I can´t believe that it has been just over a week since leaving the US. I feel like I have been immersed in the culture of Ecuador so much longer! I have hardly had time to really sit down and write a blog to share with you all, however it is important for me to share some of the highlights of this past week so that you can begin to imagine some of the amazing ways God is already working in this small community of Huaticocha.
Our primary ministry this past week has been playing with and teaching some of the local youth (ages 6 to 12 mostly). I have played more soccer this week than my whole life combined! Last Sunday it was three hours straight, and I´ve never felt more energized (or embarrassed at my lack of skill!) But more than just soccer, we have had the privilege of sharing God´s love through Bible stories. We have shared about God´s protection over Daniel in the lion´s den; God´s love in sending his Son, our Savior, to earth to die for our sins; and the incredible story of Jesus´ miraculous resurrection.
I will be honest in telling you that it is a challenge to reach these children with my limited Spanish, but my daily prayer is that God will allow love to be the transcendent language. We are also hugely blessed by Jim, our ministry contact and fearless translator! My Spanish grows daily as I step outside my comfort zone and attempt conversations – which mostly means listening and a LOT of smiling!
In addition to our children´s ministry in Huaticocha and Pasohurco, we have been helping out a a local missionary school up the street. We have been clearing fields with machetes, painting, cleaning, and just doing whatever is needed around the property. This school, which is set to open its doors January 2014, will be a place for 24 young adults to study scripture and participate in training to go into the world as missionaries! It is really an honor to be a part of this project!
Home visits are another incredible aspect of our daily ministry. We have been welcomed into the homes of Dora, Luis, Jorge, Angela, and Juan this week. We have shared words of encouragement, verses of scripture, and prayer as they are dealing with injury, illness, and financial and familial hardships. They have been a blessing and encouragement in return – God has revealed even more to me about his love and faithfulness for his children. Home visits are a new kind of ministry for me. I am comfortable in teaching situations and no stranger to a long day of manual labor, but entering a stranger´s home and opening up to them is brand new to me. I am loving the ways that God is stretching me outside my comfort zone, and the ways he continues to fulfill his promises of guidance and strength for me. It is pretty amazing that God is allowing us to be a part of his healing process. It is a reminder that we are here to do his work and the glory and power belong to him.
This blog would not be complete without a word on our gracious host family. They have opened their home to us and treated us like family. I felt at home from the moment we arrived last Saturday. Ivan is a strong and witty man of God with a huge heart! His laughter is contagious and his presence is always a blessing. His wife, Nanci has an incredible servant heart and a kind, compassionate smile. And if that were not enough, she is an incredible cook – piping hot fried plantains, hearty soups, tamales filled with chicken and peas, juicy mangoes, and always freshly baked breads for breakfast…I could go on and on! We are so blessed to be a part of their family this month!
Before I sign off for the week, just a few more highlights…
- My squeamish days may be behind me! I was able to muster up the courage to kill (I will leave the gory details to your imagination), pluck, and clean 15 chickens from Ivan and Nanci´s backyard coop. We then hauled the chickens to the local market to sell! Insane!
- Hopping into the back of Ivan´s pick-up truck at a moment´s notice to head to the soccer field – the truck is always three times as full when we arrive! Kids seem to know when we´ll be heading their way and eagerly wait on the side of the street to hop in as we pass.
- I am trying not to get my expectations too high for the rest of my trip, but the fruit here is amazing! Pretty much every day I am trying new varieties of fruits – most of which are picked right off the tree! We are so lucky to be in the jungle (just 5 miles from untouched rainforest!)
- On Thursday we took the home visit to a whole new level. We trekked almost 4 hours up the muddy hills of the rainforest to visit Jorge, Luis and his wife to pray with them and encourage them to come back to church. I wonder what they thought when seven kids from the US arrived in their backyard covered in mud and wanting to pray with them. It was a day I won´t soon forget!
I am typing this blog from a tiny internet café in Lareto (a 30 minute bus ride from Ivan and Nanci´s). Every few minutes someone approaches me to offer fresh fruit or other various items they have made to sell. I´m looking out at the Andes mountains, banana trees, and the beautiful faces of the Ecuadorian people. It is just an amazing reminder of all the beauty God has created and that he loves each one of his beautiful children. I am so excited to continue to be a part of the work he is doing in this place.
Please continue to pray for me and my team as we put ourselves out there to minister here in Huaticocha and the surrounding communities. God is doing big things and I am really excited that I can share it with you!
¡Dios Bendiga!
