Ecuador: Team Members Needed Now!

Mission team members are needed by April 10 for a special VBS team to Ecuador on June 27 – July 5, 2015. SIFAT teams usually work with our graduates in Ecuador to build facilities for the after-school programs sponsored by Compassion International. These programs give children from very poor families, who would otherwise be on the streets when not in school, a safe place to learn and grow. For this team only, we have been asked by two Methodist churches to help with a VBS-style camp for Compassion-sponsored and neighborhood children in two different communities.

Each high-energy camp will last three days and be led by Rev. Bill Etheridge of Aldersgate UMC in Huntsville, Ala. In Atucucho, where SIFAT teams built two daycare centers and a church, about 100-150 children are expected to participate at Agua de Vida UMC. The other camp will be for about 200 children and held outside Quito in Chaquibamba at a Methodist project called Puerta de Esperanza (Door of Hope).

Cost: $2050, including round-trip airfare. Leisure day activities include visiting the Middle of the World and having lunch at El Crater restaurant on the edge of an extinct volcano, as well as a day trip to zip-line in the Mindo cloud forest.

If interested, contact Peggy Walker, international team coordinator, right away at internationalteams@sifat.org. Please include a short bio and contact information.

Be part of a VBS-style camp for up to 350 children! Sign up before April 10 to be part of this special team!

International Mission Teams: 2014 Team Members Needed in Ecuador!

Please join us in helping the children of Ecuador. SIFAT offers you that opportunity now! We need team members on several of our scheduled teams to Ecuador this year. Below, you will find dates for teams that need additional members and a summary of the project. We also have weeks available if you are interested in leading a new team from your church, school or community. Please contact Peggy Walker, SIFAT team coordinator, at walkerp@sifat.org or 256.396.2015 if you are interested in joining or leading a team in 2014.

This year, SIFAT teams will return to Villa Flora to begin work on the third floor of Pastor Rafael and Anita’s church. Teams built the first two floors in 2009 and 2010.

Current 2014 teams needing members:

  • 5/10 – 5/17 – University of Southern Mississippi Wesley Foundation – 4 spots for college students
  • 6/28 – 7/6 – Multi-church team led by Bill Etheridge, Aldersgate UMC, Huntsville – 6-7 spots for any age
  • 7/26-8/2 – Calera UMC, Calera, Ala.- 8-9 spots for any age
  • Doctors and nurse practitioners are also needed on several medical teams this year.

More 2014 teams still needed:

We still need an additional five (5) construction/VBS teams or medical teams between August and November of this year.


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Ecuador: First 2013 Medical Team

Last week, we posted about this year’s first international mission team from the Auburn University Schools of Building Science and Nursing. You can read about the construction part of the team working in Puengasí here. Just as a reminder, Jeff Etheridge of Auburn University Photographic Services documented the trip. In case you missed our updates on Facebook, here are links to the Facebook albums Jeff posted: Quito, Ecuador, Building Science & Nursing Team, Middle of the World, Nursing team in Marianitas, Building Science team in Puengasí (you can find all of the photos posted below and more in these albums!).

Before leaving Miller Hall, the team along with friends, faculty members and families joined to pray for their trip and those they would be serving.

The medical component of the team served in Marianitas with SIFAT graduate Pastor Mario. These nursing, pharmacy and nursing practitioner students and faculty held a women’s health clinic. Not only did the women have physical exams, but they also attended an educational seminar taught by the nursing students. Of course, the team also held VBS for the project’s children and some children from the community.


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Ecuador: First 2013 team returns!

Our first team of the year spent their spring break from Auburn University serving the communities of Puengasí and Marianitas in Quito, Ecuador. The Schools of Nursing and Building Science took a combined team of 35 students and faculty, including three pharmacy students and a pharmacy alumna. This year, Jeff Etheridge of Auburn University Photographic Services took photos and video of the team. In case you missed our updates on Facebook, here are links to the Facebook albums Jeff posted: Quito, Ecuador, Building Science & Nursing Team, Middle of the World, Nursing team in Marianitas, Building Science team in Puengasí (you can find all of the photos posted below and more in these albums!).

On Sunday, the Auburn University Schools of Nursing and Building Science attended church at Agua de Vida and took a tour of Mama Yoli’s House, both of which were built by SIFAT teams.

In this post, we’ll focus on the building science component that served in Puengasí, an urban neighborhood of Quito. SIFAT teams have worked in here for the past two years building an addition SIFAT graduate Pastor Oswaldo’s church. This addition will be used for their after school programs and community outreach. In a later post, we will share about the nursing team’s women’s clinic held at SIFAT graduate Pastor Mario’s church in Marianitas.


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International Mission Teams: Team members needed in Ecuador!

Have you always wanted to go on a mission team, but maybe your church didn’t offer the opportunity? Or, perhaps you have just been waiting for the right opportunity? SIFAT can help! Several of our scheduled mission teams to Ecuador need additional team members. Below, you will find dates of teams already going. If you are interested in leading a team from your church or community, we still have available weeks. Contact Peggy Walker, team coordinator, at walkerp@sifat.org or 256.396.2015 if you are interested in joining a team.
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