"Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them...that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you...."
Luke 24:47-49
Dear saints and family,
Each year when our team goes to Ecuador, people often ask "Why go all the way to Ecuador, when you could do just as much good here in Kentucky?" It is a good question, but it misses the point that all of this is about the call of God. Our path has been paved by the will of our Saviour, Jesus Christ. The things that happen each year in Imbaburra province, we believe, are the result of God creating and directing His will through our lives for the people who live in that place.
I received an email today from Kevin and Kathy Bruce, missionaries to the Awa. Each year we spend two or three days with them in the village of Rio Verde, providing some primary health care for the 300 or so people who walk up to the school there. Kevin writes that one of the members of the church there - a man by the name of Meregildo - gave thanks this past Sunday for the medical treatment that two of his daughters had received at our clinic. Both of them had severe cases of impetigo with boils. Mercifully, their illness resolved quickly (in two days, he said) after receiving injections and oral antibiotics. The girls had been crying in pain for quite some time, and they were all now very thankful. Kevin went on to say that they had heard similar things from many other of the Awa, some of whom attend church there, and some who do not. He also noted that we are helping them with the job of shining God's light there among the Awa.
At the end of our trip, our coordinator Shelia Duncan had a conversation with the director of Liebenzell Missions, Edgar Luce. Liebenzell is the evangelical church with whom our teams work in Ecuador. Ed told Shelia that our teams are very useful to their efforts in the role of a "door opener". Whereas villages sometimes are reluctant to welcome a missionary, they nearly always are open to a health care team coming to their community. As they then become acquainted with the missionary, the village then welcomes them as well. And so shines the light.
One year ago this month David Ravenhill shared with our church a message about the purpose of God. In Genesis 12:3, God tells Abram that "in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed". Later, in Isaiah 49:6, He says "I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth." That is happening before our very eyes, church! Things are changing in Ecuador. The Awa and Quechua people alike have become mature believers, and they too "shine as lights in the world". God is working there, and He is working here. Rejoice!
Enjoying the walk with Him,
Tim
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