So I have been home for almost 3 weeks. I’ve spent my time reflecting on my month in Ecuador. Here’s a small glimpse into my month.
Community
I experienced a community like no other. One that acts as a body. Each person acting in their unique spiritual gift. We encouraged each other. We called each other higher. It reflected what community was like in Acts 2. I’m an only child so it felt like I had 11 siblings. It was so so good. I miss it a lot. At home, as an introvert, I need to recharge by being alone. We didn’t get much alone time in Ecuador, and I honestly didn’t mind. I think I realized deep down I’m an extrovert. It just takes the right environment for it to come out. I began to love being around people 24/7. I just felt so right. We were vulnerable with each other. We shared our needs. We just did life together. It was so powerful. I think that’s been one of the hardest adjustments being back home.
Love
I have never felt so intimately close to God as I did in Ecuador. It was as if he was at my fingertips all the time. Greg had explained the deep love that God has for us. How our only purpose is to be loved by him. We were created to be loved by him. Sure I have heard years of sermons about his love, sang hundreds of times about his love, heck I even preached about his love, but I don’t think I have ever sat and meditated on what that meant. I didn’t take it personally. I think years of growing up in a culture that taught “you know God is watching. Do you think what you’re doing would make God happy?” I felt like I had to please God to escape punishment. I don’t think I even realized this fear of God that I had buried deep into the pits of my heart until now.The reality is God loves you. Not what you do or say. God loves you for you. You can’t earn it. You can’t cause him not to love you. He just has an overwhelming love that is endless. It’s not a conditional love. It’s unlike any human love you’ve experienced. It’s a love that only God can shower you in. I’m not talking your nice warm shower in your bathroom. I’m talking torrential rain shower that will never end. Like you will drown in this love (you know like in a good way). You have to realize this first before you can do anything. All ya got to do is say God show me. Close your eyes and let the holy spirit take the floor. Read 1 John 4. God is love. That’s what the bible says over and over. In verse 18 it says there is no fear in love. Did ya catch that? I’m going to say it again for the people in the back. There is no fear in love. Boom. Roasted. I can’t say it enough you have to come to terms with God’s love before you can do anything else. The bible is a love letter from God to you. The craziest thing is when I was fundraising I sold t-shirts. Look at what my t-shirts said.
God, you are so sneaky. Love was definitely the biggest lessons I learned on my journey. Perfect love drives out fear. I have never felt so alive knowing this. Living in this love. It’s changed the way I pray, the way I see God, the way I love others. If you feel like you struggle in this go to him. I can tell you all day about his love but what better way than to hear it straight from the mouth of God.
Power of words
All it took were words to form the earth and everything on it. Our words may not create a planet but they still have power. Your words can give life, they can encourage, but they can also cause pain. Verses like Proverbs 16:24, Proverbs 18:4, Proverbs 15:1,& Proverbs 11:9. There are lots more verses that show how powerful our words are. We were challenged to speak life over ourselves every day. So I made a list of adjectives. It can be words that are true, you hope to be true, and words that could not be true yet. I read these words over myself. Words like confidence and boldness. I cut out the negatives like I can’t, if only it was this way, and just words that drag me and others down. It’s not easy but I promise you will start to see yourself differently. You’ll start finding the positives in negative situations. You’ll even start loving others better too. Galatians 5:14 says love your neighbor as you love yourself. Well, you gotta love yourself first. Try it. You just might change. I also encourage you to point out something you love about a friend, coworker, or family member. Encourage them. Speak truth and life into them. What’s the worse that could happen? They feel loved, noticed, and good?
The Coast
Hey if you’ve read this far thanks for sticking around! The last week in Ecuador we went to the coast. It was my favorite part of the trip. There we really had to rough it. I’m talking bug nets over our beds, bucket showers, and flushing the toilets with buckets. I was uncomfortable but I loved it. This was what I signed up for. We spent our days building houses in a local village that had been affected by an earthquake 4 years ago. The story that I’m about to tell is deeply personal. I’m going to leave out names to protect their identity. I’m also going to save parts of the story for the protection of my heart. Feel free to call me or meet with me and I’d love to give you the whole picture. It just doesn’t belong on the internet for just anyone to know. While there on our first day I met 3 sweet girls who became best friends. While I was there we played, we laughed, and we talked. It seemed that every day more and more kiddos came. I got to do life with them as they invited me into their drastically different world. A world where crayons are a luxury. Where if you didn’t catch any fish your family went without. Where all it takes is some dirt and sticks to have fun. Yet they were so content and happy. We shared our hearts, our time, and our candy. One day we used cinderblocks as desks and colored on paper while telling the story of Noah. It was about how God keeps his promises. Me simply being in Ecuador is a testament to that. I fell in love with the village and its people. It just felt right. It was super hard to leave. I found purpose and pure joy there. It pains me to be home. I don’t know how to sum this story up because I’m still processing it. I know that this little flame that burns inside my soul isn’t there because I ate fried chicken for lunch. It’s a passion that has ignited that must not be wasted.
This is only a glimpse into my month in Ecuador. I’ll be back soon to tell you more about the things I saw God do there. Please feel free to write a comment or ask questions! As they say in Ecuador chao!!
