Previous News

The Harrison Family have arrived back safely in Ecuador, with happy memories of their time in the UK. They were very encouraged during their stay by people's prayers and interest shown in their work in Ecuador. We have received their September News Letter. To read this please click on pdf below

October News

Chapel Stall at Caerwent Show Sept 2007

Members of the Chapel manned a stall at the Caerwent Show. The stall was in aid of The Shoe Box

Project which the chapel is involved in every year. Posters of Operation Christmas child were shown, which included photos of children from the different countries to which the shoe boxes are sent. Information about Operation Christmas Child was given to interested people,also leaflets with instructions about the boxes. A lot of interest was shown and some covered boxes were available for a small donation to the charity 'Samariton's Purse'.The Chapel are collecting boxes again this year, and information will be published in the village magazine. For details of box collection, leaflets and any other information you may ring 01291 626416 or 01291 421237.

Harrisons At Home June 2007

Harrison Family News & Prayer - June 2007

In England and on top of the world!
This month's news update comes to you from the North Pole! A word of explanation may be required lest you think we are a few atoms short of an outer shell! We are staying at North Pole Farm, a wonderful place where the wonderful Gurney family live, with amazing views up Nidderdale in North Yorkshire. Here we are able to relax, recover and re-group in between hectic bouts of speaking engagements all over England with skirmishes on the Welsh border too!

Our first month (of 3) has been such an encouragement to us as we met up with family, friends and supporters. We are truly stuffed (I mean grateful) after all the fantastic food we have been served as people kindly open up their homes to us. Ben and Lottie are really thankful for all the toys they have been lent over the summer also.

We have spoken at around 25 meetings so far and although we have really enjoyed doing this and sharing what God is doing it has been quite a demanding schedule. Things do slow down a bit soon as we enter the summer holiday period.

Just a bit of news from Ecuador. The community of Lirio where Martin has spent time over the last year now has running water for the first time. The community is overjoyed and will invite us to a special event when we get back to Ecuador. The HCJB employment issue remains serious in Quito and threatens the stability of the mission there.

Prayer
Please join us in thanking God for his goodness to us. We are so blessed by the friendship and support so many of you offer us. We know this when we are far afield and we experience it when we are with you in person. Pause to reflect on being a member of a family that will live forever. We would value your continued prayers for the following:

Energy and enthusiasm as we move around the country and speak at many venues.
Ben and Lottie. They are doing so well to adapt to being in so many places and then moving on but they also find it tiring and unsettling at times. To quote Ben "Please can we go to a house more than just once!"
That people would be encouraged by what we share with them and moved by God to continue in their prayerful support of this ministry.
HCJB in Ecuador. The employment issue remains unresolved and has worsened. It does threaten the continued operation of HCJB in Ecuador however we trust in Him who is greater than he who is in the world. Back to top

Holiday Club July 2007 Fun Day June 2007

The theme this year was Waste Watchers. The children were shown in video, songs,drama and play, how we can take care of all the things in creation given to us by God. They were shown how recycling all our waste matter, can help the environment, and keep our planet safe. During the four afternoons 44 children registered, and an average of 35 children attended each day. Young people from the Chapel gave a little play at the start of each afternoon, and were received with great enjoyment by the youngsters. They enjoyed the singing, games, and video. Rain on two days didn't spoil the fun. Friday evening parents were able to hear the children singing, and see the crafts made during the week. This ended with a sausage sizzle. All who took part had a great time and we would love to see the youngsters coming to our other meetings for young people at the Chapel.

June 2007 Anniversary Weekend Chapel Outing

The Chapel outing to The Old Station at Tintern was a good start to the weekend, apart from one shower the weather was quite good. All enjoyed a picnic lunch, followed by boules,badminton,or a 'sit and chat'. That weekend the Chapel celebrated it's 192 years anniversary. We were very blessed by the ministry of a young Welsh preacher from Cardiff - The Rev Wyn Hughes - who preached the word of God with fervour at the morning and evening services.

Martin and Ruth now in Ecuador. News March -April 2007

An Update on Ruth and Martin Harrison.

Ruth and Martin, with their children Ben and Lottie, completed their Spanish studies in Costa Rica this year and are now settling in Ecuador.

News from the family first hand....

Hello again from the Harrisons.

Our news and prayer follows.

"A missionary's reason for being ( in fact any Christian)...

If I as a missionary want to be accepted, to be befriended, to be listened to; I must win the right to be heard. I must win the right to give and share by first coming to learn, to seek, to be taught in the ways and by the lives of the people to whom I would communicate my faith".

The team - We give thanks for a great team here that help us as we try to do the above.

Church - We have found a church that we are very happy with! It's called La Republica, is Spanish speaking, has a great children's ministry which the children have taken to like ducks to water (big answer to prayer). Give thanks that we have found somewhere and pray for us as we join a cell group.

Visas - We have just received our legalised birth and marriage certificates back from the UK at long last! This means we can proceed with applying for visas now and a visit to Colombia!

Car Fund - We are thankful to God for how he has provided through our supporters. Please continue to pray as we await the final £1000 that is required. Then we can get a vehicle.

Ben and Lottie - Birthdays are very important in Ecuador. B and L are forever at them! Lottie rode a llama at the last one! It's a good way for us to meet new people. Lottie is already planning hers for February! Ben is really enjoying school and recently went as a cat when his class dressed up to learn the story of Noah! Give thanks that they continue to settle in well.

Work - Ruth took part in a health education workshop in the Andes mountains this month. She and others from HCJB, trained 25 people from 7 communities in good health and hygiene practise, so that they can go and promote health in their communities.

Martin - is working on project designs for two Quichua communities and recently went up the Cayapas River to investigate possibilities of water projects with the Cayapas Indians who are a virtually unreached group in the jungles to the west of the Andes.

Ruth's Bible study with the Ecudaorian upper class ladies (in Spanish ) went very well. The ladies were very gracious to her!

Keep an eye out for our next quarterly prayer letter which is on it's way shortly. We have also significantly updated our website.

HARRISON FAMILY NEWS AND PRAYER: MARCH 2007

Baked Alaskans in Ecuador!
Welcome to our March news and prayer. Last month we mentioned that there would be an update on Martin's work in March. He has been busy working in Lirio San Gonzalo, a remote Quichua mountain village at 12,500 feet. He has just returned from spending a week there working with the community on capturing 7 springs. He was there with a work team from Alaska who despite the thin cold air insisted on wearing tee-shirts all week! Well where they're from anything else feels tropical! Consequently they got sun burnt! It was a very special week and they were able to connect with the community at a practical and spiritual level. They ran a Bible club every afternoon with 100 children! There was also an evangelistic service in the church which was attended by the whole community. Out of 73 families, only 4 are actively Christian. The community had lied to us before we came saying they were all Christian, for fear of not receiving help from HCJB. When we explained that we were there to help regardless of their beliefs they apologized and this really helped us to build links and credibility with them. At the evangelistic service a number of families rededicated themselves to Christ. Martin is planning to return to Lirio in a couple of weeks.

Home and Away
Back in Quito Ruth continues to deepen relationships with the ladies she meets in the three Bible studies she is part of, at home group, mums of Ben and Lotties' friends and our neighbour downstairs.

After Easter we plan to spend a few days away taking the children to a Quichua community to help them understand what life is like for these people and to show them a water project. We also hope to be able to visit Shell where HCJB has a hospital and is building a water projects office for the Amazon projects. Whilst in Shell we will be visiting friends with MAF (Mission Aviation Fellowship). MAF helps us with logistics for the jungle water projects.

Home or Away
We will be in the UK on home ministry assignment from the middle of May until mid-August. We are excited about this but it will be a big change for all of us, especially Ben and Lottie. Ecuador is quickly becoming home for all of us and so we find ourselves thinking "Is traveling back to England coming home or going away?" We are excited about being able to see family and friends again and to share with supporting churches and individuals about the work God is doing through HCJB and the water projects.

Prayer
Please pray for the people of Lirio as Martin and other HCJB engineers work alongside them. Pray for further faith sharing opportunities.

Join us in thanking God for the relationships Ruth is building and pray that she would continue to be able to share her life and her relationship with the Lord with them.

Please pray for safety and health as we take Ben and Lottie to the Quichua communities and that they would learn through the experience.

Please pray for us as we make preparations to come to the UK and that God would guide us as we prepare presentations and get ready to share with many people what God is doing in Ecuador through HCJB.

www.harrisonfamily.org.uk

Don't forget to visit our website for more news, photos and videos. We have just posted a video about water projects on the Cayapas River plus photos for February.

Harrison Family News and Prayer April 2007

Family visit to Lirio and Shell
We have safely returned from a week away as a family. We spent time in Lirio, the community where Martin is working at present. It was special to be there as a whole family and the community responded very well to this. Quite a few of the children had never seen kids with blond hair before, so Ben and Lottie had their hair stroked and bodies prodded when we first arrived. Once the novelty wore off for the Quichua children Ben and Lottie had a great time playing with the Quichua kids and in the mud too. The Quichua could not believe that Ben is 5 and Lottie 4. The Quichua children of the same height were 9 or 10 years old! They had a go at helping with the digging and Lottie acquired a taste for roasted guinea pig! Martin was able to present a Quichua Bible to the community and some other Christian literature, encouraging them to keep seeking God.

After Lirio we visited Shell on the edge of the Amazon Jungle. HCJB has a hospital here and MAF (Mission Aviation Fellowship) is based at the airport. A highlight for Ben and Martin was to fly out on an MAF plane on an emergency to bring in an injured girl from a jungle community

Prayer
Thanks for your prayers. This month we would value prayer for the following:

Please pray for HCJB in Ecuador as it deals with the employees' dispute.
Please pray for Martin's health as he works in very basic conditions. He has been ill a number of times recently from living in Quichua communities.
Pray for the community of Lirio as we continue working there on the water project and seeking opportunities to share the gospel and encourage the Pastor of the small church there.
Give thanks for the provision of a family sized car from one of our supporters for whilst we are in the UK this summer.
Pray for us as we prepare to leave Ecuador for 3 months to visit the UK.

www.harrisonfamily.org.uk

Holiday Club 2006

This year the theme of the week was Pyramid Rock. It was based on the story of Joseph. Five of the young people from the Chapel youth group acted a little play every morning. The youngsters enjoyed these and interacted with the players. The singing was good, the craft and games were enjoyed, and we had good weather if a little hot. Friday evening a sausage sizzle was enjoyed by parents and families. The parents were able to see the crafts made, and enjoy the singing by the children. The numbers varied during the four days from 25 to 36 children.

Fun Day 2006

Fun Day 2006

What lovely weather we had on the day, and what a large number came. The children and adults enjoyed a variety of games and races, some sitting and solving some of the quizzes. We met old friends, former Sunday school members, and some new friends. The crèche was quite busy most of the time. All enjoyed the refreshments and the chefs did a grand job with hotdogs and beef burgers. We thank God that we were blessed with good weather and large attendance. We look forward to meeting everyone again next year, when it would be lovely to see even more new friends.

Shoe Boxes 2006

We would like to thank all friends for helping us reach a wonderful total of 320 Shoe Boxes this year.

With our love and prayers they went on their way November 24th.

A photo of one of our leaders thanking and talking to a group of people who so lovingly helped to reach that number.

Visiters To Chapel 2006

Nearing the end of last year we had a very enjoyable visit from Martin and Ruth Harrison, together with their two children, both under school age. Martin and Ruth are currently studying at Redcliffe College Gloucester . They are preparing for mission work in Ecuador .

The mission they will be working with is HCJB. This organisation was the world's first missionary radio station, their first broadcast on Christmas day 1931 in Ecuador. It is involved in media, healthcare and training.

Martin is a projects manager, specialising in water projects. He will be putting his skills to use with HCJB in Ecuador .

Ruth is a qualified teacher specialising in science subjects. With caring for her children perhaps part-time teaching, and being involved with Bible study and Mum's groups, her time in Ecuador will also be put to good use.

We were privileged to have them visit the Chapel on that Sunday morning. In May 2004 they spent six weeks in Ecuador on placement from Redcliffe. With videos, slides, music and talks, they gave us a good insight into their future work and the work of HCJB.

This year Martin and Ruth are going to Costa Rica for 8 months to study Spanish.

More information on this web site later.

CaerwentShow 2006

The Chapel had a stand at the Caerwent show, which was the start of this years campaign for Operation Christmas Child. The public were offered covered,or uncovered Christmas boxes, with leaflets, explaining all about the project. It was encouraging to see how many people were interested. Back to top

Previous News

Ecuador Sept:2007 Oct:2007

Chapel Stall at Caerwent Show Sept 2007

Harrisons At Home June 2007

Holiday Club July 2007 Fun Day June 2007

June 2007 Anniversary Weekend Chapel Outing

Martin and Ruth now in Ecuador. News March -April 2007

Holiday Club 2006

Fun Day 2006

Shoe Boxes 2006

Visiters To Chapel 2006

CaerwentShow 2006

Ecuador Sept:2007 Oct:2007

Chapel Stall at Caerwent Show Sept 2007

Harrisons At Home June 2007

Holiday Club July 2007 Fun Day June 2007

June 2007 Anniversary Weekend Chapel Outing

Martin and Ruth now in Ecuador. News March -April 2007

Holiday Club 2006

Fun Day 2006

Shoe Boxes 2006

Visiters To Chapel 2006

CaerwentShow 2006