This past summer, I along with my oldest son, Max, and my parents, Sam and Jeanette, had the wonderful opportunity to travel to South America.

The primary purpose of our trip was to visit our dear missionary friends, Dr. Manuel and Nellie Avila, in Cuenca, Ecuador.

Our family has supported Dr. Manuel and his medical ministry for several years now and this was an opportunity for the four of us to show our support to Dr. Manuel and his family and their ministry, as well as see first-hand the marvelous hopes and dreams the Avila family has for the Ecuadorian people.

While there, we are also able to see and assist a bit with the construction of Manuel and Nellie’s new home. Their hope is that this new physical dwelling will not only be a place of rest for their family, but also a place where they can host many of the countless missionary partners from Canada and the U.S. that travel to Ecuador regularly to assist them in their ministry.

We were also able to visit some of the places and people in Cuenca who were an important part of my family’s six years of ministry there. Each time I have had the opportunity to return to the country of my birth I am blessed and enriched by the experience and I am sure that my traveling companions would say same.

We are all grateful that we have been given the time, resources and freedom to keep our connection to Ecuador and our friends there alive. ~Dave