April Highlights: The Cuenca Recyclers
Thank you for joining with us as partners. God continues to bless and grow His Kingdom. His Gospel is powerful! Our desire is for you to know more and feel more connected to what is happening on the mission field, so every six to eight weeks we will be bringing you ministry highlights from the Arco churches here in Ecuador.
In February we shared with you how the Arco ministry network has been responding to our Venezuelan brothers in need as they flee their collapsing country. This month, we bring you wonderful news about breaking the cycle of poverty in a group of our neighbors right here in Cuenca: the city recyclers.
To support themselves and their families, these recyclers pick plastic, tin, and glass out of neighborhood garbages. They live significantly below the poverty line and have been doing so for generations. Arco Church in Cuenca has recently partnered with a municipal program to work with the families of the recyclers, with a special focus on their children.
Children’s pastor Ismael Vallejo has seen huge changes in children’s lives through the program. Speaking about one boy in particular, he says “Seeing how the other kids loved each other was so impactful for this boy. It was shocking to see how he completely changed from one day to the next. I know that giving material gifts is meaningful, but it isn’t the most important thing we can do for these kids. It’s how we treat them that has such a great impact. We love them and treat them like people, like God’s children. They’ve never felt that before.”
Take a moment to hear the rest of this boy’s story, and to learn more about how God has been working in all of their stories over at the Arco Ministries site. We ask for your continued prayers for us and for the families of the Cuenca recyclers. Thank you for your continuing support!
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