Since Hacienda El Refugio was founded, it has been part of our vision to one day build a climbing wall. That day has come! It is incredible to see how God is bringing a story full circle as this dream begins to take shape.
For decades HCJB, the Voice of the Andes, has been transmitting radio to the world from its antenna farm in Pifo, 15 miles of east of Quito. In 1985 Dr. Ron Cline spearheaded the “World by 2000” challenge (later renamed “World by Radio”), an initiative to provide Christian radio for everyone in a language they could understand. Due to changes in strategy and the construction of a new International Airport nearby, HCJB began the process of dismantling 48 towers in 2006.
When Ron Cline brought his family to Ecuador in 1976, his son Russ was 12, going into 7th Grade. Nearly 20 years later, Russ brought his family to Ecuador to launch Youth World, and in 1999 Youth World began the ministry of Hacienda El Refugio.
In early March we got news that HCJB was selling sections of Radio Antenna at an incredibly low price, $10 a meter!...so we threw our climbing wall engineer for a loop and asked him to completely redesign the structure in time to pour the foundation just a few weeks later! (Thanks for coming through Kim Ramsey!)
Rick Borman, the North American Rep for El Refugio, had been working closely with a group from Camp of the Woods in upstate New York for several months. 14 students came down with the LiFT program to do mission work in some remote areas of Ecuador and to help get the Climbing Wall Project off the ground. LiFT donated $1000 in climbing holds, as well as some funds for construction, and helped pour the foundation for the main section of the wall.
We are especially excited about how the climbing wall will enhance programming at El Refugio. There are very few opportunities to provide this kind of experience in Ecuador, mostly because the condition of the rock in natural settings hasn’t made climbing a big sport in Ecuador, while the few sitesthat do exist are very hard to access and are geared towards more advanced climbers. The Climbing Wall will enable us to provide a rock climbing experience to people who would otherwise never be able to try something like this, and our heart is to use this experience to draw people into deeper intimacy with Christ.
The Project is estimated to cost $15,000, out of $5000 has been raised so far. Our goal is to raise a significant amount of the remaining $10,000 in the coming months so that we can keep this project rolling when our summer work teams hit the ground.
If you are interested in giving to this project you can send donations to:
International Teams 411 West River Rd. Elgin, IL 60123
*please designate the gift to “El Refugio: Climbing Wall”
It never fails to amaze us that we get to be part of what God is doing. Thank you for your prayers and consideration and for joining us in pursuing this vision,
The El Refugio Team
1 comment:
Didn't I read about a "tower that reaches to the heavens" somewhere in Genesis?
Praying for you Scholls!
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