A few days ago my team was told that we would be re-routed, heading to Portaviejo to help provide relief work for the earthquake that recently struck the coast of Ecuador. As we spent a couple days in prayer before heading there, I felt The Lord speak into my spirit that He had extended a level of grace to the people of Ecuador through this hardship, that while the earthquake had leveled buildings, it had also destroyed strongholds of complacency.
After arriving in Portoviejo last night, it is so amazingly evident to me that this message God spoke was true. We spent our first night at a youth meeting, the first one since the earthquake had struck the city. At this meeting, we heard story after story from the kids about where they were during the natural disaster. Some were funny, i.e. a kid stuck in the middle of a shower. Others showed the absolutely amazing grace God had poured out to these people, most notably a three story building that collapsed above one of the youth, only to have a small hole perfectly form around him.
The stories of how the kids found safety were truly striking, and I could likely talk for hours about just how good God has been to the community here. No member of our 1,000 member church was killed, the church’s building is completely intact despite being 1 mile from ground zero, no child has gone a day without food or shelter, and the list goes on. Instead of sharing those stories though, I would much rather talk about the response of the community.
I do not know why, but it seems that tragedy brings out a level of unity and generosity that is foreign to us when everything is normal. Our pastor shared with us that since the earthquake, families that have long been estranged have come back together, relationships that were broken have been restored and more people are searching for God more than ever before. The mindset in the community is centered on hope, envisioning building a future and coming out stronger than before. God is undoubtedly at work here and His grace is so evident.
In the midst of their disaster, I somehow feel like they are the fortunate ones. I do not mean to discount the lives lost here; there is undoubtedly mourning that I wouldn’t wish on most people, but Solomon says it is better to go to the house of mourning than the house of mirth. These people have been forced to re-evaluate their priorities when faced with death, and their response is humbling. They sought to restore relationships and to care for other people, to come together as a community and fight for a better future.
After witnessing all these things I felt question after question pop up. Why does it take disaster to put these things back in perspective? Why are they more generous than I am with far less? What priorities have I pushed aside from complacency? And finally, what would I need to have happen to jumpstart my heart towards restoration and generosity?
The truth is, I often prefer complacency and the self-centeredness it allows. Breaking walls of complacency makes me uncomfortable, it forces me to be vulnerable when asking for forgiveness, it forces me to extend grace when I’d rather hold a grudge, it forces me to take action when I’d rather just standby idly. Complacency tells me things are fine as they are, but I know breaking those walls are the only way I can walk in the free and full life of love that God has invited me into.
To say the people of Portoviejo have challenged me thus far would be an understatement. As their walls of complacency have been torn down by the earthquake, I can feel them tearing mine down by their reaction to it. What’s more, I feel their hope rubbing off on me, as I believe God can take the ruins of my fallen complacency and from it build a stronger future.
While this blog didn’t focus fully on the earthquake, please do keep the people of Ecuador in your prayers. It will be a long rebuilding process, and they will certainly need a God-given endurance to get through it. Additionally, please pray for a deeper level of anointing for the members of the church here. This mission field has chosen them, and while they have a mindset that desires deeply to minister to the people hurting here, please pray they will be led by The Spirit in all they say, and in the midst of their hardships that they will find words of comfort to minister to broken hearts.
On days like this, I’m so thankful for every part of my community back home! I love you guys so much!
Andy
