Many years ago, OMS purchased some land just outside of the town of Pallatanga for the purpose of using it as a camp. Over the years, several different families have been missionaries at Camp Pallatanga, meaning their full time ministry is to run and maintain the camp. The camp is used throughout the year by churches (Ecuadorian and U.S) and other Christian organizations for retreats, conferences, and outreaches.
The OMS missionaries have been meeting at Camp Pallatanga annually for a long time. When I was growing up in Ecuador, I remember going there each year. I have a lot of good memories of those times, especially playing "capture the flag" at night.
Here are a few pictures of the Camp:
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| This is where we have our meals and meetings. |
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| One of the cabins. |
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| On the left, one of the cabins; on the right, the camp director's house. |
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| This is the "coliseo" - gym/recreation center |
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| The camp director's house |
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| Two other cabins - the one in the back is the newest. |
We all arrived on Wednesday, July 1 for supper. After supper we had snacks and played games.
Thursday - Saturday we had basically the same schedule each day:
- Breakfast followed by worship, devotions, and prayer time
- Meetings until lunch with a short break in the middle
- Lunch followed by committee meetings and free time
- Supper followed by worship and prayer time
- More meeting time
- Snacks and games
Three of us were asked to share a devotional; Saturday morning was my day. I shared some thoughts on Proverbs 3:5-6, Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.
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| Devotional |
During the meeting time, each ministry presented a report of how they were doing which included things accomplished in the past year and future plans for the ministry. I shared our report and Hannah shared about her time in language school last year.
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| Guesthouse report |
And of course, Hannah made time to cut some hair (12 people in fact, including the two Ecuadorian cooks). One of the cooks is interested in being a stylist and has even taken some classes - Hannah was able to talk to her in Spanish and explain as best she could what she was doing as she cut hair.
Saturday was July 4th so our supper meal was all-American: hamburgers, hot dogs, french fries, and potato salad. Very good! It wouldn't be a true July 4th without fireworks...
After breakfast on Sunday, we had some prayer time and then we packed up for home. We got back to the house in the late afternoon. We are thankful to the Lord for safe travels and successful meetings. We are also thankful for the fun and fellowship with the OMS Ecuador missionaries.
