S

Olsens

The

jim | suzy | kaia | espen

the mud run!

April 2016

The past couple of months have been characterized by mud. At

El Refugio, that has been very intentional at home, as youll
read below, not so much. Last year we launched a 5k mud run
at El Refugio as a fundraiser for our ministry. We constructed
18 different obstacles for participants to conquer together
using teamwork, and cleared trails around our 300 acre
property to create a fun and challenging mud run experience.
We had hoped for 1000 participants last year, but in the end
had about 600 who paid. This year, however, we saw the fruit
of last years labor and had 1,300 paid participants in addition
to the friends and family that accompanied the runners. We
brought in more money than we make in a month in one day;
we exposed close to 2,000 people to what the ministry of El
Refugio is; and we provided a professional, fun, family event
for a whole lot of people. A good amount of work and coordination goes into an event of this scale,
but weve seen the return on the investment and pray God will continue to use an event like this to
draw people to himself and give us opportunities to share His love and truth.
As we mentioned above, mud has been a bit of a theme for us
m u d at h o m e
recently. In the case of the mud run, we welcomed rain and mud
was the whole point! At 3:23am a few weeks back we received a
phone call from a neighbor, asking if we were okay. There was
immense rain at the end of our valley, essentially creating a flash
flood, which flowed down the road and ended in our property. On
average it left 10 inches of mud across everything-- our driveway,
yard, sidewalks, garden, etc. In the corner of the property there
was standing water up to your thighs. We were blessed to see the
response from co-workers and neighbors. By the end of the first
day our driveway was cleared. We realize there is much to be
thankful for we were all safe and only a small amount of water
entered the house but the amount of work it has created for us
and the change that it has made in terms of how we can/cant enjoy
time outside has been difficult. Where we were once greeted by a
nice green lawn in the morning, theres now trash from the
neighborhood, and endless amounts of rocks and pebbles amongst
mud and dirt. Little by little we keep shoveling and unearthing our yard. We had a group from our church
come by a couple of weeks back to help dig as well. In light of the suffering from the recent earthquake,
we have been counting our blessings, and realizing the importance of the body of Christ. What a blessing
and testimony lending a hand to your neighbor can be. It made an impression on us and we know how
loudly it's speaking to those on the coast.

Earthquake Relief

Prayer Requests

On Saturday, April 16th

the coast of Ecuador was
hit with a 7.8 magnitude
earthquake. Though hours
from where we live, we
felt the long, powerful
earthquake in our town as
well. We happened to have
a team of young adults
with us who had planned
to leave for a 3-day hike
the following morning,
but in light of the earthquake were able to change plans and head to the
coast to help with relief. Working in conjunction with a local hospital
and church, they worked for 48 hours straight clearing debris, searching
for bodies, treating injuries, and helping individuals relocate. At 1:30 in
the morning the group had the chance to meet Ecuadors President
(pictured below) and were thanked for the time they were giving.
Theres a long road ahead, and a lot of organization needs to
happen still to aid those whose lives have been drastically changed. We
have a Youth World team member whose relatives live in a small town of
about 20 families that was heavily affected by the earthquake and whose
homes were destroyed. They dont have access to clean water and food is
scarce. They are not included in the
high priority zone for the disaster
and these families are not currently
receiving any aid or relief.
If youd like to contribute
to relief efforts wed ask you to
consider donating to this
community. You can do so by
clicking on the link in the body of
the email.

W r a p p ing

u p

m on th s

For the earthquake victims

and the relief efforts taking
place currently as well as the
long -term help that will be
required to rebuild homes and
communities.
Fo r Ta g g a r t : Pr a y f o r a
smooth transition back to the
US and that he would bear much
fruit as a result of his experience
here.
For participants of the mud
race:
Pr a y
that
new
relationships would begin and
that new connections would be
made with El Refugio as a result
of their participation in the
event.
For short-term teams: Pray
for the group of young adults
that helped with earthquake
relief and also for the 8 teams
that will be serving with us this
summer.
For our family and home:
Pray that the clean-up of the
mud on our property would
move forward and be resolved as
well as comfort, perseverance,
and guidance for us in the midst
of all of these trying times.

w i th

T a g ga r t

We believe deeply in discipleship. Therefore, whenever we have interns

serving with us, we pair them with full-time staff members to meet regularly
and intentionally pursue a mentor/mentee relationship. I have had the
pleasure of having this type of relationship with Taggart over the past 7
months. Were entering his last month with us, and this weekend will have
the chance to take him off-site and spend three days reflecting on his time
here and looking to the future. A big part of our internships is creating an
environment where the participants can step back and really try to discern
where God is leading them in life. Were excited to engage in some of these
conversations over the coming days, especially in light of the challenges hes
gone through and the numerous lessons weve discussed over these months.
Pray for Taggart as he steps into a counselor role at a Bible Camp this
summer and begins college in California in the fall.
To follow us or give online visit: www.olsensinecuador.com .

jimandsuzyolsen@hotmail.com .

Call us for FREE in Ecuador at 607.256.6894