Well friends, like everywhere around the world right now, life is looking a little different these days. Ecuador’s been on a strict lockdown since the beginning of March, so we are now entering month 3 of essentially little to no interaction with people. We’ve only been allowed to go out 1 day a week with the car (rules based on our license plate number), and only the driver can be in the car, so that’s really made things extra strange for us. The kids are saying they’re starting to forget what it’s like to be in the car, haha! They haven’t left our property since March, and they’re starting to get pretty antsy, I imagine like most of you are too!
We decided a couple weeks ago that in spite of being very limited by time (we have to be off the road by 2:00pm national curfew), and government rules and regulations, there had to be a way to get food to people who desperately need it. Until very recently, there was a checkpoint just down the road from our house, and the only legitimate reason the authorities would allow passage to get into the city of Catamayo was for medical reasons or to buy food for your family, so we didn’t have any liberty to do what we wanted to. A few weeks ago, though, they moved the checkpoint, and we can now get to Catamayo on our driving Tuesday without any special permission and the control and rules are starting to ease up! Since a huge number of Ecuadorians are day laborers, and only pharmacies and grocery stores have been legally allowed to be open/work, thousands of people have been without jobs and are starving. Thankfully, the mission has had the funds (thanks to all of you) to be able to pass out food kits to around 100 families in just the last 2 Tuesdays! This last Tuesday, 5/5, Andy arrived at our old neighborhood in Catamayo and around 50 people swarmed the car waiting for food. After everyone had their bags of food, they stayed for quite a while to hear Andy preach a message (this is highly unusual). People normally just take food and leave. Once he had shared with them, they asked if he would set a day to preach again, and that they would clear an area under an old tin roof so people could sit and listen to the message! Please keep this meeting scheduled for 05/19/20 in your prayers! Then later this last week Andy took baked goods to some neighbors who said upon arriving: “We were just thinking about asking you to do a bible study with us in our home because we remembered seeing a sign you put up with a Bible verse on it out on the main road!” It seems that as awful as this virus has been for so many people worldwide, hearts are being opened to the truth of the Gospel message and people are seeking God like never before here in our little corner of the world. We are praying that this situation is having the same effect in the USA! How are you taking advantage of new opportunities to speak to others about Christ?? We would like to challenge you to use this chance to share the gospel with those around you, and would love to hear encouraging stories of how God is using this crazy time all over the world. We can’t share names but please pray for everyone who’s shown interest in hearing the Word and studying with us. We are so excited at what God is doing in this place that we’ve been praying for, and working in, for so long. Also please just pray for Ecuador in general. The economy is practically irreparably damaged at this point, and scores of people are quite literally starving with no way to put food on the table. Pray we can reach the people in Catamayo and San Pedro that are hurting and broken in just the right way, at just the right time.
-Our dear friend Luis, and Andy as they prepped food bags for the community
As an update to our last letter, we’ve had a rough month since writing. Jude was having more seizures than normal and the new medicine we added was doing the opposite of what it was supposed to be doing. With this shut down/virus scare it was particularly unnerving and then add the stress of wondering if we would have enough emergency rescue medicine to the situation and we were feeling pretty anxious. We sent out a post on Facebook asking for prayer and we are so blessed to report that in just over 24 hours our prayer was answered. A dear friend here in Loja knows an anesthesiologist who has a supply of the exact medicine we needed, and was willing to supply as much as we need until we can get friends to bring Jude’s prescription down to Ecuador with them. This may seem small to some, but it is truly miraculous. Please keep our little boy in your prayers!
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
Love from Ecuador,
Priscilla, Andy, and kids
Please send all monetary contributions to:
Acts 1:8 Mission Society
PO Box 212
Harrison, OH 45030.
You can continue to make all checks payable to: “Acts 1:8 Mission Society” with “DVarga” in the memo section (All funds donated in this way will continue to go entirely to the DVarga family AND our mission work in Ecuador and are tax-deductible).
You can also write checks to Priscilla or Andy DVarga with "gift" in the memo section, but you will NOT receive a tax-deductible receipt at the end of the year for funds given this way. If you need a quarterly tax statement or just want to contact us, please just write to the address above or call
our phone #:(513) 334-8281
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Phone: Magicjack#: 513-334-8281 Our local Cincinnati phone number that we are able to receive in Ecuador. It works through the Internet and is just like calling any Cincinnati phone number.
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