Mission Trip to Ecuador

Ever since I discovered the TV series “Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown,” I knew that I wanted to make travel a big part of my life. I wanted to go on a trip this summer: didn’t care where, didn’t care with who. I came in contact with a pastor in northeast Mississippi that takes a mission team to Ecuador to work with a nonprofit group in the country called Foundation Elohim. Ecuador wasn’t the first destination on my list, but I thought that it would be a fun trip just so that I could say that I’ve been out of the country. Little did I know that this trip to Ecuador would be the most fulfilling - and most painfully humbling - experience of my life.

Foundation Elohim works to deliver the Gospel to the children of Ecuador. They have over ten different areas that they operate in: the majority of them are in the Amazon region, but their church is in the capital city of Quito, which is where we stayed that Sunday. It was an interesting experience to be a native-English speaker in a Spanish church. While we didn’t understand what was being sung or preached, we did understand that the presence of God was moving amongst that church the same way the presence of God moves amongst a church in northeast Mississippi, or downtown Los Angeles, or southeast Asia. Many of us, I feel, have become way too comfortable with our English-speaking churches that we often forget that the love of God knows no political boundary or language barrier. It was certainly a humbling experience for our team.

The next morning, we traveled to Maderos: a small village in the Amazon region, and our home for the next few days. This was the main “operations center” of the Foundation’s mission in the Amazon. Our main job was to provide a bible lesson for the children in the afternoon and evening hours, while we spent the mornings clearing and planting trees on their 14-acre farm. The thirteen of us that went on the trip all had different roles to play in helping deliver the message, which consisted of: a couple of songs, an English-to-Spanish devotion, some crafts, and snacks at the end. It was simple, but the kids loved every second of it.

I had a difficult time trying to comprehend the significance of taking a trip over 2,500 miles away from home just so that we could do a bible school for some kids whose language we don’t even speak. In the United States, I feel like we do these bible schools where everyone has access to them so freely and so often that they sort of lose their significance. It becomes the norm. But in Ecuador, specifically in the remote Amazon jungle, it’s not as common to have a group of people so eager to help and serve the children. I have never seen as much joy in my life as I did when I saw the eyes of these kids light up when they received toothbrushes, socks, and soccer balls. These people have little, yet they have everything they need. They are content. They understand true joy.

Sadly, we had to pack up and leave on to carry on with the rest of our trip. It was painful to leave behind the friends we had just made, especially the children. We arrived in Quito on Friday around lunch, and we met a group of people at the dining hall beside the church. Asides from witnessing to the children of Ecuador, Foundation Elohim has recently begun feeding Venezuelan refugees that are migrating into Ecuador due to the economic collapse of their country. They feed 120 refugees twice a week for $2 a meal. When we met the group of refugees in the dining hall, you could see the hurt and the hopelessness in their eyes. The pastor of our team began speaking to them for a few minutes and began to get emotional. “I’m embarrassed…I’m embarrassed that we aren’t sharing in your suffering,” he told them. It was difficult for me to stand in that room - in front of 120 refugees - and continue to complain about whatever small, minute struggle I may have in my very comfortable life. The most painful part, however, was when we were all leaving the dining hall. By the doorway, there was a bucket in case if anyone wanted to leave any donations. A few refugees reached into their pockets and gave whatever change they had to the Foundation: a few pennies here, maybe thirty cents there. Let me repeat that: these refugees, who have no idea where their next meal will come from, gave their own money. That is the type of faith that Christ calls us to have - a faith that many of us (myself included) would be hesitant to pursue.

It has been difficult for me to try and put this experience into words. I went into the country with all of these preconceived notions about everything: the people, the landscape, the food, the unapproachability of the children. I was proven wrong on all of those accounts. I decided to go with this team just so that I could go on an overseas trip, but I learned very quickly that this trip’s sole purpose was not going to be about my enjoyment. It was a very humbling experience to live a week in the shoes of another human being’s. The Lord is truly doing some great things through some amazing people in Ecuador, and we were all extremely blessed to be a very small part of it. For those of you who have been on the fence on whether or not you should go on a mission trip, just do it. Don’t worry about the cost, don’t worry about not knowing anyone, don’t worry about the weird food: just say yes and be open to serve. Whether you go to share a bible lesson, build a library, teach English, or spread the Word of Christ, it will be the most fulfilling experience of your life.