A Quiet Revolution

The following was a story that my supervisor, Bob Vryhof, shared in a newsletter last month.  It tells a little about our new partnership in Cuenca, Ecuador, the city where I will be moving in just over a week.

Our bi-annual global gathering is called Marketplace Revolution, which refers to the transformative movement we are pursuing. This is not a loud and violent revolution.  It’s a collection of personal commitments from Christian business people to live out their calling to business, dig deeper into God’s desire for how they should do that, and connect with other leaders to figure out how to help other business people do the same. While this ‘revolution’ isn’t normally front page news, it’s most definitely captivating and the impact is  remarkable.
In one of my last letters I highlighted some key puzzle pieces the Lord seemed to be knitting together in Cuenca, Ecuador to promote exactly this type of impact.  Since that time, those pieces have come together, begun to bear fruit, and are driving us on to exciting new possibilities.
Our Ecuador affiliate is now formally partnered with Cuenca Partners – a group of local business people committed to helping small businesses in their Church and community thrive. Not only that, but they are adamant about holding one another accountable to doing business in a way that glorifies God by bearing witness to His love and purpose.
Recently this partnership recruited and trained a group of 52 local business mentors. As business people, all of them are committed  to using who they are and what they have  in service to their community. A result of this offering of service is the planned launch of a second business course in January. Cuenca Partners expects 60 people to attend. Mentors will be paired with  participants that request guidance in implementing course principles. 
Originally, this partnership focused exclusively on small businesses.  However, in the last few weeks via meetings with the local Chamber of Commerce, Cuenca Partners identified the need for high level mentoring and training for medium and large businesses in the community. As a result, we are working to design a strategy to engage and serve those people as well.
Our shared desire through these activities is to raise up a community of business people committed to seeking and living out God’s full callingfor their lives. This begins through training and mentoring, but it reaches further. As this network grows, our prayer is that barriers between large and small, rich and poor, connected and isolated would dissolve and vanish forming a community rooted in Christ-like service. By nature, that will be a community characterized by jobs that truly afford opportunity, growth, and dignity – a community that is increasingly able to meet its own basic needs and help others do the same.
That’s a revolution I’m glad to be part of…..
Please join me in prayer for these business people as they pursue God’s calling for them, their businesses, and their communities.

Pizza Nostra

After years working in a nonprofit organization, Patricio took a step of faith toward his dream of running his own business.  With constant guidance and mentoring from Carlos, a leader in the Cuenca affiliate of Partners Worldwide, Patricio learned business skills, evaluated the market for pizzerias, tried countless sauces, dough recipes, and ingredients, and finally open the doors of a pizzeria in a residential area that lacked restaurant options.  He had invested over five months of planning, and his business was already growing when we visited Pizza Nostra a mere two months after the restaurant's grand opening.

When we arrived, Carlos went back behind the counter to help Patricio, his wife, and their two workers finishing up appetizers of veggies and buffalo wings.  Pizza and lasagna soon followed, the latter being a new option Patricio is adding to the menu.  While the restaurant is still in its initial stages, Patricio has large plans for its growth.  Eventually he would like to make Pizza Nostra a franchise with locations all over Cuenca and beyond.  He is already training a nephew who hopes to eventually run a restaurant, and Patricio is taking steps to differentiate his product, such as offering a seafood pizza with shrimp, crab, and fish.  From talking with customers, Patricio knows that there are small improvements to make, but he is on the right track.  He already has many repeat customers, and with Carlos' continued mentoring he looks forward to implementing daily improvements in the business.

End of the Season

The last time I had played on a sports team was 2010, but back in September I had the privilege of joining the Santa Ines basketball team that competes in Quito's "neighborhood" league.  Coming back to the sport and getting to know a great group of ladies from my part of town has been so much fun.

We just finished up the season this weekend, losing by one point to Las Casas to place 4th overall. While ending on a losing note isn't the best way to end the season, it was a great game and I would say that losing a close game is much better than an easy win.

Our team after the last game of the season

Turkey Day and Tree Hunting

I missed the previous two Thanksgivings, so spending last Thursday with my family was extra special.  In addition to my immediate family and Beppe (grandma), we also were joined by the Cho family.  Joe, Kelly and their 6-year-old daughter Ohana drove in from Ohio to spend the day with us.

Between my 16-month-old niece shrieking with joy as we chased her around the house and showing off her animal sounds, Diego the dog trying to convince everyone to play fetch with him, and Ohana challenging us to virtually every game in the house, there was never a dull moment.  Oh, and we ate a lot.  But that goes without saying on Thanksgiving.  Overall, I absolutely love Thanksgiving when it's spent with family hanging out at home without anywhere to go or any agenda for the day.

Too big

The next morning I did cave into the US consumerism culture and participated in some Black Friday shopping in the morning.  But the highlight for the day was definitely driving out to a Christmas Tree farm to do some tree hunting.  Both my siblings have reverted back to real trees even though my parents continue re-using the same 18-year-old tree.

It was cold.  As in snowflakes-falling and wind-whipping-around-trees cold.  But we braved the elements to find that perfect tree.  My brother-in-law showed off his mad jumping skill by trying to jump over a few trees (unsuccessfully), and eventually everyone found that perfect tree.  For me, it was the first time in...18 years? to go tree hunting.  Fun times.

Too small

Just right!

The tree I tried to import to Ecuador...just kidding!

Congrats Rachel and James!

One of my reasons for spending an extra week in the US after the Partners Worldwide conference and training (besides being home for Thanksgiving) was to attend my friend Rachel's wedding.  The two of us go all the way back to high school, and we had weekly coffee dates during the last two years of college.  While we've barely been able to see each other in the past two years due to the distance, it was fun to share in her and James' special day on Saturday.

College friends

High school friends

Eat Drink DANCE - we even learned contra dancing :)

Receiving Training

Most of the time when I write about training, it's something that I'm teaching or that I'm helping to organize.  But in order to be effective at teaching, it is important to first learn.  And that's exactly what about 15 other Partners Worldwide country representatives and volunteers did this past week.  

Over the course of five days, we spent time studying in-depth the materials from Partners Worldwide's small and medium business training curriculum.  After learning more about everything from Business as Mission to balance sheets to customer service to SMART goals, I believe more than ever in the value of practical business training.  As I return to Ecuador, I look forward to supporting our local training teams as they improve their materials and teach courses that have a lasting impact in the lives of Ecuadorian businesspeople.

Part of our train-the-trainer group

Moving to Cuenca

Over the past six months, I have spent an increasing amount of time traveling to one specific location--Cuenca Ecuador.  Located about 265 miles south of Quito in the same mountain chain, Cuenca is the third largest city in Ecuador and the home to colonial architecture, artisan crafts, the production of Panama hats, and countless ornate Catholic churches.

At the same time, the Verbo Christian Church of Cuenca has been at work, following the Spirit's leading to grow from one small congregation in the 1980s to three vibrant churches that today support a radio, English language school, hospital, dental clinic, orphanage, K-12 school, ministry institute and much more.  One of their newer ministries is growing out of a connection with Partners Worldwide and the strong desire to affirm businesspeople in their calling and help them to see their work as their mission field.

To better support the Verbo Church and our joint ministry--Cuenca Partners, I will be moving to Cuenca at end of January to be involved in the ministry full time.  This is very much a new development, so I look forward to the challenges, joys, and adventures of spending the next three months getting to know the city, exploring apartment options, and figuring out how to move my "stuff" over an 8-hour drive through winding mountain roads.  God has truly been leading and preparing me up to this point for this move, so I trust in him and his providence as I begin developing new connections and putting down roots in this city to which I have been called.