One week in Ecuador.
Crazy it’s been that long already.
To give you a little insight on this month, I’ve listed the main details below. We’re working with an organization called Inca Link that seeks to reach youth in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, and we’re also partnering with a local church here in Portoviejo called Templo Metropolitano Alianza.
A standard week looks something like this:
Monday-Wednesday
- Visit and interact with men at a group home who are mentally ill.
- Take a siesta (literally nap time during the heat of the day)
- Visit families who live at a garbage dump to play with and teach the kids in the afternoon.
Thursday
- Our adventure day (time to explore the country)
Friday-Saturday
- Manual labor (so far, we’ve prepared the foundation of a restaurant that’s being built to help to supply the local ministry with funds and also cleared/cleaned the whole compound we’re living in)
- Saturday nights we take part in a ministry at the church here where people come from all over the area to learn and pray together.
Sunday
- We attend church in the morning (Ecuadorians love to clap during worship)
- Spend the afternoon physically resting
Some other details include:
- This is the first month we’ve been split into our teams (my team is Rhakma Rua), so right now I’m living with seven other men (six others from my team and one squad leader) and the rest of our squad is split up around the country.
- We’re living in an apartment within a compound next to the church here in the middle of Portoviejo.
- The people here are very laid back, relaxed, super friendly, and the food is incredible (homemade milkshakes are on-point)
As far as deeper ministry details, this is a very relationship-oriented month. We aren’t doing much as far as evangelism or teaching but instead are focusing on being the hands and feet of Christ as we work with and love on the people we’re around. If I’m being honest, this can be a challenge at times because there aren’t always days where I get to share my faith. For example, not all the men at the group home are able to understand who Christ is; the language barrier with the kids at the dump can keep us from directly sharing our faith; and, working manual labor means that we’re often by ourselves and there’s no one around to evangelize too. And yet, the beauty of Christ is still shining through it all.
In only a week here, I’ve seen God break down walls and dams that often take much longer than only a few days to overcome. At the group home, we’ve made connections through dancing to classic rock (they love the Beatles), art, and paper airplane contests, and have been able to show them the love of Christ through just wanting to be around them and hanging out. The conversations we’ve had within our team while working in the dirt have been so incredible and deep. And, at the garbage dump, we’ve been able to connect with kids through dance, music, games, and art to the point where several of them didn’t want to say ciao (pronounced chow – meaning goodbye) when it was time for us to leave last Wednesday (keep in mind we’d only been there three times!).
Working with the kids has been especially encouraging for me. Last month in Colombia, a lot of what we did revolved around kids ministry such as VBS and other outreach programs. At the time, I often felt out of place because I had almost no experience at all in kids ministry and felt like I didn’t always have something to offer. At first it was hard not to be really frustrated, but figured I should at least try to learn how to run this type of outreach and asked God to give me His eyes and heart for it. Praise the Lord that He came through.
Using last month as a base to start from, I’ve all of a sudden found myself often leading the planning and running of the kids ministry here. Whether it’s games, songs, skits, or whatever, I’ve begun seeing just how much God taught me last month in those trying times, and also the level that He answered my prayers on. If you would’ve told me a month ago that I’d be taking the lead on planning kids ministry here in Ecuador, I honestly would’ve probably said “no way!” Yet, God has such an incredible plan for our lives that even the tough stuff, that at the time we find little or no enjoyment in, becomes the launching pad for so much more.
This is just one example of how good our God is. I could rattle off story after story but that would take too long for this blog, so I just want to encourage anyone who is reading this to persevere through whatever you’re going through and look for God in where you’re at. He has you where you’re at to take you where you can’t imagine.
God Bless!
-Ben
Working at the group home along with Kei, an intern with Inca Link
Kids from the dump
