God at Work in Coronavirus

"Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will show you great and mighty things, which you do not know" (Jeremiah 33:3).

Above photo of construction of the first building on Peniel Theological Seminary campus. This building will serve as dual purpose cafeteria and a church building. At a later date it will be used as the cafteria when  a church-conference center is built.

The Lord God continues His work inspite of the China virus. At the end of February we returned with our small evangelism medical team a week before the airports closed. Yes, it was God's perfect timing!  

At the end of July, the virus was still spreading across the country. Most of the country is still under lockdown.

I have been teaching the Peniel board of directors and professors each Tuesday night using the ZOOM program over the internet. The response has been amazing.

The first area to open up in Chimborazo Providence was freedom to work in construction. The board and students living in Riobamba immediately went back to work on the first building which will be used as the future cafeteria and the church building.

Our goal from the beginning was to start a new evangelical bilengual church meeting on the seminary property. That vision has become a reality. Pray that as soon as the community opens up to "normal" contact the students and professors will be sharing Christ and beginning Bible studies and worship services on the seminary grounds.

As I write this report on August 28, 2020, the walls on the church building have gone up, and the first floor of the classroom building is beginning to take shape. 

Rev. Jerry Starnes observes: "What a blessing it has been these past 10 years watching how God has worked in Riobamba through Peniel Seminary all over Ecuador. I have truly been blessed to participate in mission trips and how this new facility has come into existence. My prayer is that this work continues to be blessed by yielding souls for the Kingdom of God."

Dr. John Howell writes: "I remember walking over and praying over the barren, un-level lot where sheep grazed. Across the front of the property was an irrigation ditch with a rickety wooden bridge to serve as a crossing point. Circling the back and one side of the lot was a creek that flowed water part of year and was dry other times. The mountain side backdrop displayed many the agricultural crops found in Ecuador along with greenhouses mostly used for growing tomatoes.

From time to time on evangelism and health care trips to Ecuador the teams would stop to walk around and pray over the property; at times walking the boundaries of the property as if God was outlining a “promised land”.

To see how God has blessed the vision of one quiet, humble pastor is beyond description. His vision has now become the heart's desire of many brothers and sisters in Christ who join with the seminary in this cross-cultural, inter-national, Christ unified effort. May God be glorified as the building of Peniel Seminary continues both spiritually, physically, and geographically."

  

 
Students and professors volunteer their time and work together in construction of the church and caferteria.

Construction of the new classroom building August 2020.