Somehow I managed to make it all the way through Ecuador without writing a blog. So here it goes, I’ll hit some of the highlights of this month…
My team and I stayed in El Carmen with Pastor Elmer, his wife Carmen and two kids, Kristal and Jacob. Elmer and Carmen were super sweet and took really good care of us. Our ministry involved a lot of house churches, VBS, and some visits to a rehab center.
We took a trip to Higuerones, in the middle of the night, through the mud to help build a church and bathroom. The hike was really hard but God completely carried me through! I actually didn’t end up staying in Higuerones for very long. I went with four other world racers and three Ecuadorians to San Pablo. I didn’t really know what San Pablo was going to be like or what we were doing until we got there. It turned out to be much more than I was expecting… There had only been one missionary in San Pablo and there was only one Christian family in the town. I have never been to a place that was so unreached. In the short time we were there God definitely showed up and moved. We were asked to speak at a funeral, apparently the man who died wanted Christians to come to his funeral and talk about God. We just happened to be in the area so we were able to share Christ in the town. Eight people ended up accepting Christ that night!
We got to visit a rehab center for men struggling with addictions twice while we were in El Carmen. The first night we went my team and I saw a lot of hope in the men there. We continued praying for them and two weeks later we got to visit again. What happened in our second visit was amazing! At the end of the service we were having worship and the men’s hearts were completely open. The Spirit came over them and every one of them accepted Jesus! It was amazing to see the Spirit healing them and years of addictions being broken.
God has been doing a lot personally too! Most of this month was a lot of rest while God was preparing me for what was about to happen. And then on our last night in El Carmen He told me that things were about to change. He is breaking me of my shyness and awakening the woman He made me to be! I have always been a super shy person but He has put a new boldness inside of me. He is starting to use my voice in a way I never expected and I’m not afraid to use it!
Ecuador was a great month and I’m excited to see what God is going to do in Peru!
