Awesome weekend in Rio Bamba!

This past weekend I went to a town called Rio Bamba to accompany a local missionary named Irene. I had an amazing time! During the few days that I was there we visited a few communities around the active volcano "Tunguragua."


Me and some of the kids in the community.

The people that live in those communities have a very hard life. Since its erruption in 1999, the volcano has constantly spewed ash into the air and destoyed their crops and affected the health of the people. (I saw fields of choked corn and apple and pear trees that looked like they have black rocks hanging from them because the ash chokes and shrivles the fruit before it can fall to the ground.)


Part of an abandoned house, in the path of the volcano.

A lot of people have left the area but still lots more remain. It is too hard for many of them to move their families and everything they have. That and it costs money (which they don´t have) to find and buy other property that would sustain them.
Though it has been ten years since the erruption, they are still holding on to the hope that the Lord will shut the mouth of the volcano. On several occasions over the past ten years, the military has showed up to evacuate the people saying: "You have 5 minutes to get out before the mountain blows." This kind of news makes everyone there live "on edge" and in fear. They don´t know when it might expload again. On those occasions however, not everyone agrees to evacuate. Some would rather risk their lives and stay. One of the reasons for this are because of thieves that have come in before and stolen many things when the rest of the community is gone for days at a time.


Irene and Me

Not many people know about this situation. Therefore, Irene and I were there this weekend to:
1. Preach the gospel and share the word of God and our testimonies.
2. Make sure the people of the communities know exactly when we and a larger team will be returning and that the people show up to the town center on that day.
3. To get a list of how many people need clothes or specific thins.


Irene speaking in front of the community "Pungal de Puela."


Getting people´s names down on the list.

In July when we return to the communities with the larger team from Portland, we will again be preaching the gospel and giving the people clothes and other humanitarian aid that the team may bring.


Me and some more of the village kids.

I really feel that the Lord worked this weekend!