Shelly in Ecuador

By the time I left for Ecuador on Tuesday, October 18, I felt like myself and fully recovered from the passing out incident.  (There's still a bit of a bump on my lip, but lipstick hides most of it!). I studied for nearly 12 hours as I traveled, preparing for two live Spanish radio interviews, two messages (also in Spanish), speaking 5 times in English and facilitating a Praying in Color workshop. 

Our friend of 25 years, Glen's former assistant, now director of Spanish Radio at HCJB, Anabella Cabezas and her mom met me at Quito's new airport.  It's not all that new, having been built and completed since I visited Ecuador 7 years ago.  It's a beautiful facility!  Many roads are new as well.  As we sped up the hill to Quito in the dark, I kept trying to recognize old land marks.  Quito has really grown!  Most of the properties around the radio station that had houses on them, are now covered with high rise buildings.  People are still talking about the two earthquakes that shook Quito in past months.

During one of my hour-long radio interviews, we offered Spanish copies of Holy Habits and Kitchen Table Counseling to three people.  Nearly 50 people got on the list before we shut down the phone lines.  Then I had to choose three numbers!  So, I chose 33 for Carl's age, 25 for Culver's and 7 for our Conor's age. 

The staff at the radio station were thrilled when the Larson Center, where I spoke filled with 300 women!  They were riveted--at the break nobody even stood up.  They laughed and cried with me as we talked about the truth that they are chosen and dearly loved.  At least 20 women from the Bible Study I was a part of for many years were sprinkled throughout the crowd.  The Lord gave me fluency in Spanish and liberty to speak.  Many stood in line to speak with me, for prayer or some other counsel or encouragement.  Two women waited till everyone else had left and I had the privilege of dealing with each one of them individually, taking their heavy burdens to the cross for them.  Many people shared that God met them in deep ways.

The  next morning I climbed on a bus with a group of Reach Beyond (formerly HCJB) missionaries for a weekend retreat in Baños, Ecuador.  What fun to stay at the same place where Glen and I had taken visitors many times during our 20 years there!  It was a significant time of speaking, counseling and praying with many. There were a number of key breakthroughs in women's hearts. I gave a new series of messages titled, Grace Strengthened Hearts.


One woman wrote:  "I cannot express how grateful I am for the retreat and your ministry of this last weekend.  Thank you for coming and for doing and sacrificing in all the ways in order to be here with us.  You showered us with gifts of love, honesty and words of wisdom.  I was hoping for so much.  God brought hope and healing to my soul and the reminder that His grace is sufficient for ALL."

Another wrote: "Thanks for your time of sharing, teaching and being transparent with us.  The retreat has given me hope. God bless you.  Lots of love from Quito!

On my last day, I went from friend, to friend, to friend.  12 hours of visiting with women who have all suffered and seen God's hand in their lives!  It was such an encouragement to visit with women who I taught, disciples and mentored and hear how they are going ever deeper in their walks with Christ, looking to Him in their hard times and rejoicing in His hand in their lives!

It was a packed week! Your prayers were a critical part of that!  The strength and stamina I had was a direct answer to prayer.  I would have loved to stay longer but I leave in a few short days for ministry in a new country for me--Moldova!  The schedule there will also be intense.  Please pray that God will move hearts and that people will be strengthened to minister more effectively through the training my friend Beth Wahl and I will be offering.  We will be teaching 9 four-hour Kitchen Table Counseling sessions at a seminary, ministering through one-on-one counseling as well as offering Kitchen Table Counseling seminars to women from multiple churches.  Please pray for strength and physical stamina, anointing from the Holy Spirit and great wisdom and discernment!