02/19/2011: All Things through Christ

All Things through Christ

From deliverance from demons to the 
establishment of the health work in Ecuador


A short while ago, one of our neighbors, a young man named Edison who has been meeting with us on Sabbaths for the last year or so, came to us with an invitation to go with him to visit a family that lives about 45 minutes from our home on a terrible dirt road. Edison is a school teacher and three of his students come from this family. The reason for the invitation was that the oldest son was having some serious health problems, and he had told them that we could help him. So the next Sabbath afternoon, off we went in the car to visit them. The road was hardly passable, even with four wheel drive, so it took us a long time to finally get within walking distance. What we found when we arrived was extreme poverty. The house was about 12 feet by 14 feet and had no roof, only an old tarp on one side and pieces of plastic rudely sewn together and stretched tight over the bamboo beams. I was amazed when I stepped inside to see the wood floor boards smooth and shining. There was one long bench made of two tree trunks with a board nailed across the top. Everyone had washed up, including the children, and had put on their best clothes. They all lined up, standing against the walls to allow us the bench in the middle. As they started to introduce themselves, we realized that they were all related somehow, and all were anxious to know how we could help the boy, Byron, and what we could teach them about the way God wanted them to live.

As I observed Byron, who is 14 years old, but hardly taller than an 8-year-old, I noticed that he was slightly paralyzed on his right side, especially the leg and arm. He was all smiles and answered all of my questions fine, proving that he is quite a bright child. After some time the mother shared that the child had become “sick” and kept getting worse ever since he had gone to school and the government nurse had vaccinated him seven years ago. Also, they shared that they had taken him the previous year to a “miracle worker” that did healing by the power of some “holy saint” (a witch doctor in other words). Since those healing episodes, Byron began seeing a little, short, old man with a straw hat who would sit up on the beams of the house and call to him and make wicked faces at him. He was afraid and would scream, and point at the “man” who kept calling for him to follow him and go outside. This had the rest of the family terrified and trying to keep Byron calm, because he would get so worked up that he would start vomiting and hyperventilating.

I looked over Byron’s head at my husband who rolled his eyes back at me and grimaced. And I thought this was going to be a simple health problem, like anemia or some infection or the like! Now what?

We had brought two Bibles with us which we gave to the mother and grandmother. We shared with them about clean and unclean animals, and I gave them some counsel on what they should feed Byron, as he is also suffering from anemia as most the children in this area do. Also, we encouraged them to gather around Byron and ask God for healing when he had his “attacks.” They begged us to return the next Sabbath at 4 pm because they had more family that wanted to learn about these things, and they would make sure that everyone was there ready and waiting for the next meeting. To make a long story short, this family is growing tremendously in the truth. The last three Sabbaths, I have not been able to go because of a patient here in our home; but one of the young men, Javier, who lives with us and has been helping us with planting and building, has been accompanying my husband. The study takes a long time, because each family member wants to be able to read each verse, and so they pass the Bible around to each one to read over. After studying the law of God and understanding the second commandment, they took their cross necklaces off and threw them away and took the Virgin Mary picture down. This last Sabbath, they all accepted the truth of the Sabbath, and they also shared with us that Byron has been a lot better and has stopped seeing the “demon.” We know that Satan is not happy and will not give up that easily, but will be roaring about trying to seek to destroy this family and discourage us all. Yet we take heart that “God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able…”
(1 Corinthians 10:13).

We have been really feeling the need for a place to meet on Sabbaths other than our living room. Now with this new family and many others that are wanting to come and meet with us, we need a meeting place large enough for everyone. We have a start on the cement blocks, and we have three more young men arriving next week to help with the building. We still need the roofing, steel and more cement. Please keep our project in your prayers.

We are also being pushed into opening a health retreat. So far two patients have come to us, and for the present time are living in our house. It has been a little stressful at times, with not having too much space or an adequate treatment room, but the Lord is showing us to walk forward in faith and reach out to these sick and dying people. They both have made tremendous improvements with a fresh vegan diet and accepting God’s laws of health.

May God bless you all. Maranatha! Jesus is coming very soon, and the harvest is needing reapers.


By Laurie Orellana. The Orellana family is developing 
a missionary outpost in Manabi, Ecuador. Email: 
orellanafamily@gmail.com. Support for their project 
can be sent through Mission Projects International, 
PO Box 59656, Renton, WA 98058.