Chuco: Lots of stars up there, Homey. Not too polluted.
Angel: The stars aren’t really there, ese. No, what you’re looking at is where they used to be, man. It takes the light a thousand years to reach the Earth. You know, for all we know, they burned out a long time ago, man. God pulled the plug on us. He didn’t tell nobody.
Chuco: The stars are out there, homeboy. I don’t care what you say.
Life in Cuenca is very polluted with sexual immorality, abuse of drugs and alcohol, and dogmatic religion mixed with paganism; lies, that will please oneself until the truth is discovered, but just as in the movie Stand and Deliver (if you haven’t seen this movie; you need to watch it), pollution is not an excuse to become inactive. Rather, it is the catalyst to activism. Cuenca is polluted, but not “too polluted.” There are stars out there in Cuenca who are carrying God’s light of love, grace, redemption, and desire to have a intimate relationship with His creation. These stars have not burnt out, but rather we fail to notice them. As World Racers, we call them Unsung Heroes. Heroes serving to bring glory to God and light back into a world that needs to look up and see the stars are still bursting with life.
One of these stars is Young Life. Young Life is not a stranger to us North Americans, and I’m excited to say it isn’t a stranger to Ecuador either! Although it isn’t as big as it is in North America, it is still having an enormous impact here in Ecuador. My team had an opportunity to meet with a young Ecuadorean lady named, Dayana. Dayana is dedicating her life to Jesus by sharing Him with the youth of Cuenca, Ecuador. Cuenca has the highest rates of teen pregnancies and alcohol and drug abuse in all of Latin American. “This is because in Cuenca there is a double life,” Dayana stated. “Women are expected to act traditional (proper manners, the way they dress and speak, etc) throughout the day, but at night the traditional culture does not really apply to them.” Clubs and drinking is the night life norm of teens and young adults in Cuenca.
“How can I give these teens a place to go and something to do that is safe and fun for them?” Dayana’s asked. Young Life was the answer. An opportunity to share Jesus with them in a fun and loving environment. This has brought about challenges itself. With a culture that is very dogmatic and sees God as a religion of do’s and don’ts, an intimate relationship with Him seems like a bizarre fairy tale. Grasping the truth of a life that is joyful, satisfying and fun without having to fall into the worldly temptations has been an lesson Dayana has been teaching. Focusing on building a relationship with Jesus and understanding what He has done for them, has been a new mindset for Cuenca’s youth and young adults.
Young life in Cuenca, Ecuador was not the only one we stumbled upon. While in Shell, Ecuador some of my teammates and I had the opportunity to participate in the young life program located there. Seeing the fruits of what God has begun to grow is incredible! The youth in Shell are very invested in one another spiritually to help raise up a generation dedicated to bringing glory to God and restoration into Shell, Ecuador. God’s splendor is being poured out through these teens and young adults. It was encouraging to see a group on fire and active within a town so dense with indigenous religion and dogmatic theology.
God has already won the battle for His children in Ecuador. He just needs His ambassadors to go tell the world the the battle has been won. Thank you Dayanna, Rachel and Ivon for dedicating your life to declaring God’s victory.
