Greetings from Quito,

Thank you all for your prayers which hold us up. You are all such a blessing to our family which continues with major changes and adjustments. Tim and Kevin and I fell extremely blessed (here in Quito they say ‘abrigados con el amor de Cristo’---loose  translation is ‘wrapped with the warm jacket of Christ’) to be here. We are expecting and waiting to be used for His glory.

What have the last few weeks been like for us? We have been pretty busy getting the house set up, finding our way around, visiting a few projects (by bus), discovering the unpredictable flow of Quito, and getting to know our new church family. We have been very well received and those we have met are excited about what God is preparing to do. I’ll be more specific with how we have done most of this. The church is 2.2 miles down from our apartment and many markets and 2 malls are in between---praise God, HE put us in a good location. I don’t think you get the whole picture until you realize what the little word ‘down’ signifies. We live on the side of a mountain so we have to climb back up to get home!!!! This translates in 5-10 mile hikes everyday at an altitude of more than 9,000 ft. We are all experiencing looser fitting jeans.

Today is a holiday here, actually all week is. We are in the ‘Fiestas of Quito’ which according to many should NOT be celebrated, it should be remembered as an unjust time in Quito’s history. When I get more info, I’ll let you know. All we know is that the whole country comes to Quito to party. They have some huge parades which cause road closures so most of the traffic passes in front of our house or they just stop(park) in the middle of the street.

 Praise God,  we have just bought a vehicle so traffic takes on new meaning for us as we now move slower than on foot. Since we are limited on our available funds we count ourselves blessed to find our 1980 Nissan Pilot for $5,400. It is a miniature Bronco which will serve us well. We thought the paperwork with our Visas was cumbersome, try buying a car. 2 full days and we are not yet finished. We need to take a 1 month course which costs $165 each just to be able to take the driving test to get a license!!! Thank you for your prayers for God to give us people to help us---He is faithful.

Please be praying for Amanda and Eli. They moved from Mexico to California yesterday and will live with Tim’s dad for a time. Also pray for us as we try to celebrate the holidays without being with them and without being with baby RJ for his first Christmas and birthday. We covet your prayers for God’s continued preparation for us and those we will touch as we reach out with God’s love. We are enjoying learning about Ecuador’s people and His church as we spend fun times with Pastor Ramiro and his family.

We’d love to hear from you and how God is blessing you during this special time of year.

Tim, Daina and Kevin Datwyler – Missionaries with The Mission Society

(706)534-0308