Ecuador

Field Office Information

C&MA Field Entry in 1897

Field Director:

Mailing Address:

Casilla 17-11-04955
Quito, ECUADOR

Phone:

011-593-2-246-6495

Email:

cmalaro@ymail.com

Website:

National Church

The Ecuadorian Evangelical Church of The Christian and Missionary Alliance: 79 organized churches, 144 unorganized groups, 82 ordained ministers, 18,568 baptized members, and 31,500 inclusive members

Team Initiatives

• Plant daughter churches in Quito. Pray for Ted and Linda Sauve, Valerie Stellrecht, and Mike and Carol Welty as they minister in these churches. Pray for continued growth and outreach.
• Train pastors, youth leaders, and lay leadership. Pray for our workers involved in leadership training activities--staff at Alliance Academy International, Randy and Joy Newburn who serve with Awana ministries, Rich and Lisa Brown who are preparing youth leaders throughout Latin America, and those who serve as seminary professors, teachers in Indian Bible institutes, and mentors for national pastors and leaders.
• Encourage the Ecuadorian national church as it is slowly catching a missionary vision. Pedro and Berta Guaycha, who are serving in Spain, are partially supported by their Ecuadorian brethren. Pray that the vision to reach beyond Ecuador’s borders will continue to grow.

Not to Be Messed With

2005-10-17 10:00:29.0

C&MA worker Joan Ewan had been meeting with six drug dealers inside the women's prison in Quito, Ecuador, trying to convince them to leave a Christian inmate alone. Then one of the women challenged her authority.

"I'm not afraid of you," Joan said.

"Go get the knife!" the leader of the group barked to a fellow inmate.

"Yes, go get it!" Joan responded.

The dealer was shocked. "What are you saying?" she asked.

"You told her to go get the knife, so I'm agreeing with you," Joan explained. "I am not afraid because I am an ambassador of God!"

The woman backed down and considered Joan's words. Then she turned to the other five prisoners. “Joan is my friend,” she said. “She does represent God, and we don’t want to mess with God.”

Joan’s work at the prison has gotten the petite, sixty-something missionary into tight situations. She is often the only visitor allowed in during strikes, bringing food and other supplies to her “girls,” as she calls them. They call her “Mom.” She meets with several dozen inmates regularly to study Scripture and pray.

Her efforts to get the Christian prisoner transferred back to Quito from a remote coastal facility involved hours of advocacy with government officials and many forms that had to be completed. But her concern for Lindi’s spiritual growth and physical safety motivated Joan to persist until the process was complete.

In honor of Lindi’s “homecoming,” the women in the Bible study prepared a skit on the prodigal son. Afterwards, Joan spoke on the meaning of the text, and the group shared a meal. During the event, Patrice, a prisoner from Belgium, gave her life to Christ. “We have twenty-five attending the study, and many of them are unbelievers,” reports Joan. “Thank you all for praying and for being there for us.”

Demographics

Population

Population--13,363, 593 Infant mortality rate--23.7/1,000 Life expectancy--76.2

Capital City

Quito (1,780,700) pop.

Geography

About equal in area to Nevada, Ecuador (109,483 sq. mi.) is made up of the Amazon jungle in the east, two high and parallel Andes ranges traversing from north to south in the center of the country, and fertile plain in the west.

Languages

Spanish (official), Quechua, other Amerindian languages

Ethnicity/Race

Mestizo (mixed Amerindian and White)--65%; Amerindian--25%; Spanish--7%; Black--3%

Economy

Per capita income--$3,700 Inflation--2% Unemployment--11.1% Literacy rate--93% (2003 est.)

Government/Political Climate

Republic. Although Ecuador marked 25 years of civilian governance in 2004, the period has been marred by political instability.

Religion

Roman Catholic--95%; other--5%