January 29, 2022

 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in (Jesus), and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. - Colossians 1:19-20

The countdown has begun! I recently purchased flight tickets to make the one-way trip to Ecuador. Lord willing, I will be flying out of Chicago on February 18. After arriving in Ecuador, I will spend a few weeks in Riobamba, acclimating myself to the city (both in general as this is where I will be based long-term, and elevationally as it is located at 9,000 feet!) and spending time with a group of students from Calvin University, who will be visiting while on spring break to collect data for various studies and senior design projects.

After the Calvin students return to the United States, I plan to travel to the city of Manta to complete intensive language studies to bring my Spanish skills up to a survivable level. This will be a six-week program, and after this time is up, I will return to Riobamba to start the engineering work full-time. 

Prayer Requests
First off, thank you all for your prayers so far. I feel very encouraged in this season of change. Here are a few things you can continue praying for:

• Pray for health, both for myself and the team already in Ecuador. Ecuador requires vaccination and a negative test to enter the country, so pray that the plans that I’ve made to travel to Ecuador can be realized without any complications.
• Pray for a smooth transition to new work, language, and culture.
• A group of Calvin engineering students is planning to travel to Ecuador in late February into early March. Pray for safety and health for this group as they work on senior design projects and continue studying chlorination of the water and the impact on disinfection as well as community response to the treatment.

Please let me know if there is anything going on in your life that I can be praying for. This is a partnership, and I hope I can be as much an encouragement for you as you all have been for me!

Financial Update
I would also like to thank you all for your financial support. Stepping into this work would not be possible without your partnership. Together, we can collaborate with these communities to help them have access to clean, potable water. 

My budgeting goal from the start has been $4,200 per month. I currently have $3,200 per month in committed funds. I would appreciate connecting with a few more churches in the Holland/Zeeland area. Please let me know if you have a connection to the outreach/missions team/committee at churches in this area. I would love to connect with them over the remaining time I am in West Michigan!