When I heard the words Unsung Hero month in Ecuador, I would be lying if I said I was not a little intimidated. We had the vast country of Ecuador to travel around and find new ministries to partner with for future World Race teams. How could seven girls who are totally different accomplish his task? We would have to learn how to rely on God and trust his voice completely.
As we arrived in Guayuquil, Ecuador we had our plans set in stone for what we were doing. We were in control as we pulled up to our Hostel, only to find a for sale sign on the gate. So here we are in one of the biggest cities in Ecuador with no place to stay, but this was just the first of many lessons God would teach us this month. By no other than the grace of God, our nice hearted taxi driver knew of a different hostel just a few minutes away. We started the month pretty slow. Research for hours upon hours looking and trying to make contacts with various ministries. We scheduled a few meetings, but nothing really standing out until one ministry called Paz y Esparanza. They invited us to their Christmas party where over twenty five other organizations also came. All week we had been struggling to see any light to our efforts in this city, but in one day we hit the ministry jackpot and made so many wonderful contacts. Two Canadian missionaries even invited us to stay at their home for the next two days and visit their school they teach at.
We made our way down to Cuenca to speak with a young life leader in the area. It is always a little weary when traveling to a new city and not knowing where you are staying and who you are meeting, but then Bob and Lori Leek stepped into our lives. Right as we got there, they invited us into their home with a baked ziti on the table. This was definetely God ordained. These two were two of the most loving and caring people who have a heart for people and a heart for the kingdom. I loved being in Cuenca. We were able to help paint a new young life building for teens in the area. After we said our goodbyes, we made our way to Banos to take two really adventurous off days. We repelled down waterfalls, zip lined across canyons, took a swing at the edge of the world, and rafting down white Rapids. It was definetely a weekend I won’t forget.
We traveled up to Shell, Ecuador which is one of the smaller cities in Ecuador but one with the biggest history. Five US missionaries around 50 years ago, traveled deep into the jungles of Ecuador to share the gospel. They were eventually martyred for their efforts, but their story was carried on by their family and still makes an impact in the city of shell where they lived. During our stay their, we were able to learn more from the director of young life and also able to visit an orphanage Casa de Fe.
We ended our UH month in Quito with our other squad mates to celebrate Christmas and New Yeas. We met with over probably 35 contacts and 12 of those committed to partner and host World Race teams in the future. It was one of my favorite months. God took us all over Ecuador from the coast to the south to the Amazon and back to the Quito in the North. We learned to let go of our own plans to just trust him and follow his plans and he will take us full circle on our journey. He took us all over Ecuador to bring his Kingdom together.
