Hello again! Well, our July project has come to a close and we are back in Quito. The July project was in Latacunga and we went to some very poor areas to provide health care and to share the gospel. We had enough people who spoke Spanish on this trip that Josh and I were able to participate in a lot of different areas of the project. I spent a week giving fluoride treatments to kids and also providing reading glasses to the elderly who needed them, and Josh spent a lot of time getting vital signs from the patients before sending them on to the medical professionals. We both love translating for the physicians, but it was nice to be involved in other ministries as well.
A very important part of all of our projects is integrated health where the patients go to hear talks about eating a balanced diet, boiling their water before drinking it, and general hygeine. They also hear the good news of Jesus Christ and receive clear instructions on how to take the medicines that they are given. I spent some time with the leader of integrated health to learn more about how that part works, and I was able to talk to the children who had received fluoride about Jesus and why he came and died for us. One little boy told me that his family only had one Bible in the house and since it was the special family Bible, he couldn't take it down and read it. We were able to give him the New Testament in Spanish so that he could read about Jesus for himself and also read to his younger brothers and sisters. He was so excited to receive it and we were thrilled to be able to give it to him. There is absolutely no feeling as wonderful as serving God by serving others! We will try to post some pictures in the next few days :).
In the next three weeks, we have plans to speak at some churches in Quito who will be helping us with future projects, visiting some areas to the north of Quito to see if the clinic would be a good fit there, and also preparing for our next project which is in Ambato. Most of you know about our September Medical Mission Project in Sangolqui. My dad is the medical director of this project, and we are welcoming more participants! The project dates are September 17th - October 1st and there are still some spots available for medical professionals or general helpers. We would love to see you! If you are interested and/or have questions, please email us at stephanietucker1@gmail.com.
Please keep us in your prayers as the summer comes to a close. We are exploring new ideas for the permanent center and the most important thing for us is to be sure we are following God's design and not our own. We have faith that he will provide us with all of the information that we need to make these decision.
Love and God Bless,
Stephanie and Josh
