Ministry this month wrenched my heart, opened my eyes, and strained my abdomen from laughter.
This month we worked with a youth center in Quito, called Ecuasol. Most of the volunteers are men and women from France who are passionate about humanitarian/social work. They dedicate at least a year of their lives to come to Pisuli — a destitute neighborhood on the far side of Quito, tucked up in the mountains.
Here’s the kicker… they’re not Christian *gasp*
Did you know when God spoke to Abraham he said, “You’re descendants will be a blessing to all people”? not “Your descendants will assimilate all people” or “your descendants will be above all people” but a blessing. To all (even the French . . .)!
The volunteers welcomed us into their family with a special kind of love. The love they show is a love for children who don’t receive any from their parents. For many of the kids, Ecuasol is the only place that they receive touch that’s not abuse, or feel emotions not provoked by neglect.
While the children pulled at our hearts, and we even contemplated how to steal a couple, our main focus was not the children. Our main focus was to bless the staff as much as we could, because they are the ones who are still there, giving the kids hugs now that we are gone.
The staff consists of people like Chloe and David. Every time they entered Ecuasol I saw them greet kids with the excitement of Christmas morning. They carry warmth, along with fierce dedication.
I don’t think Chloe stopped working the entire month. Not only did she take care of the kids at Ecuasol, she took care of kids outside of Ecuasol, and met with families into the evening, she also went onto the semi finals of a cooking contest in Ecuador. Every time we saw her, she had 3 more places to be, but always managed to stay present.
David has a larger than life personality. He could be a character in a book. Or maybe a cartoon. He is so animated, passionate, outgoing, goofy, yet also very deep and inquisitive. He’s like if Daffy Duck mixed with Socrates.
David was falling off the couch as we watch Chloe on the cooking competition
This month a few of us decided to fast from sweets.
We were walking one day and David, ever inquisitive, asked me all sorts of questions wanting to understand why I was doing something so bizarre.
His parents suffered bad experiences in Catholicism, and having grown up in the Catholic church myself, I already understood much of where his parents came from (theses days I see beauty in the Catholic church, but like any branch of the church it can be confused, abused, and political). I tried to explain it’s not just some legalistic application of rules, or an attempt to please God. It’s an opportunity to remind myself of God, and grow in that relationship instead of settling for worldly desires. I think he walked away from the conversation still cautious and unconvinced.
On our last night there, Chloe cooked some exquisite pasta for the staff and our team. We played games and hung out as a big group of friends. Even the director of Ecuasol showed up as we all crammed around the table.
Game time
“Say ‘queso’!”
After our last supper, they brought out the freshly baked lemon cake. Mind you, I was 28 days into a 1 month fast of no sweets, and was going strong.
In a flash of clarity, I looked at my team mate Maggie, and without any doubt I told her “I’m eating a piece of the lemon cake.”
If I had to pick a favorite dessert, I promise lemon cake wouldn’t come close to the top ten. I could pass on lemon cake even while I’m not fasting. The fast was to grow closer to God, a God of life and relationships. This was a lemon cake baked for a celebration of relationships and the community we had formed. I knew with absolute clarity that it was the right decision.
I grabbed a piece and David didn’t notice. Then the caramel started to get passed around, and while I knew I could pass on the caramel without much of a problem, again it was just very clear to me that I should take a scoop of the caramel. So I did. With divine permission, I broke my fast for lemon cake with caramel. My God is pretty fricken cool.
The moment I took a dip in the caramel, David’s face lit up.
“You… you! You are eating it?”
I smiled and said “Of course.” And I thought of when Jesus healed the man’s hand on the Sabbath outside of the temple in Mark 3:1-6. When Pharisees watched to see if he would work on the sabbath, Jesus responded with, “Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the sabbath, to save live or to kill?”
I reminded David that the point of the fast is not some form of ethereal militant legalism. The point is to grow closer to God but not to miss out of life.
He grabbed my hand, stared into my eyes for a moment, and said “I like that much better.”
I do too. I understand that some people believe we have to follow rules in order to please God. But I believe that the rules are simply there to bring us closer to God. A God of life and love. A God of relationships. A God where we are called to be radical. Don’t just break the rules, smash them. Don’t just love somebody, raise them from death.
I am learning that we are called to go big as Christians, and whether that means cutting the cheese or grabbing the caramel, don’t hold back.
Gabriella stole our hearts, and we wanted to steal her.
The beginning of bringing color to an all white wall.
After: “Andad como ninos de luz”/ “Walk as children of light”
This wall started as yellow, and half of it was missing paint.
I’m pretty happy with the mark we left at Ecuasol. I hope to return some day.
Last month my squad found out that we have a route change — we are heading to Greece to aid in the Syrian refugee crisis next month. This will require us to raise $2,000. We would like to humbly ask for your support in any way possible. If that be financial, you can donate here : http://give.adventures.org/campaign.asp?campaignid=1092
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