SUMMER 2022

FROM THE CHAIRMAN HOW CAN I HELP?

Please consider supporting
“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not Ecuador Missions, both
for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11 financially and by remembering
our missionaries in your prayers.
As a committee, we can say things are going well, maybe not quite as quickly
as we would like, but things are going well. God, in His constant faithfulness, has DONATIONS:
Canada:
navigated us through many unknowns, and challenged us with changes that we E-transfer:
were not part of our plans, but always for the good. CCCEMC2020@gmail.com
In just a few short months, Josh & Michelle, along with their children, have Mail:
amazingly adapted to a new city and community, and are immersed in the day to Covenant Christian Church
day of the children’s projects in Quinindé. They are actively involved in finalizing 5783 Camlachie Road
the plans for the Mission House and getting all the agreements in place for the San P.O. Box 774
Lucas Foundation. We are in awe of the social network they have already developed Wyoming, ON N0N 1T0 
Please make cheques payable to
since moving to Quinindé. Thank you for the strong support shown to the E.M.C.
“Ecuador Missions”
Our yearly budget is healthy and in a few short months we have raised half the (Indicate for General Fund or Mission
funds needed to begin the construction of the Mission House! House Fundraiser)
Please continue in prayer for Ecuador. Much political unrest does not lessen the
need for the gospel. We move forward, confident that the Lord will direct our path United States:
and light the way as we proceed. Pray also for wisdom, strength, and patience for Mail:
the Vogels, especially protection and health for Michelle and the new little one she St Paul’s Presbyterian Church
4917 Eli St., Orlando, FL 32804,
carries, due in early fall.
USA
We also inform you of some changes in the committee, I will switch roles with Please make cheques payable to
Oscar VanDenAssem, who will become the new chair, and I will become council “St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church”
liaison. We are also happy to report that Fred & Arlene Jonkman have agreed to (Indicate for General Fund or Mission
join E.M.C. Their knowledge and experience will be invaluable to us as we continue House Fundraiser)
the mission work in Ecuador. Finally, I want to say thank you to all the committee
members as they use their gifts to contribute to the planning and moving forward Ecuador Missions is a charitable
activity of Covenant Christian URC
of the mission. Their dedication and love for the work is a beautiful display of
of Wyoming, Ontario
Christ’s love in action. Mailing list or address changes to
Diana: emcnewseditor@gmail.com
“But thanks be to God, who in Christ, always leads us up in triumphal procession,
and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of Him everywhere.” KEEP IN TOUCH:
2 Corinthians 2:14 Living Address:
Josh & Michelle Vogel
Blessings, Al Korvemaker Fondo Limon
Quininde
Esmeraldas
Ecuador
Phone: 519-800-8056
(no long distance charges)
Whatsapp:
+593-99-994-6579- Josh
+593-99-995-2533-Michelle
Email: j.vogel.113@gmail.com

1 • ECUADOR MISSION NEWS • Summer Edition 2022

UPDATE FROM JOSH & MICHELLE
“Mihija”, “¿Diga?”, “¡Pilas!”, “¡De ley!”
If you know a little Spanish, you may be wondering what in the
world these words are, and what they mean. Welcome to coast-
al Ecuador. These are just a few of the many slangs, or “modis-
mos” that we have slowly learned, and we asked ourselves the
same thing when we moved to Quinindé 2.5 months ago. After
learning the language for a year in Quito, we were not surprised
to discover that in Quinindé our language skills were not quite
as good anymore as they were in Quito. A lot of adjustment
has been, and is being made learning new “modismos”, under-
standing a much faster rate of speech, and a very strong coastal
accent; but after 2 months, some of the things that used to be
foreign to us are now a regular part of the vocabulary, especially
for our children.
That being said, “Greetings from Quinindé”! Truthfully, the
move to Quinindé felt like one of the biggest hurdles that we
have had to take to date. After a few years of preparations and
back and forth to different countries, there were many built up
anxieties, emotions and expectations that again came to the
surface. Once again, we thank our good Heavenly Father as He
has proved faithful – time and time again. When we thought,
“we can’t” our Lord has always said, “Come to me, all you who
are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke
upon you and learn from me,  for I am gentle and humble in
heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matt. 11:28-29)
On May 2nd we made the move to Quinindé. At 7am we
began loading trucks in Quito, and nearing 10pm, we finished
unloading at our new home in Quinindé. Since the move, we
Teaching music to the children at one of the projects.
thank the Lord that we have always felt His kindness, grace, pa-
tience, steadfast love and watchfulness over our family. In just
this short time, we have realized that this feels like home. If we
travel now, when we get back to Quinindé we say, “It feels good
to be home”, and we mean it. What a blessing that is for us. The
family has very quickly become accustomed to living 90% out-
doors, loving having more space to play, making new friends,
and living in a different culture, and it brings us great joy to
work together with the people here for the kingdom and glory
of Christ.
2 • ECUADOR MISSION NEWS • Summer Edition 2022
For about three weeks in June, a national strike led by the
Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador began.
Tensions between them and the current government reached a
boiling point over rising prices, and for more than two weeks the
situation – especially in the Capital – was very violent. Thankfully
Quinindé was much less affected by violence, and there were
only a few protest demonstrations, but food became scarce due
to all the roadblocks and prices skyrocketed, causing many to
fear for their already-hard-to-afford daily bread. Thankfully an
agreement was finally reached, and food again began to arrive.
We were very thankful that we had already moved to Quinindé
during that time.
Life is different than when we were in Quito, but different in
many good ways. During our year in daily intensive language
Krystal and Jackson attending the project Malecon.
classes, it could often feel as though we weren’t being ‘useful’,
though it was a very important time of preparation. Now that we
are on the ground in Quinindé, there is no shortage of work to
do, and we find ourselves having to be careful not to become
too busy. Krystal and Jackson attend one of the children’s proj-
ects 3 days per week, and Michelle and I have been teaching
music to the children two days per week, alternating between
the three projects. The children all love to sing and are always
excited for our visits. In between, I have been keeping quite a
full schedule with various maintenance items between the three
projects and the medical clinic. The culture here is not one of
maintenance, so I often find unmentioned surprise repairs that
are needed. Each project has an evening of Bible Study each
week, directed towards the parent(s) or primary caregivers of
the children. The weekly study is the same topic or Bible les-
son that the children are learning that week in the project. It is
the desire of the Mission to establish a connection between
what the children hear in the projects and what they talk about
in their homes. It is often difficult to connect with the parent(s),
but we know that through Christ all things are possible, and His
word will never return void (Isaiah 55). We are attending at least
1 of these Bible Studies as a family each week, and in time I will
be helping with the teaching as well.
Construction of a new pavilion (with kitchen) and bathrooms
is ongoing on the medical clinic property, and it is nearing
completion. Excitement is beginning to grow for the ministry
opportunities, such as events, studies and classes that will be
held there. I’ve already had opportunity to teach some mechan-
Update from Josh & Michelle Continued... ction progress
s tr u
ical skills by repairing an old Toyota on
nc
pickup truck engine for one of the lio
tutors of the mission, and we are

vi
Pa
excited to put the new pavilion
to good use in those kinds of
ways.
We are also very excited
and thankful that the fund-
raising threshold for break-
ing ground on the Mission
House has been met! We hope
to begin the first stages of this
construction within a few weeks’
time. We appreciate your prayers
and financial contributions to this proj-
ect; we pray it will be a blessing to many.
We’ve also begun men’s and women’s groups with the staff at Rich Bout (left) with our family and Ally (right), a nursing student
the projects as well as some of their friends. In July we held both from Covenant URC in Michigan volunteering a few months at
a woman’s breakfast get-together, as well as a men’s, as an infor- the medical clinic.
mal way to get to know each-other better and enjoy one-anoth-
er’s company outside of their work. We hope to continue that
practice with regularity. We’ve also had the entire team at our and the darkness has not overcome it (John 1:5). Please con-
home at different times to have a time of singing and encour- tinue in prayer for this city, and for our family as we continue to
agement. In mid-July we were pleased to welcome Pastor Rich adjust to the differences in culture and learn how to integrate
Bout (URCNA Missions Coordinator) for a three-day visit. Our into the mission here. May our light never be extinguished nor
time together was filled with visits, Bible studies, and encourag- hidden; may it be set on its lampstand for the glory of the one
ing conversation. true God, who sent His Son for our ransom, and who’s Spirit will
Though at times it is difficult to see the poverty and hear of the never depart.
many horrific situations that go on daily in this city, we are very
thankful. Thankful that God has heard so many prayers, opened In Christ, and for HIS glory,
so many doors, provided for us in abundance, and most of all,
that His plan is perfect, and that His light shines in the darkness, Josh & Michelle & Family

Sovereign Grace Reformed Baptist church plant in Quininde, where we have been attending.

3 • ECUADOR MISSION NEWS • Summer Edition 2022

 WE’VE REACHED OUR FIRST GOAL!
$70,000 TO START BUILDING.
$140,000

$105,000

SHOVELS READY; MORE

FUNDRAISING TO DO! $70,000
With thankfulness to the Lord, we’ve reached our initial Mis-
sion House fundraising “shovel in the ground” target! During
this first part of the fundraising drive unrest in Ecuador saw
construction costs soar but thankfully these are trending
downwards again. The final Mission House site plan and de-
$35,000
sign has also been approved by the committee and by Misión
San Lucas (with whom we partner). Finding a suitable contrac-
tor is one challenge that we continue to pray over and work
through. We are thankful for the decreasing impact of Covid
as this may open up opportunities for work teams to support
this project.
The Vogel family’s current rental agreement is for less than a
year and it is unlikely that the contract can be extended. Being
located “on site” will also be of great benefit to the mission
work, reduce operating costs and improve security. In light of
this, we ask that you prayerfully consider supporting the fund-
raising initiatives we hope to kick off this fall to reach our final
goal. If you would like to run a fundraiser in your local commu- Do you have a fundraising idea you can run locally
nity, please do so and let us know about it! to help us reach the top? Please message
emcnewseditor@gmail.com
Thank-you for both your financial and spiritual support as we
minister together in Ecuador! Stay tuned for future fundraisers to build the
Mission House in Ecuador.

ITEMS FOR PRAYER AND PRAISE:

1. Pray for the safe arrival of Josh & Michelle’s child.
3. Pray that the cartel violence in Quinindé would subside and for safety for everyone there.
4. Praise God for the funds that have come in for the Mission House and pray that the fundraising efforts
would be blessed and the rest of the funds would come in quickly.
5. Give thanks for the committee and prayer for wisdom as it moves forward.
2. Praise God for a smooth transition for the family to Quinindé and how they have been able to get
involved in various ways.

4 • ECUADOR MISSION NEWS • Summer Edition 2022

 BIKE-A-THON & ONLINE AUCTION

5 • ECUADOR MISSION NEWS • Summer Edition 2022

 PARTICIPANT/RIDER’S NAME A Charitable Receipt will be issued for
PARTICIPANT/RIDER’S PHONE NUMBER all donations $20.00 or more.
CHURCH AFFILIATION

NAME EMAIL AND MAILING ADDRESS PLEDGE PAID? METHOD OF

(First and last name) (Mailing address required for tax receipt, if email is also given a electronic tax receipt will be sent out) AMOUNT PAYMENT

ADDRESS

EMAIL

ADDRESS

EMAIL

ADDRESS

EMAIL

ADDRESS

EMAIL

ADDRESS

EMAIL

ADDRESS

EMAIL

ADDRESS

EMAIL

ADDRESS

EMAIL

6 • ECUADOR MISSION NEWS • Summer Edition 2022

ADDRESS

EMAIL

ADDRESS

EMAIL

ADDRESS

EMAIL

ADDRESS

EMAIL