Praise from Ecuador

Here is some praise from Tim & Pauline Tyree who have been serving as FCA foreign missionaries in Shell, Ecuador for a year and a half, working with a local church and with a large missionary community:

Pauline and I are excited about the new doors that have opened for us as we have chosen our daughter Joelle’s next school. While we could wait another year to transfer her, we have concluded that the Lord would have us make the switch for her coming school year…and that will mean moving this summer. Spanish immersion will be an immediate benefit.

Emanuel Christian School in Macas is a large (320 students) school with a staff of 50. They are ACSI accredited, and affordable. We have toured the school and met with faculty. They have purchased some property with plans to build a new school, because they are outgrowing the current facility. The church of 300 that operates the school also has 3 church plants in the surrounding jungle. This, and the town itself, were very appealing to us. 
As Pauline and I prayed and even fasted as to whether the Lord was opening this door for us, we also met with the Directors concerning ministry opportunities for us at the school. As it turns out, we were offered staff positions for each of us, plus an apartment nearby. As a couple, we agree strongly that the time to move is now, not next year. 
We first learned of the school because a NY friend of ours is coming down to help with their English Camp this summer…something that we wanted to help our friends in Sucua do last year. So, we will go, as a family, to help with the Macas English Camp in late July. After that, we thought we would return to Macas and rent their apartment before September. Instead, we have decided that it makes for sense for us to occupy the apartment BEFORE the English Camp (early July). 
After we knew that this was the direction in which we were being led, we confirmed that Pauline would teach English in the Fall, and I would be added as a pastor to serve the students, parents, and faculty. In exchange for these services, the school will pay our rent and Joelle’s tuition in full. Our year and a half in Shell has been a tremendous blessing, for which we are grateful to God. Once we complete a two-year commitment in Macas, we will likely think about moving back Stateside. 
Tim & Pauline Tyree