We are fine, still confined to our home because we are over 55. We’re able to do our work by vpn and can exercise too by using the multiple stairs and hallways in our home. Younger missionaries are picking up groceries for us every week or two.

We were encouraged March 29 and March 30 when the number of new cases was under 100 each day. But the increases jumped the next three days (new cases were 277, 508, and 415). The last two days of the week the increases have slowed (205 and 97), so maybe things are slowing again.

Ecuador has been making the U.S. news this week because of the situation in Guayas Province. It’s on the coast, contains Guayaquil (Ecuador’s largest city), and has about 70% of the known cases. With the quarantine, mortuaries were not picking up bodies, and the government has had difficulty managing the pickup and disposal of bodies. It makes great headlines but is a long ways from us. Our neighborhood is quiet and everyone seems to be staying at home.

Please continue to pray for Ecuador, for 1) the many people who live from day to day and currently have no income and 2) that the body of Christ here would be a light during a dark time.

The list below is for Saturday through Saturday. It has the total cases diagnosed (in parenthesis), number of Covid-19 deaths, and any government action that happened that day.

• March 28 (1835) 48 deaths
• March 29 (1924) 58 deaths
• March 30 (1963) 60 deaths
• March 31 (2240) 75 deaths
• April 1 (2748) 93 deaths
• April 2 (3163) 120 deaths – government extends border closing to April 30, extends other restrictions related to gatherings and mobility
• April 3 (3368) 145 deaths – government announces that beginning Monday, April 6, private cars can only be driven 1 day per week (Monday through Friday, based on the last digit of your license plate) and no private cars can drive on the weekend
• April 4 (3465) 172 deaths