Kevin & Kathy Bruce

Awa Territory, Ecuador

If you would like to email them, they can be reached at kevinbruce(at)liebenzellusa.org (please note that in order to avoid email being added to spam lists, the email address above is listed with the spelling of the @ sign; therefore when you email them, replace (at) with @).  Field address Casilla 10-10-692, Ibarra Imbabura Ecuador South America  Mission Address, Liebenzell Mission of USA Po box 66 Schooley's Mt. NJ 07870

 Click for Kenny's Report on his trip to Israel with the Church March 3 2008 or Scroll to bottom.              For the longer version on the Bruce Blog click here  

•  For the June issue of the Bruce Brief
• From the Liebenzell publication Currents Liebenzell USA

MUDDY MOUNTAIN MISSIONARIES

About six months ago, two missionary families - Kevin & Kathy Bruce with their three children and Doug & Dorcus Williams with three children moved from the Awa Center in the village of Lita up into the mountains of the Awa territory. Gone were electricity and running water, along with the telephones and email. Every trip starts with a hike. The reason for the move was to get closer to the Awa people , to understand their lives better and to know how to help them grow in the Lord. That is exactly what is happening. "We used to see Paulino about once every few months while were living in Lita. Our relationship consisted mostly in his coming to hear us teach God's Word either in town or on one of our trips up the mountain. But now we have spent hours together building houses, hauling wood, planting corn, and swinging machetes, and we feel that we really are friends. He asks us advice about spiritual things, and we ask him about the best way to plant beans or take care of chickens. we are much closer to living in his world." "The same could be said for most of the Awa believers living around us, and we are excited about the openness and growth we are seeing in their lives. We are able to better understand some of the struggles and difficulties they face, and to help point them to the answers the Lord has provided in His Word."

      This article is now about 2 years old and a lot of progress has been made. A regular Sunday meeting and a sunday school for the young Awa. Time has been made to teach those Awa who would like to read and be able to do basic math, this usually happens once a month.

Then the our pastor and his wife came to visit, mud is no respector of persons,

Sunday school in Reo Verde                                     Pot luck lunch boiled pork, rice, yucca,

                                                                             Onion  salad

       Ken at Golan Heights with Syria in the background

   At the beginning of this month, a group from our church got "the opportunity of a lifetime:" we went on a 10-day tour of Israel. (Well... it was actually 11 days but what with the time change, we're pretty sure one of those days disappeared.) I had an incredible time, and I think most of the other people feel similarly.
   One of the questions we've all been asked, and have asked ourselves, is: What was your favorite moment? Well, I can't answer for everybody, but I think that one of the most thrilling times for me was when I began the descent of the "Snake Path" down the eastern side of  Masada. With the massive mountain-fortress behind me and the blue-white of Dead Sea - the lowest body of water on earth - stretched out in front of me, it was breathtaking. Other highlights included entering the Old City of Jerusalem, where we walked through crowded markets and up on the temple mount; sailing on the Sea of Galilee; viewing the plains of Armageddon from Megiddo; and communion at the Garden Tomb (despite the chilly weather).
   I feel that I have gained a much greater appreciation for the geography and history of the Holy Land. When I read: "Jesus went out on the Sea of Galilee" it recalls a picture to my mind of that lake in between rock-studded hills. I would advise anyone receiving an opportunity to visit Israel to take it!
   Kenny Bruce

To learn more about the Bruce’s, visit their website at

          Bruce Brief june

Greetings from the RV Outpost!

The summer begin with a tragedy in the community south of us. The first week of June our neighbor Milton went to go fishing and found the body of a young girl floating in the river down below us. For Milton it was an extremely upsetting moment, but after praying, the Lord gave him courage to tie the body up, get help, and find out what had happened. We were in Ibarra that week, and Kathy’s sister Chrissy was at the Outpost alone, but did what she could to help. Milton soon found out that the body belonged to one of two girls that were missing from a family 3 hours’ hike upriver from the Outpost. The girls had been returning from their country farm to the community center where they went to school, and had to cross one of the swollen creeks along the way. Apparently they somehow were washed downstream. Their family, along with many others from the community, searched for the next two weeks all along the river from their community to town, but were unable to locate the other body (about 25 kilometers of river). Please pray for the family of Marco Aurelio as they deal with this sad loss. Pray for Paulino as he reaches out to them and others there in the community. One day while searching the river near us, Marco Aurelio asked me if it was true (as he had been told) that people that drowned in rivers couldn’t go to Heaven.  I assured him that drowning in a river made no difference to God---His acceptance of a person had everything to do with Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross and not the manner of death. I encouraged him to help his remaining family hear God’s truth. But our hearts are heavy knowing that likely neither Marco nor his girls have accepted Jesus’ payment for their sin. Please pray for this needy family!

The beginning of this week found us assisting in a medical caravan here in RV.  A missions trip organized by our friend Sheila in Kentucky came down bringing medicine and doctors. This group is visiting different communities here in Ecuador giving a free medical checkup and medicine when necessary. They have come annually here to our community, and it was a joy to work with them again. In the two days here they saw around 350 people and showed Christ’s love in a very tangible way to the Awa people. We also took the opportunity to teach the Bible with all those who came, sharing that although when Jesus was here on earth he was concerned with the health and physical issues of the people, he came with the purpose to provide a cure for the even more serious disease of sin. Just as these doctors freely offered medicine, God freely offered his Son.  Click here to see a few pictures

Thank you so much for your continued prayers!

PS: check out this big worm we saw while hiking: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtaIpfJUqF0Thanks for your friendship, prayers, and backing in so many ways--our hearts are continually blessed by your encouragement!

Kevin and Kathy Bruce

Kenny, Keilah, and Kimberly