Hola a todos and hello everybody! Greetings from somewhere other than Quito, Ecuador--Carrollton, GA. Frances and I are back home (and have been since the 23rd of July) and have had to hit the ground running when we got back.

   The last week with the team in Cayambe was amazing and the work that SIFAT Ecuador and Compassion International are doing in the school and church was a site to see! For Frances and me it was an amazing opportunity to be outside the city in "el campo" or "the country." There were livestock in the streets, guinea pigs in the back yard (yummy), and the children in Cayambe were different in many ways than the children in Atucucho. The main difference was that you could tell that the children of Cayambe were living in homes that cared a great deal more for the children--they are poor too, but their parents love them. On the way to Cayambe in the bus Vicente, the bus driver (el mejor conductor), told us that we would see a difference in the way the children acted and behaved because their parents love them. This simple and profound  difference was very apparent and reminded me that we, people, are just like children--some have the love of their Father in their lives, and others do not--most times the difference is easily recognized by our actions and how we live our lives. It is a challenge to exemplify Christ in all that we do, but we do so knowing that many small and impressionable eyes are watching us--not just children, but all those who look up to us, the body of Christ, as role models. 

   This past Sunday in my home church, it is strange to sit in a Church service that is in English, the pastor talked about Jesus and how He lived his life based on His role, not His status. That His status was the Son of God, the second part of the trinity, through Whom all things were Created...but, His role played out as that of a servant by washing the feet of those He served. Since we are all children of God and Co-heirs with Christ, let us today take some time to pray and ask God how we can better understand our roles and not simply assume our status.

   While in Cayambe the team members from Spanish Fort UMC worked on a 3 story school building and helped start a new location for afternoon VBS. Many of the Spanish Fort team members came down to Cayambe last summer and that is why more decided to come this year--because they saw the change that God made in the lives of the people last year. We are all ambassadors for Christ--in Cayambe, at home, and abroad! The team members said that last year they were pouring columns for the floor that this year they were walking on...God has a fun way of turning things around on us!! As mentioned, the team had the amazing opportunity to start a new VBS closer to town with some children who had never had the opportunity to have a VBS experience!! It was well attended by around 150 children and on the last day all the children from the school construction site and the children from closer to town had VBS together at the construction site!! It was great! Vicente drove the SIFAT bus down the corner where about 100 children were waiting for a ride to the construction site--Vicente returned with a grin on his face and all 100 children waving from the bus windows! It was a site to behold! SO, the grande total of Children for VBS that day was around 300 or 350 children...whew!! God was, as always, totally faithful in allowing us to have a plan for the children through the diligent work of the team members and especially the ladies who coordinated the VBS sessions!! Praise to God!

   The last day at the worksite, after the VBS, there was a closing ceremony where the local people expressed their gratitude and their love for the team members. It was a fun ceremony with two, yes two, live bands with indigenous music and really fun looking instruments! The children of the project and school made little clay pots and painted them to give to us a remembrances of them and of Cayambe. After the ceremony, like in America, the best way to say "goodbye" to someone is with a large meal of tasty food! SO, we ate string cheese, biscochos, and CUY! (That's guinea pig for all those wondering!) It was an amazing meal and Frances even tried some!! She did almost put it back on the table (if you get my meaning), but she kept it down!! (Yet again, more reasons why I'm proud to be her fiance!!) It was a neat time to reminisce about the week and to say goodbye to our family in Cayambe!

   The next day Frances and I headed for the city of Quito to pack our things and the group had a free day in the bus going to Otovalo and other various attractions before returning to the Hotel Tambo Real in Quito for the Special Dinner. On behalf of SIFAT Ecuador and USA, thanks to all the team members of Spanish Fort UMC and may God continue to bless each of you and your Churches!

   On a personal note: For Frances and me this is a transition time to a different stage of life and we are excited about what God has in store for us: I'm attending Seminary in the Fall at Candler School of Theology at Emory University in Atlanta, Frances will be working doing social work with children (hopefully), and we'll be getting starting our new life in the covenanted togetherness of marriage on December 30th in less than 5 months! Praise be to God who is pretty much awesome!

   For all the readers of the website thanks again for all your continued love and support for SIFAT Ecuador and for SIFAT USA! Please continue to remember them in your prayers, your giving, and your time spent in missions. SIFAT only stays open by the grace of God and through the monetary contributions of many wonderful people here in the southeast. SIFAT is greatly appreciative of all donations and we thank you for your willingness to help further His Kingdom. God needs only for people to be willing to serve Him where He calls...may we all rise to the call and go where He leads us. For Frances and me, it was a joy and a privilege to serve this summer in Ecuador with the most wonderful people on earth--God's people in Ecuador! I'll keep this goodbye short and somewhat sweet and say that if anyone has any feedback for SIFAT or for myself, if you could please direct your emails to jmcbray@emory.edu or to Tom Corson at corsont@aol.com . Once again, thanks be to our Marvelous God and His mighty wonders!

    En Cristo,

       Joseph "Pepe" McBrayer y Frances "Franchesca" Fulton

To see all the pictures please click here: http://photo.xanga.com/SIFATecuadorAWF

   Buenos tardes to everyone! Sorry for the lack of updating on the website this past week...things have been wonderfully busy and we were even off-site for two days this week where we did not have Internet. This week the medical team from St. Luke's saw hundreds of children in the south of Quito and helped them to receive medical care. For some of the children, it was their first time to see a doctor. For these children, ages two weeks to 17 years, it was a significant experience to receive medical care. We have much to learn from these children as we take for granted our ease and access to medical care.

   After the first three days in the Communidad de Fe Church we moved the medical team across the street to the Military base in south Quito. Dr. Roberto said that it is usually very difficult to get a site in the south and to get space on the Military base is most often very difficult--especially when you're serving the poor children in the area and not the families of the military base. Each year the military base leadership changes and each year Dr. Roberto has to ask a different person if we can gain access to the base for our medical teams. He said that this year it was a breeze to secure the location and it is the best place on the base that we have ever been allowed to use. The Military base even sent an officer in during the day to photograph the clinic and ask Dr. Roberto some questions. God was and is definitely all over that place and is, as usual, way ahead of us.

   Also this week God was ahead of us in other ways too. One such way was with Franco family--Carlos, Gabriela, Jasmine, and Carlitos. They are the bilingual family who helped us translate, take temperatures, and were pretty much amazing the ENTIRE week! It was such a blessing to have them there with us as our brothers and sisters in Christ. Carlos and his wife Gabriela, who is a nurse, are both originally from Ecuador. They met in the US, got married, and started their family there. They moved back to Ecuador about a year ago and live here in Quito. They were ever so gracious to help us and to obey the call God put in their lives to come help with the team. Many thanks to all the Franco's and we will miss our Ecuadorian brothers and sisters. Thanks!

   After the week of working in the medical clinics, the team took a couple of days of well-earned rest and relaxation. The St. Luke team opted to go to the cloudforests in Mindo, an area 2.5 hours to the northwest of Quito. We left out early Friday morning for a short stop at the Solar Museum at the Middle of the World. At the equator we listened to the tour and enjoyed the early morning sunshine. After that we headed on another 2 hours descending down 5,000 feet to the cloudforests of Mindo. We were honored to have the Franco family join us for our excursion to the forests. At the Hostel some stayed in A-frame cabinas and a few of us got to stay in the "Casas de arboles," yes that's right...tree houses!! So I have now fulfilled one of everyone's boyhood dreams...I have spent the night in a treehouse in the forests of some foreign country! We had a blast and enjoyed the food, the hummingbirds, butterflies, horse riding, tubing, and the amazingly green flora around us. Our God is an amazing Creator and the team enjoyed getting acquainted with some of the creation here in Ecuador.

   While in Mindo, little Carlos and I especially had a great time collecting some of the lemons and oranges from the fruit trees on the property. The team members also were given the opportunity to try fruit from the Guaayava tree. It is always fun to try a new fruit or two. The butterfly house was also a crowd favorite because of the Owl's Eye Butterflies and their skillful use of camouflage. The have a very large owl's eye on their wings and they can look like a snake, a convincing owl, or just a large, scary eye to ward off potential predators. They have a iridescent blue inside their wings that is simply a work of the Lord.

       On Friday night we had the chance to have a special Communion time and a hand washing service to serve and be served by our fellow team members. The occasion was especially touching and the presence of the Lord filled our small room and every heart inside. It was a neat time to tell the people around us how much we saw Christ in their actions throughout the week with the children, the medical exams, and with the general nature of the team members. The St. Luke team thoroughly enjoyed their time in Mindo and we returned Saturday afternoon. They flew out of the Quito airport that night and are back at home. For SIFAT Ecuador, thanks so much to the St. Luke team and thanks so very much for the medical love you shared here with the children of the south of Quito. You have all helped to share God's love in extremely practical ways! May He continue to bless and keep you all until you return again to Ecuador! 

Please click here to see some more photos of Mindo and the team members of St. Luke: http://photo.xanga.com/SIFATecuadorAWF