New Property

At long last, after several delays, today we signed the contract for the place we wanted. The sports club is still committed to rent the whole place, but Hermes, the one in charge of renting the property to them decided to work with us separately, so we are renting directly with him. Anyway, the club still hasn't signed the contract, so we don't know what will eventually be the outcome with the rest of the area. But--now we can start the repairs on the three houses. We have spent lots of time cleaning, but didn't want to spend anything on repairs until we had signed, although they assured us there would be no problem. Now we are praying for Hermes - he came personally today with the contract from his city nine hours away by bus. He is Catholic, and said he likes what we are doing and would like to see us eventually have the whole place.


A team of three youth from Colombia are still with us - there were eight in the beginning with their leader, but the rest returned to Colombia to prepare for their summer camp. They are from Teen Missions, and wonderful workers - both physically and spiritually. They have been in different Churches and some islands during the month in Chiloe. Five more are preparing to come in February. Their desire is to have a training camp here at our new base next year.


Thank you so much - each one - for your prayers and words of encouragement. God bless you, and you have an open invitation to come and visit us, and lend a hand with all the work we have ahead of us!!! Will include a couple pictures - one of some of the bad condition of the rooms, one of the three houses together, and one of those beautiful swans taken from the window of our dining room there.


Love,

Ellie



Lamentations 3:22-24 (KJV)

Happy 1st of November

Happy 1st of November!

We have had a very busy time these last few weeks. YWAM night school in our living room with 32 students; A seminar in discipling adults and children with a speaker from Bible Ligue in Santiago, a team of 8 youth with their director from Teen Missions in Colombia; and leaders from 2 other ministries. At one time 5 different ministries (20 people) were around the dinner table and it was great seeing everyone enjoying sharing. All have a burden for the islands here, and want to work together with our ministry in reaching these areas.

Looks like it will be an extremely busy summer --and we were just offered the use (to rent) of three large houses in part of what used to be a boy's home, but abandoned by authorities for lack of funds. It's about 10 minutes from Castro, and although people have gone in and broken many of the windows, all on our committee are very enthused about repairing and repainting and getting started with the many groups who want to come here this summer. We will keep the present house, because it is so central, but it is really small when we have large groups. Some of the young people had to sleep on the floor this past week!

We have been constantly amazed by God's provision in these times of many extra expenses. Cooking for all those people brought back memories of cooking at Canyonville Bible Academy!

YWAM Night School Photo

Seminar Graduates in discipling

Bread of Life Ministry Update - Spring

Our spring has started off with a bang, and I’m trying to catch up to the challenge! Two weeks ago WYAM started their night school in our living room which comfortably seats 25. We are surprised and blessed with 31 students as of now. Missions celebration night was Saturday night, and 40 crowded in the same room! Their school of arts was held this week, and today between their performances in three services of the Churches, with no time to return to the base to eat, we were able to feed 15 for dinner and again for sandwiches and coffee before their last performance tonight. It was a smashing success with several Churches opening up to see there are other creative ways to present the gospel. 15 that we know of gave their lives to the Lord during the week. Yesterday another young man not associated with the school came to the house and also made a decision to follow Christ.

Another family has come, and is helping us greatly in several areas. Raul was born in Mexico, and wife Marcela is Chilean. They lived in the USA for several years, and will be a tremendous asset since both speak Spanish and English. Raul worked as councilor for a boy’s juvenile prison for several years, and has been prepared in discipling, and in preparing leaders. Marcela has been trained in Christian education. They will be helping out with island visits also. Their daughter 12, and son 14 are very well disciplined (P.T.L.). Today we received word that a Colombian team of 8 are on their way to our house and want us to organize their time in the islands. Our ministry continues to be a ministry that ministers to other ministries. So many have commented they have never seen this kind of ministry before, and that it is such a great blessing.

Last week I had the joy of attending the beautiful wedding of another of my ex-boarders. It is so great when they marry in the Lord. That is the third one this year!

We are organizing another seminar in two weeks open to all the churches to prepare people to disciple new converts. Bible league will be doing the teaching. In our morning devotional and intercession time we are in the book of Exodus. One of our newer converts was shocked to learn the situation of the plagues on Egypt - said someone had told him that aids today was a result of those plagues! Sunday Bible study on the book of John has brought to light many new understandings for our members. In my personal reading am in the prophets, and daily amazed reading the judgments of God over those nations, and realizing more and more that the USA is doing all the same things. We all need to keep praying that God will bring conviction to those who are robbing us of our freedoms and that there will be true repentance and turning to the Lord. My gratitude goes to all those who pray for us, and bless us financially. I am so grateful!

Ellie

Answers to Prayer

We praise God for the many answers to prayer we have had these past few weeks.
The seminar on drug prevention put on by the Chilean police investigators and Bible society was a big success, and many are interested now in getting this information and help into the public schools.  A follow up workshop is scheduled to help those people learn best ways of presentation etc. 

Another ministry has asked to join with ours.  We both have the same vision, and this will broaden and strengthen the work rather than duplicating it. We had been praying that God would lead people of His choice to work with us, and these are beloved brothers who have visited here and shared. We are excited to join forces.   Two other families have been led here, and we welcome them as probable fellow workers also.  All these people have had much experience in the Lords' work.  More about that later─

We continue to pray for wisdom, direction and provision in advancing on our land and building plans. Despite economic woes, the Bible bookstore has had the best August sales ever.  The number of Bibles being sold is amazing.  God has been so faithful! 

A call to Anguish by David WIlkerson

Interesting week!

It has been an interesting week we've passed. Between 30-40 big parrots have been invading the blackberry bushes in our back yard, devouring the dried-on fruit.

These are the beautiful ones you see in books of the jungle, and what a surprise to see them here! The first time was two years ago when they arrived, and ate a good percentage of the blossoms off our apple and plum trees. Needless to say, there was much less fruit that year. Now they're back again, after a year's absence.

We were invited to put on a puppet show in a church in a neighboring town--greatly appreciated by the children.

Then there were overnight guests - 3 one night, and 10 the next as teams went to and returned from a church on one of the inner island. Always good to share with old friends, and meet new.

My cat finally had her kittens - four of them! - and three of them are already spoken for (P.T.L!)

Now my helper has gone to one of the smaller islands to disciple new converts there. Our desperate prayer need is for workers willing to go to an island and raise up a church there. Many are willing to visit, but none are willing to stay!

Blessings,

Ellie Lowell

"Saint Tatiana"

Yesterday was a holiday, celebrating the birthday of "Saint Tatiana", and it's incredible seeing the news and noting how Catholic people here "sacrifice" to reach her statue. Some will pull themselves along the road by their arms, others walking miles, and various other forms of sacrifices. A priest had put a glass wall around her statue "to protect her from being contaminated by this new flu and getting sick so she couldn't answer the petitions of those praying to her”. Many who had arrived there were very angry and protested the action of this priest. We often don't realize how blessed we are to know that we can enter freely before the Lord without bodily torture or going through a person.

July Newsletter

Here at the mid-point of 2009, I see it is more than time to catch you up on what is happening with our ministry "Pan de Vida" (Bread of Life) here in Castro, Chile. I couldn't begin to mention all the daily blessings we see as the Lord continues to bless and guide us. On the practical side, we are in the process as of today to buy a small piece of land to start with some of our many future projects. A much larger piece of property we have been waiting on for many months still hasn't come through - the owners are wanting to sell it for MUCH more than we are willing to give them, and after many newspaper adds, etc, no one else has responded and so they keep hoping, ----(and we keep praying no one else will respond). This larger piece is in Castro, owned by the aeronautics of Chile, and has been vacant for 20 years. It has been a hangout for drug addicts and robbers. We were given letters of recommendation by the president of 3 neighborhood groups surrounding the property, and the local governor, in support of them selling us the land or allowing us to use it for Christian purposes. The smaller piece is about 4 miles out of Castro, and is offered by a friend at a ridiculously low price as she is in a great financial need at the moment. After praying and seeing the property, the social action group of the ministry feels we are to buy it. Recently our group morning devotional times have begun again (after many months of inactivity) and God has been blessing the new effort. Three to five people come from outside the home to join us every morning for 45 min (except Sunday). We have seen many prayers answered and a desire from all of us to learn and share. We also have Tuesday night and Sunday night Bible studies again. God has brought others to help in the ministry and this has made it possible to renew these areas that I was just too tired out to continue before with so much to do with the bookstore and house. First a couple came from Peru, with whom I lived a year 22 years ago there. We had lost contact for 19 years, and through a miracle of God, we found one another again, and they were here 3 months helping out. They had to return to Peru but plan, God willing, to come back to stay later on. Then the Lord sent a young guy from the city of Chaiten, where the volcano erupted. The people were evacuated and many relocated in Castro. One day this guy came asking the possibility of taking board and room - didn't have money at the moment, but expected to start working. I accepted, and saw his diligence and readiness to help in whatever area necessary around the house over the next month. So one day I felt I was to ask him to pray about working full-time with the ministry in exchange for board and room. Two days later, with tears in his eyes, he told me he felt this was what the Lord was leading him to do. What a tremendous blessing! He's a jack-of-all trades, and a "right-hand" in every area from bookstore, kitchen, cleaning, discipling, etc.--God responded to my prayers and gave me much more than I had asked for. He along with another one of the youth that lives here eliminated an unused bathroom in the bookstore and installed a new type of wall paneling. Now the bookstore has much more room and a much better presentation. Best of all it was all paid for by the stores' income tax return!! There has been an increase in the amount of Bibles sold over these months which thrills me - I know that something is happening in the spiritual. We have between 5-8 boarders - all youth working or studying in the area, or both. One who was here for 3 years has recently left as he was accepted as a trainee at the police academy. He was another jack-of-all-trades including waiter at a local restaurant, volunteer fireman, electrician, etc. - he came to my rescue in several occasions with the electricity! Others include a plumber, a distributor of products for pharmacies and supermarkets, an evangelist who is away days or weeks at a time when he feels called to other areas, a plant seller, and until recently, a painter. God uses them all as witnesses in their areas of work. We had a very busy summer (Dec - Feb) with several teams and many others including families and individuals on vacation and wanting a Christian place to stay. A team of dentists and children’s' workers came from the north of Chile and served many with free dental work and a great program for about 60 kids. Other teams came to split up and work in the various smaller islands. During Feb our 20 beds were full almost every night! We were very blessed to get to know many wonderful Christians from many parts. During Feb we also organized a seminar on "Prevention of Child Abuse" of which there is a big problem here. It was very good, and people were blessed and much more educated on the subject. Now we are doing one on prevention of drug abuse, taught by the Bible society and police investigations of Chile. These are done in public auditoriums, and teachers, children’s workers, local authorities, etc. are invited. Our big living room continues to be used by youth with a mission for their night school and some of their other activities since their base is a good distance from the center. A local Pastor also uses it for his Sunday services since he has no building of his own yet. Between times the guys set up the ping-pong table there, and many of their friends come by to play a few rounds. They want to organize a tournament soon! I think this catches everything up to date with activities here. If you would like to be a part of this ministry in some way, please contact us. We can always use volunteer teams or people in many areas - We are so grateful for the prayers, words of encouragement, and financial blessings of family and friends God has put in our path. It makes it possible to keep on serving. We pray for you in our morning intercession - that God will bless you, and protect you and fill you with his spirit and well-being.

Blessings,

Ellie Lowell

About Me - My Story

My Story

Twenty Four years ago I boarded the plane in answer to God's call for full-time missions, and spent the next 8 months in a YWAM school in Bogotá, Colombia. I afterwards accepted an invitation from a fellow classmate to be a speaker for him in a mission’s conference he was setting up in his hometown of Huancayo, Peru, high up in the Andes Mountains. God confirmed his leading on this and after the conference also confirmed I was to stay and help this brother plant a church there. Living with his parents (Kketchua Indians who didn't speak English), I was forced to learn Spanish- the cause of much laughter for language mistakes, and tears of frustration when it was hard to communicate! A year later, I accepted an invitation to work with Churches in Tacna, Peru. For the next year I worked with youth in two Baptist churches, and helped with music and discipleship in an Assembly of God Church. From there I was led back to YWAM and asked to help plant a base in Cusco, Peru - a beautiful and fascinating place I had long dreamed of visiting. One year later the new school began, and one of the visiting leaders from Bogotá suggested I take a mercy and first-aid class being offered in Castro, Chile. God provided, and in this place the Lord confirmed these were the islands of which he had spoken to me two years before leaving the USA. I spent 1½ more years with YWAM getting to know many of the small inner islands of the archipelagos off the beautiful southern coast of Chile, participating in medical teams and evangelization with them, before I knew it was time to leave and start the ministry God was putting in my heart. Thus 18 years ago in August, with the help of a young lady the Lord sent to help me, we started the "Libreria Cristiana pan de Vida"(Bread of life Bible bookstore). Over the next two years as we prayed for the Lord to send full-time workers to raise up Churches on the smaller islands, and people came, we saw the great need for a house for them to stay when they were here on the bigger island for business and shopping. God provided a house to rent, and "Ministry pan de Vida" was started. Over the next 3 years Churches with full-time pastors were planted on 5 islands (now there are 6). None are under us, but all were led out through us. The ministry and size of house has grown three times over these years, and now provides a base for missionary teams to stop-over on their way to the islands to work, Christian families to stay when on vacation in the area, and a board-and-room for Christian people working or studying in the area. Besides we have discipleship, and Bible studies, and loan our living room to other groups needing a big room to meetings (YWAM, Churches, etc.) Our future vision is for a Christian events center, and as of recently we were able to buy a small piece of land in a rural area to get started. We organize seminars on topics of interest to the public and back up other worthy ministries in the area. We will be looking for volunteer teams who would like to help out with the many tasks ahead with the new land. I am associated with Global Outreach of Tupelo, Mississippi.

Country of Chile, Chiloé island, Castro City