“In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” Acts 20:35
During this month, we ladies of team R.O.A.R. have been searching for ministries throughout Ecuador that are serving God and loving His people in places that are otherwise filled with despair. We asked God to light our paths and show us how we can help Him reveal His love to His sons and daughters in Ecuador. I have been so filled with joy and tears on more than one occasion upon meeting the tireless Kingdom Builders of here. I have truly felt that this month I have been in the company of angels and blessed to be their sidekick in doing the Lord’s will.
At a Christmas party in Guayaquil, we met 3 people who passionately live the Gospel of Jesus on the streets of Ecuador. Tacita Caliente (Hot Cup) is a ministry run my 3 brave Ecuadorians, Christian, Ronmy, and Martha, all with day jobs and families, who have a passion for shinning a light in the dark places Guayaquil, the largest and possibly most dangerous city in Ecuador. Through their ministry, they provide hot meals and housing for the parents of children who have come to Guayaquil from smaller, poorer provinces, for hospital treatments for various diseases. Often times families struggle to pay for the treatments and have no money leftover to pay to stay in hotels in the city with their child. Christian, Romi, and Martha, work to provide housing and food for these families, and often pay for it out of their own pockets. They also serve hot meals every Wednesday to the homeless in the city. They write, edit, and print Plenitud (Fullness) Magazine and distribute it for free to the people in the streets of Guayaquil. Plenitud is filled with stories of how God shows His love in many ways to ordinary people in Guayaquil. Their hope is that people will read and realize that God wants to be their best friend and lover of their soul and not just a judge to be visited every Sunday.
When visiting their church, Momento de Dios, I quickly saw that their real passion is for the lost teenagers of Guayaquil. When Ronmy and Martha, were speaking to us about the youth in Guayaquil and how a large portion of them drop out of school and never set foot inside a church because of the allure of drugs and gangs, I could see the pain in their eyes and could hear the sadness and rage in their voices. They asked and begged us to give them ideas of our how we combat this problem in the States, and while we could tell them a few things, we had to admit we have similar problems. We acknowledged that we are blessed with the help of churches and cooperative schools systems. I could tell they felt left alone to fight this mighty battle, but I also saw the faith that they have in our God who has the power to restore and renew all things.
I ask that all of you reading this to pray for the city of Guayaquil, Ecuador and the work God is doing through Ronmy, Martha, and Christian. Please pray that these saints of God, who took wonderful care of us, remain encouraged, raise the money they need, and continue to build partnerships in the name of Love to help them battle the evil that is killing the newest generation of Ecuadorians. Tacita Caliente and Adventures in Missions are praying and considering partnering for the year of 2015 and possibly longer, so please pray that God directs our steps and reveals to us if and how we can advance His Kingdom together!
I love you all and Happy New Year!!
Worshiping with the youth and the founders of Tacita Caliente at Momento de Dios Church. (Ronmy is in the middle holding her son in the stipped pants, Martha is on the right, in the back next to the man in the yellow shirt, and Christian is taking the picture.)
