The Lord Establishing the Work of our hands

We have been praying that the Lord guide us to specific ministries outside of our daily school ministry to be involved in. This is where we feel the Lord has opened doors for us. This is where the Lord is using you from the states and us here in Ecuador:
Discipleship-
Ben will be leading a discipleship group of 7th grade boys and Mari will be leading a discipleship group of 10th grade girls. Mari is also a sponsor for a group of High School students who want to learn to help others called Peer Helpers.
Community Service-
Mari will be visiting weekly a childrens hospital here in Quito that serves the lower income families. We will have opportunities to share the gospel with the kids and families, to be Jesus to these families who have little ones there by praying, listening or just being a peaceful presence and to give the kids at the hospital a sweet treat, balloons or color with them.
Hospitality-
As a family we love to host. It really is a family thing. Ethan loves to have company and to entertain as much as we do. So we try to have someone new over every week.
Church-
We have found a church that is predominatly Ecuadorian and is only Spanish speaking. Pray that we would be able to settle in and be a part of the church even though there is a language barrier for the boys and Ben.

The question that always comes with this is "How are you all being fed?" Mari prays with another wife on a regular basis, Ben & another guy keep each other accountable, Ben is also involved in a guys bible study and we have family devotions everyday(or we try) outside of our own personal devos. Ben has enjoyed listening to Mens Fraternity that is now avail. on the web great idea MMBC!

Time was not on our side, but God was!

We had so many amazing answers to prayer over the summer that I have not been able to post all of the, but I will because He deserves the Glory. We own a house and we were trying to sell it. As you know the market is horrible - so it wasn't selling. We decided 1 1/2 mos. before our departure date to contract a property management company to rent our home. We were very nervous because we had never done this before and also because time was not on our side. So to make a long story short, our property management company was lacking in many ways. We were out of town for a month of prime renting time and when we got back there wasn't even a sign out in our yard and many more things were lacking. At this point we now had 2 1/2 weeks left before we were to leave and we were getting nowhere with the renting of our home. After much frustration, a week later we begin looking for another company. So here we were with one week left to leave - we still have a home to rent, we aren't at 100% of our support yet, my (Mari's) parents are in the middle of some major issues and we are trying to pack and move to another country. Our prayer all summer was, "Lord I believe, but help my unbelief." Well, the Lord answered our prayers in his own creative way beyond our imagination. We got a call that week from the property manager apologizing for his lack of follow through with us and he said, "We would like to make it up to you all by renting your house from you until we can rent it out ourselves." Wow, I was blown away! I was humbled to see how soveriegn and in control our God is of all things. He had a plan all along. It looked nothing like our plan, but let me tell you, this was far better than what we were praying for. Isn't He such an awesome Father! All of our support came in that last weekend! I had peace about leaving the states in the midst of my parent's situation and so many more details, small and big, all came together! He is Amazing and full of Grace to give to us!

We Got Our First Care Package!

Yea, it was soooo much fun to anticipate the arrival of a package! Thanks Dons family for thinking of us and blessing us with such fun things. Ethan was so cute - we rec'd the package right before a staff cook out so Ethan & Aiden were showing every single person their toy. FYI: It got here in approx. 2 wks from TX with no problems and we didn't have to pay to receive the med. size envelope.

Care Package Tips

A Plethora of you have inquired about sending us care packages. Here are some answers to your questions:

Does it cost to receive a package? Yes and no. Yes if it's a box and depending on the size. No, if its in package envelopes sm-lg size. Also, it doesn't cost to receive letters. Always put a $1 value and that it's a gift.

Where should you send it to? Alliance Academy International, Attn: Ben/Mari Tuten
Casilla 171106186, Quito, Ecuador Please make sure to write it to our attention since we live at the school they will assume its school stuff if it's not in our name

How should we package it? Please send it in a package envelope not a box. A med-lg size envelope is fine. After you have addressed it cover it in clear packaging tape if your using the paper envelopes just to make sure the envelope endures the trip.

What can we send you? All of these things are treats. Nothing is a must have. We really could manage to live with out them: If the item is not listed anymore that means someone has already decided to send it to us. yea!

fun scrapbooking paper,

worship cds, -hot wheel cars,

paper craft magazines(Paper Crafts, Creative Cards, Card Creations you can get any of these at Hobby Lobby or Michaels use their 40% for a good deal)

a little sweet note especially addressed to Ethan(that will make his day)

Action figures for Ethan he doesn't have a preference as long as they are not scary

your sweet notes/letters

Any fun games we can play. I am terribly bored every night.

Be creative we will love whatever you send us. WE DONT mind if you take things out of the original packaging to save on space. (sending baked goods or perishable items are not recommended)


Thanks so much for wanting to bless us with a small package of love!