| Summary: |
New location: Manta, Ecuador
Sid and Susie Messer and their children praise the Lord that they are now officially missionaries in and not just in Ecuador. Upon their arrival in April 2007, they attended language school first in Arequipa, Peru. Last fall they moved from Peru to Cuenca, Ecuador, after being advised that living in Ecuador should allow the application process for their visas to go more smoothly. Janel Yount, also from our church, helped them during the first year with the homeschooling of the three oldest children so that Susie would have more time for language study.
Though the Messers have been living in Ecuador for several months, they have seen the Lord answer many prayers as they gathered documents needed to obtain their visas. Once they had their papers in order, the entire family had to make a six-hour bus trip to the Ecuadorian Embassy in Peru to have the visas issued. On the way there, at immigrations on both sides of the border, Sid encountered some difficulty as the officials looked at the family’s passports, but Susie and the children were on the bus praying for the Lord to overrule.
The next day they headed to the Embassy and were told that their visas couldn’t be issued until one document had a current date on it. The office in Cuenca had been mistaken about the procedure for that form and was able to fax an updated paper two days later. Throughout these experiences, the Messers were reminded that “the Lord your God which goeth before you, He shall fight for you. . . . Ye shall not fear them: for the Lord your God He shall fight for you” (Deut. 1:30; 3:22).
The Messers moved to the coastal village of Manta in the summer of 2007. They now are making necessary repairs to their home, spending time with the Christian families that have been waiting for their arrival, and getting to know and to evangelize others in the community. |
