You were made to shine!

I challenge you to find any female on the planet regardless of age, culture or economic status who doesn’t long to be beautiful.  I’ve watched it up front and personal from the beaches of Haiti to the mountains of El Salvador to the basin of the Amazon jungle, girls just want to be pretty!  We were made to shine and nothing makes us feel more like a princess than being all dolled up, primped and pampered to the tilt.

One might ask why we have over a hundred formal dresses safely stored at the Hope House.  Or why a team of women armed with hairspray, bobby pins, nail polish, glittery jewelry and high heels would travel from Northern Kentucky all the way to Sucúa, Ecuador.  I will tell you why, because forty-one young girls were meant to shine, and shine they did!

It was a week of haircuts, manicures, pedicures, and facials.  Seven women along with the Hope House staff and the Jungle Missionary Team worked tirelessly to give these precious daughters of the Lord an evening to remember.   

All the preparations led to one grand event, a formal ball.  Each girl, dressed in a formal gown of her choosing, with hair and make-up professionally done was announced and escorted in by one of our JMT guys.  Cameras were flashing left and right as each princess entered.  The entire event was MC’d by none other than our very own founding Lady, Leah Marbut. 

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*Blog post was written by Tammy Ogden.  Tammy and her husband John have been missionaries in Sucúa, Ecuador with the JMT (Jungle Missionary Team) since the fall of 2017.  Tammy serves as the on-site Nurse for the Ecuador Hope House.  You can sign up for their weekly updates Here 

It's the little things

I cannot remember the last time I saw such amazing, huge, out of this world smiles on these girls faces, all because of some.... pillows.

Yes, pillows!  You know what they are, those comfy, white, incredibly soft things you lay your precious little head on at night!  Something most of us take for granted, something most of us have never gone a night without.  If we need a new one we just run down to the corner superstore and pick one up, that simple!

But have you ever gone on a trip and struggled against that not so comfy pillow on that not so comfy bed in that not so comfy hotel room?  yeah, me too!

Last week we had an amazing group of ladies that came down for a great week of fun with the girls, food, candy, and all sorts of treats, as they were making up the beds with new sheets they brought for each one of the 42 girls, they felt led to purchase brand new pillows for each girl!
Pillows aren't the easiest thing in the world to get in the jungle, we had to go to the capital city, search in several stores and after a few days, we had all 42!

Today we brought them all in and I wish I could have captured up close expressions, it was amazing and so much fun watching them put them into their new pillowcases, hug them and throw them up in the air, PURE EXCITEMENT.

It's the little things!

Tonight when the girls lay their heads on their new pillows, I know they will think of the blessing in their lives, the gift of a home, a safe place, a loving family of people who care about the little things.  But as I lay my head on my pillow tonight, I will think of one thing, the amazing opportunity I have to be part of their life!

There are 42 amazing, beautiful, talented girls in the Ecuador Hope House, they are girls just like any other girl, like our daughters, sisters, and granddaughters.

Each one has a story, each one has a heart and each one has a future because of the gift of hope!

Want to be part of something big?  Give the gift that keeps on giving, GIVE HOPE!

CLICK TO GIVE HOPE NOW!

Thank you, ladies of Christ Chapel - Erlanger, KY for investing in these girls, putting a pillow under their head and putting a smile on their face!

-Leah

Visit our newly updated website for more info

www.ecuadorhopehouse.com

Leah Ash Marbut is the Director and founder of Ecuador Hope House
www.junglemissionary.com

Taking the next step.

One thing that has always bothered me since we started the Ecuador Hope House 12 years ago, was the fact that we couldn't do more.  My heart was full with all the girls we were able to help, but what about all the ones we couldn't.  It has taken quite a long time to get here and we are no where near where we want to be but we have taken the first step and I believe that is the most important one to take!
Just a couple weeks ago we started our very first HOPE SPOT and we are so excited to announce this amazing new ministry and arm of the Ecuador Hope House.  Please watch this clip to learn a little more about Hope Spot and consider being part of this new ministry!

Click here to Watch Video

Visit ecuadorhopehouse to learn more!

Click here to be part of HOPE SPOT!

It takes a team!

Behind the scenes, the "Ants" work hard. They work together outside the camp, gather resources and supplies, they work inside the camp taking care of the nest and the young.  They defend against the enemy.
This pretty much sums up the role of a very amazing group of women who work at the Hope House. They are our Tias (Spanish word for Aunts).  They are the backbone of the home, because of their hard work and dedication, we were able to bring in 42 girls last week, to care for them every single day, plan, prepare and cook three meals a day, educate them, help meet their daily needs that each might have.
It is a full time involvement; physical, social, medical, educational and emotional.  Each of these women have families at home and their own set of needs but I have watched as each of them have stood up to the plate and taken an active part in this great ministry, making it their own.
I am so grateful for the 15 women on staff at Hope House and their lives and for their willingness to serve alongside us in what God is doing for these amazing young girls.

Pictured above are 13 of the 15 women on Staff at Ecuador Hope House.

For more information about the Ecuador Hope House, please visit ecuadorhopehouse.com

Happy Birthday

My family and I have the privilege every month of taking a group of girls from the Hope House, whose birthdays are that month, to celebrate. They always choose to eat at the pizzeria here in Sucua and they can eat A LOT of pizza. After pizza, we walk to get ice cream. The most fun is yet to come when they open their birthday bags and discover gifts.
This year we bought them all tennis shoes and other treats, but I think the most special to them, is a small change purse with a couple of dollars inside. With this, they can buy something special for themselves. What happens next, makes me proud of these girls. They buy a bag full of bread, cookies or fruit that they can take back to the home and share with the other girls! This touched my heart when the first group of girls did this and every group continues to do the same every month. These girls come from families who have very little, but they have shown me, even with the very little they receive, "it is more blessed to give than to receive". 

-Ashley Richardson
Missionary 

*Ashley and Matt Richardson along with their family have been Missionaries to the jungles of Ecuador since 2010.
Ashley is heavily involved in the Ecuador Hope House and is the music director at the local church. Along with her husband they plant "Proclaimers" in remote villages throughout the jungle.  Found out more about their amazing ministry on their website at richardsonmission.com

Lasting Impressions

For three months, three times a year, we get to host an amazing young group of men and women in our JMI (Jungle Missionary Intern) program.  It is an encouraging time for all of us.  For the interns who give up their time in the comforts of the USA to join our Jungle Missionary Team, for us as we get to know them and see what they have to bring to the ministry, and for the people of Ecuador as they pour into their lives.  
This Spring, we had four young ladies from the Southeastern part of the US, they all brought such joy to the team!  The worked daily with the girls at Ecuador Hope House and I do believe they left a lasting impression on their hearts... both ways!

visit Ecuador Hope House

Living with the girls at the Hope House for six weeks forever changed my life.  From dancing until our lungs burned and our legs gave out to chasing each other with water balloons and trying our best to use google translate to help with English homework, there was never a dull moment with the girls.  If the enemy had his way, Hope House would be the darkest place in Sucúa due to the battles these girls face, but instead it is a shining example of hope and the transforming power of Christ.  Those girls wills steal your heart in a second and keep it for a lifetime.  I'm excited to see what God has in store for every girl that ever has and ever will walk through that house.  I know that this is only the beginning, and God is going to do "exceedingly and abundantly more than we could ask or imagine." The best is yet to come.
- Shelby Fulcher


One of my favorite parts of being in Ecuador was having the opportunity to develop friendships with the girls.  Two weeks before I left, one of the girls sat down next to me after tutoring and asked me to help her practice her English.  At first, we read out of her textbook to practice, but after a few minutes I brought out my Spanish/English Bible. Because all the girls had been watching a television series about Joseph, we read part of the story of Joseph.  It was a lot of fun working with her one on one with something that was separate from homework.
While in Ecuador we were able to participate in several fun activities with the girls in the Hope House.  One of these was helping the missionaries teach the girls how to make homemade pizza.  I enjoyed watching the girls roll out their pizza dough, choose toppings, and eat their pizzas to the sound of Italian music.  I absolutely love these young ladies.  My life is definitely better because of them.  Working with them has taught me persistence and new ways to minister to others.
-Jordan Ovenshire


In February of 2017 I began my three month internship in Sucua, Ecuador. During that time, I had the opportunity to live in the Hope House for six weeks. I had been coming and going regularly before I moved in, so I had a relationship with the girls and Hope House "tias"(staff), but living with them bonded us even more and gave me a new perspective into their lives. 
I got to see them go to school, do their chores, help cook food, do their homework, play games, and dance. (There's always lots of dancing going on!) 
I was constantly struck by how these young girls, who had been through so much trauma in their lives, were able to live here and have a safe home. Every once in a while, I would be sitting at dinner, looking around at all the giggling girls around me, thinking how wonderful God's mercy is, and that their past does not hold them back in the Hope House. 
On Sundays I sat with the girls in church and got to experience worshipping with them. God has been using them to teach me to adopt the attitude of a child when I come to Him. Jesus' words, "truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it" run through my mind when I see them worship. 
Seeing them grow, receive love from the "tias" and missionaries, and watching God work in this House has changed my perspective forever. The girls are so ready to love and be loved, to laugh, to dance. The Hope House let's them do all of that.
-Anna Fuqua


* For more information on our Jungle Missionary Internship, please visit junglemissionary.com

Missions: Preach it. Reap it. Repeat it.

Talk about an emotional feeling.  Last night, I was invited to the Ecuador Hope House's very first Missionary service that the girls from the Ecuador Hope House put on!

One thing I love about what we do is all the people we get to meet along the way, every year we have dozens of interns that come to help and be part of our team and not only from the USA but from all parts of the world.  Last month we had the privilege of receiving a young lady from Columbia who is doing an internship from the Bible school in Armenia.  She is a Missions major and has a heart for young women.  Marcela has been such a blessing to us and the girls at Ecuador Hope House as she has worked with the girls in their personal devotional time and has implemented a heart for missions!

Last night, the girls put on a whole missions service, with dances, dramas, songs and even an emphasis on the Nation of India where they have been researching and praying for the last month. At the conclusion of their service, there was a candlelight prayer, signifying the light to the lost and we prayed for various nations throughout the world.

I only wish I could share the emotions and tears shed through those prayers.  As I sat there and watched, I was MOVED once again with compassion.  For the first time, I do believe that I experienced a mix of emotions regarding missions.  I was moved for the nations they spoke of with so much intensity, but I was also so moved by the fact that these girls, the ones that were desolate, in despair, with nothing to look forward to in life before coming to the Hope House, were the ones praying for the lost and for the despair, praying for the dying in India without hope, giving of their personal possessions to send missionaries to the harvest fields.  For over 10 years, these girls have been on the receiving end of missions, receiving teams, help, funds and care.  But on this missions service night, it was they who were sharing and giving!

Please continue to pray for these girls, the Lord is doing a wonderful work in their lives and we are so blessed to be part of it.  Please also pray for the workers, pray the Lord sends more workers and missionaries to help us with the girls home and the 42 girls we currently have.

Want to be part of this blessing?  go to the Give Now page at  ecuadorhopehouse.com to GIVE!
or visit this Secure Giving Link now!

In His Hands,

Leah Ash Marbut



Leah is the Director of Ecuador Hope House, she and her husband Joil have served as Missionaries in the jungle of Ecuador for the past 18 years along with their four children.  Visit their website at junglemissionary.com