Great news for the Nuevos Amigos (New Friends) school in Quito, Ecuador.  After two years of working and waiting and complying and waiting… the school has finally been approved by the Ecuadorian minister of education.  Next year they will expand and add a second grade class.

The senior high youth group from Richvale Bible Chapel in Richmond Hill, Canada served with Extreme Response in Quito, Ecuador June 25- July 4th. The group of twenty teenagers and adult sponsors served with ER partner Nuevos Amigos in a very depressed part of the city. Their mornings consisted of painting the school building and several class rooms, also running a kids’ club for a total of three hundred kids in the afternoon. A highlight of the week was a morning of just playing with the children at the Zambiza dump day care center. This year’s team was the first ever from Richvale. Thanks for serving those in need here in Ecuador!

Submitted by Dan Maloy

The senior high youth group from Woodside Bible Church in Troy Michigan served with Extreme Response in Quito, Ecuador June 27- July 6th. The 17 teenagers and 6 adult sponsors served with ER partner Remanso de Amor  (Haven of Love) in the south part of the city. Their days consisted of making repairs to the school building there and running a kids’ club in several different neighborhoods. A highlight of the week was in serving a hot meal to the night shift workers at the Zambiza dump project. This year’s team was the third consecutive group from Woodside. Thanks again for serving in Ecuador!

Submitted by Bill Hedrick- ER Teams Coordinator

Lung Wah is a Chinese restaurant in Quito, Ecuador. A large group had gathered for dinner on a Saturday evening in December 2007. We had just participated in a Christmas party at the Zambiza Dump. I was seated next to Mike Bishop, Director of Human Resources for Extreme Response International. During the meal I mentioned that I was a nurse at a Home for the Aged in Ontario, Canada. Mike explained that he and his wife Carol had taken a little Nursing Home in Quito under their wing, and frequently visited and held programs for the residents. Mike mentioned they were looking for North American Nursing Homes to sponsor this little place. I came away with the thought in the back of my mind, but at that point was unsure how to help.

December 2008, found us back at the Christmas parties in Quito. This time our group from Ontario had the privilege of visiting the little Nursing Home called “Hogar Betañia”. Two other nurses from the facility where I work, were along on the trip.We all came away with our hearts touched by this little group, their surroundings and their needs. Without mentioning my thoughts, the two girls approached me asking if there wasn’t some way our facility could help. We proceeded to inquire about the needs of Hogar Betañia. At the top of their wish list, was physical therapy equipment. While at the Nursing Home we had been especially taken by a wheel chair we had seen. It seemed to have wheel chair wheels, but the seat consisted of a white plastic lawn chair. Not sure it would pass inspection in Ontario. Early in the Spring we discovered that June was actually Seniors month, with the theme this year being “Seniors reaching out to Seniors”. It was a perfect plan for a fund-raiser. With a visual display, and a replica of the wheel chair we had seen as our prop, we conducted our fund-raiser. The event was held on June 14, 2009 at Norview Lodge in Simcoe, Ontario the same day as our annual picnic for residents and their families. Each person making a donation received an Ecuadorian rose, donated by a local florist. Generous donations were received from residents, their families, staff, and volunteers. All donations will be sent via Extreme Response to Quito, Ecuador for the purchase of physical therapy equipment for Hogar Betañia.

Submitted by Kathy Dreyer

A team from Kensington Community Church of Troy, Michigan is currently on the coast of Ecuador, building a security wall around the Montanita Verde Orphanage.  They’re doing a great job with not only the construction, but also with building relationships with the children of the orphanage.  Thanks for all your hard work, team!

After months of planning and paperwork, fundraising and collecting of donated items, it seemed so surreal to finally be in Manta, Ecuador. I was part of a team of 11 Canadians from the Simcoe, Ontario area that flew to Manta to help put on the Christmas Outreach Events for 2008. We went loaded down with 22 suitcases, all weighing in at the 49.9 allowable pounds, ready to bring joy and encouragement to the poor people in the coastal area of Manta. We had brought with us toys, hygiene items, and school supplies to make up gift bags, for the approximate 600 children that we were to bring Christmas greetings to. We brought cash to purchase food supplies to make lunches for the folks at the parties and food baskets to take home with them as well. What a grocery shopping trip that was! Games were assembled for the parties. Simple things like plywood painted with cut out circles to allow bean bags to be tossed through. Stick fishing poles to play “Go Fish” were constructed. Plastic pop bottles filled with beach sand to toss rings onto. Laughter and love filled the room as the gift bags were put together. We were there in our minds, to bring encouragement to these forgotten folks. We just were not really ready for the 180 turn around that was about to happen to us as we set out for the locations of the Christmas parties. The big longing eyes, the smiles, the grateful hugs, the emotional out spring of thankfulness to us for coming. We saw children and adults together play our games, colour our crafts, and receive our gifts with enthusiasm as if we had taken them to Disney for the day. We thought we were to be the bearers of great joy, but I think we recieved just as much in return. I will never forget the encounter I had with one little guy and his mother. He had just received his gift bag, besides the toothbrush, toothpaste, face cloth, bar of soap, the bag also contained a little teddy bear and the “treasure of his eye” a shiny red Corvette Hot Wheel car. He turned to his mother so excited, she looked at him and then up at me. I asked our translator to have a quick conversation. The mother got up gave me a hug and told our translator…”thank you for coming far away from your home to bring us these gifts, I could never have enough money to be able to buy my son such a nice toy” To think that a hot wheel car that cost our team 64 cents a piece could bring so much joy. We all went back to Canada, lives a little changed…we live in the land of plenty, help us to be more generous to those who have nothing.