Upon arriving at Oyacachi, a small and very remote Andean mountain village of the Quechua indigenous people, we were
immediately blessed by the greeting of many little ninos (kids) who were
shouting for joy as the bus pulled up next to the church. We were met with hugs
as we got off the bus, and along with the hugs, many of the kids desired to feel
my hair (I have a large afro). Playing all sorts of games, piggy-back rides, and messing with hair in
general were expected whenever we were with the kids. We loved every moment of
it. These kids were some of the most loving and energetic I had ever met and as
I like to say, they were quite "Ecuadorable!"
The first night we were there, we
enjoyed some time meeting the kids. After what seemed like only ten minutes, we were
a bit surprised to hear that instead of sitting down and having dinner then, we were given the opportunity to do the adult and
youth services that night instead of the next evening as we had expected! Many of the LIFT students participated including the worship team and the skits team. Juan shared his testimony, Joe C. preached at the
youth service while Joe D. preached at the adult service. It was truly amazing
how God helped us in a situation where we really needed to be flexible. The
gospel was preached, and the Lord was praised! It was wonderful to hear a song
performed by the Quechua women's choir in their full cultural dress of blue skirts, bright orange ponchos, brass-colored bead necklaces and brown bolar hats. They sang a song called, "Bienvenidos" (which means welcome) to kick off our time in the village. They followed with a song they wrote specifically for us, to encourage us as fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.
The second day we were there, we got
to spend some time in the morning with kids at the school. Teaching the kids English and
playing games with them was such a blessing. Later that afternoon we had an awesome
opportunity to partner with Compassion International, a program to free young children
(ages 3-20) from poverty and point them to Christ. They work with kids in four different areas including
spiritually, academically, emotionally, and with their health. They are able to
get on a personal level with the children and because of that they are able to
take God’s word to the next level in their lives. God is doing amazing work
through this ministry and bringing many children to Christ. During this time
(2:00PM-5:00PM) we got the message across that they are princesses and princes
of the King of Kings, that they are uniquely created by God, and are very special in His eyes.
We made it clear that only through the blood of Christ are they heirs to His
throne. We helped the children make their own crowns and bracelets to give a
visual example that they truly are royalty. With a Polaroid camera we were able
to take pictures of each family with their crowns and bracelets on. We showed
the children the blank Polaroid and how it changed into a beautiful picture. We
then told them that this demonstrates how God can take a life that is blank and
meaningless and turn it into something beautiful. They got to keep this photo
and it meant so much to them. We then got to spend some time with them singing
songs and playing games.
The last big portion of ministry in
Oyacachi the next day at the school with older kids (7th-10th
grade) Once again, skits, worship, and English lessons were incorporated. Just
to give you an idea of what our skits were like . . . the one performed today
portrayed a girl who gets caught up in the worries and temptations of the world
including self-image, grades and academic success, drugs and alcohol, and
relationships (boyfriend). After becoming broken and realizing that none of
these things truly satisfy, she falls at the feet of Christ and he wraps her in
a white robe and embraces her. In the words of a fellow LIFTer, “I love that
skit- it gives me the chills, and I know that people our age and especially
younger ones will be able to relate to it and God will use it to change lives.”
Another unique part of what we did was that we incorporated scripture into our English
teaching. Romans 5:8 was read to them.
“…but God shows his love
for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.”
Then they
learned how to say it in English and received cards that had the verse on it in
English and in Spanish. After the time at the school this morning, we had to
say good-bye to the many children that we loved so much. It was hard, yet it
was very joyful experience as we were got to hug them, and spin them around in
our arms one last time. As the bus pulled away we said "Adios!" and "Que Dios te bendiga!" (God bless you!) countless times as
they threw flowers and then chased the bus as far as they could. As me and a number of other LIFTers were hanging out the windows and waving, I was able to
pick out Robinson, one of my favorite little ninos from the joyful swarm as they chased
after us as the bus climbed the dusty road from the village. Oh, how they loved us and how it ached to say goodbye. A few of the LIFT team teared up as we bumped up the high-mountain road when the meaning of their hand-written notes of love and appreciation from the children were translated. Priceless and precious!
Our experience at Oyacachi was
really put into perspective when we arrived back at our home-base, El Refugio.
After dinner, one of the facilitators who works at El Refugio shared his
testimony. His name is Wilmar, and what he shared was amazing and truly touched
our hearts. He talked about how when he was a kid, his father left him and his
three brothers. Then, some “gringos” (Americans) came and loved him just
like we did for the kids in Oyacachi. He said that the he was hugged, carried
around, and that he climbed all over the people and that he felt the love of
Christ, which he wished he could have received from his father. After seeing
and receiving the love of Christ, he began to go to church, and it changed his
life. He and his brothers are now totally devoted to serving Christ and spreading the amazing and great news about his love. They are presently very active as leaders and facilitators in the ministry of El Refugio. Hearing his testimony brought tears to my eyes, and to many others.
“After
what we did in Oyacachi, hearing his testimony broke my heart.” – Juan
God used the little kids to
bring us so much joy, and at the same time, I believe He used the compassion and love He has shown us to lavish on them- even if we were only there for a little bit of time, to impact
their lives just like he changed Wilmar's and his three brothers! God uses little things to do big
things!
I’ll Quechua later!
Joe Girard
(With some help from Lauren V.)
Please team with us and pray for:
1) A number of our team has been battling colds and gastrointestinal distress as they have been exposed to different a culture, environment and food. They have had to take time out to rest. They will need to regain their strength as wee finish our time here in Ecuador with another full day of service projects at El Refugio and a climb of a major mountain peak over 16,000'
2) The continued ministry of Compassion International and the church in Oyacachi with the beautiful Quechua children. May God's work flourish in the lives of each boy and girl there.
Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world!
