The Bartons

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Finally, we get to the Barton family's house!

For those of you who don't know, the Bartons are medical missionaries from our home church (New Saint Peter's) in Dallas. They work in Shell, Ecuador serving the Lord in the care of local folks from the town and surrounding jungle. The small airstrip in Shell is the same one Nate Saint, Jim Elliot, and the others flew from on that fateful day into the jungle where they were martyred. The work continues to this day and the jungle pilots still fly out to bring the sick and injured back to the hospital. During our brief stay, we got a taste of what life is like for the Bartons. When one thinks about "missionary life", it is easy to focus on the dramatic (like: "Through Gates of Splendor") and miss the regular rhythm of life raising four boys, cooking meals, and the myriad of daily chores that accompany the service of the Lord. This stop was special in a way that no other stop has been so far in that these are folks that we have been praying for and helping our church plan short-term mission trips to visit. Although the trip was short as we had to hurry to Guayaquil to get our car out of the port, it was a time we enjoyed very much. (Also, see my post "A Beautiful Place")

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Photos

The Bible and a box of nails
...a good combination!