Hopelessness in Salinas

Back to reality of the sin sick world in which we live. This week 2 children were killed in their home within 1 mile of the Church we serve in Salinas, Ecuador.  The people live in fear just like the people from "Ee-tao" the movie.  This is the reality of a life w/o Jesus Christ.  Just 1 hour north 2 Argentine girls were murdered in Montanita. Pray with us for the salvation of souls. (Luto=mourning). Santa Elena is the province. PS: look around you. Today there are people suffering without hope!  You have been called to bring them the hope!  Get to it!

Ephesians 2:10-18 "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, 

having no hope, and without God in the world: (let that eat at you a bit).

But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father." (Hallelujah!)

Vacation Bible School in Salinas, Ecuador

VBS in February? Christian Bible Church of Mohawk, NY, sent 13 to us to serve in Salinas, Ecuador, with Pastor Mario Sanga and the Iglesia Baptista Adelphos.  We conducted a Vacation Bible School. We went into the community handing out flyers. We shared testimonies. We had a painting outreach and work day projects on the church property.  It was a week of God’s blessing.


This was the first VBS for this new church plant and we were privileged to be a part of it. We praise the Lord that His Word is changing lives.  We saw children learn the Word of God during the week, and many with their parents attended every day and made a positive response to the Gospel. Praise the Lord!!! He is at work. Two of the missions team members gave their hearts to Christ in Salinas. They have returned home with New Life in Christ. We praise the Lord for His abundance of blessings. We saw more than 127 different children during week and the last day we had 110 in attendance.  As you can see from the photo, it was packed!

Please pray for Pastor Mario and the church as we help teach the church to do follow- up discipleship. The goal is to get into the homes of each child and present them with a Bible.
Thank you for standing with us on bended knee! 

Our "Paddington" is off to Lima, Peru.

In January, our daughter Bethany moved to Lima, Peru, to serve in La Molina Christian School. She is teaching K-4.  Her primary responsibility is language development.  If you watched "Paddington Bear" in the last few years you know Paddington set off for Peru.  Thus the connection. We are thrilled to see God work in her life.  We were with her briefly as we were scheduled to attend two conferences in Peru late January through the first week of February. It was a blessing to share in her world for a few days!

Ministry in the USA for the end of 2015

Our hearts are overflowing.  We must share with you what God is doing! The last few months have been jam packed!!  First let us say...it was a joy to reconnect or to meet many of you on our US trip.  We were privileged to update in person in 25 churches, visit teammates in three different states, meet with nine Pastors, and visit with several of our personal ministry supporters in just under three months. When we returned home we hit the ground running...with our local partners preparing together for a new year of ministry.

From our Teamates the Campbell Family

Our Teammates!
Jeff and Deanne enjoying a little taste of Iowa, some soda pop called Hillbilly Holler. I think if we could have had a little more time with them they'd have made some pretty good hillbillies. We are so thankful for the love and encouragement they gave us during their visit. They challenged us and left a lasting impression on our church family to reach people right here in their Jerusalem. Please pray with us as we plan a ministry trip to Guayaquil Ecuador to see the work that is going on there. Right now Jeff and Deanne are helping a church plant in Guayaquil that is planting other churches in the area!

New Party Going on in Heaven

From our teamate Lacie Campbell...



We are also praising God for our wonderful teammates the Davoll family who came to visit us last month. They are in the states for a few weeks visiting family and churches out east, and they flew all the way to Iowa just to encourage us; and boy did they ever! One of the things they reminded us and our church family was that we don't have to live in a different country to be a missionary. We are to be serving God in our own Jerusalem right now, wherever that may be. Another thing that they taught us was that sometimes to start building a relationship with someone they will just simply ask them, "So what's your story?" After the Davoll family ministered at our Church in Saint Charles our dear friends the Flickinger family invited us to their house for dinner. Our all knowing, all powerful, everywhere present God worked it out that Rachel Flickinger brought her roommate Kylie from college with her to church that day. After dinner we were all sitting around the table sharing our stories of God's grace in our lives. Just then Kylie came into the kitchen to rinse her plate, and so I asked her, "So what's your story?" She came and sat down at the table, but wasn't sure if she even had a story and told us that she didn't grow up in a "religious" home. Lacie then shared some stories about her childhood and the home she grew up in, and made a connection with Kylie. This made Kylie emotional and she got up from the table and went into Rachel's bedroom. Lacie went in to check on her, and ten minutes later came out praising God for her new sister in Christ!!!! Top Right: This picture was taken just after Kylie had trusted Jesus Christ as her Savior, and Lacie is showing her some Bible verses. Please pray for Lacie and Rachel as they begin a Bible study with Kylie. And pray for Kylie to continue growing in her relationship with Christ. We can't wait to get to Ecuador, but for now we are missionaries serving God right here in our own Jerusalem in Saint Charles Iowa. Our God is awesome, and He is present and working even in the middle of nowhere Iowa!!!

Remembering Roy Davoll, my Dad

(Read by our son Jordan at Dad's funeral today in Connecticut in our absence).

Greetings from the Jeff Davoll family in Cumbaya, Ecuador.  I want to thank you all for taking the opportunity to celebrate my Dad’s life.  Whether we personally know you or not, you are a blessing to us.

I also want to thank my sister Lisa and her husband Tom, Josh, Emma and even Atticus for caring for and loving my Dad in our absence in his later years.  There were so many times we wished we could be there but we are fulfilling what both Dad and Mom had prayed for so many years and encouraged us to do.  Like Tom and Lisa are serving the Lord there in Connecticut, we are serving our Lord here in Ecuador.

Deanne & I have been married and serving together in ministry for almost 24 years now. We have been blessed with four children.  Bethany 22, will be graduating college this May and seeks to serve God in children’s ministry.  Jordan 20, is in his third year of college training and wants to serve with young people here and around the world.  Amanda 19 is in her first year of college and is passionate about serving the Lord in the Spanish speaking world.  Lukas 16 is a junior in high school still seeking where God might use him as a missionary.

I am sure many of you have great memories of my Dad.  Dad loved animals and he taught me to appreciate and care for animals and to treat them with respect.  We have 5 rabbits, 2 dogs, a duck and a chicken who laid her first egg today..woohoo.  Our chocolate lab is ready to have puppies any day.  Dad owned and loved horses and looked to ride any time he could.  He loved sailing and the water.  He loved to torture Lisa and I by driving through Cape Cod, showing us every house on every street of every town.  He enjoyed his flowers and lawn a trait he learned from his mom.  He loved peanut butter and instant coffee and he loved to dip his peanut butter sandwich in his instant coffee.  He loved the Adirondack Mountains and everything about it…except the black flies.  Dad loved Mountainside Bible Chapel and everything about it; the people, the cantatas, and the organist (my mom).

I want to share with you just a few key things I learned from my Dad, some more things that he loved and things that he taught me.  Not just anything but very important things that I will cherish all the days of my life and hopefully pass down to my kids as well.  It was not in formal lessons but from his daily walk I learned these things. 

1. My Dad taught me to love my Lord.

Mark 12:30-31- “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.³¹ And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

I was adopted into the Davoll family when I was just 5 months old and we adopted Lisa some 2 years later.  I say “we” because I remember the day we picked her up.  I don’t remember much about formal teachings and lessons on faith from Dad, but I know his example was one that taught us to love our Lord.

Dad trusted Jesus Christ as his Savior as a young boy of 9 years old and later on made the decision to serve the Lord in full time ministry. Dad will probably not be remembered as the greatest preacher in the entire world.  In fact, I only remember one message he preached, the Good Samaritan from Luke 10.  It was in that sermon that I remember clearly Dad making the point that there is no one too far gone to help.  We were in church when the doors were open and often we were the ones that stayed to help close them.  It was in church and around people of God that I learned so much.  We had great men and women of God in our home, missionaries, pastors and other faithful believers.  Dad took us to camp where we heard the Word and dedicated our lives to serve the Lord.  Dad tried to hold family devotions until Lisa would interrupt them and cause chaos at the kitchen table after dinner.   She will try to say it was me but I will remember it the way I want to.

My Dad taught me to Love my Lord.  Secondly

2.         My Dad taught me to love my labor, the ministry

Why wouldn’t we?  It was his example that he set for us.  Dad loved what he did.  Why wouldn’t we want to serve the King of Kings and Lord of Lords?  It was Dad’s example that set that for us.

Growing up we were never rich but we saw God’s blessing and provision on a daily basis and through Dad’s example we learned also to love or labor, to love our ministry.

I can only remember hearing one negative word about the ministry in all my days.  I was about 8 years old when Dad left the youth pastorate of a church of 1500 people to become a missionary and to live on faith.  In the transition he only made a salary of $25/week just so we could be put on insurance.  Dad got poison Ivy all over his body cleaning the property of a house we lived in rent free for almost a year.  I fell off my bike and got 6 stitches and Dad received his new ministry car…well, “new to him” ministry car.  He had just sold his 2 door cream Monte Carlo with leather seats and a soft top to receive his 1973 lime green Plymouth Duster before lime green was in style.  I sat in the car with Dad as he looked over his new “ride” and the seat unlatched and slid all the way into the back.  Not leather but plaid vinyl.  The door to the glove box had been ripped off and Dad just bobbed his head and said, “You give your whole life to the ministry and this is what you get.”  That’s it, not another negative word that I can remember from Dad.

Dad taught us to love our labor because he loved what God had given him to do.  Ministry was about people.  People who used their gifts, abilities and resources to serve the Lord.  People who needed Jesus.  People who needed prayer or encouragement.  People who made up the family of God.  I was overwhelmed by reading the impact on people my Dad had as they shared through emails and Facebook.  He has loved, counseled, encouraged and just been there to lend an ear. There are missionaries serving around the world because he took time to disciple them.  There are children who are learning about God in churches through discipleship ministry.  No question in my mind he has heard, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”

My Dad taught me to Love my Lord, to love my labor, but also,

3.         My dad taught me to love my lady.

You can’t think of Dad without mom.  They served together in ministry side by side.  They each had their respective roles but it was a team.  For richer for poorer, in sickness and in health till death they did part, though for just a short 2 year time Dad loved her and was faithful to his Lady.  He provided, protected and honored her as the scriptures say,

Efesios 5:25-27 – “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; ²⁶ That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, ²⁷ That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.”

Whether he planned it or not, while he set the example of loving his lady he was setting the example for me to love my Lord and to Love my labor.  He set this example because Jesus Christ went to the cross to die in my place as He loved the church and gave Himself for it.  Because Christ did that for me, how could I not love Him enough to give my life to Him and to serve Him all the days of my life?

Yes, it is a time of sorrow for us as a family here on earth.  Death is meant to sting because it is a reminder of the consequence of sin that separates us from God.  But it is also a time of rejoicing because we have the confidence from the Scriptures that we will be together again in heaven not because of how Dad lived here on earth but because of how Jesus Christ died and rose again.  He did it for me and he did it for you.

Dad, I love you.  I want to be like you and to teach my boys to love their Lord, to love their labor and to love their lady.  Good night, I will see you in the morning.  In the meantime:

Philippians 3:14 – “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

 

 

 

Merry Christmas from the Davoll Family!

Merry Christmas from the Davolls!  We just wanted to share with you a few blessings of life and ministry here in Cumbaya.  As a family, 2013 allowed us to serve on 3 different continents; North America, South America and Europe.  We are praising the Lord for His faithfulness!  Thank you for being a blessing to us by standing with us on Bended knee!  Please share with us how you are serving the Lord!

Cooking Ecuadorian Style

We love living in our new culture here in Cumbaya!! God has truly blessed us with a love for the people, the country, the culture, and the food. We have always been fairly adventurous when it comes to food. One of the foods that we love is ceviche! It is a specialty in this part of the world, and we have started making it in our home.

A man in our church works in Manta, a town on the Pacific Ocean about six hours from here. He brought us several pounds of this very unusual fish from a trip. The family told us it was " muy rico" ( very good); so, we could not wait to try it. We tried sautéing it. Then, we tried frying it. We just were not getting it right. What we did not know is this fish is to be used for ceviche.

The "cooking process" in ceviche is different than others you may have tried, but it is perfectly safe. You marinate the fish in acidic lemon juice and it "cooks" the fish. You can see it happen, and it can actually overcook too.

The magic of ceviche is the combination of flavors and textures with the toppings that you add to your fish. You layer on generous amounts of your favorites of chopped tomatoes, Spanish purple onions, scallions, cilantro, plantain chips, popcorn, and corn nuts.  Ecuadorians have taught us the varieties are endless with additional choices of condiments on top such as hot sauce, mayonnaise, ketchup, even mustard.  Each person makes their own little masterpiece. Ceviche also comes in a shrimp version or in a "cho-cho" vegetarian bean version if the fish marinated in lemon juice is really just too much for you. Whichever one you try, they are fantastic! Oh, my mouth is watering just thinking about it!! You really need to come and taste it for yourself.

Basket Ball Camp Scores Big Time!

We hosted our second basketball camp in the small pueblo of Guapulo. This town has been a burden on our hearts for four years now. During our first year here in Ecuador, we would travel this very ancient road called "Via de los Conquistadors' up to Quito each Sunday where we were serving in La Iglesia Bautista El Calvario in Quito with Pastor David Vasconez.  Each week, we would pass this little town and God began to work on our hearts. We began to pray for the people and pueblo of Guapulo which is about halfway between Cumbaya and Quito. We prayed that a door would open for us to share the Gospel. We have found NO other Gospel witness.

 God can use anything to open doors, even a basketball game! After that game, we began to come Round to get to know the people of the town. God allowed us to host a basketball camp August 2011 with Pastor Eric May and Ira Baptist Church and another in 2013 with Pastor Steve Carpenter and his young adults from Faith Baptist Church in this little town. One veteran missionary told that it takes seven touches of various kinds before people are ready to open up to you and to the Gospel in this culture.

After the first basketball camp we held a weekly Bible study until January that ended when the family was forced to move because their house literally was falling into the river.

Praise the Lord we now have another Bible study that is going with a new family. Every Thursday evening, thus family is studying the Story of Hope, a chronological evangelistic Bible study. Please pray with us for them and their extended family that they will be open to the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives. God’s Word is powerful.  It changes lives!  They could be the first ones in their town to know the truth. Pray for them as this would mean heavy opposition.

Enouch Bizcochos for Everyone

It's funny how sometimes things can grow on you. Soon after we moved to Cumbaya in 2009, our neighbors introduced us to a famous treat from the small town of Cayambe.  They brought us a bag of bizcochos which are small rectangular pastries that are buttery but not sweet. When we first tried them, we did not know quite what to expect. But how we have grown to love the tradition and the experience.

Bizcochos are served with a piece of cheese called "queso de hoja" or literally of "sheet of cheese. It is a really creamy mild cheese" like a mozzarella rolled up like a little sleeping bag.  Our family either has coffee or rich creamy hot chocolate with these treats. In the little town, there is a factory that makes reportedly 12,000 a day. There are shops all over the town selling them by the bagful. Our latest favorite way to enjoy these little tasties is to dip them in dulce de leche which is a soft caramel. Delicious!!

Lunch for $2 - Not a bad deal!

Lunch or is the biggest meal of the day here in Ecuador.  Most working people go to a local restaurant on their lunch break and simple order " almuerzo " or the lunch of the day. It will include a fruit juice, a soup, and a typical plate of rice, beans, and a meat. There might be a fruit or pudding type dessert. Our kids love the culture of Ecuador. If you come for a visit, they will be glad to take you for the best almuerzos in town.

Amanda and Lukas Translate in the Jungle!


Saturday, June 23, 2012, Amanda and Lukas loaded a van headed to Tena, Ecuador, to translate for a group of 20 from Global Expeditions.  They helped with construction of a jungle church, translated for 3 different VBS ministries and shared their love of ministry and the Ecuadorian people.  Amanda lead a little boy to Christ and she was burdened for the Ecuadorian people she served.  She would like to be a missionary and an artist here in Ecuador.  During the trip, Lukas stated he would like to be a pastor or youth pastor.  When his sister asked where, he said, “Ecuador of course!  Mom won’t let me go anywhere else!  I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth!  3 John 1:4.  Of course we would love it if they served in Ecuador, but we are thrilled to hear of their heartbeat for the lost!  Please pray for the pastors and Christian leaders that will continue working in these jungle areas in follow-up and discipleship.

A "Courageous" Turnout in Cumbaya!



For the past 3 years we have been praying, "Lord give us this Valley." I “just gotta” share what God is doing!


We asked you to pray this past weekend as we had a showing of "Reto de Valientes" (The video “Courageous” in English) in our urbanization this Saturday. We invited many people. Lukas and I went door-to-door in our urbanization of 180 homes, posted fliers in public places and prayed.

There we 92 men and boys in attendance and a few women snuck in also! We saw 60 first time visitors. We cooked 20 racks of ribs, 25 lbs of potatoes and 5 gallons of coleslaw. We praise the Lord that the next day in our church we had 1 new family from the film and 9 first time visitors in all. Several who attended the video are ones we have been praying for, making contacts and building relationships with over the past 3 years. We praise the Lord for one more touch with the gospel for it is the power of God unto salvation.

One of the greatest blessings I received was a call on Thursday before the presentation from a police officer in our area. He asked to meet with me at 9 AM to hear of our plans. Someone had given another officer an invitation in Tumbaco, our neighboring town. The officer brought the invitation to the police chief and the chief sent the officer to speak to me. They are asking us to provide 2 more showings of the video to more than 500 officers in our valley…PLUS their families! When each of my children heard that they said… “That’s a lot of ribs!”

In further discussion, he is part of a task force of officers from Quito that want to take the movie to ALL OF THE PRECINTS IN ECUADOR! He is asking for our help! They have plans in the works now for...get this CUENCA and Loja! We currently have 3 partnering churches in Cuenca and 2 missionary families arriving here in Ecuador in July to work in Cuenca. He stated they needed the spiritual connection also! I shared with the officer the need to connect each precinct with a local Bible believing/preaching church for continued follow-up and care with the officers and their families. We talked about my vision for starting a chaplaincy ministry here in Ecuador which we currently do not have. He stated that there is a great need and I suggested we start right here in Tumbaco. He mentioned the officers need help because daily they are faced with prostitution, drugs, and alcoholism and many of them fall.

There is another showing of the movie here in Quito with the Captain of police for the entire country, on July 7. He is trying to get me an invite!

More open doors! I just found out one of my neighbors in the urbanization (180 houses in a walled, guarded community) is the Ministro de Defence of Ecuador! Also found out the Ministro del Interior is a Christian. He is responsible for more than 40,000 police officers in the country. We invited the Ministro of Defense to the movie on Saturday! He did not attend, but he knows we are here!

Revelation 3:8 - "I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name."

We have no idea how long the door is open, but please pray with us as we serve!

Evangelistic Basketball Camp in Guapulo

What an incredible opportunity to go into a little town called Guapulo, a town without a single gospel witness, and share God's word through basketball. Jeff, Jordan and Lukas were invited in June to play a basketball game with their team in this little neighborhood. It was the FIRST game ever played on the brand new court. We started praying about how God might use this. In July, we were invited back to the inauguration of all the basketball teams - there were over 300 people present that day. We invited the town to come to a free basketball clinic where we would also share God's Word.

For the week, we were privileged to run daily clinics with 3 different age groups. We had a children's clinic and an adult clinic with more than 89 students. We are grateful for the help in this ministry that we have received from Pastor Eric May and his group Ira Baptist Church, Ira, VT. Our teammate Jason Maynard and his church, Willo-Hill Baptist Church, Willoughby, Oh, raised funds to help with purchasing materials and ongoing equipment for these camps. These churches both have a great heartbeat for reaching people for Christ. Ira Baptist were here on the ground helping us to conduct the basketball camp. Willo-Hill is a church that has a passion for sports ministry in their "Jerusalem" so they were behind us praying, encouraging, and providing us with funds so that we can do more of this ministry in the future.

Please pray for continued follow-up. We stop and visit from time to time. Our heartbeat is to open up a Bible study with some of the families and eventually see a church planted.

Meetings in the Park

In July we were privileged to have Pastor Mike Keeton from Faith Bible Church, Vineland, NJ, with us for vacation Bible School.  FBC helped with Pastor David Vasconez at La Iglesia Bautista El Calvario.  During the mornings we held meetings in the parks with puppets, music, singing and a gospel presentation.  What a beautiful image captured as even little hearts desire to talk to God.  We sent the team out to invite kids to the puppet show and Deanne came over the hill like the Pied Piper with 50 kids in tow!  We met one family praying for their sister who lives in NJ!  What a small world it is!

Our son, Jordan Jeffrey Davoll has completed his high school education. We praise the Lord for him, his testimony, and for this important step in his life. This is a great time of celebration in our lives as a family.

Jordan graduated here in Cumbaya in our new church, La Iglesia bautista de La Conexion de la Esperanza on Sunday afternoon June 5. It was a great day with our church family encouraging Jordan as he transitions from high school to college, from Ecuador to US, from home to away. We had 74 people present to celebrate with Jordan on his special day

The Pastor of our home sending church, Latham Bible Baptist, Pastor Dean Walter called to inivte Jordan to participate in the graduation ceremony of Latham Christian Academy on June 10. It was a real blessing as he had attended this school from second to eighth grade before we went into missions. He was able to reconnect with so many people. He thoroughly enjoyed the graduation with his grandparents and sister Bethany there with him, and we watched LIVE via skype.

Deanne's dad, Pastor Roger Ellison is working at Perth Bible Church and Jordan was able to be apart of their baccalaureate service on Sunday pm June 12, 2011. It was wonderful for this supporting church to include him in their ceremony. Thank you Pastor Appel and Pastor Ellison for this opportunity. Jordan enjoyed having cake at all three celebrations as well.

God has called Jordan into future ministry, and he will begin his preparation for ministry at the Word of LIfe Bible Institute this fall. He is working at a Christian camp this summer in NY.

Jordan's life verse is I Peter 5:7 "Cast all your cares upon him for he careth for you."

We praise the Lord for His work in Jordan's life.

Video: What If Twitter Was Around at the 1st Easter?

Video: What If Twitter Was Around at the 1st Easter?

Enjoy the Journey!

Our family made a trip south in Ecuador to the small town of Patate to get the needed paperwork for our visas and for the visas of our BRAND new teammates Laura Fouser and Lynell Smith. We were able to stay at the ministry property of some other missionaries. It was a blessing to see a new part of the country. The paperwork process is incredible. A dear friend called it a "remarkable process,” and it is truly an accurate expression. We praise the Lord that the paperwork is done and on to the next step. We started the paperwork process October 27. After 3 days in Patate, we received the papers on December 23! Except…they were not notarized correctly. We submitted the papers on December 27, received them back on Wednesday, December 29, and happily headed over to DHL to mail to Sao Paulo Brazil. “Sorry, our computers are down until Monday.” Oops. Unfortunately Quito has a driving restriction and Wednesday is my day to stay out of the city after 4 PM…therefore we went back to Quito on Thursday, found a different location and mailed them… What? $49 to mail a stack of papers? Remarkable process!

Merry Christmas From our Family to Yours!

Christmas time was a real joy for our family.  We enjoyed our time together as a family, reunited as Bethany was home from the Word of Life Bible Institute.  We also really enjoyed opening all of our familiar Christmas ornaments and decorations.  It had been 5 years since we were able to decorate with our own special treasures.  The kids analyzed all of their ornaments that they receive each year, looking at each one as if it were the very first time.  This year's ornaments seemed to be centered around FOOD - Jordan got a donut, Bethany a cute little cupcake, Amanda a ball covered with glittery things, and Lukas, well, he had to get an ice-cream ornament of course.  Jeff and Deanne got ornaments this year as well. Jeff's was a handmade llama, and he made Deanne a COFFEE themed ornament by filling a glass ball with Coffee beans, a mini spoon and a packet of sugar!  So fun!

Visitors From Texas

Mr and Mrs Mossman came to Ecuador for their Christmas  vacation.  This was a great opportunity for us to meet our advisor with Lighthouse Academy.  Mrs. Mossman helps missionaries all over the world with their curriculum and grades for their children's education.  It has been a great blessing to meet them in person.  We are praying for them as they look to the future of what the Lord is directing in their lives.  It was their first visit to Ecuador and we shared a great day together.  We did some shopping in the artesan market, had lunch in a Ecuadorian restaurant, and showed them our new church property.  Our kids were so excited as they brought a WHOLE bag of American candy treats.  Jeff and Deanne enjoyed the Starbucks coffee they brought!  One of our traditions here to to take people to this picturesque photo spot.  We call this our "prayer spot" as it is overlooking Cumbaya and the whole Tumbaco Valley.  We ask our visitors to pray for the ministry and for the people of the Valley we have claimed for Jesus Christ.  Thank you for your prayers!

La Conexión Jóvenes - Youth Bible Study 

Tonight began our first meeting of the youth from La Conexión. It was a great blessing as Jordan taught the lesson, Amanda led the singing, and Lukas held the dog! I think our dog, Waffles, is an atheist as she does not like being caged during meeting times…and lets us know it! They began with a time to get to know one another, music and then the lesson. They are studying the “Story of Hope,” an evangelistic tool we use as an evangelistic and discipleship Bible study. There were 13 in all.  What an open door!  One special blessing, one family brought 3 visitors with them and said on Sunday their parents are attending also. God is good as He builds His church.

Lord, I want this...valley!

2 Timothy 4:5 - "But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry!"

Bethany Davoll - Missionary to Guatemala

Bethany just wrote us last week and told us she was approved for a short term missions trip to Guatemala, march 19-27, 2011.  This is a blessing to me, as Dad, as I had promised each of the kids we would work for them to take a missions trip for their graduation from high school.  I am not sure why, but NONE of them think that traveling to Colombia for a missionary conference, living in Costa Rica for a year, and now moving to Ecuador counts!  They say, "Dad, that's not a missionary trip.  We live there!"  I praise the Lord for their hearts.

Bethany will be traveling during her spring break with the Word of Life Bible Institute, where she is attending for this year.  She will have the opportunity to minister in public schools alongside the WOL staff through an evangelistic drama called “Born Again to A Living Hope”. She will  also be ministering in local churches, Bible Clubs, work projects, one on one witnessing opportunities, getting to know the missionaries, of course some sight-seeing and much more!!! This will be a great time of encouragement for her and for the missionaries on the field as she has opportunity to interact with them on a daily basis.

I ask you to consider participating with her in sending her, she needs to raise $1702 in all; $851 by January 4 and the balance by March 1.  We are praying and are confident that the Lord will supply all of her needs.

"Shawarming" up to the people in Cumbaya

 We enjoy trying new things in our culture. When we see a new restaurant open up in Cumbaya, we are anxious to see what it will serve. Recently there have been several "SHAWARMA" restaurants open up! Shawarma is traditional Turkish food in a sandwich wrap which is filled with meat which has been roasted on a spit. It is served with a creamy garlic yogurt sauce and a very spicy sauce. There is a very nice little Shawarma shop that is the middle of downtown Cumbaya; it was the first one we tried and it quickly hit the our top of our families favorite list.

We have made friends with the owner and the staff. They have photos of famous Ecuadorian soccer players from the most popular national team in Ecuador eating in the restaurant. The day we took this picture with the owner, we told him now we feel famous because we have a picture with him like the LIGA team members do. Please pray for him as we seek to reach him with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

New Teamates on the Way!

September brought us some special guests; Laura Fouser and Lynell Smith came to Ecuador for the very first time.  These two women are veteran missionaries with ABWE.  It was a special time together as they saw our vision for the Tumbaco Valley.  They called us on October 20th to share that the Lord has led them to join ABWE TEAM ECUADOR. We are praising the Lord for these new teammates.  We are in the process of getting all the paperwork needed for their visas.  They desire to be here early in 2011.  God is so good! They will be a great asset to our team.  Laura and Lynell are gifted in evangelism and discipleship and training others to do the same, and they are anxious to get to work here in Cumbaya.  Please pray for them as they transition to our ministry.

Off to College!

It is a great blessing to see Bethany transitioning this year from Ecuador back to her home country of the USA. It has been a great transition for all of us as our first child/first sibling has left home. In June, Bethany worked for the summer at Word of Life Family campground in the children's ministry. This was a great blessing for her as children are a part of her heart and her DNA. She loves children...all children. She had many great opportunities to meet people and to see many friends from all over.

In September, Deanne was able to visit with Bethany and to be with her during yet another big transition as she began the Word of Life Bible Institute. Both Jeff and Deanne are alumni of the Bible Institute, and we are pleased for her to be studying God's Word this year under godly care. It is a concentrated 1 yr Bible study program.

It was a special visit for mother and daughter. Deanne participated in Parent's Weekend, helped Bethany move into the dorm, and even visited with both sets of grandparents with Bethany. We even had time for special treats like Dunkin Donuts and a Starbucks coffee together. Family is a special gift that we carry with us our whole lives. We love you Bethany, and we can’t wait till you get home for your winter break!

I love you Bethany Lynae Davoll!

A brief look at

Life and Ministry in Cumbaya

ECUADOR – COLOMBIA Field Team Conference.

We had the privilege of hosting the ABWE COLOMBIA field team for our annual team conference Sept 5-11. We were delighted to show off our country and all that GOD is doing here in the Tumbaco Valley. We took the majority of the group to our "lookout spot" over Cumbaya where we can see the whole valley. It is a great place to get a vision of what God is doing and will do in the future. It was a special time for us to have the team here for prayer and encouragement.

The conference was held in the small charming town of Mindo, two hours from Quito. It is famous for birdwatching-- especially hummingbirds! The theme of the conference was "The 5 Dysfunctions of a team", and we had a lot of hands on sessions interacting with each other, attempting to avoid the 5 Dysfunctions! We enjoyed great fellowship, sharing in God's Word, ministry updates, and encouraging one another. It was a blessing for us to get to know our teammates in Colombia better. God has blessed us with a group of co-workers passionate about Jesus Christ and His church.

One special blessing we received…Eduardo, our breakfast cook, just “happens” to live in Cumbaya! Isn’t God good! After Jeff enjoyed a “cafecito” with them, they have been attending our church the last 3 weeks! What a blessing to serve our great Savior!

NORMAL DAY IN ECUADOR

People often ask -- what is a your normal day like in Ecuador......Well, honestly I dont know that there is such a thing as a "Normal day," not yet anyway.  So, I will just tell you what TODAY was like. Some days you pour cement..... We have a church that is near us, and today we were driving by and we found out that they were doing some cement work. So, the three men in our family came home, changed their clothes, and went right back to help work.  The church members had been there all morning loading buckets of cement by hand and pouring them. In the 4 hours they were there they were only able to get about one-quarter of the floor poured and there was a storm that was coming. Our men quickly jumped in and helped. They talked with the men about trying a new way, an assembly line, and in just 3 hour, they were able to get the other three-quarters of the floor poured just in time before the rain came. Praise the Lord. It was a great blessing to the church to get that done and especially to have it done before the storm came.

Missionary Team—La Iglesia Bautista El Calvario

In 1984, Jeff and Deanne first went on mission trips as teenagers to Portugal which impacted their lives to serve the Lord both in our local church and around the world. In 1995 and 1998, we were able to take young people out of our youth group to the Spanish-speaking country of Mexico to help with a church plant outside of Mexico city. Here we are in 2010, praising God as we have hosted our first missions team from Pennsville Baptist Church in PA.

The team was such a blessing as they saw God provide many supplies for the vacation Bible school at El Calvario, where we have been working this year. They came together as a team long before they arrived in Quito to ask God to work. When you ask -- GOD provides in amazing ways. There were Beanie Babies and Hershey kisses. There were about 1800 pencils before we stopped counting. There were erasers and rulers and school zipper bags all as prizes for the over 175 children who came to VBS throughout the week. They brought medical supplies for Dr David Vasconez, the pastor and medical doctor who has clinics each week in the church building. God provided clothing and Spanish New Testaments and tracts. Our children were not so thrilled as they brought our school books and some needed supplies. They filled ALL of their suitcases using only their carry- on luggage for their personal luggage. What a blessing to the church and to our new ministry here in Ecuador.
 We saw God open doors during our week of Vacation Bible School. We praise the Lord for many hands to work. As a team, we spent two days cleaning, decorating, practicing and advertising in the neighborhood with the church family in preparation for the week. There was a lot of prayer paving the way for this week of ministry.

We saw over 175 children attend and they heard the Word of God. What a blessing to be Salt and Light in this neighborhood. VBS was followed up with a game day, which we were in put in charge of. More than 120 children attended. On Sunday, the morning included a mini VBS format and the parents were invited to attend for a full Gospel presentation. It was a packed house and we estimated there were more than 200 children and parents there for the services. We praise the Lord for this opportunity to share the Gospel message in the South of Quito.

Thank you Chris and Debbie Harbaugh for all your work and coordination. Thank you Pennsville Baptist Church for standing behind us on bended knee and for sending reinforcements for the battle! You are a blessing.

Davoll Kids in the Jungle
One of the blessings we have here in Ecuador is to translate for groups that come from the USA on missions trips to serve.  This is a blessing to us, not a burden, as we have oportunity to travel to different places, to learn more of our culture and to see how God continues to work in Ecuador.

Our kids were privileged to serve in the jungle translating for a group of teenagers that came to do VBS, painting, and encouragement of the believers in remote towns in the eastern jungles of Ecuador.  We were privileged, as a family, to be invited to Shandia, the home of Jim and Elizabeth Elliot, to translate the testimonies of 3 of the men who helped kill Jim Elliot in 1956.  What man sees as a tragedy, God sees as an opportunity.  It was a blessing to hear Mincaye, Dyuwi and Kimo share that since their lives have been transformed, they now will walk God's trails sharing the gospel whenever, wherever and however possible.

Lukas 13th Birthday Party

Lukas celebrated his 13th birthday with some of his friends from the Neighborhood.  We had a pool party in our back yard (no, we don't have a pool, but praise the Lord our landlord does and it is right out our back door).  When everyone was throroughly exhausted, we came inside for hotdogs and cup cakes.  Cup cakes are not really popular here so that was a new treat for many of the kids. 

Lukas proudly anounced to us on his birthday morning that he was going to be a grown up man starting that morning...now that he was thirteen.  That lasted just a couple of...minutes.  He told us a couple of weeks later that this teenager thing is tiring!  He can't seem to get out of bed in the morning!

We praise the Lord for Lukas as a vital part of our family and a vital part of our Team Ecuador.  He is a constant bundle of energy and has more contacts in the neighborhood than anyone else.  I pray you will grow to be a man who loves the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength!  We love you, Lukas.

John 21:3 - I go a fishing!

Just a little intimidating as they caught a shark the day before.  Not accustomed to such a "big" boat.  Yes, I caught fish, yes, I got soaked, yes, I loved every minute of it.  God is good!

Horseback Riding the Pichincha Volcano

This was a very special day.  My Dad loved to ride horses.  I love to ride horses.  My kids like to ride horses.  Lukas even asked if we could move up there!  Jeff took all four of our children horseback riding on the top of Mt Pinchincha.  It was a tremendous day for all of them full of much anticipation.  Jeff had learned of this special guide-led tour four years ago when we first visited Ecuador, and he has been planning this trip ever since. Bethany, Jordan, Amanda and Lukas all love to ride as do their parents. Four hours on horseback on one of the high peaks of the Andes Mountains. INCREDIBLE! The views of God's creation from an altitude of nearly 14,000 ft. They were dressed like caballeros (Cowboys) with sombreros and thick Andean ponchos for the mountain trails, and boy did we need them.  Memories were made!  If you get a chance to visit us, you now have 5 'brand new' tour guides to take you higher than you have ever been before!

Christmas in April

We had our first FAMILY visitors to Ecuador!! We had planned to have Christmas together with Dad and Mom Ellison here in Ecuador, but they were unable to come as planned. It was such a treat for all of us when they were able to come in late April for 2 weeks. We bought a turkey, made some stuffing and had a Christmas feast together as a family. Jordan thinks we should celebrate Christmas every month just so he can have turkey! The term 'better late than never' rings true! It was a lot of fun; the kids insisted on making a whole bunch of Christmas cookies.
Dad was a tremendous blessing to our ministries while he was here. He was able to preach 3 different Sundays at La Iglesia Bautista El Calvario with Pastor David Vasconez and to share in our Wednesday evening Bible studies. One man stated, "Jeff, we are glad to have you with us every week, but this guy is really good!"  We already knew that!  We really enjoyed the time together sharing our new country, home and ministry with our parents."

Ministry in Otovalo

We had a tremendous opportunity to do a week of personal evangelism, children's vacation Bible school, ministry and translation in the town of Otavalo. Translation was a real stretch, and we all really felt that our ability with the language grew from the experience. We worked with Word of Life Directors, Daniel and Anna Gonzalez to translate for a church from Atlanta, GA who brought a large group during their spring break. The kids made some great friends with the other Ecuadorian translators and with the American visitors. God blessed and many doors were open to the Gospel. Following the different meetings, we had the chance to counsel in small groups. There were many opportunities to share the Gospel. God was truly at work that week.

El Mitad del Mundo - The Center of the World
Ecuador is named after the equator. We took a field trip today to "see" this invisible line that divides the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. El Midad del Mundo or the Center of the World, is a great place to learn more of Ecuador's culture and diversity.  In the cultural museum, we learned about all the different people groups of Ecuador including their habitat, dress, and daily life. There was live Andean music to enjoy and artisans selling their goods. We took the opportunity to mark the occasion at the monument and take some photos on the imaginary line that circles the globe. When you have the chance to visit us in Ecuador, we would enjoy taking you for a trip to Mitad del Mundo.  We may even feed you deep fried guinea pig if you like.  It's a delicacy!

Swiss Family Davoll?
We have had many new adventures in Ecuador. We have had the opportunity to make many new friends. Sometimes, these two things overlap and things really get interesting. We met the Schole family around Christmas time and they invited us to their home. They are directors of a beautiful retreatcenter, El Refugio, just north of el Mitad del Mundo, the monument on the equator.  When we arrived, they offered for us to go on a hike. We enjoyed it immensely. When we reached the top, they showed us this incredible treehouse. We enjoyed our time with their family and our exploration immensely. Everyday is a new adventure. Isn't God good.

Fanesca - A "Semana Santa" Tradition

An Easter tradition that is unique to Ecuador is the soup, Fanesca. It is served all over the country but only during 'Semana Santa," the week before we celebrate Resurrection Sunday. It is the thickest soup I have ever tasted. It is made of 12 different beans, many of them native to Ecuador. The story is told that the tweleve different beans represent the 12 Apostles and the salted cod fish represents Christ. Although every family has their own recipe of this traditional dish, here is a list of the twelve beans and grains which are cooked along with potatoes, and squash.

1. chickpeas
2. great northern beans

3. black-eyed peas
4. yellow split peas

5. brown lentils
6. adzuki beans
7. black beans

8. wheat berries
9. quinoa

10. barley
11. sweet corn

12. green peas

With all of these ingredients, you can imagine how thick it was. My favorite part was the presentation. The bowl we were served was just amazing. There were three strips of cheese, two small dough balls, three slices of plantain, a mini empanada, a wedge of hard boiled egg, a hot red pepper curl, and a onion flower. It was almost too pretty to eat! We take every opportunity to learn more about the people and the culture where God has placed us. It is a great blessing."

Celebrating Easter in Ecuador

We celebrated in our new country in new and different ways.

First, we were privileged to spend Good Friday with 4 ladies who had been working in an orphanage in Riobamba Ecuador and were getting ready to leave for the USA.  It was a great blessing to spend time with them as they had been praying for us before they came and they even brought us candy from the USA...definately a special treat.

Second, we attended the processions in Quito.  Good Friday is anything but "good" in Quito.  There is a great procession, or parade, called, "Jesus the great power."  During this time, 120 are chosen to be apostles, 200 chosen to be the weeping Veronica, and more than 2000 chosen to be "cucuruchus."  The cucuruchus cover their faces with a big purple hood and walk barefooted, carrying heavy crosses, chains, wrapped in barbed wire.  Both years I have seen the processions, one of the heavy crosses falls on people in the crowd injuring them.  Noone is quite sure as to the origine of the purple hoods, but the idea is to walk this great distance in this procession to earn favor with God.  The blacktop was so hot they had to stand in puddles people would pour for them or stand on papers their helpers would tear up and put down.  One cucuruchu in the photos is talking on a cell phone.  I was profoundly struck by the name of the parade, Jesus the great power, and those in the parade trying to earn something from God.  The music is earry.  The procession is sad.  I am reminded that the scriptures tell us, it is finished!  The debt has been paid!  Jesus in reality is the gread power, He paid a debt I could not pay!  it is time for celebration, not penance.  Praise be to God who has given us his unspeakable gift.

Thirdly, we celebrated the Resurrection by observing a Seder supper in our living room with 16 Ecuadorians.  The Spanish was bad, but the message is great!What a blessing to rehearse the freedom from bondage the Israelites recevied form God and the freedom from sin past, present and future experienced by the blood of Jesus Christ that liberates us death and hell for eternity.  To God be the glory!

WEEKLY HIGHLIGHT

When talking about weekly highlights, it is difficult to shorten the discussion. God has been so good to us. I must say just one of the weekly highlights is our Wednesday night Bible studies. Earlier we have shared of other highlights such as the 2 ladies Bible studies Deanne attends and assists, our Bible study we have with our landlord and his family, and our church family at La Iglesia Bautista El Calvario (Calvary Baptist Church).

Our couples Bible study on Wednesday night is a blessing as attendance ranges between 14-24 people, mostly couples. This lovely group of people have deep burdens for teaching and training their families to love and serve God. We meet in different host homes. This proves a challenge for us as everyone else knows the locations, but often the directions are sketchy for us. Therefore, we solved this problemy by offering a ride to someone who knows the area! We are currently studying God's plan for the family. This is especially exciting as we are doing basic discipleship beginning with the priority of the Word of God as our guide. Please pray with us as we desire to see those needing Christ as their Savior come to him in faith.

On a light note...we also enjoy the Bible studies as we get to sample Ecuadorian food each night. We also are stretched and growing in the language. One night I responded to a question by saying we must all stand before God and answer for our actions. One lady repeated the phrase "before God" (ante Dios). So, I said yes, "before God". She repeated again "before God." I again said, "Yes, before God." She said...I said, she said, I said. This went on for some time. Finally I realized I was not saying it correctly and she was trying to help correct me! I was not saying we stand before God, I was saying we stand before the time when God existed! Que verguenza (how embarassing)! Please pray we keep our theology straight by continued language learning!

Still Dating after 23 years!

We like to celebrate and on March 27 we celebrated...US.  Normally we celebrate other things, but this time we celebrated us. Twenty-three years ago we had our first "date"; so, we have much to celebrate. For our night out, we went to sushi place right here in Cumbaya. Who would think you could get Great sushi in Ecuador, but we found it!   We went to Noe Sushi Bar (not sure baptists are allowed to use that word so we will call it a restaruant).  It is a really great spot for a special occassion, and we had the whole place to ourselves.   We went at 5 PM, but dinner does not get cranked up here until after 7 PM.  We are thankful that we are still dating after 23 years. God has really blessed us. We praise Him for the strong relationship that we share...and the plate of sushi!

WAFFLES, A SPECIAL BLESSING!

We would like to Introduce you to WAFFLES, the newest Davoll member. Here her name is said "waf-less." On March 23, we could resist no longer and this cute little ball of fur came into our lives. Her name is WaffleS. She gets a lot of attention everywhere we go. we have met a lot of new people in our neighborhood with her by our side. You may wonder how we came up with such an unusual name. First, we have always named our animals after food. But, we wanted this dog to represent our step into missions in a special way. It was a big decision, and there was voting and even veting going on in the family, (oh the politics!). The decision was made together. You see, as we were travelling around the United States, we enjoyed a lot of yummy foods. We remember one week in particular in Volusia, Florida, where we ate Waffles every morning for breakfast. Jeff thought for sure that the kids would be sick of waffles forever. Well, the rest of us assured him that it could never happen. In fact, the opposite is so true, that we named our little dog "Waffle." We praise the Lord for our children who have waited so patiently for 3 1/2 years while we traveled and studied in Language school. Well, got to go. That little bark is telling me something...if I only knew what that was!