Hey everyone!!
Ecuador has been amazing! This time went by too fast but I will definitely be back again in the future.
This month we are partnered with Cru-College Campus ministry. This organization is actually in places all over the world.
“Cru is a community passionate about connecting people to Jesus Christ. Our purpose is helping to fulfill the Great Commission in the power of the Holy Spirit by winning people to faith in Jesus Christ, building them in their faith and sending them to win and build others and helping the body of Christ to do evangelism and discipleship through a variety of creative ways.” –Cru Organization
We had the pleasure of working alongside Brianna, Sean, and Derek (all from the United States but felt called to work with Cru in Ecuador for over a year now) and college students who are key leaders for Cru on their specific campus. In such a short time, we have built close relationships with everyone.
Monday-Friday we would take a bus/trolley or multiple buses to meet the different students and Bri, Sean and/or Derek on a certain campus and worked together to reach out to the students. We were able to visit 5 colleges while we were here which was a cool experience to see what they all looked like. Very similar to colleges in the States, but all with the beautiful mountain views in the background.
On the campuses we would separate into groups and walk around campus going up to different students. We would do different activities to see what their views are on the nature of life (Perspectives) or see where they are spiritually using picture cards (Soularium). We would also go around seeing if anyone is Christian or if they know anyone to build up the Christian community on campus. This would lead to different conversations of either just talking about different perspectives and beliefs or some college students wanting to know more about Jesus and accepting Christ. Most of the time, the students would be open to listening, participating, talking with us and receiving prayer even if they believed something different.
Some amazing testimonies came out of these moments like:
Finding students interested in joining Cru to build up the community
Meeting students going through a rough time and felt at peace and comforted just by us taking the time to talk to them.
We had moments where students told us they have been praying for God to show up more, to bring them support and strength and then when we talked with them they felt that was God answering their prayers.
We were able to share how Jesus has changed our lives or what brought us to faith with students who were questioning the truth about God and Christianity.
We had moments of students accepting Christ and wanting more for their life.
We had moments where we just connected to students from the United States who were studying abroad and haven’t found a group of young Christians to connect to while they are here but want to.
This month God used us and is continuing to use Cru to reach His sons and daughters in college.
Similar to the United States, most students do not openly talk about their faith and sadly many students are searching for something and/or feel alone, depressed, lost. Currently, that I am aware of, there are no official Christian groups established for students to connect with and be a part of a community with other students of the same faith. That is where Cru comes in but it is still a building organization here in Quito.
To be honest, this month has been a challenge to some if not most of us. Evangelizing isn’t always the most comfortable thing for everyone. We let the “fear of man” sometimes hold us back from sharing about Jesus and our faith. The faith that has changed all of our lives and continues to bring us hope, peace, love and so much more. The faith that we have seen bring healings, comfort in tough times and freedom from burdens, brokenness, shame, guilt, addictions etc.
Sometimes I would think “what if they are uncomfortable or it’s awkward”, or “I don’t want to be that “crazy” Christian”, “what if they don’t want to be bothered.” But that is selfish of me. There are so many students, so many people who are just waiting to hear more about Jesus and ways to feel connected even if they don’t always know it yet. I know this because I was one of them (Check out my next blog-coming soon to know more). I can’t let my fears or feelings of being uncomfortable stop me from reaching out to others. You never know who needs someone to talk to, someone to listen to, someone to share the light in dark moments.
This month, Team Valor was able to put our trust in God and step out in our faith. We were able to love and serve the students in Quito. We were able to encourage each other and watch how God is moving in each and every one of us in so many different ways.
Month 2 went by fast but it will stick with us forever and has left a mark on our hearts.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THIS MONTH WITH CRU MINISTRY:
Bowling with students and Cru Staff
Valentine’s Day outreach-We played music, sang and handed out love letters “from Jesus” around campus, using truths he speaks of us in the Bible, letting people know that they are loved and worth more than how people in this world make us feel.
Galentine’s Day: Met at Bre’s house with a group of girls from the different campuses. We made cookies, decorated them together, took pictures in front of our homemade picture booth, played games to get to know each other, had a devotion about our Identity and Worth in Christ, listened to God’s voice and individually drew a picture of how He sees us and shared about it. We were able to just hangout, relax, laugh, practice our Spanish and English and enjoy each other’s company.
Day in the Park: We played games, had a devotion led by students and sang worship music. We then played futbol, Frisbee, spike ball and continued to play and sing worship music in a park full of tons of people with the beautiful sunset and mountains surrounding us.
Our Last Day: We met up with students and Bre, Derek and Sean for their on campus Cru meeting which was a game similar to “Big Booty”, prayer and devotion. We went out for ice cream (putting shaved cheese on it is a thing and is actually pretty good). We then split in groups and did outreach on the campus. It was and is encouraging to see the students be confident and bold in their faith as they talked with other students. Derek brought us (Team Valor) to the market to buy Alpaca Sweatshirts and then we met Bre and Sean out for Indian food for a last night together. From there we went Salsa Dancing! Even though most of us did not come close to the basically professional dancers of Ecuador, we had a blast and it was a great way to end our ministry with our amazing Cru leaders.
THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO READ THIS!
YOUR SUPPORT MEANS SO MUCH TO ME!
Love you all!
NEXT STOP: PERU (1st week of March)
ALSO CHECK OUT THE ATTACHED VIDEO CREATED BY MY TEAMMATE WHITNEY SHOWING A DAY IN THE LIFE OF OUR MINISTRY HERE IN ECUADOR.
