So one of the things I’ve been asking God for during my time in Ecuador so far, is that He would break my heart and open my eyes so that I can see just how desperately these people need Jesus and that my heart would be moved to compassion. It’s great to play/hang out with the kids and teach them Bible stories and all that, but I think at times it can distract me from really seeing just how much they need a Savior. And that’s something that I want to notice because it helps remind me of the purpose for why I’m here. I’m not here to hang out with kids and bring them joy by playing with them and goofing around with them (although that is a perk and definitely a way of showing Christ’s love). But more importantly, I want to bring them the joy that comes from having a personal relationship with their Savior, Jesus Christ. And I think over the past week God has been answering my prayer.
My team has already established many relationships with the kids here in Huaticocha. The kids always seem to just flock around us whenever we’re out and about. I’m still not sure of how the word spreads around here so fast (cell phones aren’t common and I haven’t seen any smoke signals yet), but somehow the kids know where we are and will come and hang out with us. I love it and see it as God’s provision to allow us to pour into and get to know these kids and their struggles.
One of the kids that I’ve really grown to have a heart for is Michael. Like all the other kids, he has endless energy and just desires to hang out with us. God has really given me a special connection with him as he is constantly coming to the place where we are staying and wanting to hang out with me and play with me. He loves it when I spin him around in the air and flip him upside-down and put him on my shoulders and play tag/hide-and-seek with him. He’s just a great kid and someone I’ve grown to love during my time in Huaticocha.
Through one of our contacts here, Jim, I was able to get a little background on his family life. I learned that he comes from a fairly large family and that most of his siblings are from different fathers. Jim said he thinks that some of his mother’s previous husbands have died and so she was remarrying. Currently both of his parents make their money by selling stuff in Loreto, a town (more like a city I guess in this area) about 25 minutes away by car. They are gone for most of the day and don’t get back until late in the evening. As a result, Michael spends a lot of his time at our place because there is no one for him at home. I enjoy all the time we’ve spent together, but I do feel sad that his home situation isn’t too healthy because I think it’s affected him in negative ways.
One of these ways that I’ve seen that’s really hit home for me was during one of our children’s ministry times. We were sitting in a circle listening to one of my teammates give the Bible lesson for that day. Michael was kind of squirming around next to me like he normally does and trying to be funny. It was okay at first, but then he put a stick in his pants to mimic an erection. I felt my heart break seeing that. This kid is 6 (even though for the longest time he was telling us he was 8) and already he knows things about his sexuality that no boy his age should know. I think it really hit home to me because of my past struggles with lust. I know the bondage that it leads to. I know the guilt and shame that it brings. And to see a kid that young going down that path breaks my heart.
But Michael isn’t the only that needs the love of Christ to transform him. We’ve met people who struggle with alcoholism. We had a man who took us to a waterfall the other day who really struggled with evangelists and things about God. I’ve had kids flip me off and think it’s funny because they have no idea of the meaning behind that action. We’ve met numerous kids who have never heard about Jesus before. Many people in this community are bound in the chains of their sin and need the power of Christ to break them and set them free. This community needs Jesus and I pray that God is using my team to continue to expand His Kingdom here. Please pray for them as well. God has been growing His Kingdom here even before we arrived, but there’s a lot more room for growth. Pray that the love of Christ will be made known in this place and that all the people will be able to hear and respond to the wonderful news of the gospel.
