Missionary Prayer Letter- April 2009

OUR FAMILY

Joselito celebrated his 44th birthday on April 7. We are very busy with ministry but are also so glad for the opportunity to serve in Kingdom work. We are suffering due to the economic impact of the global financial situation. We have many needs right now. Pray for that please.

OUR MINISTRY

• A group from of our supporting church in Louisville KY USA came to help us in the new mission in Calderon. The time with them to work and grow in fellowship and partnership was helpful and an encouragement. We taught a Bible club for kids, discipleship classes, held medical clinics, and evangelistic campaigns.
• Joselito continues preaching in our home church on the Passion, Mission and Vision of the Biblical Church. He also preached in the special services during Holy Week.
• We started Sunday school classes in our New Mission. We are holding classes for preschoolers, teenagers, and adults.
• We went as family to visit the Baptist Church in Pedro Vicente Maldonado (87 miles from Quito) to share Samaritan’s Purse shoeboxes with the children there.
• We also visited the New Life Baptist Church in Toachi to help with their Sunday School and to assist with the installation and setup of their new laptop and digital projector we helped them get.
• Joselito led a special conference for couples in our home church, focusing on the biblical response to divorce.
• Joselito & Anita held a Sunday School conference in our home church. 50 people from several different churches attended.

MISCELLANEOUS

• Joselito has a special meeting with our Administrator of PMM Inc, Bill Quesenberry in Quito to talk about our future.
• Joselito continues to support the project working toward a Baptist University. We have a special committee for this goal. The process is very long, but we are seeing the Lord work in this situation.
• We will continue helping Candelaria Baptist Church for the next three months and then we will focus more on our own ministry.

OUR PRAYER REQUESTS & NEEDS

• We need new donors because our income is so low
• Joselito needs a scholarship for his new doctoral program
• For funds for missions trips. For example, Joselito needs to go to Lima-Peru, La Paz-Bolivia, and Mexico DF for his theological education ministry

With love in Christ, Joselito & Anita Orellana (Galatians 2:20)

If you would like to support us financially, you may contact our financial manager in the United States, Bill Quesenberry- bquesenb@earthlink.net

Missionary Prayer Letter- March 2009

OUR FAMILY

Praise to the Lord, Anita presented her Final Project for her Master’s Degree in Family Christian Therapy. The graduation ceremony will be held on May 8. Genesis, our oldest biological daughter, had her eleventh birthday on March 21. She is growing marvelously in the grace of our Lord Jesus. We constantly praise the Lord for her. Our nephew Andrew stayed with us during his break from school. He lives with my sister Ligia in Santo Domingo, 95 miles from Quito.

OUR MINISTRY

• Joselito continues working very hard on the new structure of University Baptist Church. He leads the pastoral board in and just held a special retreat for this group.
• Joselito taught an intension course in Tambo, an indigenous city 250 miles from Quito. This was the second course this year for the School of Ministry. The course was on Bibliology and 35 students attended.
• Joselito is preaching in our home church on the topic of the Passion, Mission and Vision of the Biblical Church.
• We received a group from our supporting church in Louisville, KY at the end of March. We will share about this group and ministry in our next letter.

MISCELLANEOUS

• Joselito has a special meeting with members of the International Mission Board (SBC-USA) to talk about some projects for us to work together. For example, they are talking about special and intensive programs for pastoral training to the pastors and leaders in all our country.
• This month Joselito taught an intensive course on Systematic Theology at the Latin-American Christian University.
• Joselito taught a special conference to independent Baptist youth on Toward Baptist Identity.

OUR PRAYER REQUESTS & NEEDS

• Praise to the Lord for the new Baptist church that we are opening in an indigenous community. We average 25 people every Thursday.
• Praise to the Lord, because we have the opportunity to print my book, Toward a Baptist Identity, this year in Ecuador.
• Continue praying for our ministry funds as we are helping to the poor people in many ways, including local missionaries in the countryside.

With love in Christ, Joselito & Anita Orellana (Galatians 2:20)

Missionary Prayer Letter- February 2009

OUR FAMILY

We are doing well through the grace of our Lord Jesus, even though our country is suffering as a result of serious weather conditions. We had to cancel some trips because it’s impossible to drive on the highways due to the various problems.

OUR MINISTRY

• We are helping some Christian families with medical care because they do not have the financial resources necessary.
• We had a special ordination service in our home church, for both deacons and pastors.
• Joselito officiated the ceremony and preached the ordination message as well.
• Joselito preaches twice a month at our home church and Anita has continued serving with pastoral counseling to a few families.
• Joselito is working very hard to organize a new leadership structure at our home church so that it is a consistently biblical model.
• Joselito held a special conference for Christian couples in our home church.

MISCELLANEOUS

Joselito is currently the manager of the Pastoral Council of the Baptist Association in Quito. He is training the council on ethics issues. He is also writing documents that are very important and strategic.

OUR PRAYER REQUESTS & NEEDS

• Praise the Lord, because Anita is concluding her masters program.
• Continue praying for our budget…please! We are very worried about it!
• We need special donations to print our books and other funds for ministry as we are helping many poor people.
• Pray for our next mission team coming from the USA in March.

With love in Christ,Joselito & Anita Orellana (Galatians 2:20)

January Ministry Photos

Joselito preaching at the anniversary celebration of our home church

Galilee & Bethlehem presenting a new Bible to our pastor as they recite Psalm 23

Joselito and Anita at University Baptist Church's Anniversary Celebration luncheon

Joselito with long time friend and former missionary to Ecuador, James Muse who was visiting for the anniversary celebration.

This is the class of indigenous students Joselito taught Missiology in Tambo, Cañar.

Joselito presenting two proclaimers (New Testament in audio form) with the group.

This is the chapel of Chacauco Baptist Camp in Patate-Ecuador (Tungurahua province); future campus of the Baptist University

This group is from Apatug, an indigenous community. They sang in a special service for the Baptist University

This is the stadium of Chacauco Baptist Camp in Patate. We had a worship service with over 650 people.

Missionary Prayer Letter- January 2009

OUR FAMILY

Special greetings in this new year! We had a special time together at the end of the 2008. We set new goals and dreamed for the future. Don't forget to pray for our financial support because it's very low right now.

OUR MINISTRY

• We had a special celebration for the 15th birthday of a sweet girl who is part of Candelaria Baptist Church. Joselito preached at the service and guided the party.
• Joselito also preached for a deacons conference at our home church (University Baptist Church). He also preached two sermons on Ephesians in the Sunday services.
• We are providing pastoral counseling to a few Christian's families.
• We had the first intensive course in Tambo-Cañar (an indigenous province) of the School of Ministry. Joselito taught a course on Missiology (eight hours each day for one week) to thirty five students from the rural areas.

MISCELLANEOUS

• We had a special meeting with the board of the Ecuadorian Baptist Theological Seminary at Chacauco Baptist Camp. The meeting was in Patate, 130 miles from Quito. We discussed the possibility of reopening the intensive program of the EBTS at Chacauco Baptist Camp. We also discussed the option of joining with the Pacific Baptist University there. Please pray for this as it is a big long term goal of many Ecuadorian Baptists.
• Joselito is now the assistant to the Pastoral Council of the Baptist Association in Quito. He is training the council in ethical issues.

OUR PRAYER REQUESTS & NEEDS

• Pray for Anita as she prepares for graduation from her Master's Degree program
• Continue praying for our budget! We are looking at other options of economic support
• We also need special funds to print our own books and for other ministry funds

Missionary Prayer Letter- December 2008

OUR FAMILY

Special Christmas greetings to you. Our prayer is that in the New Year you can enjoy the complete grace of our Lord Jesus every day. Anita visited her father in Guayaquil for a few days because he is very sick. We had a few Christmas parties during this month, especially at our daughters' school and our various churches.We want to say thanks so much for your love and care for us, during 2008. It has been a wonderful experience of God's grace to serve together to our Lord and Savior Jesus. Thanks forever!

OUR MINISTRY

• We have discovered that the website, www.fcbh.org has the NIV version of the New Testament in Spanish and Quichua. It's a very helpful tool for Bible study with illiterate people. Praise the Lord for that!
• We have planning meetings at Candelaria Baptist Church every Tuesday. We are charting their structure and strategic profile (vision, mission, budget, organizational chart, rules, etc.) for the next five years.
• Joselito led a special conference for deacons in our home church (University Baptist Church)
• We are counseling a few Christian couples.
• We had the annual meeting of our home church, University Baptist Church, and the people told us that our continued help was their greatest need. So Joselito will continue as associate pastor and Anita will continue as the women's ministry leader.

MISCELLANEOUS

• We are participating in missions study by a US-based academic institution www.pacnet4mission.org with other seminaries in Ecuador.
• We had a special meeting with Steve Thompson, missionary with Global Outreach, to discuss the possibility of reopening the intensive program of the Ecuadorian Baptist Theological Seminary at Chacauco Baptist Camp. In the future, we also want to start Pacific Baptist University at that location. Pray for this significant dream that is held among Ecuadorian Baptists.

OUR PRAYER REQUESTS & NEEDS

• Pray for Anita and her master's degree.
• Don't forget to continue praying for our budget! We are looking other opportunities for economic support. We are losing donors due to the economic crisis.
• We need special funds to print our own books and funds for other ministry expenses.

With love in Christ, Joselito & Anita Orellana (Galatians 2:20)

Missionary Prayer Letter- November 2008

OUR FAMILY

• Anita visited her father for a few days in Guayaquil because he is terminally ill.Galilee graduated from the missions program Sunbeams in our home church. We were very excited for her. Genesis is well; Bethlehem was somewhat sick with the flu, but she is much better now; and Michelle is ok too.
• We are enjoying the grace of our Lord Jesus, even though the economic situation (in USA and Latin America) is having a significant effect on our budget. We are wondering how to increase our support for the next year and hoping to get some local support in Ecuador. Currently, we are not receiving any support from here. We are praying about this need and sending a few letters to the local leadership asking them to help.

OUR MINISTRY

• Anita continues visiting the women's prison in Quito every Wednesday along with other missionaries from USA. She really enjoys this ministry, but is also very broken for the situation these women are facing.
• Joselito taught an intensive course (three Saturdays, eight hours each) on Introduction to Theology at the Baptist Seminary in Quito. This was the first course in the current academic year.
• We had the final intensive course for one week (eight hours per day) of our School of Ministry in Quito. Joselito taught a course on Missiology. We went to the middle of the World monument as a special trip for the end of the activities in this year.
• Joselito taught at a special couples conference on romance in Christian marriage. We are also helping with pastoral counseling to some Christian couples.
• Anita taught at a special conference for ladies in our home church (University Baptist Church). That's part of series of conferences, about the women in the genealogy of our Lord Jesus.
• At the end of this month, Joselito preached in our home Church (University Baptist Church).

MISCELLANEOUS

• We had our annual meeting of the Ecuadorian Baptist Convention in El Tena, in the Ecuadorian Amazonian region (250 miles from Quito). We have big goals for the next year for our seminary. For example, we hope to recover our some of what we have lost in recent years through restructuring and economic hardhsips. Joselito assisted with some of the conferences about theological education.
• We are helping Candelaria Baptist Church with their strategic plan for the next five years. They need a lot of help because it is the first time they have gone through this process in 29 years.
• We had the annual meeting of our mission agency, Palm Missionary Ministries, here in Quito. Anita attended to represent our family because Joselito was teaching in the Baptist Seminary.

OUR PRAYER REQUESTS & NEEDS

• Pray for Anita and for her Masters degree final homework.
• Don't forget to continue praying for our budget needs!

With love in Christ, Joselito & Anita Orellana (Galatians 2:20)

New Photos!

Missionary Prayer Letter- October 2008

OUR FAMILY

We celebrated Bethlehem's birthday at her school with her classmates. She was very excited. Pray for Michelle because she started her dental treatment that will last for the next two years. It is very expensive and painful. Michelle celebrated her fifteenth birthday on October 27. We are going to have a special service for her on December 6 because November will be so busy for us.

OUR MINISTRY

• Anita has begun going to the women's prison with a group of female missionaries every Wednesday. She teaches Bible studies and counsels the inmates.
• Joselito preached at New Life Baptist Church and Anita taught children's Sunday School. We were also there for the vote on the national constitution.
• Joselito also preached in the celebratory service for the anniversary of Candelaria Baptist church. It was very nice experience that ended with a special festival of indigenous food.
• We have continued teaching the Introduction to Bible course at Candelaria every Wednesday. We also led a special marriage conference for them.
• We also began the regularly scheduled classes at the Ecuadorian Baptist Theological Seminary in Quito. Joselito taught a few special conferences on God's call and the importance of theological education.
• Joselito preached at "Love Built Baptist Church". This is part of our goal to visit every Baptist church in Quito sometime in the next year to encourage them.
• Joselito was invited to attend a Pastoral Training School for two days in Quito. It was a time of spiritual refreshment for him. This program is supported by Woodstock Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia and Northside Baptist Church in North Carolina.

MISCELLANEOUS

• Joselito taught an intensive course on missiology at Vision International University.
• Our marriage mentors Jim & Hilda Miller came for a visit. It was wonderful to see again them because they were our teachers at the Ecuadorian Baptist Theological Seminary in Quito and they also served as mentors when we were preparing to get married.
• We had special retreat for two days for strategic planning for Candelaria Baptist Church, in La Merced Baptist Camp.
• We participated in the ordination of two pastors at Shekinah Baptist Church in south Quito.We received training from the Ecuadorian Bible League to use special recorders to share the Bible with people who cannot read and write.

OUR PRAYER REQUESTS & NEEDS

• Pray for Anita and her final coursework for her Master's degree.
• Continue praying for the increase our monthly budget, please.

With love in Christ, Joselito & Anita Orellana (Galatians 2:20)

Missionary Prayer Letter- September 2008

"He who testifies to these things says, Yes, I am coming soon" Rev. 22:20

OUR FAMILY

Our daughters started the school year this month. We are very excited because Bethlehem started school for the first time. She is very interested but it's a little sad for us to see her beginning school. We would like to take the family to the Galapagos Islands to learn more about this marvelous place. However, it's very expensive, so we are looking for funds for that.

OUR MINISTRY

• Joselito preached in our home church (University Baptist Church) twice this month. He preached on: the biblical understanding on the Great Commission and on the process of evangelization.
• We held another intensive course. The class met for five days, 8 hours per day for our School of Ministry. This time we met in Ducur, Cañar province (430 miles from Quito). Joselito taught Christian Ethics (A Study on the Ten Commandments). We had 50 indigenous students. Joselito also preached in evangelistic services each night.
• We began weekly services in the new Baptist church. We are praying for a regular place to meet and for a future chapel.
• We are counseling a few young Christian couples in serious family crises. Please pray for us to have wisdom and understanding.
• We had a special meeting with the mission team from Candelaria Baptist Church that we are leading. We will be helping with the new Baptist church in Calderon.
• Joselito is teaching an exposition of the book of Titus in Sunday School and preaching through the book in the Sunday service as well.

MISCELLANEOUS

• We had a special retreat with our faculty from The Baptist Seminary in Quito. The purpose was to enjoy fellowship and to have special meetings before classes begin in October.
• Joselito is hoping to print his book, Toward a Baptist Identity in Quito, but I need funds to do so.
• Pray for this, please, because I want to have this book ready for the annual meeting of the Ecuadorian Baptist Convention that will be held on November 1-3.

OUR PRAYER REQUESTS & NEEDS

• For a special place to build the Chapel for the new mission in Calderon
• For our budget, we need to grow our economic support very quickly. It's very low.
• Joselito needs to publish his books. Please pray for the funds to do that please as it is very expensive in my country.
• Pray for the special trip to Galapagos and for the finances for that.
• Pray for more donors and partners for us, please.

With love in Christ, Joselito & Anita Orellana (Galatians 2:20)