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

Explore. Dream. Discover.

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.  So throw off the bowlines.  Sail away from the safe harbor.  Catch the trade winds in your sails.  Explore. Dream. Discover. - Mark Twain

Explore:

If there was ever a quote I would have held onto when starting the girls home "Ecuador Hope House" ten years ago, this may have been it.  One day, I would love to sit down and tell you all about how the girls home came about.  It is a fascinating story to say the least!  However, I do remember when it all started, there was fear in my bones as we "sailed away from the safe harbor" of our comfortable lives as missionaries in the jungle, planting churches and just doing missions day to day the best we knew how.  

Dream:

Sailing away from our safe harbor...is...exactly what we did.  It was no easy task embarking on that new adventure and especially on one where we quickly couldn't see the shoreline.  Yet, there was a something more!

We knew that the Lord had called us to something so much bigger, it was by no coincidence that everything was happening the way it was.  God had given us a dream, we didn't know how but we knew...God.

Discover:

This month, we celebrate ten years as the Ecuador Hope House!  It has been one of the scariest, craziest, most amazing adventures of my life.  During ten years, we have had nearly a hundred girls come through the home, many girls graduate high school, several girls accepted into University with scholarships, one girl become a Missionary to a sensitive country on the other side of the world, but more than anything....all given hope.  

I can say that after ten years, I am not disappointed by throwing off the bowlines.  It has not been easy but it has been worth it!  

Will you Pray?

Will you GIVE hope?  Will you pray with us for this next school year and for the 42 girls that will be with us?  We not only need your prayers, we count on them! 

We also ask you to consider being a Friend of the Hope House.  We cannot do this without prayer and we cannot do this without financial support!

Consider making a one time or monthly (tax deductible) contribution on our secure giving site.  (see the GIVE tab on ecuadorhopehouse.com for secure donations) or CLICK TO GIVE HOPE NOW

Thank you for being part of the adventure!

-Leah

*Photo Credit Caitlin Emfinger, Missionary/ Photographer

Value

Value is a word we hear all too often, but forget the meaning of. This is a word we use a lot in The Hope House. We want the girls to understand that they have value. But not only that, we want them to understand who gives them that value. We want them to know that they will not find their value in boys or in their families or in their talents. God is the one that gives them their value, and He says they are priceless. So many of them come from terrible homes filled with abuse. They were constantly taught growing up that their value is in how many children they can have or how much money they can make. They were taught to look for value where it cannot be found.

Value can only be found in Christ. He is the only one that can give them their value, because He made them. When you don’t know where your value comes from, you end up searching everywhere for it. You look for it in your job, in your family, in the opposite sex, and in cultural expectations. But the only place value is found is in Christ.

When they learn more about Christ and discover the value that He gave them before they were born, they’re attitudes change about themselves and others. The way they treat others changes. Because when you know your value, you’re free to see the things of value in others. Instead of frantically searching for your value, you begin to see the value of others.

As they have learned their value, they’ve also learned how to see the value in what’s important. A few weeks ago, we had a team come in and give every girl their own Bible. The way they treasure their Bibles is amazing. Every time I go to the house, I see at least one girl studying their Bible. They take care of them and make sure that they don’t mess them up or lose them. They treasure their Bibles. And I believe it’s because they understand the value that The Word of God has in their lives. It’s their foundation in hard times. It’s their peace in chaos. It’s their guidance in confusion. It’s priceless.

Value. Everyone has it. It just takes God to reveal it to us.

*Post and Photo credit by Caitlin Emfinger. 

Caitlin is a Missionary Associate to the Jungles of Ecuador. She currently lives and works in Sucua and the jungle region of Ecuador, she has worked with the Ecuador Hope House and other ministries in Ecuador for over a year. If you would like to know more about Caitlin and her ministry, visit her at caitlinemfinger.blogspot.com.

For more information about the Ecuador Hope House,visit our website ecuadorhopehouse.com by clicking here

Sandpaper

We have officially added to the family (the Hope House family, that is!)  Within 72 hours we went from 26 girls in the Hope House to 42, ranging in ages from 9-21...that's 18 new names, personalities, stories, challenges, and dreams added to our family.  We are elated!  With our team working together, we are diligently trying to create a place of peace, security, acceptance, faith, hope, and restoration for these girls.  Though each girl has the same hair and eye color, their personalities and stories could not be more different.  We believe God has a specific plan and purpose for each one - just as He does us.
Many times people ask us, "How are the girls?" "Are they excited to be in the Hope House:" Our answers are always, "Good" and "Yes" because they are true... but, like every other teenager in the world, sometimes the answer isn't so black-and-white.  You see, it is assumed that transitioning into the Hope House would feel like a warm blanket on a cold day.  However, sometimes it's more like a blanket of sandpaper.  Just like adults, many of the girls are confronted head-on with things they've never experiences in their lives before: house guidelines, expectations, and responsibility.  These things are difficult for anyone to adjust to, no matter the age.  Also, added to the new guidelines is the reality that no matter how "bad" or "hard" their previous lives were, these girls are no longer with their biological families - and when you miss your family, you're not thinking of the environment - you're thinking of the people.  All of these components wrapped together can, in fact, seem like sandpaper.
But what do we know about sandpaper?  We know that when sandpaper us used correctly and with care, something smooth and new arises - something beautiful.  Ask anyone who builds furniture - the sanding determines the end result.  That's our goal in the Hope House - the end result.  We believe that God has each one of these girls in the palm of His hand, and that He understands every thought and feeling of their hearts.  The good news is that the same God who has been patient and loving with us (meaning you and me) through our times of "sanding" is just as patient and loving with each and every one of our precious girls.  As a team, we are praying that we would embody the heart of God as we walk with these girls as they step into their future.  We've seen girls come from a life of abuse and be forever transformed by the love of Jesus.  Girls who once carried the weight of shame are now free and full of life.  Girls who have never felt valued now know that they are fearfully and wonderfully made...they traded their sorrow for joy!  It really is amazing grace, and we are simply honored to be a part of the process.
Psalm 34.5 says, "Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame."  Our prayer is that through life at the Hope House, every girl will live radiantly with the love and freedom that only Christ can give...and that their lives will inspire others around them to trade in their shame for radiance, too.

-Post by Jessica Kissinger

Want to know more about the Ecuador Hope House?

click to visit our website!

those that give, those that pray and those that go.

I continue to be in awe of what the Lord is doing, his faithfulness is so very strong and His purpose for the home is do very clear.  Daily I am reminded of how the Lord continues to work in wonderful ways, it amazes me to see his hand in the small and the big things at work at the home.  I also realize how none of this would be remotely possible if it were not for the heart of those that give, those that pray and those that go.  

May the Lord continue to guide us in this amazing adventure and may his hand always be upon all of us.

-Leah

Leah Ash Marbut is the Director and founder of the Ecuador Hope House.  She and her husband Joil and their four children have been missionaries in the jungle of Ecuador for 17 years.  You can visit their website at www.junglemissionary.com for more information.