Ecuador in Retrospect

As I shared in my last post, I recently had the opportunity to go with a group from my church, FBC Tallassee, on a mission trip to Ecuador. We returned a week ago today, and I have yet to post anything, which might seem rather strange for someone so excited about going. But I have to say that each time I have been on a mission trip, it takes me a while to process what I encountered. Ecuador is a beautiful country full of beautiful, generous people--many of whom are hungry for Jesus. We had the privilege to share in the market places, and I found that the thing I was most scared of doing became the thing that I enjoyed the most. God reminded me that getting out of my comfort zone is good for me. He stretched me, and I will continue to grow from the experience...for me, it was a neat experience to go where the Elliots had helped to lay a foundation so long ago among the Quichuas.

The following report shares some of what we did while there if you're interested:

On Saturday, June 21, 2014, eighteen members of FBC Tallassee (Derek and Sheila Gentle; Barry and Debbie Tice; Jeff, Christina, Jake, and Andy Baker, Kathy, Brantley, and Katie Chandler; Chuck, Patrick, and Lulu Isbell; Tracy and Kayla Jolley; Kelly Pate, and Glenn Sutton), embarked on a ministry journey to Ecuador. It began with Delta flight DL 673, which departed from Atlanta at 6:00 PM and arrived in Quito, Ecuador at approximately 11:15 PM. At the airport, we met another member of our team who flew in from Florida, Mary Grace, to help with translation and ESL support for the group. Upon arrival in Quito, the group stayed at La Casa Hotel for one very brief evening before departing for the smaller city of Ambato, where the group stayed at Hotel Ambato. We ministered during the week,

both in the markets (using bead bracelets to share the gospel) and through VBS at two different locations.

In the markets we encountered several who had found Christ through previous mission trips like ours, but there were many more who hungered and thirsted for the Good News we were blessed to share. The teenagers in our group eagerly shared the message of the gospel in the markets. Often there were so many eager that one or two of the groups would be late returning to the bus…how could they NOT share with those who eagerly crowded around to hear about Jesus?  One woman was so grateful that such a young man like Patrick would want to share Jesus with her that she loaded him down with a bag full of fruit. Likewise, others eagerly shared what they had after we shared the gospel with them. The last day we were in the markets, Barry’s group encountered an older woman, who shared that missionaries “like us” came 60 years earlier and shared the gospel with her. As a result, her entire family had been saved. We found much encouragement as we shared Christ with those in Ecuador.

The first location for VBS was a Quechan school in a small village a few hours from Ambato. The first day saw few students because many of the students had already been dismissed and had gone home. We actually passed them as we chugged up the mountain. The second day we arrived much earlier and had an abundance of children to minister to and conduct beginner English lessons with.  The second location for VBS was at a local church in Ambato. The first day we arrived early only to find that it was a holiday due to Ecuador’s participation in The World Cup. The translators paired up with the teenagers and a few of the adults to go into the neighborhood and recruit children. At first, it seemed that there were no children to be found, so Jeff Baker and his team prayed for the Lord to send children. As Jeff said Amen, Katie opened her eyes to find a young boy standing behind Jeff, and exclaimed, “Wow! That was fast!” After that several children attended the first day and even more the next. The total for VBS attendance at both locations was well over two hundred children.

In addition to these endeavors, the church met Sunday evening with Alfredo’s house church. Pastor Gentle ministered three evenings to the local pastors, who asked for messages to help them meet specific needs such as the invasion of a “prosperity gospel” message. We found that they are struggling with many of the same issues that the Church here encounters. On the last evening at the church, the team was treated to a meal of cuy, considered a delicacy in Ecuador; however, we found it strange to discover that we were eating guinea pig. Turnabout was only fair play, as we looked up to find that the locals were all taking pictures of us eating our first bites of the meal...Kayla just heard that it tasted like chicken, like it, and ate her portion plus two others’. The next day, as we passed a truck full of guinea pigs, Christina yelled out, “Hey! That’s what we had for supper last night!” Kayla was rather surprised to learn that she had eaten a small, furry rodent…The trip also included a visit to a beautiful waterfall on the edge of the rainforest, a quick visit to the Equator, and the chance to visit artisan markets and lots and lots of ice cream and frozen yogurt opportunities. This group definitely didn’t pass up the chance to fellowship with each other over dessert!

All who traveled to Ecuador could tell many different stories of their experiences, but each one was blessed with the opportunity to fulfill the Great Commission, and all would say that they were stretched by the trip. Jesus said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you” (Matt. 28:19-20a). We got to be a small part of that command, and we were richly blessed! We returned to Tallassee mid-morning on Saturday, June 28^th.