Most of our time in el Reten was spent doing visits and building relationships. Before I came on the race I thought that every country would have some huge ministry with huge healings and huge stories and pretty much huge everything. God really taught me this month that He is in the small stuff and relationships, as well as the big.
Our first week was spent doing VBS for the kids. We planned a lesson, drama, and songs for each day. The first day we went into it not really sure how it was going to work out but it ended up being so good and each day more kids showed up. It was a blessing that it was one of the first things we did when we got there because it gave us an opportunity to get to know the kids and go ahead and build relationships with them. It was also a great time to get to display our amazing (riiiight) acting abilities during the dramas. You should be pretty upset that you missed out on that. What seemed little to us at first, a VBS for three days, a couple hours each day, wasn't little at all. The joy that was shared and the friendships built during this time were so important and the first building block to a fantaaastic month.
Also during our first week, one of the visits we did was to the house of a pregnant woman named Patricia. When we first visited her she was about 8 1/2 months pregnant. We went in and talked with her a bit, just about how her pregnancy was going, her family, whether she was having a boy or a girl, etc… and asked her if we could pray for her. We did and were on our way. We went back a couple more times that week and began to build a solid friendship with her. We found out that she was only 20 so we were able to relate with her more than we originally thought we would, which was good. She and Annee hit it off pretty quickly because of her nursing background and when it was closer to time to have her baby, she asked if she would go. Luckily for me, Annee needed one of us to go with her and I was able to tag along. We hopped in the back of the truck for a two hour ride to a neighboring city, and waited for the baby to come. It was such a special time. Where she went they don't do pain meds (Heck, they don't do anything. She had to supply her own water, toilet paper, syringes, everything) or even a bed until they are pretty far along so we were able to stay with her for 14 of her 16 hours of labor. We not only were able to pray over her and walk with her and massage her, etc… we were able to see the precious relationship between her and her husband as the pain increased. It was a beautiful picture of marriage, really. He hurt when she hurt but he was still so strong for her. They don't let anyone (not even one person) back there during the actual delivery but the second he got the news that his new baby girl was here, his smile signified that he was the happiest man in the world. The mother-in-law came up to me and Annee and said that "the gringas" could go see the baby first, so we went and were in the room when they brought her to Patricia. Again I'll say that it was so special. When we got back to el Reten the next day, the rest of the team visited and we made it a priority to visit on a (semi) regular basis during our remaining time there. It was one of the hardest goodbyes we had to say for sure, but we both were able to bless and also receive blessing from each other so we left with such gratitude to have been able to meet each other. Our goodbye was kind of rushed, so Annee and I went back the same night to say it one more time and we were so built up and encouraged and blessed by them. With many tears in our eyes, we prayed and thanked each other for everything and were on our way.
I am also so thankful for the opportunity to live with Luis and Marley, our new set of grandparents. From the beginning we were welcomed into their home like we were long lost grandchildren. The first night there we worshipped together and had a bible study and Luis went around asking us questions (i.e. what is your definition of holiness) and although we joked about hoping we weren't the next one he would choose to ask, he cared so much about our lives and continually challenged us in our faith. One night we asked him about his story and how he and Marley met, and he told us all about where he had come from… how he became a believer in his 20s after already married with children. It was another powerful testimony of redemption and how the Lord can turn any life around. Marley cooked every meal for us and did it with such joy. She was a beautiful picture of a servant and woman of God. I didn't expect to feel like I was leaving behind family when I left, but these two meant and still mean so much to me. They challenged me in every area of life and I know that God specifically put me in el Reten to learn and grow from their example.
As I look back at that month, God's hand is so evident in every person he placed in my life. For a while I had a twisted view of what ministry really looked like and the fact that it doesn't have to be some gigantic jawdropping thing. I am so thankful for every relationship and friendship that was formed in Ecuador, and thankful that His work is done in the small things.
