Boris and Veronica Duarte are the church leaders in this city where the outreach strategy is to plant many house churches wherever there are people eager to respond to the Gospel. (photo credit (first two photos) - Rollin Ulrich, Maple City Chapel prayer team)Arenillas is about the last stop along the road until you get to the border city of Huaquillas, the last stop before you reach Peru. Arenillas is a city you want to drive through usually. Not much happens there that registers on the scale of "you won't want to miss this event." When we stand on the short chunk of sidewalk in front of Boris and Veronica's one bedroom apartment, we see buses passing through every fifteen minutes (or less) and almost a constant stream of mopads, motorcycles, bicycles, moto-taxies, cars, small trucks, people walking and just about anything with wheels. Boris and Veronica live a block beyond the large white building on the left, as seen in the photo below. From this vantage point, the double lane road is heading off toward Peru.
Saturday morning, March 22, three of the Gomez family from Gualaceo arrived for a one day visit to their "sister church" in Arenillas. Excitement was high in Arenillas, as the people looked forward to an evening of celebration and praise to God. Special work went into preparing the borrowed facility. The small group from one area of town paid to have a new banner made, incorporating the name that identifies our outreach: "Way of Life" -- of the One who called us: Jesus Christ."
As the starting time came, people continued to arrive, and we kept arranging chairs for a few more. God used the time to teach us all some special lessons. The Arenillas believers were blest and challenged by the musical skill and the dedication to excellence of their Gualaceo brothers. The Gualaceo brothers were challenged by the evident dedication of the Arenillas family to reach out and bring new people into the kingdom. Mutual encouragement characterized our time together. It was a night to remember.
Above: two Gomez brothers and a nephew from Gualaceo leading worship. Below: Nearly 80 people gathered Saturday evening. Enthusiasm was high as we enjoyed a special time of singing praises to the great God we all call Father - whether from Gualaceo or from Arenillas. 
Easter Weekend. The two of us returned to Cuenca late Easter Sunday night from yet another visit to Arenillas. Easter Sunday evening the believers gathered for a Bible study and finished the day celebrating the Lord's Supper together. We felt touched by God's presence with us.
Easter is about new life, and children are a perfect picture of Jesus' words to his followers: "Unless you become like little children, you cannot enter the kingdom of God." Children remind us that new life starts small, humbly and in a learning mode. May this be a message for all of us this Easter: new life is about changing and becoming something new, with God's help. May remembering Easter's victories spark a growth spurt in us for the challenges of life we face.
(The two toddlers pictured below are part of the Gualaceo house church family.)
