Wow… So it has been awhile since my last blog post. Too long if I’m really being honest. A lot of things have gone on that have actually been pretty huge things. This blog is going to play off of my last one. What the World Race is really like pt. 2! From last month in Quito, we were in a ministry called La Luz Iglesia. That was a ministry that didn’t quite have that much to do so we did a lot of praying, growing as a team, and playing with some neighborhood kids too. It was difficult because not everything you do in life is going to be “BAM!” right in your face and the most exciting thing ever.
Much of life consists of things that seem mundane, but actually can have great impacts. I learned that A LOT last month. So many things went on last month like living with 55 people, having a ministry that isn’t all the glory you see in the pictures on The World Race, and even going to the hospital one too many times. It all added up to be a potentially discouraging month; with everything that went on I actually was discouraged. Is that what the next 9 months will be like this; can I even do this? I was running on fumes going into debrief.
(Oh, debrief is a period of time between ministries where we relax, do some fun things, and get time to dig into God and gear up for another few months of ministry). During debrief, after long hours of praying, reading my Bible, seeking God, and wisdom from many others, I realized I had so much to be encouraged about. God was still glorified from all of it, we had a chance to work on our team and community, and I had time to be broken by God. That’s exactly what I needed. It showed me that this was worth it; the pain, discouragement, and discomfort was worth every single second of it. It was a tough month and I wouldn’t want to do it again, but I’m glad it happened.
SO, after a slight team change at debrief, we were off to Portoviejo, Ecuador! If your like me then you have no idea where that is (I still barely do). It’s a large town on the coast of Ecuador, right next to the ocean. We came here November 7th and will be here till December 29th when we meet up with the whole squad to fly to India! Here we’re working in SO many ministries. Small groups at church, youth group at church, volunteering at a hospital, and ministering to families and children who live in a garbage dump. They’re all fantastic ministries, but my favorite is the dump (yes, a literal garbage dump). We get an opportunity to run around and play with some of the most adorable kids. I love kids so I’m extremely excited about our ministry. It’s cool how things could look so grim in month 1 where you’re wondering if it’s even right for you to be here then God comes in and BOOM! He says “yup”. It taught me a lot about clinging to God through the good and bad, easy and difficult, beautiful and ugly moments, through it all. It is one of the most difficult things ever, but it is SO worth it, especially the relationship you develop with God. Something else I wanted to share was some verses that really got me through so much of this stuff:
Romans 8:28-30
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
Boom… That’s huge.
Thank you for reading my blog! If you feel called to support me I still have about $605 dollars to raise till I meet my final goal!!! Thank you again.
Yours in Christ,
Paul D. Duesing
