Hello from Shell, Ecuador

Well, we've had a very busy summer, like many of you. We had a family visiting us in July and then moved to Shell and have been settling in:

Our family moved down to our new location July 29. God provided a safe move for us to our new home here on the mission compound of HCJB’s jungle hospital. It is a 28-bed hospital serving the Amazon area of Ecuador, bringing health treatment and evangelistic witness to patients and their families.

Steve’s new assignment is being the Information Technology person for the hospital compound. With projects to install networking to make Hospital Vozandes de Oriente (HVO) systems compatible with the Hospital Vozandes in Quito, plus constant other requests coming in to him, he is kept exceedingly busy.

Steve has also been asked to be a representative for the hospital on the Nate Saint Memorial School Board.

Steve is also in the rotation for the administrative on-call for HVO that decides on admission when the patients don't have the money to pay right at that time. One recent call that he took involved an accident where a pregnant mother was taken to another hospital where they didn't have an anaesthesiologist at the time and waited for the mother to die and then sent her to our hospital where we did an emergency C-section to try to save the baby.

Pray for wisdom for Steve in his new responsibilities and the witness of the hospital to the patients and their families.

Pauli has been busy with setting up the home at Shell and hosting guests. Besides having the Bill Stevens family from the USA in July, family members from Quito have spent several weekends visiting. Pauli and the children have interacted with other mothers and children there from the mission compound going on swimming outings, picnics, and having library time.

She will continue helping with translations as the 50th anniversary celebration of the hospital is coming up.

She has also been asked to help oversee the Shell Guest House, help with the school in Spanish or other areas, and to see if she can help out in the Community Development department.

Pray for Pauli as she oversees establishing the home in Shell and helps with the other ministries around.

This weekend the family will travel to Quito to make arrangements for some painting in the home there and advertising the property more widely for rental. Keilah, the 6 year old, commented, “I don’t want to go to Quito. I like Shell better.” The children have adjusted well and are happy at their new home. The children love playing outdoors on the mission playground, in their “clubhouse”, and riding their bikes with the other missionary kids. Thanks for your prayers for the transition for the family from their home in Quito to the new location in Shell.

Kendra will be starting preschool in September at a local Christian (missionary run) preschool. Keilah will start First Grade at the Nate Saint Memorial School (NSMS) on September 3. Pray for the teachers and staff as they have had to make adjustments in combining grades when one teacher on whom they had planned is not returning to Shell. Pray for a good school year for all involved.

Thank you for all your prayers as we have made this big change of assignment. God has been so good, and faithful throughout the resettlement. Pray that our home in Quito will soon be rented. We need the financial help it would give as our salary has been reduced since losing some supporters from deaths and tough economic times for others. We would appreciate your prayers for increase of supporters. We know God is faithful to meet our needs.

Our new address:
Hospital Vozandes de Oriente
Attn. Steve and Pauli McCracken
Shell, Pastaza, ECUADOR