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GOD MADE A PIONEERING WORK IN QUITO

  Ecuador UBF started the 2016 New Year with the word of God from Hebrews 12:1b-2, “…let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God,”praying that we may look at Jesus and carry our crosses in the midst of difficulties. We prayed concretely to raise 1 Abraham of faith and 12 male disciples and to have 50 weekly Bible studies and 50 Sunday service worshipers.

  We thought it was difficult to serve great works for one family, but God gave us the grace to serve the Latin American Directors Conference on January 27-30 and helped us to serve it well by grace with the help of missionary collaborators, Ecuadorian shepherdesses and Korean acquaintances. 

  After the Directors' Conference, we visited the city of Quito with missionaries José Ahn, Elias Park, Isaac Cho, Wesley Yoon and Pastors David Nam, Gustavo, Katiuska and Iván and visited the Central University of Ecuador in Quito. Visiting the Central University of Ecuador, where Msn. Helen and some other Venezuelan missionaries had visited and prayed more than 10 years ago, Missionary José Ahn suggested that we prayed that a Venezuelan shepherd would come here to do pioneering work, and we all prayed together ardently. While praying, I thought that God would do this pioneering work after many years—5 years or 10 years later. But God heard and answered our prayer very soon.

  In November of 2016, God sent Missionary Jose Ortega, and at the end of December God also sent Missionary Yessika Ortega and their daughter Estefania and they reunited; and on January 1, 2017, they held the first historical worship service to God in Quito. In addition, by sending brother Gustavo and his family to this service, who were in Quito for Christmas vacation, God helped them to share this joy together in offering the pioneer worship service to God. We praise God who hears our prayer. Amen. Understanding, through this, that God loves and blesses pioneering work, we began to pray for pioneering work to other cities of Ecuador. We pray that God will send pioneers to other cities such as Cuenca, Riobamba, Ambato, Machala, Loja, Manta, etc.

  During March 25-27, we had the Easter Conference; twenty-seven people participated in the conference. The title of the conference was "The Gospel, the Power of God," based on the word of God from Romans 1:16. We chose it praying that, by accepting deeply the gospel which is the power of God, we could overcome the year 2016 with the power of the gospel.

  Shepherdess Luisa (Sara), who graduated this year from the College of Medicine, delivered the opening message based on the word from Romans 1:16-31, testifying well that the gospel is the power and grace of God that gives salvation to all. On the second day, Shepherdess Pauleth, who studies nursing, delivered the message entitled, "The Good News of the Cross," based on the word from Mark 15:1-43. She said that we sacrificed a lot to succeed and gain what we want, but Jesus sacrificed much more to save a soul; and she confessed and repented that she had stolen the heart of a brother that God had sent as a sheep. 

  But after the conference, she again fell into the sin of carnal desire and, not repenting and blaming the Korean missionaries saying that Koreans demand Korean culture, left our church. We pray that God will have mercy on her and help her to repent of her sins sincerely, perceiving them before God, and that she may live a life of mission according to the call of God.

  Also, for the first time, this year we prepared a seminar on the book Pilgrim's Progress. Seven brothers and sisters prepared this seminar in the beginning, but Mrs. Rosa did not participate because of health problem, so the 6 brothers (Michael, Mauricio, Lisbeth, Marcela, Esther and André) presented it, and Msn. André Kim finished the last part of the book. Although much was lacking in its preparation, it was good to see the pilgrimage of our journey of faith and what dangers there are in the life of faith through this symposium.

  On Sunday morning, we had the baptism ceremony of 7 brothers and sisters; Shps. Luisa (Sara), Lusiana, Marcela, Michael, Esther, Liliana, and Selene, and then we celebrated the Lord’s Supper. Also, at the invitation of Missionary Barnabas Choi, my son Joo Wang was able to participate in the Easter Conference in Mexico, established a good friendship with the sons of the missionaries in Mexico and received much service from them. We thank God, believing that God will lead him to live a life that serves the Lord by working in his heart with His words.

  In June, missionary Ana went to participate in the World Mission Report in Korea and received much grace and obtained physical and spiritual rest. Since the end of June, God has began a Youth Worship Service on Saturdays through Shepherdess Lisbeth, who is graduating this year. And it helped the shepherdesses to grow spiritually and to have a sense of stewardship in the work of God, serving the message, praise, discussion/activity/time of fellowship, food, etc. in a rotation. It also helped us to preach the gospel and sow the seed of God’s word in the students' hearts through the fishing meeting on Tuesdays.

  In August, God raised up two disciples of Jesus: Shepherdesses Marcela Quintero and Esther Kim. We pray that they can grow and be used practically as shepherdesses of the sheep, serving the sheep on campus through fishing and one-to-one Bible study.

  On October 17-24, Missionary John Jun and Missionary Sun-ji Jun visited Ecuador and served us sinners and our congregation with the words from Ephesians and Galatians. We also received much grace through their advice on self-financing, health, and marriage by faith. We pray that God will give Missionaries John Jun and Sun-ji Jun good health and spiritual strength and use them in the work of CME (Continuing Missionary Education).

  UBF Ecuador had our Christmas Worship Service on December 18th. A total of 31 people, including children, came to the service and Missionary Jose Ortega served the Christmas message titled, "Let us worship King Jesus,” based on the word from Matthew chapter 2. As part 2 of the worship program, we worshiped the Lord with dance and a mini flute concert.    

  Missionary José had his own house and car, and worked in the best company in Venezuela and he could have lived comfortably; however, just like the Magi that came to worship the baby Jesus following the star, he left his wife and daughter in Venezuela, obeying the Lord's world mission command, and came to Guayaquil, Ecuador to worship Jesus. 

  God blessed missionary Jose Ortega and helped him to obtain a visa and alien ID card and also helped him to rent an economic apartment near the Central University of Ecuador. We pray that God may bless the pioneering work of Missionary Jose in Quito and grant him a job and also raise 1 Abraham of faith and 12 disciples at the Central University of Ecuador.

  After the message, Marcela and Osiris shared their testimonies. In her testimony Shps. Marcela confessed and repented of selfishness, hatred, fear and unbelief and prayed that she would live following the star of the Word and of the Holy Spirit throughout her life as the Magi of the East. Osiris repented of his fornication that he committed being deceived by the world and decided that he would live by faith even if he had difficulties and sufferings. We also thank God for Luisa Suarez who led Osiris to Jesus and decided to receive discipleship. We pray that they can grow as women of faith at the University of Guayaquil.

  In the year 2016, I personally held onto the word from Philippians 3: 8, "What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ." Looking at Jesus, I wanted to serve my sheep and children with Jesus' love, hope and patience and wanted to learn the humility and holiness of Jesus. I wanted to help my sheep and children with prayer.

  But looking at the year 2016, I realized that I did not serve my sheep well or the Lord's work properly, and I confess that I gave the Lord only my imperfections and mistakes. Not fixing my eyes on the Lord, I condemned myself looking at how I did not support my family financially nor preach messages well. I repent because I expected things to be easy or to receive some luck, not defying situations by faith nor wanting to change my bad character. I repent having cut off sheep, only criticizing them and not perceiving that their problem was mine also. 

  This year, holding onto the word from 1Timothy 6:12, "Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses," I pray that I may fight the good fight of faith and live a life worthy of God’s calling. Fighting the good fight of faith against my sins and against the sins of my sheep and my children, I pray that I may live as a witness of the cross and the resurrection of my Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

  The key verse of Guayaquil, Ecuador UBF is 1Timothy. 4:7, "Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly.” We pray that each of us missionaries and shepherds can grow spiritually, through the word, prayer, testimony-writing and preaching. Our concrete prayer topics for the year 2017 are the following:

 1.  Raise 1 Abraham of faith and 12 disciples (Guayaquil and Quito).

 2.  Powerful messages from Msn. André Kim and Msn. José Ortega.

 3.  50 Bible studies and 50 worship service participants.

 4.  To establish house churches by faith and financial independence.

 5.  All collaborators to train themselves to be godly through such basic struggles as Bible study, prayer, testimony-writing, Bible reading.