Micah Yoder -- Missionary to Ecuador

Left: Micah stands in front of Laguna Cuicocha in northern Ecuador. This beautiful lake is a "dead lake", as it has no water going in or out of it, yet it is very clean.

[ Skip down to Ministry, Prayer Requests, Contributing, Contact Info, Links, Info for my Customers ]

The Call

I have believed for some time that technology can and should be used in missions...

...to help raise finances
...to make spreading the Gospel more efficient
...to build bridges to technical people who do not know Christ

I have increasingly been realizing that fulfilling the Great Commission is really our most important job assignment on earth! (See my article on that topic.) There are some other missions projects I have wanted to get involved in, but either I didn't feel "called" to that particular ministry or God didn't open the door.

Then, in February 2002, I traveled to Ecuador to help the Alliance Academy (a missionary kid school in Quito) with their network servers. The Academy is right across the street from the HCJB World Radio compound, and I got to go over there and meet several HCJB World Radio techies. It seemed like a really great fit. They are using the same technology as I am familiar with, the people are easy to get along with, and Quito itself seemed like a great place for me to live. I am very impressed by the cooperation I saw between various missions organizations in Ecuador. That is absolutely the way it should be, and I'm now very excited to be there! God opened the door in October 2002 at HCJB World Radio's candidate orientation in Colorado Springs, where I was appointed to join their staff in Ecuador.

In December of 2002 I received an e-mail from my future boss in Quito. I had asked for some information as to what specific projects I might be working on, as an aid to fund-raising. I'm not kidding, it read like a bullet list of technologies that I have the most experience in and/or really want to work with more! There can be no doubt God led me into this.

Ministry

I am working in the information technology department of HCJB World Radio's main compound in Quito, Ecuador. Most work involves computer programming or system administration.

Question: "Let me get this straight. You're in front of a computer most of the time, and you call yourself a missionary!?"

Yeah. HCJB World Radio's signal carries the Gospel message to nearly the whole world, including many areas that "traditional" missionaries are not allowed to go. So true, I am not a traveling evangelist hacking through Amazon jungle to reach lost tribes. But for some people, radio is their only link to Christian witness, and I am playing an important role in making these high tech Gospel broadcasts possible! That is exciting.

Prayer

No ministry can ever be effective without much prayer. So here are my main requests:

Praise that the financial support I need has been coming in, and prayer that it will continue.
That I be protected physically and spiritually in Quito. Including prayer for safety as I walk the streets, both from traffic and people with less-than-honorable intentions as to what my money could be used for. I have so far seen God's hand of protection in both areas.
Pray for the unity of the Information Systems team, that we may work as one. Also that God grant us the wisdom we need to solve the problems that come our way. Again, I've already seen God answer that, but please keep praying!
And finally, continue praying for the ministries of HCJB World Radio: For program producers (that they would convey the message God wants to convey), that people will tune in, that people would respond to the message.

Contributing

I am not asking anyone to impulsively contribute to my ministry fund or agree to support me. Even if you are a friend or family, it's OK if you don't! Rather, I ask you to pray about it and ask if this is something God would have you support. The reason for this is that there are many ministries that need financial support. God owns it all and He should be the One directing where each person's missions support dollars are allocated.

I do urge you to put money into fulfilling the Great Commission, whether it is through me or another missionary or ministry.

If God leads you to not support me financially, I would still appreciate all prayer support, and you may be able to help me in other ways, like telling others about me and/or helping me find speaking contacts for my next trip to the States.

Having said all this, if God is telling you to support me financially, I thank you in advance, and here's how to do it! HCJB World Radio has an online form to get you started. All you need to know is that my last name is Yoder and my account number is 110501. If you'd rather not get started on the Net, please contact me (see below) and we'll discuss other ways.

Although one-time gifts are greatly appreciated, I really need ongoing monthly contributions to sustain this ministry. Please consider using automatic monthly transfers from your bank account. It's easy, and will ensure that my support remains consistent!

Contact Info

As always, I want to hear from you! Please e-mail micah AT JesusIsLife DOT net (sorry for no link, I just don't want spam at this address) with any comments or questions.

You may also contact me in more "traditional" ways:

Micah Yoder
PO Box 39800
Colorado Springs, CO 80949

Interesting Links

HCJB World Radio home page. Here you can read about the mission and hear some of their excellent news programs over the Internet.
Duane's Ecuador photos. This is a very informative page put up by HCJB World Radio's photographer. Ecuador is a beautiful country and these pictures prove it!
Lonely Planet's Destination Ecuador. Some more details and travel info for those thinking about coming to visit me!

NOTE to current yoderdev.com web hosting customers and JesusIsLife.net e-mail users: You may be concerned about the implications of my going to Ecuador on continued availability of your e-mail and web hosting.

The current plan is to continue to operate JesusIsLife.net from Ecuador, and to continue very limited web hosting services. It takes very little time, so as long as it pays for itself, it will likely continue.

I see JesusIsLife.net is an important ministry which God has led me to do, so I am not planning to take it down anytime soon.