El Chaco

LIFT 37 Ecuador Mission Trip - Blog Post #3
Tim Trezise

Hi everyone - just a quick update to let you all know that our time in El Chaco went very well.  We helped clear the land and clean things up around the church in Chonta Loma then the next day walked through that community to invite youth to our afternoon evangelistic program in the town sports pavilion.  We also had opportunities to share the gospel with families in their homes or on the streets. The youth outreach included games, skits, lessons and songs to about 70 children.

Our times of worshiping with our Ecuadorian brothers and sisters was full of joy and energy as LIFTers and Ecuadorians shared responsibilities of different parts of the services we attended (teaching Bible lessons, sharing testimonies and messages, dances, dramatizations, and leading singing).

On Friday afternoon, we spent time getting blasted with by the intense spray from Cascada del Rio Malo then went to see the largest waterfall in Ecuador, Cascada San Rafael.  Sunday afternoon people chose to either go with Rick Borman on a beautiful jungle hike or experience the jungle by floating through it on rafts with some class IV rapids to navigate along the way.  Our last time together with the church members was playing soccer until almost midnight under the lights on the turf stadium.

We have returned to El Refugio to help with work projects this afternoon and will pack again tonight to head out early tomorrow to Oyacachi for a few days.

Keep praying the God would work in our hearts and those we are with.  We have seen him working powerfully in unexpected ways already.

Ministry with Machetes and Mouths

LIFT 37 Ecuador Mission Blog Post #2

By Seth Brown

Have you ever seen Tarzan, or Swiss Family Robinson? Picture hacking vines and branches apart to clear your path. Each swing slices clean through your target, yet the overgrowth of vegetation bears down upon you, until your workmanship has crafted a tunnel of dark green through which you may pass. As you complete your latest swipe, your machete reveals a stunning sight- nestled within the valley, a tiered wooden structure of ropes and ladders, bridges and platforms- an actual treehouse!

The treehouse is but one of the many incredible features found on El Refugio’s expansive grounds. Over the years, their mission to “facilitate a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ through nature and outdoor adventure” has led to the creation of campsites, a high ropes course, fire pits, an outdoor climbing wall, and several buildings, including a newly enclosed dining hall that previous LIFTers have assisted in building. The names of the campsites in particular help convey the intention of the organization- Shechem, Kadesh, and Gilead are all cities of refuge spoken of in the Old Testament, and each campsite, and indeed all of El Refugio, aims to be a sanctuary with purpose.

We have started each day hiking with headlamps on the trails to acclimatize to the altitude here.  This morning we all reached the 11,000 foot summit of the property to have a spectacular view of all the surrounding mountains including the giant, glacier-covered Cayambe glowing with sunrise climbing its ridge.  We recited Sermon-on-the-Mount and prayed over the ministry and people here then headed back down for another great breakfast with freshly baked pancitos (small bread rolls), a choice of delicious fruit juices and baked oatmeal.

It has been an incredible blessing to spend the first few days serving here at El Refugio. During the day we split into different groups to serve with the staff on various projects throughout the camp. Although some of the staff members here speak English as their native tongue or have learned it well, others speak mostly Spanish. In the same way, our group encompasses a variety of Spanish-speaking ability. On Tuesday night I joined several LIFTers to assist the kitchen staff in finishing the dishes. It was an excellent chance to practice our Spanish vocabulary, and amusingly we ended up trading with the kitchen staff- we all went over both the Spanish and English words for the different kinds of silverware!

As we prepare to travel to work with the church in El Chaco for the next several days, old fears and doubts assail me. Will I be able to communicate clearly when I need to? Will I remember the Spanish I learned several years ago now, or will I fail? Will I be an effective light to the people I meet, to further God’s kingdom? Two passages of Scripture have been on my mind lately that clearly show God’s purpose and answer to these questions. After Moses’ encounter with God at the burning bush, instead of jumping to follow God’s commission, he declares himself unfit in speech to communicate what God has given him to say. And the LORD responds with “Who gave man his mouth? Is it not I, the LORD? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say” (Ex. 4:11-12). In contrast, when Isaiah was called, he heard a voice asking who would go as God’s prophet. And he immediately replied, “Here am I. Send me!”(Isa. 6:8). Pray that each member of LIFT 37 would look to God for his guidance and strength, and that we would be as receptive to the Spirit’s leading as Isaiah. Here is LIFT God. Send us! 

Check out our Facebook page: LIFT Discipleship Program.  We will be posting pictures in the LIFT 37 photo album.  

Rice and Beans

LIFT 37 Ecuador Mission Blog Post #1
by Elizabeth Flannery

We as a community spent Monday through Friday of last week at CAMP-of-the-WOODS practicing a fast of rice and beans (1 serving 3 meals a day) to prepare ourselves spiritually and physically for the adventure God is bringing us on and to get a taste of how the other half of the world has survived most of their lives. This was a really special time for us and God spoke and moved in our hearts in amazing ways. There were stories of healing and breaking and remolding and just awesome, sweet time with God.

During my fast, I was brought to Proverbs 2:2-6:

“Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding.

Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasures.

Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord, and you will gain knowledge from God.

For the Lord grants wisdom!”

This is a passionate and reckless pursuit of the satisfaction of God. I can (we can) not settle for being empty or downcast. Because discouragement is never from God, we will never be disheartened in our “passionate pursuit of true, deep, and lasting satisfaction” in Jesus. This transforms every single facet of Christian Life: that if we desire God more than we desire anything else in this world, we will find true joy and peace and he will use us in that space. So if we live this time we have in Ecuador focused on God’s constant presence and the reckless pursuit of him and not what we can do for him, He will make the rest fall into place. This is my prayer for my friends and myself these next 16 days.

            

We had a full 20-hour day of travel yesterday (Monday, March 20th), and arrived here safely at El Refugio late last night. After an orientation session this morning with Rick Borman and Jim Olsen, we spent the better part of today working in different teams on projects around this beautiful property and learning about what we’re going to be doing and how God might be using  us while we’re here. Llamas graze up and down the soft green mountains that surround us and the fields and forests are covered in little patches of tropical flowers and fruit trees. We ate papaya for breakfast and pineapple for lunch.  We are happy to be here and anxious to get into what Jesus has for us! Thank you for all the prayers and support! Gloria A Dios!!

Jeremiah 1:7-8 MSG

“God told me, “Don’t say, ‘I am only a boy.’

            I’ll tell you where to go and you’ll go there.

I’’ll tell you what to say and you’ll say it.

            Don’t be afraid of a soul.

I’ll be right there, looking after you.”