Graham and Sharon Nichols US Home Church: Lewis Memorial UMC Evans, GA

E-Mail: Nichols4Ecuador@gmail.com Web-Site: www.Nichols4Ecuador.org

Skype: graham.sharon.nichols

December 2016

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have

seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father,

full of grace and truth.” John 1:14

Saludos friends, family and church family,

Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ. We pray this mission

letter finds you well, full of hope, and filled with His Goodness! Please pray with us

as we seek to please God and embrace His fulfillment in us. †

December Mission News … folks, the month of December was fuller than most …

more Visa renewal process in Quito, Sunday School every Sunday, Children’s

Ministry in the Montoneros Community, Christmas Celebrations in the Communities

we serve, food shopping to feed the hungry, food basket deliveries, birthday parties,

family dinners, Christmas Eve gatherings and finally family from the US in Ecuador to

celebrate Christmas and the New Year, oh yea, and we had Thanksgiving in

December for 40 in our home … sooo … there are not adequate words to describe all

the God Moments, ministry among the little people, JOY, sweat, tears-happy tears

and sad ones, and love and hugs that went on in this place over the past 31 days, so

photos, lots of photos are gonna help us with the blessing of sharing the Mission of

Jesus in Santo Domingo with you all. Here goes … and know this truth, it’s still, in

the midst of an ever-changing World, an incredible blessing to be in this place among

these people at this time in history who also call us family! Be Glorified LORD!! †

Thanksgiving a la Casa de los Nichols in December with

some of our favorite peeps in the

Southern Hemisphere, and music, devotion, lots of hugs and

love and laughs and awesome food …

each family brought one food to feed 40

… a buffet at the foothill of Bomboli

… our Santo Domingo Mountain … our only one! It was a lovely starry night to share a US

tradition outside with our ECU

friends and family. †

Holaaa desde Santo Domingo!!

The JOY of serving together with our Bishop

of the Evangelical United Methodist

Church of Ecuador, Rev.

Silvo Cevallos … the family

Sarabia and Davicho’s

Birthday lunch after Sunday

Worship, Karol’s Birthday

celebration at her abuelita’s home, her mami passed away earlier in 2016, and the

family Zurita, and a lovely dinner in the new home of our godchildren,

Daniel and Génesis. †

We were gifted by some incredible people who know the needs of our people here and gave from their hearts so we could shop and provide a basket of food for some of our most needy. We live in an area

surrounded by some of the poorest in the Coastal Region and we have people who literally have nothing to feed their children, and what they do have they go without so their children can eat. These children are part of our ministry programs and are faithful to be in Sunday School and in-Community for ministry. We see great need, and not just at Christmas, and many of you responded and we are grateful for your giving hearts. You helped make 102 people cry … but tears of relief, and JOY. †

Grocery Shopping to feed 10 families. We brought along 2 of my Sunday

School teachers who know better than we do the

best items to buy that will be of

the most benefit to the families

and specially to help meet the needs of new mothers and

children. Génesis and Gabby are

both blessings to us and those we serve together! †

There was Blessing after Blessing while delivering the food baskets. Some of our families have life events too personal to be part of photos. These children asked straight

out to have their pictures

taken. ☺ All our families are

precious, some have multiple

issues, and some have lives

more difficult than most could ever imagine. †

Ministry in the Montoneros

Community is always full of children no

matter the time of year. They are a JOY and love so

much learning more about

Jesus. We need to buy more tables and benches, if

anyone wants to help us with this project, please. We are growing faster than we can sit still and

this is Santo Domingo, so the sun and humidity

destroys most everything. But we continue to

grow in the love of Jesus. †

Sunday School is rocking every Sunday morning … we are full-up with little people and we now have 2 males on the 2nd floor helping our teachers! I am so proud to have Daniel and Klever part of the SS

program. Christian male examples are few and far between and these 2 men of God are great role models for our children, especially for our boys. We are grateful for their willingness to serve. †

Candy bags were provided for our children and adults in Community Ministry that we were able to help provide for and put together in the place we have Children’s Ministry every 15 days. 275 bags were filled … thank you for helping us provide for this project. A bag of candy is all many

of these children receive for Christmas and it is a treasure to most. A $2 bag of candy. †

The evening came to celebrate the Birth of

Jesus in Community and feed the masses spiritually and

physically. So many we could hardly count.

Those 275 candy bags went fast after

everyone was served a plate of chicken, rice and salad, but first Sharon opened the

program in prayer and a short message, and

then the littlest children presented a drama, music by a couple of

youth, an adult choir, a Christmas message

from the Pastor and lots of JOY among the

crowd. This annual event is also part of the church’s evangelism … we are hoping to see many of these new

faces in our children’s and adult ministry

programs in 2017! †

Christmas Eve was a blessing to the Nichols living and serving in Ecuador, the Sarabia’s, a big part of our Santo Domingo family, invited us once again this year to their home for a wonderful meal, secret Santa gifts and fellowship with this dear family who God has graciously added to our lives. We missed part of this family this year, our Luis, Adry, Amy, Matias and Luisito are now living and studying in Spain. On scholarship from the ECU government. God willing, they will be back with the Sarabia-Nichols family for Christmas 2017. They are missed, loved and

prayed for every day! But we sense God has great plans for them. †

And so, dear people … we are a bit tired but we are blessed and we are happy and

we are also a little sad to not have been at home in the US with our family and

Church family over Christmas … but we are indeed at home here as well … in the

place where we were created to be. Pray for us please … there are lots of Kingdom

works happening here and ministry is growing and we have plans to take the Gospel

into another new community soon … this means 4 communities plus Church ministry

… more work … but more opportunities to be an example of Jesus in the lives of the

lonely, the abused, the abandoned, left behind by the World … Jesus will not leave

them behind … He died for them too and He has placed us here for His purpose … it

is our calling in Christ … and it is a privilege. May the Creator of the Universe, of ALL

things, be Glorified in us and through us, and heaven help us; in those we are here

to help make disciples who will in turn make disciples … it’s how we each change the

World for someone … it’s how we each change the World, period. †

We praise God from Whom ALL blessings flow. We are soo very grateful for the support we have

received and continue to receive in prayers and financial blessings which helps greatly to keep

us going in the direction God is moving in our lives … to the places and people He places in our

paths. As ministry continues to grow and spill over into other communities filled with children

nearby … GLORY!! … we are humbled to be included in the lives of all the people God generously

gives us to love and to be able to help to keep warm and dry, and now cool and dry … equator

living!! … And along the way the blessing and calling of feeding them spiritually and emotionally

and physically. Please prayerfully consider joining Jesus in His mission alongside us … feeding

hungry tummies and sweet little hearts as we ‘be’ the Gospel for the people as empowered by

His Good and Faithful Spirit. We simply cannot continue in His service here without your prayers

and financial partnership and support. We thank God for you all! †

God bless the faithful who have kept us going and continue to be blessings in our lives and in

the lives, we are called to serve and love into the Kingdom together. Thank you!! It is an

incredible JOY!!! †

Yours in Christ, Graham and Sharon

Graham and Sharon Nichols

Christmas Day came and our children and

youth were wonderful

celebrating Jesus. The youth, 14-18

years old sang and did a lovely job … our children 3-13 years

old presented a drama, and making up the multitude of Angels, they sang a

non-traditional Christmas song, ‘Vine a Adorarte’~‘Here I am to Worship’ … 100 voices strong

and they were fabulous as a Church

full Worshiped together the Greatest Gift to ever be given to the World. To God

be the Glory! †

“The thing that makes a missionary is the sight of what Jesus did on the

cross and to have heard Him say, ‘GO’.” –Oswald Chambers

All donations may be made to:

The Mission Society P.O. Box 922637

Norcross, Georgia 30010

Nichols Support #0368 on the memo line OR Via

The Mission Society’s New Website Giving Info:

https://themissionsociety.org/give

For giving Missionary support please use the “Give to a Missionary” form and specify the 4-digit code 0368 OR you

may just type our names Graham and Sharon Nichols

And finally for December 2016 … our NC family came home to Ecuador to visit. Graham’s (our) niece has been married to an Ecuadorian gentleman for over 30 years from Quito and Santo

Domingo. While in Country we were invited to have a lovely New Year’s Eve meal at their family farm about 28 miles from where we live. Who could have thought 30+ years ago, when we first

met, that our new nephew would be living in our first home State of NC, USA and we’d be living in his first home Country and home city in Ecuador, SA … only GOD could make this happen! It was

a JOY to see them all … especially our very handsome 21-year-old great-nephew who is a Junior at UNC Chapel Hill! Vayaaa Tarheels. †

Please feel free to forward, mail-out or print our Newsletter for your Sunday school class, small group, Church or friends … Thank you!! Bendiciones! †