Winter 2023-24 Trip Update!!
It was so great to be back in Ecuador! The way the Lord continues to work both in this place and through this place is incredible. I want to give you a glimpse of the highlights from this amazing trip!
The trip was split into two different parts – time at Camp Bellavista and the young adult retreat in the Galapagos. During the first half of the trip, at Camp Bellavista, we got a tour of the camp, built bunk beds, and celebrated the new year! When we took a walk around the camp, it was neat getting to see the development that has occurred over the last 7 months. First, the foundation to the leadership building that our team poured in May now has walls, a roof, and flooring! This building is going to house multiple bedrooms, some bathrooms, and a kitchen. Our team made a total of 10 bunk beds and painted all of the walls. The progress allows Frank and Mary, the owners of Camp Bellavista, to invite more people to their camp – whether they be missionaries, youth, adults, families, teachers, service groups, or whomever else! Starting off the trip with the building project also allowed us to learn to communicate more effectively as a team and bond before our trip to the Galapagos!
While we were at camp, we got to celebrate the New Year! Getting to celebrate at camp was a sweet way to finish 2023 and kick off 2024. One of the things that surprised me was my improved ability to use Spanish to communicate. Being able to have more in depth conversations to get to know the guests was fun. After dinner, we got to enjoy some local traditions because NYE is a huge holiday in Ecuador. Local kids came in, dressed up, and danced for us at the beginning of the night. Frank, the owner of the camp, surprised us with a folk band which was phenomenal! The music and culture is extremely rich. During one of the songs, everyone got up and danced. We danced with each other, and then at the end we all joined hands and danced together in harmony. Even though we might not all be able to communicate with language, there are many things that unite us, and music with dancing is definitely one of them.
After we played some fun games like multilingual charades, team competitions, and more, we took time to end the year in God’s word. One of the community members shared about her bout with cancer. She had received a diagnosis and was told she had weeks to months to live. But she rejoiced, sharing that God had kept her on this earth another year! She thanked Him for all 365 days that she got to take a step with the Lord. It was really impactful to hear her gratitude for each individual day. Sometimes I can get too caught up in the hustle of life and I fail to remember what a gift it is to be here, walking next to God, every day! When I am at Camp Bellavista time slows down, I am able to genuinely appreciate the little moments on a whole new level and stop the anxious thoughts reeling in my mind. I feel so attuned to God’s Spirit as He feels so present in every moment. It was a privilege to ring in the new year with these people in this place.
Our final day at Camp Bellavista was the church luncheon! All of the people who celebrated the new year with us were there again, and we had some extra church members join us too. We had 5 countries and 3 languages represented. It felt like a small glimpse of Revelation 7:9, “After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb (NIV).” We were all worshiping in our native tongue singing Jesus My Savior. It brings me to tears reimagining these moments. Their verse of the year is Romans 10:14 “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them (NIV)?” The Christian community there is growing, but there are still many people who have never heard the name of Jesus. The mission for the church this year is to share Jesus with others! If you want to pray for this community, pray that they have courage to go and share the good news with their friends and neighbors. At the end of the church service, we enjoyed a nice meal together and made smores, which are uncommon for Ecuador, so we like to bring them as a treat. After, we packed up and headed on our way to the Galapagos Islands.
The Galapagos Islands half of the trip was so fun!! We had a blast exploring the island, enjoying the beach, and growing in community together. There were so many highlights from this portion of the trip! Here are just a few: First, it was the Ecuadorian young adults' first time flying! It was neat to be able to experience this adventure with them. Second, we had some amazing devotional times. I got to lead a devotional on the first night in the islands. The goal of our time here was to share testimonies and be encouraged in our faith, and that is exactly what happened. I shared Psalm 107 which has been an extremely meaningful chapter to my faith and testimony. In short, this chapter is written in a multi-testimony format where each story details life before God, a heart change, and life with God. Based on this format, we were each able to write our testimony in a way that we felt comfortable sharing. Almost everyone shared their testimony that night! Growing closer to each person through spiritual intimacy was neat. Our time culminated when Panchito, one of the young adults, got baptized!!! He shared that He was ready to fully dedicate his life to Christ and let Him into his heart. Also, in their culture, baptism also can mean taking on a bigger leadership role in the church. Panchito is ready for that! His baptism took place on the last full day in the islands at our favorite beach. We all circled around him in prayer and celebrated this moment. At dinner, he was asked if he wanted to lead that night’s devotional, and he agreed! The Lord was on the move, and the Word he gave felt so fitting for our last night being together as a team. He shared Luke 8:39, “‘Return home and tell how much God has done for you.’ So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him (NIV).”
In congruence with this passage, the Lord has been so faithful in the way He has walked with me through my two trips to Ecuador. I am hoping to be able to go back to Ecuador again soon. The imprint that this community has left on my heart cannot even be explained with words.
If you would like to partner with me in supporting Camp Bellavista, they can always use prayers for financial provision, their community to continue to be transformed by the gospel, and safety and healing for their country as it is in a continued state of unrest.
May 2023 Ecuador Vision Trip Recap
When I say Ecuador was the most impactful experience I’ve ever had, I truly mean it. I have never before seen the Lord move, love, and change hearts so much in 10 days. Here is a glimpse of the Ecuador experience and the ways that I saw the Lord working.
The first few days were spent in the Amazon which was lush, green, and beautiful. We first began to bond as a team as we learned about the culture of the Kichwa people. We visited a Kichwa village where they showed us their traditional dances and cultural teas, and they shared a bit about how they live. With this experience, we were able to better understand Kichwan's history and the ways we could connect their culture with the gospel that we planned to share the next day. The team bonding during a couple of days leading up to sharing the gospel was advantageous because we were able to focus on each other’s strengths and play on those to the best of our ability. It was neat to see the way that the Lord had been preparing our hearts and the hearts of the Kichwa children.
When we got to the village on the day of sharing the gospel, the community received us with open arms. They shared their culture with us and even invited us to share in some delicious cultural treats. Also, the kids were attentive, lively, and eager to learn while we shared a little of our culture and the good news of Jesus Christ! We started by sharing the creation story, and then letting them show off their creativity by drawing the days of creation. Next, we shared John 3:16 with the kids, showing them just how loved they are by the Lord. It was neat to see their reaction to hearing about Jesus. I have never experienced being a part of a group sharing the gospel with others who had never heard it. You could tell they had so much joy. We are continuing to pray that the seed that was planted on May 10th continues to get watered and grows!
When we left the village, we were all even more ready to continue to see Him move throughout the rest of our trip. We were off to Camp Bellavista! This camp is in the highlands of Ecuador. Here we did construction work, led a kids' camp, and contributed to their first evangelism-driven church service! First, the Lord moved in some unexpected ways through our 5 days of construction work. In my personal construction experience, I worked on a fence with a maestro named Wilson. He did not know any English, but it was encouraging to see the ways that we were still able to communicate despite the obvious language barrier. This reminded me of the fact that God speaks all languages. He has personal relationships with people of all different cultures, and even when we cannot verbally share our faith as a point of connection, it is a common ground, nonetheless. Wilson emulated a lot of the Lord’s characteristics too. He had a strong work ethic, led with extreme kindness, and had a willingness to teach. He was the master of the trade, but he was so willing to let everyone else try out the job. He was patient as I learned to use the power tools and grew accustomed to the precision of the task. In my own heart, the Lord used this time with Wilson and some of the other maestros to break down the lie from the enemy that I am inadequate because I am not perfect. He so graciously reminded me throughout the week, through people on the trip and through the workers at Camp Bellavista, that growing is GOOD and that we are all worthy of learning. This extends far beyond practices or tasks too, but it also extends into our relationship with the Lord. Although I will never have a perfect understanding of who He is, the joy of getting to learn more about Him every day keeps life so interesting! This is what fuels my joy! Wilson helped break some of the walls I had built up regarding my lack of perfection, and for that, I will be forever grateful.
Another construction project that we worked on, all together as a team, was laying a foundation for a new building. This new building is going to house the missionaries and counselors that will contribute to the good work that is taking place at Camp Bellavista. This was Camp Bellavista’s sixth foundation that they laid on the property! Now, I call that a “six-cess” haha. Working together as a team and getting the chance to see everyone use their strength was amazing. Our motto for the trip was “minga” which is a word from the Kichwa people that means teamwork or communal work that benefits the whole community. We learned this the first night in the Amazon, and it continued to be our motto throughout the rest of the trip. We got the chance to experience teamwork in many ways and refine our teamwork in ways that we can use back home, too. It was neat to see how our hands contributed to the growth of the camp. Frank and Mary, the owners and true visionaries of the camp are incredibly grateful for the way that your contributions have helped them continue to further their mission. Hearing their stories encouraged my faith. To pass them along, here are some of the stories they told!
One afternoon, Frank took us on a tour of the grounds. At the start of the tour, they told us their story of how it all began. They mentioned that in retirement they wanted to start a Christian camp that would help bring the good news to the Ecuadorian people. However, less than a year into their marriage, God allowed them to be faithful to the call now. They took it, and He has been blessing them with the fruit of that decision ever since. Before even opening a camp, they first started a church which has grown in size exponentially since its opening about a year or so ago. Along with the church, Mary’s dream of opening a school is beginning to become a reality. They have a bilingual Christian preschool that is in the process of getting accredited as you are reading this. It is the only bilingual school in their large region of the country. It is so cool to see how their faithfulness to the Lord reveals His true faithfulness to them and the abundance of plans that He has, far beyond what they could have ever asked or imagined.
All of these stories were amazing, but my favorite story is yet to be completed. They have prepared these two terraces of land for camper cabins. We walked over to the spot while Frank shared that they did not yet have the funds or capability to begin this project. Despite not being able to begin, Frank shared that they prepared the land because they KNOW that the Lord will provide. The lesson he wanted us to take away was that we need to prepare for His provision. How are we supposed to let Him know that we are ready to receive His provision unless we step out in faith knowing that he will be faithful? This step of faith proved to me all the more that Frank and Mary are doing everything in God’s timing. This camp is just one big storybook of God’s omnipotent, omnipresent, and faithful character! Let this be an encouragement to break ground on areas in your life and remain encouraged that if it is the Lord’s will, in His time He will provide.
Lastly, throughout the trip, our team had daily devotions that were led by different team members each day. We got to see how each person was guided by the Lord to share what they had been led to share. All of the teachings were woven perfectly together, really showing me how each of us was meant to be on this trip! The maestros, Camp Bellavista staff, and anyone else who wanted to join our devotional time were able to come and participate. It was neat to get to worship the Lord in song in two different languages, hear His Word read in two different languages, and hear prayers in two different languages. It was so encouraging to hear their stories of how the Lord was moving through their lives, as well. We each had an impact on every person we encountered, just as they had an impact on us. A few days after we headed back to America, we got a message from Mary saying that they are starting group devotionals at the camp as a regular thing. This is amazing!! Keeping the conversation of God going beyond the weekly church meetings is going to create so much growth, not just in the camp but in the people! I am going to continue to pray for the people in Ecuador along with Frank and Mary’s mission to let the good news reach into ALL areas of the world!
I am continually overwhelmed by the impact that this trip has had on me. I know that if God calls me back to Ecuador, I will not hesitate in saying YES!! The people that I met and grew fond of, I am still in contact with. I am going to be communicating with one maestro, James, regularly so he can practice his English, and I can practice my Spanish. I am excited to hear about how the Lord continues to work in my heart and theirs as the impact of these 10 days continues to expand beyond what I thought possible. The Lord is SO good!