Tears first!

LIFT 37 Ecuador Mission Trip - Blog Post #5

Philippe Blais

Our time in Ecuador is quickly going by and amidst the bumpy bus rides and the magnificent views of mountains sides, some of us might have lost focus. There is a schedule to follow and activities to participate in which can blur our vision and dull our excitement about the work that we have come to do. Yet, in the last two days, two staff from El Refugio, Jonathan and Wilmar, shared their testimony with us and they both testified of the impact short-term missions had on their own lives. This really encouraged us! When they were younger, teams from the States visited the communities of these two boys, played with them, loved them and shared the Gospel with them. That planted seeds and changed their lives. 

The focus of our mission is far-sighted but results can only be seen right away or sometimes not at all. We have not yet seen the fruits of our work here but there is a promise of a great harvest. Tim shared this image with us: local farmers work year round on their land. Sometimes, they need extra hands to help accomplish crucial tasks that can only get done with a lot of workers. Once the task is done, the local farmers are able to continue the work basically on their own. The work consists in sustaining what has been started or in keeping growing what has been planted. In the same way, if we, extra workers, come and share the Gospel at a large scale or in a very impactful way, the local pastor (farmer) can focus on the sustaining part of the spiritual growth by watering the seed of the Gospel with the Word and protecting it against the enemies that would like to steal it away. God is the one who causes the growth. As we have seen with the example of the two staff who received a seed of love from the missionaries which grew over the years into them each being leaders who now share the Gospel with others, God nurtured it through the work of local pastors.

We heard the first of these two testimonies in Oyacachi, when we were still spending time with the local children. It really stuck with me. Later that day, we played with kids at the volleyball court. Just before it was time go to dinner, one of them, Elisha, asked to climb up on my shoulders. As he was perched up there, I remember about the testimony. So I asked my new friend if he knew about Jesus. He said he did. But then I asked him if he knew that Jesus loved him so much so that he died for him. He said he didn’t. I shared as much as I could in the Spanish that I knew and finally prayed with him. Even if he was repeating after me, I do not think he was just a parrot on my shoulder. I truly believe Elisha understood that Jesus loved him and that it was worth living for him. It was hard to hold my tears. Even as I am writing this it is hard not to cry. Yet, my vision about our mission is not as blurry as it used to be. It gave me a new perspective. What, then, are the first fruits of our work? Tears…tears of joy are the first fruits in the harvest. And the harvest is plentiful! So let us keep working.