August 12, 2022

 

The CODEINSE team received hands-on training in well drilling in the community of San Antonio de Quito (photo credit: Leidy Marin)

My days in the office have become more and more quiet over the past month. The Visscher family traveled to the United States in the middle of July for much needed rest and relaxation. Likewise, Colombian engineer Leidy Marin traveled to Colombia and is spending time with her family and reviewing potential projects there. The three interns we had from the United States—Arianna, Bryce, and Liu Bo—left the 1st of August to prepare for their fall semesters.

Despite the two weeks of protests the country experienced at the end of June, it was a busy June and July. The CODEINSE team attended two system inaugurations, spent the better part of a week learning about well drilling, reviewed three existing systems that are experiencing on-going problems, and construction began on the San Antonio de Quito system.

Aside from the busyness of office and field work, I was grateful for time spent with the interns, exploring new places here in Ecuador as well as studying the Bible and reviewing a few books - Old Testament Template by Landa Cope and Generous Justice by Timothy Keller. It was wonderful to hear the interns’ thoughts on community development and Biblical justice.

I hiked with the interns at La Chorrera (top), a waterfall at the end of a canyon below Chimborazo, and Laguna Quilatoa (below), a crater lake at nearly 13,000 ft located in Cotopaxi province

 

Bruce Rydbeck joined the interns in Ecuador for about six weeks. Bruce and his wife Cherith founded Life Giving Water International and have been involved in the water ministry here in Ecuador for over 40 years. It was wonderful to hear Bruce’s perspective on the work that has happened here in Ecuador and how the ideas of Biblical community development and justice have been implemented in the work for over four decades.

What struck me the most during these conversations is the recurring call, found throughout the Old and New Testament, for God’s people “to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8). Other passages that speak to this call to help the oppressed and alienated are Isaiah 58:6, Proverbs 14:31, and Matthew 6:1-2. Because we are people saved by God’s generous grace, we can with generous hearts, willingly and humbly serve others. Timothy Keller, in his book Generous Justice, explains righteousness as “day-to-day living in which a person conducts all relationships in family and society with fairness, generosity, and equity.”

I appreciate this re-framing of the term and how it encourages us to live outward facing lives. Our call as Christians is not just to be personally moral, but to live out lives that seek the reconciliation of all things. And, as it is noted in Hebrews 13:16, it is these actions and this lifestyle that please God.

Along with the time spent drilling a well in San Antonio de Quito, I spent part of a day installing pipe and digging and backfilling trenches with the interns.

Prayer Requests
Thank you for all your prayers and support. First, a note of thanksgiving: I have acquired some very important Ecuadorian documents— a two-year volunteer visa, an Ecuadorian identification card, and my driver’s license—in the last month. It is a relief to have all these documents in hand, and also nice that I won’t be traveling to Quito every few weeks for appointments.

Secondly, I am excited to be returning to Michigan September 8-27. I will be attending a water conference in Traverse City and speaking at a few partner churches. During the next six weeks you can be praying for:

• Safe travels when I travel to Michigan and when I return to Ecuador
• Times of fruitful connection with family, friends, church partners, and fellow water engineers
• Continued construction in San Antonio de Quito, which will likely wrap up in September
• Final engineering design for the community of Pull San Jose

  

A video showing the heart of the Life Giving Water International ministry was recently completed. Grateful to Daniel and Michelle Yilmaz for their work on this video!