Ecuador- Field Day 2

Day two began with a little personal quiet time on our balcony before we were gathered for the day. I treasured those peaceful moments before another full schedule similar to the previous day but with a different community group and church. 

We followed breakfast with a couple more hours of additional training before heading out for another day of outreach, this time farther away.

On the way, we stopped at a very unusual and massive statue of Mary. It overlooked the city below and faced the Basilica of the National Vow, one of Ecuador's most recognizable churches.

We took a few quick pictures, including one of our entire team, 

our ministry groups, 

Grabbed my Zoe nearby.

Team Leaders...

Then we walked on down back to our bus...

Zooming in on the church....

Shiloh graciously agreed to take a photo with me before we climbed back on the bus.

Lunch was simple and eaten on the bus, but dessert made me smile.

One thing missions quickly teaches you is flexibility, and this day was no exception.

When we arrived, we met at a different church and were introduced to the pastor, who had such a genuine love for his community. The plan was for local church members to guide us on our home visits, but when we arrived, they were nowhere to be found. Instead of giving up, the pastor worked hard to connect each of our ministry groups with opportunities to serve.

After taking a few pictures together, we headed out.  Thankful to grab one with our interpreter for the past couple of days.

Our first visit took us up a very steep set of narrow stairs to a rooftop home, where an elderly woman sat alone. Communication was difficult. She spoke very little Spanish, so the pastor translated from her native language into Spanish, and then our interpreter translated everything into English for us. It was slow, but we eventually asked how we could pray for her.

As she shared, she began to cry. She talked about the constant pain she lived with and how alone she felt. I found myself squatting down so I could look her in the eyes. My heart simply broke for her.

I felt prompted to tell her that she was not forgotten, that God saw her, loved her, and was with her. As those words were translated, she cried even more. I hated leaving her.The language barrier made conversation difficult, but the compassion I felt hopefully needed no translation. I could not stop thinking about how her days were likely spent sitting in that same spot, carrying both physical pain and loneliness.

Before leaving, we prayed over her.

Back at the church, we expected to receive our next assignment, but no one else had returned. As we waited, we noticed a family down the street waving and laughing a little. We decided to walk over and introduce ourselves.At first, they politely declined and closed the window. A few moments later, they opened it again and invited us inside.

They seemed a little unsure about us being there, but they listened as we shared the gospel. We gave them some cookies, invited them to the upcoming medical clinic, and left them with a Bible and Bible study worksheet to work through afterward.

As we walked away, I heard laughter after the door closed. My heart sank.

Our interpreter smiled and said, “That was fun,” but I quietly wondered if anything eternal had really happened. Sometimes faithfulness means planting seeds that only God can grow.
After waiting a little longer, the rain finally sent us back to the bus. Before leaving the community, we stopped at a small corner store where we had another opportunity to share the gospel and pray with the older couple who owned it.

I later got some photos from the groups that the girls were in.

Afterwards, the church graciously served us sandwiches, cookies, and a rich hot chocolate that tasted especially wonderful on such a cold afternoon.

On the long ride back, we stopped near our guest house for burgers. 

It was fun getting to know our translators better over dinner and hearing more of their stories.

By the time we arrived back for our evening debrief, we were exhausted. Yet hearing what God had done through each ministry group reminded me that His work often looks very different than we expect. Sometimes we leave encouraged, and sometimes we leave wondering. Either way, our job is simply to be faithful, trusting Him with the results. As I laid my head down that night, I realized missions is not always about seeing immediate results. Sometimes it is about showing up, loving people well, planting seeds, and trusting God with everything that happens afterward.