My time in Ecuador has been quite an
adveutre so far. Here is a quick update on our ministry for the month in
Huaticocha
After hanging out in Quito, the capitol of
Ecuador, for a few days for “launch”, Team Fireproof jumped in a van for 5 hours and headed off on some windy
roads towards Huaticocha, a small rainforest village located in the northeast
part of Ecuador. We had little idea bout what to expect here, other than the
knowledge that we would be living in the home of Pastor Ivan and working with
him doing some construction, house visits, and church services. The details
were pretty vague to be sure, but we have done all of the above and more in the
past 4 days since we have been here. Here is a brief rundown of a typical days schedule:
6:55 am: Wake up. No time for showers
(showers? More like taking a bucket of water and dumping it over our head. This
comes later.) because breakfast is in 5 minutes.
7:00 – Breakfast. Usually eggs and bread,
or some sort of corncake. Instant, not so delicious, coffee included. Ecuador
is one of the world’s largest exporters of coffee, yet they all drink instant
coffee. Whaaat?
located about a miles walk down the rad. Land was recently purchased to build a
church on and serve as a missionary training facility in the future. Most
people that leave for the city to train in the ministry never return home to
the small villages, so the goal of this facility is to train missionaries from
the region to go back and serve their
own communities rather than being forced to leave and train in the city. Our
work is in the early stages of the construction process; making paths out of
rocks and dirt and wheelbarrowing tons of rocks across the land so that it can
be used in the construction of the paths. We also spent about a day and half
attempting to dig out and move this massive rock/boulder, but to no avail. It
is backbreaking, exhausting labor, to say the least.
12:30 – Lunch. A much needed reprieve from
work on the site. Lunch is the largest meal of the day and typically consists
of a soup, meat, and rice. Following lunch we are given time for a siesta, and
we are all asleep before our heads even hit the pillow.
visits with Pastor Ivan. The seven of us cram into a small bedroom in the tiny
home of one of the local villagers and take the opportunity to share ourselves
with these people. Some of us tell our testimonies, read Bible verses to
encourage them, listen to their testimonies, and pray for them. These visits
are intimate and personal, and the local people welcome us in to their homes
with open arms, excited to have these six strange Gringos visiting them from so
far away.
5:30 – Our evenings have looked different
every day. So far we have had church services in Ivan’s basement, visited other
churches in the surrounding community, and done more home visits. Any time we
arrive at a church Pastor Ivan fully expects us to have a message, testimonies,
verses, and songs to share. As he likes to say, “the spotlight is on you!”
6:30 (or later) – Dinner. More soup, rice,
chicken, etc. The food has been delicious but bland, and “salsa picante” (hot
sauce) has quickly become my best friend. Ivan actually calls the hot sauce my
“amigo” because I use so much of it.
8:30 – Family Time. This is where we get
together as a team and spend time together, talking about our day, giving
feedback to each other, and praying for one another. This is an important part
of every day that gives us a chance to speak our thoughts and excitements about
the day, to voice frustrations or struggles, and to encourage one another.
Family time also often includes games (no cards, they are taboo here) or
worship of some sort. It’s basically a time of relaxation and reflection.
9:00 – Get ready for bed. This is usually
no issue given the amount of hard work we have been doing all day. Sometimes we
shower with buckets or stay up and talk with each other, but usually it’s
straight to sleep following family time.
10:00 – Lights out.
It’s been an exhausting couple of days, and
everyone is looking forward to getting some rest on Friday for our day off. And
this weekend it is back to work preparing the church services for Saturday and
Sunday nights. WE are excited about the month ahead of us and the work that is
to be done. Preaching and teaching is not something that any of us are really
comfortable with, but it is something we are all going to be expected to do
quite often this month, and likely in future months as well. This trip is about
expanding the limits of our comfort zones and seeing how God uses our obedience
for His purpose.
for the rest of the month. My next blog will detail one of the adventures that
we just had yesterday trekking all afternoon through deep rainforest brush and
through thick mud to reach a remote church. Stay tuned!
