Friends,

Chris Swinford and I are coming toward the end of our mission to Quito, Ecuador. We will both have our last speaking session tomorrow at the Pan American Lectures and will begin to plan for our trip home on Thursday morning. We arrived in Quito last Wednesday night and began a Leadership Seminar at Quito School of Biblical Studies, a Sunset Associate School. This was our first international branch school and certainly one of the finest. QSOBS has 47 students studying at three levels. The students and faculty are outstanding. Over 90 graduates have been sent out to preach in 12 nations and to plant at least 8 new congregations. Kent Marcum continues to do a great job as director of the school. Kent and Sharla have been in Quito for 20 years and have helped to build an exciting and fruitful work. The Marcums were the anchor family in a 5 family team that went from SIBI in 1988 to plant a new congregation in Quito. Three of the original families (Kent and Sharla Marcum, Kevin and Dannie Haynes, Dan and Kathy Leaf) were here this week for a reunion.