Graham and Sharon Nichols

US Church: Lewis Memorial UMC Evans, GA E-Mail: Nichols4Ecuador@gmail.com Web-Site: www.Nichols4Ecuador.org Skype: graham.sharon.nichols

It is the JOY of our hearts to be here!

November 2013
O our God, we thank you and praise your glorious name! 1 Chronicles 29:13 (NLT) Saludos friends, family and church family, Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord Jesus. We pray this mission letter finds you well, full of hope and filled with His goodness! We praise God for pouring out His grace on us day by day. And we sincerely thank you for your prayers and support as together we join Jesus in His mission on the equator. We are blessed by your prayers and financial partnership and we are humbled by your hearts for God, His children, and for us. NOVEMBER oh my goodness was sooo very full of Gods grace in our lives we had a packed month of opportunities to be His Light and build upon in the places He sent us; fellowship, service, childrens ministry in Quito, Santo Domingo and El Carmen, music, painting and more painting, and running (literally) in and around downtown Quito missing our people back home like crazy but thankful and at great peace that we are here. We ended the month invited to share in a grand, incredible, Thanksgiving meal with dear friends and Nili family, then we put up our first Christmas tree here on the equator. We look forward to our first and possibly last Christmas in Quito next year well celebrate the birth of Christ among mango, palm, banana and cacao trees and our people in the Coastal Region. As God led us through this month we were/ARE also in the process of renewing our visas, which is proving to be a challenge but we trust the One Who sent us here to clear the path to renewal. Pray with us for God to open doors. The following is a little of what GOD placed before us in November from our hearts through the lens of a camera

We ran Quito again this year: Nikes We Run Quito 10K (6.2 miles) at 10,000 ft above sea level with 9300 others. Helps keep these 2 grandparents in shape to live and serve high up in the cold clouds and in the hot coastal regions of ECU. We both finished just under an hour.

We continued to travel 6 hours to and from Quito to the Coastal Region during Nov. we served there over 2 weekends. 1st time earlier in the month in Santo Domingo with our DS, Pastor Vivas and our new friend Rev Dr. David Upp, a UMC Pastor who was in ECU studying Spanish at the Seminary where we live, and continue our tutoring. During that weekend in SD we attended Charge Conference of the EUMC and learned more about our new community. Our next weekend was also with Pastor Vivas and in El Carmen, filled with ministry with over 300 children and adults. We worshiped, prayed, sang, played, fished (with potato chip bags) swam in the river, ate together, got to know each other and shared Jesus with all we met. We will return next weekend and again for Christmas.

In the midst of Coastal travel, ministry, tutoring, visa renewals (leaving the seminary at 5:30 every morning for the past 2 weeks to get in line for the 8:30 government office opening!!) we helped paint 3 churches with the Nili students. We sooo enjoyed ourselves clinging to the cross (literally at times!!) We were super blessed by those we served alongside, and by those we went to serve. Love the way God turns things around the bounty of blessings are overwhelming at times and the way God lifts our spirits in the wake of the always present visa saga we just have to stop and Praise GOD for His Presence in our lives.

Part of ministry this past month was taking to the streets of Carceln-BajoQuito and sharing Christ with the people in that community. We played games, presented dramas and sang and sang. Many were learning new songs about Jesus and swaying their arms in the air praising Him; some for the very first time. Several sat shyly on the curb and watched but by the end of the afternoon all were singing and engaged in ministry together. We LOVE, LOVE being OUT in the community.

We finished the month filled to the fullness of Him loved on and blessed by so many as we danced (the robot which brought lots of chuckles!!) while lifting our voices, hands, and hearts to heaven often times covered in splattered bright yellow, blue, and orange paint and we sense God was/is pleased as we seek to do His will here in our part of the world. It amazes us that God would choose to send us here; even in our separation of our family and friends and our Lewis Memorial church family, along with the ups and downs of life living in a 3rd World / Developing Country WE ARE HONORED to be here for CHRIST to share HIS Gospel.

We ask for your continued prayers for God to give us clarity and direction in all He has called and planned for us to do, among these amazing people in this little country. As we stated earlier in this mission letter It is the JOY of our hearts to be here. Therefore we continue to seek support to live and serve in this place where He has called us and to purchase a ministry vehicle that will help immensely for serving the people we are called to serve who are spread far apart. It is our hope to reach as many as we can for Christ. Please also pray for our safety as we travel in and out of our community and throughout this country to be His light. Pray that we boldly speak God's Word wherever we go; in word and in action, and that we never forget who we are and to Whom we belong. We praise God from Whom ALL blessings flow. We love you. Yours in Christ, Graham and Sharon Nichols Missionaries to Ecuador serving with The Mission Society

All donations may be made to:

The Mission Society
P.O. Box 922637 Norcross, Georgia 30010 Designate gifts: Nichols support # 368 OR via The Mission Societys web-site www.themissionsociety.org/people/Nichols (Click on this web address above then scroll to the bottom of the page to donate by Credit Card or Electronic Funds Transfer)

Thank you, thank you again for your continued prayers and financial support which not only helped get us to the field BUT will help keep us on the field for all our days. Please feel free to forward, mail-out or print our Newsletter for your Sunday school class, small group, Church or friends Blessings! The thing that makes a missionary is the sight of what Jesus did on the cross and to have heard Him say, GO. ~Oswald Chambers
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