The land is located in the marginal urban area of San Lorenzo in the northern central part of the city. The inhabitants are African-Americans who settled the area beyond the river when the railroad arrived. The property in the 12 de Octubre sector was purchased from Mr. Jonathan Ibarra. The purchase agreement has now been signed and legalized.

After the land was purchased, the building process began the first of April and will be finished in the summer. The process of obtaining the property was gratifying, because we started asking people in the community is they knew anyone who was selling lots. The Municipality was in the process of dividing land into lots, so it was possible to begin the legalization procedure. It was advantageous to be in contact with the Mayor of the city and be able to explain to him what the building was going to be used for and though him get the documents notarized and procure a building permit. 

The construction area includes a chapel or dining room, a classroom, a kitchen and toilets. The rest of the structure still has to be divided. There are no services of potable water, sewer systems or electricity. It is surrounded by farmlands.

While the new church building is under construction, the church staff is meeting in the 10 de Agosto and Eloy Alfaro Church next to the Central Park. The children attend classes in a stadium that belongs to the high school. Meetings are being held in the homes of families, and worship services are held in the large church building.

Some challenges we have faced are that the procedure required by the Municipality was extremely long and it took a long time to get the building permit. Also, the construction of the new church was a challenge, because we’re building in a rural area and getting materials to the site is somewhat complicated. There are not real roads, so transporting materials is difficult. Finally, the weather was another factor that delayed the building process, because there were heavy rains.

However, until the new church is completely finished, we continue talking to the children about the Word of God and inviting parents to the meetings held in homes.

The children are receiving spiritual guidance with Bible teachings. Our presence in the community is strong. Although all the work is being carried out only by church members, much progress has been made. Parents are interested and waiting for the building to be finished so they can attend.

The building should be finished in the next few months. Then we will start the phase of implementation and equipping the new building. We plan to buy tables and chairs for the children and equipment for the kitchen that will include dishes and cookware for the children’s dining room. We will start the school for parents and offer them talks about violence in relationships and how to care for their children and encourage them to have better relationships with their children. Our work in areas related to health and education will be complemented by the presence of the Project in the community.

PRAISES

• We thank the brethren from Stadia for their donations that allow us to reach the hearts of children and families in the community, because this is a very marginal sector of the city. However, the hard work we have carried out is touching the hearts of the inhabitants here.

PRAYER REQUESTS

• Pray for all the families here, for the Project staff and for my family, because as the pastor, it’s a blessing to be living in this community in order to serve God and preach the Gospel and unite the people.
• Pray for all the parents that they will have jobs and there won’t be so much economic and spiritual poverty.