As Verbo Ministries in Ecuador passes its twenty-fifth anniversary our churches are experiencing accelerating church growth and ministry expansion in the middle of a nation-wide awakening to the Gospel. There are more than 2,000 believers in the Verbo Quito South congregation alone, and it’s only one of four in the capital city.

Troubles Challenge Team

It wasn’t always that way. After Tom and Guisela Becotte and their Guatemalan team members planted the first church in Quito it was such tough going that at one point they considered giving up and going on to some other country. When I visited in March, 1984, Guatemalan missionary pastor Julio Dominguez died literally in front of me from a heart attack at the age of thirty. This was a heavy blow to the team.

A short time later the other Verbo leaders in Guatemala asked Mary and me to pray about helping the Becottes. I heard a clear “Yes!” from God. In May, 1985, we moved to this Andean country with our four children to help strengthen the mission. I had been working strongly in Guatemala with concepts of signs and wonders power evangelism, healing prayer, and pastoral counseling, which brought in a special element of the supernatural.

Supernatural  Happenings Begin

God caused the small congregation of around 65 to grow quickly. It more than doubled the first year. We had special meetings every Sunday afternoon to train people in how to pray for the sick in a hands-on way. Even new Christians were learning to move in the gifts of the Holy Spirit and pray for the sick with success.