is pretty amazing, exciting and scary when you see God working and moving!!  Amazing, because even after all these years of walking with the Lord, to think that He would invite me to join Him in his work still floors, humbles and amazes me!   Exciting, because you KNOW that when God is working, incredible things are going to happen!  Scary, because while God ALWAYS makes it clear where he is working and what he wants you to do, He rarely, reveals to you HOW he is going to accomplish it all through you!

So here I sit this morning.   100% convinced that God is at work and opening doors of opportunity for us, yet trying hard NOT to get paralyzed by all the fear for trying to figure out HOW it is going to happen.

Yesterday Cecy, who works with me in leading the Women's Ministry at our church, and Cielito, the coordinator for the Bolsas de Bendición ministry, went to one of the local Maternity Clinics.  The purpose of the visit was to follow up a lead we had been given about giving out our bags to the new moms.  The director at first was a little leery and wanted to know if they were advertising for a particular brand of diapers.  When they assured her no, and explained what we are trying to do, she welcomed them to come.  Because this clinic does not do C-sections, (which a majority of the women here end up having), she told them that they usually only have about 5 or 6 new moms there at a time.  BUT then she said, I would love for you to come on the day we offer vaccinations, for the new babies.  We will have anywhere from 10 to 25 show up.  If you would come on that day, I would give you opportunity to speak to the Moms about spiritual things!   Then you could give out your bags!!

Then she said, another group I would really like you to come and visit, is a group of Moms whose babies, (we are talking 1 to 3 year olds) are malnourished.  If you would come, and talk to them about good nutrition, and you could also discuss spiritual things with them, and then give them a small gift.

OK, WOW!!!!   When an unsaved person, tells you they would love for you to come and speak about spiritual things with a group of moms they are working with, opening the door to give you time and opportunity to do it, you know that is GOD working!!   So what are we going to do about it?

I just sent $80 more to the lady overseeing the purchase of fabric and the sewing of the bags and receiving blankets.  We are going to try and get 50 bags made in the next week to 2 weeks.  Right now we have the money to do this and to even purchase the extra stuff we are lacking for the bags.  It cost us $86 to make the first 25 bags...  I had given her $80 a week ago to start making the next 25.

I look at this class of 40 ladies, none of them rich, in fact by US standards just about everyone of them would be considered poor, or at the least lower middle class.  They are giving monthly to support a precious little girl in Uganda, through our partnership with Mountain View Chapel and their Victory 1:27 ministry.  They are donating food stuffs for the new "Bendecidos para Bendecir" food pantry.  They are donating supplies to fill the bags, and a weekly offering to help pay for the sewing of the bags... At present we have collected enough money to making about 75 bags.  That is using money that was collected over the last year for Women's Ministry.   So when I think about this open door and the opportunity that the Lord is obviously giving us, it is hard not to get paralyzed by the  fear of "How are we going to keep this going?"

This morning in my quiet time, I read these verses...

Amos 3:7,  For the Lord GOD does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets.

Isaiah 41:10, fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Isaiah 41:12, For I, the LORD your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, "Fear not, I am the one who helps you."

Luke 6:38, give and it will be given to you.  Good measure pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap.  For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.

What I KNOW right now...

1.  is that God has revealed to us where He is working right now, and HE has asked us to step up and   join Him there.

2.  God has told me to not be afraid!  To trust Him, that He is the one holding my hand.  He is the one who will provide, He is the one who will bring it to pass.

3.  He has asked me to be generous with what He has given so far.  I'm not to "sit" on what I have, and dole it out, because that way, I know we can do this ministry in this "small way" for a few months....  No, I need to give and use what HE has provided, and trust Him to supply for next month!

Thanks for riding along with me in this journey!   Please keep the work here in Manta in your prayers and especially these not opportunities.   If you would like to be involved in ANY way, please send me a message.   You can leave a comment here and I will get back to you.

Blessings,
Joy

Quick update...

Just wanted to give you a quick update.

The Ladies class has collected enough stuff to put together the first 25 bags for our new Love in Action ministry, Bolsas de Bendición.  They will be putting the bags together tomorrow afternoon, and then delivering them to the new moms at the Social Security Hospital later in the week.  If there aren't many Moms there the day they go, we also have an open door at a Clinic just around the corner from our church, and we will be taking them there, too.

Please pray for the ladies that are working to get the bags put together, and then for each of the ladies that receive this gift.  May the Lord go before us and prepare hearts and open doors for opportunities to witness to these new Moms and their families.

The Administrative Team for the new ministry, Bendecidos para Bendecir, met again last night.  Everything is moving forward for our target date of Saturday morning, May 2.  We have 20 clients signed up to receive boxes of food for this first date.  Pray for all the final donations to come in.  Pray for the Administrative Team, as they each find others to work with them in different areas.  Pray for the Lord to prepare the hearts of these Clients as we near May 2.  Pray that they would actually show up and that God would touch hearts.  We don't just want to meet just their physical needs, (as the truth is we will never be able to fully do that) we want to introduce them to Jesus!

Thanks so much for your prayers for our ministry!
Blessings to each of you!
Joy

Since we returned to Ecuador, there has been a lot of things happening.  One of the big things we have done at church is introduce the "Love in Action" program.  This is a ministry where we will be seeking ways to express the love of Christ to our community and others.  Here are two of the newest ministries started through our "Love in Action" program.

The Ladies Sunday School class initiated a new out reach ministry directed at blessing new Mom's in our area.  They are making small canvas bags, filling them with some baby gifts, adding a card, saying "Congratulations on your new baby!" and then on the back of the card it says, "this is a gift from Iglesia Biblica Bautista" and has the churches address and phone number.  We have been given an "open door" to hand our gift bags out at the Social Security Hospital, and have had several others show an interest.  We hope that by showing the love of Christ in this way, it may open up the door of opportunity to witness to people that we would never have the chance to witness to.  We are calling this ministry, "Bolsas de bendicion" (Bags of blessings)

Our church has also started a Food Pantry ministry.  We are in the process of signing up "clientes" and receiving donations to put the boxes of "basic necessities" together.  Our date for passing out our first set of boxes is May 2!!  Our church has taken a big step of faith in this and we are excited to see how God works, provides and what doors he opens.  The name of this new ministry is "Bendecidos para Bendecir" (Blessed to Bless)

The basic cost for making the bags for the new Moms, including a small receiving blanket, is $3 a piece.  (This does not include the diapers or other small baby item we hope to add to the bag)

The cost of the boxes for the food pantry is running $25 each.

As you can see, neither of these are small undertakings, just on the economic end, not to mention the hours to just get them off the ground and running.   Our goal in both ministries right now is to reach 25 families, with the desire to grow and add to these numbers.

If you would be interested in helping with either one of these new ministries please email us about this at anztony@gmail.com.

Blessings to you and yours,
Joy

Here, There and Everywhere!

Hey Everyone!  We are coming to the close of our time in the US.  It has been very good in many ways and challenging in many others.

We have enjoyed so much having the opportunity to visit our family.  We were able to spend time with my Mom and Dad.  Tony and the kids were able to visit with his Mom, Sister and some extended family.  We spent a few days with each of our daughters and their families.  What fun to spend time with the grand kids!!

Besides that, we were able to re-connect with some great friends and supporters.

A big challenge for all of us was that we all got the Type B flu, which is an upper respiratory bug.  It is really nasty stuff, and hangs on forever.  We are thankful that we are finally about over it. Appreciate your prayers for complete healing.  

Carla had her follow-up Cardio check this week.  We got an excellent report!!  We are praising the Lord that at this time the doctors do not expect her to have any more trouble with her heart.  If at some time her pulmonary stenosis worsens, they feel that it will be able to be opened up with a balloon cath procedure!!!  What incredible news to hear that she is not looking at any more major surgeries in the in the future!!  Of course we understand that this is not guaranteed and things may change, BUT for now, this is GREAT news!!!  Also they told us that because she is doing so well they don't need to see her for 2 years!!!!!  WOW!

We are all excited to be heading back to Ecuador on Wednesday.  It has been so great to see everyone as I mentioned above, but we are ready to get home! :)  Tony and I are excited about the ministry opportunities that God is opening up for us.  We really appreciate your prayers as we pursue these open doors and move FORWARD.

Blessings to you and yours,
Joy

Crazy Day!

Church was pretty crazy this morning!  We had a good attendance, 145.  Not super but not bad either. ;)  Sunday School went well.  The guys that usually run our Easy Worship program for the Worship Service were out today.  We've had a college age young lady learning the program, but today was her first time to do it alone.  It went well for the song time.  But then she ran into problems during the preaching.  It was a situation where the screen was blank, then it was on, then it was blank...  At the same time, we had children crying...  Also at the start of the preaching time, the mic was really "hot"... not sure why, they got that turned down, but then it wasn't really right.

After that, we had Lord's supper and the mic they were using was in and out.  Finally when they just decided to go without the mic, that went fine. :)  Darwin, lead Lord's Supper this morning and it was such a blessing to see him, and to think how much God has worked in his life!

After we decided to order pizza when we got home, and although we've ordered it many times, this time, for some reason, our name didn't pop up on the computer when they entered our phone number. So Tony was in here trying to explain where we lived and after about 3 times, the delivery guy got on the phone and when Tony, asked if he was the one that usually delivered  and then said, I'm the tall, American guy, he knew exactly who and where we were! ;)

Even with all the craziness, it was such a blessing to be in God's House this morning and to worship with our church family.  God has done so much here already.  It's amazing when you look back and remember where we were and where we are today!  Praise the Lord for his grace and mercy!

I would ask you to please be praying for the ladies as they were on getting our Mother's Day Breakfast organized.  We already have 57 ladies signed up!!  Praying that God uses this to bring women and families to Him.

Have a wonderful week!
Blessings,
Joy

Wow am I behind?!?!

Here we are nearing the end of February and I haven't posted anything for this new year!  Guess that means life has been busy around our house! :)

We enjoyed a wonderful Christmas vacation.  It was nice to have the kids off of school and to enjoy the holidays.  We enjoyed hosting a couple parties at our house.  One for the deacons and their wives and a dinner for our 3 church staff and their families.  Christmas eve was our families "Birthday Party for Jesus", and the kids had a wonderful time.

For our "Old Man" for New Year's eve this year, the kids each made a replica of themselves.  Everyone enjoyed playing games and watching movies, etc. to stay up and wait until mid-night to burn them and make lost of noise to say "good-bye" to 2012 and "welcome" to 2013!

The week of 2013, was spent getting the Christmas stuff all packed away and the house put back together.  Then the kids and I were back at school.

We finished up our 3rd term on February 8th!  That was a big deal, as that means we are 1/2 way through our school year!!

Another big event that happened in January, was that we were able to start the process of requesting visas to  travel to the US for Carla and Matthew.  That is now in process, and we covet your prayers that this process would go smoothly and quickly.  We are hoping to have the visas by June, but earlier would be ok! :)  We are thankful that even though there are many "unknowns" for us on this road that God is not taken by surprise by any of it and that He is in control!

The church celebrated it's 8th anniversary on February 3!  It seems impossible that it has already been 8 years!!  We had a great attendance of just over 200.  We are so thankful the many blessings that God has bestowed upon this ministry!

For the anniversary I made a cake to share with the church.  It was quite an adventure.  It was made up of 12, 9x13 cakes.   Here's a layout of the "Cake Adventure". ;)

It is amazing what God is doing here.  The Ladies Sunday school class continues to grow.  We are presently doing a study based on Beth Moore's book, Praying God's Word.  It has been a huge blessing to me personally and it has also been a blessing to hear the testimonies each week of how the Ladies are growing and how God is working in their hearts and lives.

Schools are out in Manabi at this time for their, "summer vacation"... this year they are taking off until May, so during the next 2 months, we will be having our annual VBS and our Teen Retreat.  In March, our Bible Institute will be starting back up.  They are going to spend the first month, teaching, Evagelism and Discipleship.  Please be in prayer that many will be burdened to get involved and will make the extra effort necessary to participate in these Thursday evening classes.

This year at our church the "theme" or emphasis is on Gratitude.  So with that in mind, I want to take this opportunity to thank you for the part you have played in our lives and ministry over the last 22 years.   I know that the only reason we are here ministering is because there are people back home, "holding the ropes".  People praying for us on a daily basis and many people sacrificing to give their Missions Offering each week.  We don't take those things lightly.   Each victory here, each soul saved and each life changed is all because of the part you have played.

So Thank you!! I pray that God will bless each of you above and beyond anything you could ever imagine.

Blessings,
Joy

(these layouts were done using page kits from the  Digital Scrapbook Place, Inc. )

What's been happening...

The last couple weeks of October have been really busy.  We enjoyed great services at church.  185 two weeks ago and 162 last Sunday.  God is working and moving in hearts.

Our daughter, Carla, celebrated her 9th birthday on Oct. 22.  Here is a link to some pictures from that special day.

Carla's Birthday

The Ladies Conference we had planned for the 26th and 27th was wonderful!  We had 58 ladies participate that is only short 2 of those who had signed up.  I don't think we have ever had that kind of turn out before.  The ladies did a great job of helping with the planning and carrying through with their commitments.  By taking on the responsibility of so much of the conference it allowed me to focus the bulk of my attention on the lessons.  What a blessing!

If you would like to see photos from that event, please visit the link below:

Manzanas de Oro

It is also that time of year, when we need to re-new our visas.  Tony started working early in the month, to get together all the necessary paperwork.  It has always been a fairly simple, straight forward thing, (well as simple and straight forward as you can get when the government is involved! ;-)  Anyway, the first time he went they told him he was going to need some extra papers this year.  They also told him the name that he was to address all the letters to, (the coordinator of visas for this area).  Well, when he went back about 5 days later to turn in all the paperwork...he was told that the coordinator had changed and that the letters now needed to be addressed to a different person.  Also was told that one of our papers we had received from the National Mission here was out dated.  It needed to be less than 2 years old.  So we again, talked to the Mission leaders in Quito, and they re-wrote the letters, (these have to be written, signed by the president of the Mission and notarized, all of which takes time).  They also found a more current document on file and had it copied and notarized.  All was done and sent to us, within a couple days, (which was really amazing in itself)!  When Tony, went last Friday, to again turn in our folder of documents, he was told that they were unacceptable, because the paper, that we had been told needed to be less than 2 years old, now, had to be dated this year!  We found out all of this on Friday morning, and I was preparing for the Ladies Conference starting that evening!  Can you see Satan at work?!   Well, despite all of that we had Wonderful conference and God blessed!   On Monday we headed up to Quito.  We were going to try applying for our visa there, and if that didn't work we would head across the border on Wednesday, to return to Ecuador with a 90 day tourist visa.  Well, we found grace in the eyes of the officials there.  Our documents were accepted, entered in to the computer and our photos taken.  We have an appointment to return on Nov. 9.  At this point it looks like everything is on track.  Appreciate your prayers that we would be granted our visa with no more problems.

Today is Día de los Difuntos.  It is traditional to eat Guaguas de pan, (bread babies) and drink Colada Morada, it is a thick drink made from blueberries, blackberries, lots of spices with chopped up fruit in it.
if you would like a recipe for it, you will find a great one here .  We enjoyed the traditional treats and spent some time talking to the children about the history and meaning behind it.  Here are some pics from our own family celebration.

Day of the Dead, celebration

Thank you for your prayers for our family and the ministry here in  Manta!
Blessings to you!
Joy

We have had an incredible day!  God is moving and blessing the work here in Manta.  It is a joy to be a part of  his ministry and see Him working.  

This morning  I had 30 ladies in my Sunday School class.  We had one first time visitor and have several new ladies that have been very faithful.  Many of these ladies are facing difficult situations and I appreciate your prayers for them.  Several have unsaved husbands.  One lady today requested prayer for her mother, a believer and faithful member in a sister church in Portoviejo.  She is awaiting the results of some medical tests, but at this time it doesn't look good.   Thank you for praying for Giaconda and for her family.

137 attended the Worship Service this morning.  We have been having attendances between 130 and 150 consistently and are excited to see how the church is growing.  Over 15 people are presently working through our discipleship program!  It is always exciting to see people growing and learning in their walk with Christ.

Thank you for your prayers and support of the ministry and our family!
Blessings to you and yours,
Joy

Happy Anniversary Iglesia Biblica Bautista de Manta!!

Today we will be celebrating the 7th Anniversary of the church here in Manta!  It is pretty hard to believe that 7 years has gone by.  In many ways it seems like it was only last week, that we excited prepared for the first service.

God has blessed us so much.  It is so exciting to look back at the photos of where we were and where he has brought us to.  To view the lives that he has transformed and the souls that he has saved.  What a joy to know that he used us to be a part of this!!

Yesterday afternoon, we had 50 ladies join us for a special "Matinee de Damas"  (Ladies Matinee).  It was such a blessing and we know that 4 ladies that haven't accepted Christ as their Savior were there, and that they heard the gospel message.  God is working in their hearts.

This morning we will be having a special prayer of dedication for Darwin and Jessica as they start their ministry at the church as the Associate Pastor.  Darwin's parents have committed to attend this morning.  He has worked on getting them to church for years now, and they have never come.  Please join us in praying that today would be the day, and that they would receive Christ as their Savior!

God is doing great things!  He is faithful and all the glory and honor belong to Him!

Blessings to you and yours on this Lord's Day!
Joy

Sunday Services

Today I awoke to a rainy Sunday morning.  A couple weeks ago, when we had rain, our attendance took a nose dive, so we were expecting about the same this morning, but were surprised to end up with a great attendance of 148!  The ladies class was full, in fact we ran out of lesson hand outs.

2 sweet little girls were baptized after the morning service.  It is exciting to see God working in the lives of our families!!

This evening we are having our annual meeting.  Tony will be introducing Darwin as our new assistant pastor!  We are so excited to be taking this step.  Please be praying with us for Darwin, Jessica and their 2 sweet kids as they make the adjustment to full time ministry.  Also be praying for the church as they take on the responsibility of a Pastor and his family.

This coming week, we would appreciate your prayers for the group from Battlefield Baptist Church in VA.  They will be arriving in Ecuador on Tuesday evening, and in Manta Wednesday.  We have lots of things planned.  Pray for open doors.  Good health for all of them.  

Blessings to each of you as you start your new week!

Joy

--
Joy Anzalone
Manta, Ecuador

Sometimes God is silent...

Sometimes God is silent.  That doesn't mean he isn't there.  I may not always see or hear God working, but I can always trust that he is there.  He has promised to never leave me!  In the Ladies Sunday School class we are continuing our study on the book of Esther.  The last two weeks we have looked at the Sovereignty of God. As I was preparing for the lesson last week, I was thinking about Job.  We read the book of Job, and see the whole story from God's perspective.  But if you stop and think about it.  Job didn't know any of the things that we know.  He went from one day being on top of the world, to having his whole world come crashing in on top of him.  While he was dealing with the grief and pain of his losses, and then the physical pain of his illness, he couldn't see the end.  He didn't know about the conversation God and Satan were having.  He didn't know that God was going to bless him more than he could ever imagine in the not too distant future.   

It is so easy for me to get stuck in the present.  About 10 days ago, Tony and Teddy took our daughter, Lexi, and her family to Guayaquil to catch their plane back to the US.  We had talked about all of us going, but there is no way that we could all fit in our car, and we decided that the expense of all going in a rented van, and then the hotel and meals out, were just going to be more than we felt we could spend.  So Carla, Matthew and I stayed home.  I have to admit that I was a little resentful...wondering why God would do this to me!  (I know I sound like one of my kids! ;-)  Well, Tuesday morning, we got up and I fixed breakfast for the kids and me. After breakfast, I read a passage from the Bible, and was talking to Carla and Matthew about it.  In the course of the conversation, I asked each of them if they had asked Jesus to forgive them of their sins and be their Savior.  We've asked this many times, and the answer was always the same.  Carla always told us, "no", and when we ask if she would like to, she always responded, "no".  So imagine my surprise when on this morning, I asked her, and she said, "Yes, Mommy, I want to ask Jesus to be my Savior!"  What joy filled my heart, as I was able to tenderly lead her to Christ!  Later, while I was washing the dishes and cleaning up the kitchen, God spoke to my heart.  "If you had gone to Guayaquil, Carla would not have accepted me as her Savior, this morning!"   For me this was the Lord, gently showing me that although, I may not always understand what is happening, or not always enjoy what I'm going though, He has a plan!  He is my loving Heavenly Father, and he is always working things for my good.  I may not enjoy the process, (I never did enjoy getting a shot when I was a kid, but my parents always took me to the doctor anyway! :-) but he is at work, making me into the image of his son. 

This morning we had 119 in the Worship service.  2 precious adults accepted Christ as their Savior.  Then on the way home in the car, Matthew pops up and says, Mommy today in my class, I asked Jesus to forgive me of my sins.  We aren't sure if he understands, but we are so thankful for his tender heart, and are trusting God to continue to draw him to himself.

Thank you for your prayers for our family and for the ministry here in Manta.  God continues to work in the lives and hearts of people.  Please continue to pray for my friend, Marti.  I had the opportunity of leading her to Christ about 3 weeks ago.  She made it to church once, but the last couple weeks Satan has been working overtime to keep her out of God's house! Please pray that she would be able to grow and learn to trust God. Please pray for Lexi's friend, Gaby.  She was able to see her a couple times while they were here, and even got Gaby to visit the church.  Pray that she would come to know Christ as her Savior.   Continue to pray for young families in our church.  Many are facing family problems.  

I pray that you have a week full of blessings from the Lord as you serve him, where he has placed you!

Joy 

Let the Little Children Come....

We've had an incredibly full week, but then most weeks are, right?!  On Wednesday night we started our VBS.  We had a good number of kids turn out and more adults to help than we knew what to do with.  What an awesome problem to have.  I had helped organize it and get the material, etc.  but when it came to running the program, my only job was taking pictures!  It's really neat to see the people take ownership of things and put them into action!    We averaged about 50 children each evening.   Our main Sunday School teachers took the responsibility of teaching their classes, with some extra help.  Tony handled the opening, which included a song, and usually a little game or something that involved the kids.  Then after their classes they came back upstairs and for the closing time, about 6 men in the church had worked the class time, with Tony to put together a skit that dramatized the story they had that night.  The guys did a great job.  They had a lot of fun and the kids remembered the lessons! 

We had word that a few children accepted Christ.  On a personal note Matthew prayed to ask Jesus to forgive him of his sins and save him, in his class, Wednesday night!   We have talked to him about it a few different times, and he always tells us the same thing, so I think he really did understand what he was doing.  I would ask you to pray with us that Carla would come to know Jesus as her Savior.  I asked her when I was putting her to bed, if she had ever prayed and asked Jesus to forgive her of her sins and be her Savior and she told me, No.  She wasn't ready to do it yet.  So just pray with us, that as she keeps learning more and more, that she would understand her need for Christ.  

We had a great day yesterday!  All the Children were in the service, for the opening.  Each class presented a song and a verse for the parents.  Then we sang all the songs we had song during our VBS week.  It was fun. The guys who had helped with the skits and music all week,  helped with the music. 

Thank you for your prayers for our ministry and for our family.  It is exciting to see what the Lord is doing here in Manta, Ecuador! 

God Bless!
Joy

It's a new week!

We had a pretty good first week of school in the Anzalone house. Teaching 3 children, 2 of them ESL with some learning differences was quiet a challenge. They did pretty well, though and I was thrilled when we took Mateo to the doctor on Tuesday, and she asked him what color a wooden bead was and he said, "Blue"....and he was right! Then he named the other ones too..."green, red, yellow"... Sometimes you think nothing you have said or done has gotten through and then something like that happens and you know it actually did! :-)

We were able to get both Mateo and Carla to our doctor this week, for a general check-up. That was good. We were also able to meet and interview a Physical Therapist, who is going to start working with Mateo tomorrow.

The construction on the auditorium is continuing. Please be praying with us, as we are trusting the Lord to supply the needed funds to finish this work.

We are also planning a Ladies Conference the end of October. Sharon Smith will be here to speak. The ladies are very excited about this.

Tony is teaching a personal evangelism course on Thursday nights. Last week was the first week, he had 19 show up.

We had 112 this morning. That is a little down from the previous weeks, but then we were thinking it is nice to have a "down" Sunday, and still have 112!!!!

I really appreciate your prayers as our family continues to make adjustments for the 2 precious children the Lord has brought to us. We received word this week that the "official assigning" as taken place, so that is a blessing. We are looking at about 30 days for our court date, at which time the adoptions will be finalized. Thank you for your prayers.

God bless you as you serve him this week!
Joy

Good Morning!!!

Good Morning, Friends! I have lost track of time, and keep thinking about posting on here, but then things happen, and it just hasn't gotten done! So sorry about that!

I will try to catch you up with our life, without writing a book, which I know no one has time to read, or even that much interest! :-)

My trip to the US with Teddy was wonderful! I got great reports from my doctors, and we were able to see all 3 girls and the 3 wonderful grandchildren!!! Spending time with my Mom and Dad was a treat too. Teddy also got to celebrate his birthday a week early, on the Monday before we returned, and had a great time at the "Bounce House" with his cousins Evan and Estella Jane.

While we were gone, Tony continued with the work here. The Youth Retreat was a great blessing. One young person accepted Christ and many other decisions were made. VBS went well too, with many children attending, and hearing the gospel.

Since we returned we have made a trip to Quito, which had 2 purposes. 1st we went to pick up some things donated for our church nursery. These are things that Stacey Smith had stored, since closing her home for abandoned babies. I can't even begin to express how grateful we are to have all of this wonderful stuff! We would have never been able to afford to purchase all of this, or even this quality of furniture and toys! The 2nd reason that brought us to Quito, was to meet with the director of "For His Children" and with our lawyer, (and theirs) about adopting 2 precious children. We returned home to Manta, with the news...

We are adopting Carla, age 6 and Mateo, age 5. They should be joining our family around September 1st!!!! We are very excited about this news, and praising the Lord, for the way he has led and guided each step in this process.

Here in Manta, we have been working at church. We got they Nursery set up and running. Sunday was our 3rd week to have it operating and it is going great!!! We have also had a Mini Missions Conference, where our church was challenged, and hearts were touched. Please pray for those who feel that the Lord is calling them into full time ministry.

On May 8th, we had a special Ladies event, in honor of Mother's Day. 28 ladies attended and had a wonderful time! Sunday, May 9th, we had a great service with over 30 mothers in attendance.

Last week, we had 124!!!! There were no first time visitors, which was sad, BUT to have 124 without visitors, WOW!!!!

Please be praying as we get the next part of the building underway. Pray for the different ministries in our church. Pray for workers, we are desperately in need of someone to come along side of Tony, full time to take on some of the pastoral responsibilities of the church. We know that God is in control and he has to right plan and the perfect family picked out already!

On a personal note, our good friends, Jim and Sharon Smith, have suffered a great blow, in the lost of their son Zac to cancer. Zac was only 33 years old, but God used him to touch many lives. He had an amazing testimony. I would ask you to please lift up Jim, Sharon and Stacey Smith in your prayers, along with Zac's wife Mandy, and their 3 precious children, Lizzy, Jake and Luke.

Thank you for your support and prayers for our family and the ministry here in Manta, Ecuador!
God Bless,
Joy

In the US

Teddy and I are enjoying a trip to the US. My doctors wanted me to come back for a check-up, and we decided if I needed to do that, we would take a little extra time to visit the girls and their families.

Before we left Ecuador, Teddy kept asking me if there was going to be any snow at Grandpa's house. I kept telling him, I didn't think so, because it was March, and they live in Tennessee. It is the beginning of Spring there. Well, wouldn't you know. Tuesday before we arrived, they had 3 inches of snow. A lot of it had melted, but there was enough left in Mom and Dad's yard for him to have a wonderful time playing on Thursday morning! He managed to make 2 small snowmen.

Yesterday, I had my first doctor's appointment. That went pretty well. My blood pressure is a little high, but he thinks since it was doing well in Ecuador, that it might be the "stress" of traveling and just everything that we are trying to do in the next few weeks. So we will see what happens. I appreciate your prayers concerning this.

Next week, I have another appointment with my surgeon, just to make sure everything has healed properly, from my surgery last fall. That will be on Tuesday and then on Thursday we are heading to Springfield, MO. to visit with Ashley, Lexi and their families. Thank you for praying for our travels.

While we are away, Tony is continuing with 2 Bible Institute classes. One meeting on Tuesday evening, and one on Thursday. Also the construction on building continues. March 12-14, we will be having a Youth Retreat. Please pray that we have a good turn out from our church. Pray for Tony as he works on organizing everything, also.

Then on March 24-28, they will be having VBS. We have already done quite a bit of planning for this, but as you know there is always more to do, and of course just the last minute stuff involved.

We are excited to see how the Lord continues to bless the ministry in Manta! Thank you so much for your prayers. God bless you as you serve him.

Joy

Where did February go?

I can't believe the month of February has gone by. We have been very busy around here! On the 7th our church celebrated it's 5th anniversary. We had over 135! Cliff McGhee came down from Quito and was our special speaker for the day. We recognized 17 people that had been baptized this past year! God has been so good to our church and ministry here.

After the service we had a great lunch that the ladies had prepared! Everyone had a wonderful time.

Tony, Teddy and I made a trip to Quito this month too. We left Sunday afternoon the 14th and drove to Santo Domingo, where we spent the night with our friends, Joe and Sylvia Wells, and then drove on to Quito on Monday morning, the 15th. While there we stayed with Cliff and Neoma McGhee. It was nice to visit the capital again, and we had good meetings while we were there!

On our return from Quito, Tony started Bible Insitute classes again. They will be meeting on Tuesday and Thursday evenings with our weekly prayer meeting in between on Wednesdays. Last Saturday was our monthly Ladies meeting at the church. We had about 25 ladies attend.

This afternoon our younger women had their monthly get together. They take turns hosting this meeting and always enjoy the fellowship. Today it was my privilege to bring the devotion.

On Wednesday morning, Teddy and I will be flying to the US. We will be in the States from the 3rd to the 30th. I have 2 doctor's appointments, and I appreciate your prayers about that. Everything seems to be going very well with my health and I am thankful for that. Because of the problem I had with my blood pressure before we left, my doctor told me he wanted to see me again so here I go....Also it will be 6 months since my surgery and my surgeon wanted to see me again too. :-) (I'm just a very popular person these days! )

We are looking forward to having some time visiting with my parents, and are planning a couple trips to visit the girls and the grand babies! You didn't think I would make a trip all the way back to the US and not see my grand babies did you? :-)

Appreciate your prayers for us as we travel. Also for Tony as he is here. During the month of March there is a planned Youth Retreat and a VBS...(I know it seems weird, but here on the coast of Ecuador, we are actually in the middle of our "Summer Vacation"!)

Have a wonderful week!
God Bless,
Joy

Every Sunday when we go to church, it amazes me to see how the Lord is working! We are thrilled to see people growing and serving the Lord.

This morning after the sermon, Tony asked everyone who wanted to make a public commitment to discipleship, to take up their cross and follow Christ. We had about 10 people go forward to pray. What an impact just those 10 people could make if they are sold out to the Lord, not to mention those already sold out!

I have a couple specific prayer requests for you today,

1. Please pray for Cristian and Monica. They are a young couple whose marriage started out in the not the best circumstances, and they are struggling right now. Pray that the Lord would be glorified in their marriage, and that they would work together to establish a Christian home in which to raise their baby boy, Ismael.

2. Please pray for the leaders in our church to be unified and to work out differences that they have with one another.

Have a wonderful week.
Joy

Off and Running!

We are approaching the end of January! I know I'm always saying I can't believe how fast time is flying by...that must mean I'm getting old! :-) I remember as a kid, thinking time just stood still!

We have had a great start to the New Year! The church is growing. We've had some new families coming and are excited to see what the Lord is going to do this year. We are praising the Lord for a special offering from Battlefield Baptist Church toward the construction of our building. At this time we are meeting in the unfinished 2nd floor of the education building. Our contractor is working this week on getting the electricity in up there... then we hope to get the small bathroom put in the "nursery" and that room tiled, and our other bathrooms and small kitchen in the ed. building tiled. After that we are planning on starting the main auditorium! Goal for getting that under way is March! Thank you for your prayers as we continue with this.

We are also in the process of planning our VBS which will be the last week in March, and because of the cost of youth camp this year, have decided to do our own thing near by...so that is also in the works. You ask, how much youth camp is costing this year...well it's $50 a camper, plus about $10 in transportation. I know you are thinking that is a really good price, but when you consider that that average salary is $300 a month, you realize that it is a lot of money for the people here, especially those with more than 1 teen! So we have found a few alternatives that will make it more reasonable, closer to $25 a camper. Please make this a matter of prayer as we iron out the details.

At this time Tony is meeting with 2 different families for discipleship classes. We are also getting ready to start Bible Institute classes up in February. There will be classes on Tuesday night and Thursday night. We have been having a Wednesday night Prayer meeting, that although not as well attended as we would like, is steadily growing. I think we had about 20 out last week.

This Saturday afternoon we will be having our monthly Ladies meeting. I appreciate your prayers as we get ready for this.

On February 7th the church will celebrate it's 5th anniversary! Cliff and Neoma McGhee are coming down to be our special guests. The women are planning a meal to serve after the service. God has been so good to us! What a blessing to see the work He has established in the last 5 years here in Manta!!!!

On February 14th, we will be adding our Sunday School hour again to our Sunday Morning Schedule. I have been working on getting the worksheets ready for the adult classes. So far I have the first 9 weeks done! YAY!!!!! We are using some basic discipleship lessons. This book, is called "Fundamentals of the Faith". Also on the 14th, we are planning to have an adult fellowship that evening. Still working on the details for that. :-)

I appreciate your prayers for me this week. I have meetings every afternoon we different ladies. Yesterday, the meeting was about our plans for VBS. Today, I'm not sure what it's about, :-)...Tomorrow, will be meeting with the director of a children's home in our area to find out some ways that the ladies and the church could be more involved in this ministry. We would like to be a blessing to them, but not cause them more work! Also tomorrow we will be meeting with a young single mom. Then on Thursday or Friday, I will be meeting with our Children's Ministry leader to discuss some things with the Sunday School....plans and problems. :-)

Well, I should post this. It is getting late, and I need to get breakfast on the table and school started with Teddy.

Thank you so much for your interest in our ministry and for your prayers!
God Bless you and you serve Him this week!
Joy

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!!!

I pray that each of you have enjoyed your Christmas with friends and family! We had many exciting things happening around here.

The Christmas party at church on the 2oth was a big success! We had over 170 there. Everyone had a great time. Lots of people helped out with the preparation, the set-up and the cooking. We had a great time of fun, food and fellowship.

Tony, Teddy and I enjoyed a great Christmas together. Christmas eve we tried our hand at making candy canes. I can hear you now, why would you try to make candy canes when you can buy them? Well, you can't buy them here, at least not in Manta, so we decided to try our hand at it. It was quite an experience...having never done anything like it before. We had a huge mess, some burnt fingers and a really fun time. Our candy canes were some of the funniest looking things you have ever seen, but they were made with love and they taste great! :-)

We enjoyed a "Birthday Party for Jesus" on Thursday evening. Playing games, and reading the Christmas Story, and eating "Pizza Fondue", it was really yummy. Christmas day was also a good day for us. We enjoyed talking to each of your daughters and my parents. We were able to use the web cam with my parents, and with Ashley, Shane and Curtis and that was fun.

Today has been a great day of just resting...a little cleaning up and a lot of just enjoying one another. Tony is going out to the village ministry in La Travesia this afternoon. We are looking forward to a great day at church tomorrow.

God has blessed us so much! Thank you for your prayers for the ministry here in Manta and for our family!

God Bless you!
Joy

We had a great day worshiping the Lord! The attendance was down, but we are so thankful that God is working in the hearts of his people. Please remember to keep this work in your prayers.

Upcoming events...on Friday the Leadership team and their wives will be coming over to our house for a small Christmas party. Then on Sunday morning, the kids at church will be receiving their Christmas treats and Sunday evening we will be having a "Family Christmas Party" at church...We are going to be having a "Birthday Party for Jesus!" The church will be providing the meat, which we are grilling...and everyone else is helping by either bringing rice, menestra (lentils), salad, colas, plates, cups, napkins, forks.... This is all a "new" idea for the culture here, so we will see how it works. "Potluck dinners" are not a normal thing in Ecuador! :-) But everyone seems really excited about it and is looking forward to a great time. We will be exchanging ornaments...each family that wants to participate has been bringing ornaments and putting them on the trees at church...The ornament has their family's name on it. The idea is that we will exchange them and then each family will pray for the family whose ornament they receive, during the coming year. We have also asked those that would like to participate to bring a wrapped "birthday gift for Jesus". These are to be toys that we will be giving out to the 2 children's homes in our area. We are looking forward to a great time of fun and fellowship!

We are excited and looking forward to Christmas at the Anzalone house! We have been baking and decorating. This week we are planning to do some shopping. I pray that each of you has a wonderful week as you prepare for this most precious time of you!

God Bless you!
Joy