Lea
Missionaries to Ecuador
4/14/2026
What a blessed weekend we’ve had. At the Bible conference at Kabokweni, it was a joy to hear testimonies from many whose lives have been touched by the Word in past days. We came away rejoicing… both in what God has done in them, and also in having a small part in it.
Then this weekend brought added blessings.
Loyd…
On Saturday, Loyd gave testimony of being born again. She is a young lady and sister to Johannes who he brought to our services a few months ago. My wife has been doing a Bible study with her on WhatsApp, and now she has come out of religion and Catholicism to Christ. What a joy to hear her testimony of receiving Christ.
Philimone…
That same night, I heard that Philimon would be baptized Sunday morning in Malawi. He is the man I’ve been studying with by WhatsApp. Recently, he testified of trusting Christ, turning from a Presbyterian background where he believed baptism would save him. Now he is resting in Christ alone. He also has a desire to see a Baptist church planted in his village, and Pastor Roy is working with him to seek God’s direction.
Michael…
Then on Sunday, I received a message from Michael. I met him a few months ago during a Bible study in the Venda area. It was clear he had not been born again, though he was seeking truth, so I enrolled him in our Gospel Lessons. Soon after, his wife left him, and he was deeply discouraged. I urged him to continue and learn who Christ would be to him in this trial. He did not stop.
As we finished the final lesson Sunday, he saw clearly that his religion had been without Christ. That night, he testified that he had put his trust in Jesus Christ alone and is now a believer.
Thank you for praying…
God is so good to us. Because of your prayers and His grace, we are able to spend these years serving Him here in southern Africa and watching Him work in lives.
For the Souls of Men,
Douglas Hammett
South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Angola and Beyond
04/13/2026
KJV Acts 14:23 And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed.
Dear pastors and churches,
Praise the Lord! There is now a new church in El Quinche, Ecuador. Iglesia Bautista Nueva Vida [New Life Baptist Church] was organized and their pastor ordained on March 28th-29th. It was a blessing to have a mix of missionaries and pastors come for this event. A couple of the men I have previously trained were able to come: Pastor Wide Morgan from Panama and Pastor Juan Arellano from Mexico. It was also a blessing to have William Aya, missionary to Colombia; Cristobal Yañez, missionary to Panama, Tim Dulaney, missionary to Panama; Travis Chase, pastor from Hawaii; Robert Creech, missionary from Mission Blvd. Baptist Church; Associate Pastor Ken Francis from Mission Blvd. Baptist Church, and Josh Crawford a member of Mission Blvd. Baptist Church. It was great to see the younger pastors get involved in the presbytery and participate in an actual ordination and organization of a church! We had four of the preachers give a charge to the new pastor and the other four give the charge to the new church. It was great to see each of the members of the new church, and hard to say goodbye. I thank God that He strengthened me to be able to be there, even though the mountains are a great challenge to my health.
The big question that I am sure everyone has now is where I am going next. I would ask you to pray with me about this! Pastor Juan Arellano recently asked my pastor, Brian Disney, and my home church to pray for help in Mexico. He has five or six different missions that he is working with and is having a hard time meeting the needs of all. He doesn’t have the men trained and ready yet to help out. I would love to go back to Mexico, but I want it to be from the Lord and not my selfish desires. There is also a family in Canada that is associated with our church that is wanting someone to go there. There are opportunities in Hawaii, where I helped start a work among Spanish-only speaking migrants. There are many more opportunities, so I again ask that you pray with me that God will confirm where He wants me to go.
Right now, I am working on getting my health back along with my wife, Tammi. I plan to report to supporting churches which we have not done for many years, and to raise some new support. If you would like me to come report to your church, please contact me at 479-422-3679.
Thank you for your continuing prayer and support! May God richly bless you!
In Christ,
Michael Lea and family
12-10-2025
KJV Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given:
Greetings, Brethren. I hope this prayer letter finds you well, blessed, and having a wonderful holiday season.
It was a blessing to be back in the States for my son Nathaniel's wedding on October the 4th. It was a rare privilege to see the whole family together.
We left on the 7th of October to Hawaii to fill in for Pastor Tavis Chase and family so that they could go on a trip to Panama to visit Brother Cristobal Yañez and attend a conference with Brother Wide Morgan whom I had the privilege of training in the ministry. We stayed in Hawaii a little over three weeks and were able to minister to both the Lamb of God of God Baptist Church and the Spanish ministry. It was a blessing to disciple some of the people that Brother Tavis is ministering to. Thank you to Lamb of God Baptist Church for the opportunity to serve.
On the 16th of November we had the opportunity to report to Mt. Zion Baptist Church in St. Clair, Missouri. It was a blessing to see Pastor Weiss and family and the young men who came to visit us as well as others of their congregation; we had a great time.
Tammi and I have been running medical tests and are working on taking care of some medical needs. We are also working out and eating healthy, it was amazing to me to find out just how run down I was due to the high altitude (mountain sickness) in Ecuador.
Next week, Brother Cristobal Yañez will be visiting the mission in El Quinche, Ecuador, to evaluate how they are adapting to doing the ministry without me being there. We are still in the planning stages, but it looks like perhaps by the end of February we will be able to organize and ordain Brother Carlos. Please pray for this, and that everything will happen in God's timing.
Thank you for your prayers and support that enable me to do the work of the Lord! God bless!
In Christ,
Michael Lea and family