Day 4: Galilea / Lita

Lift up your eyes on high

And see who has created these stars,

The One who leads forth their host by number,

He calls them all by name; 

Because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power, 

Not one of them is missing. 

Isaiah 40:26 

Dear Saints, 

The days we spend in Ecuador are very busy, filled with preparations and travel. On Sunday, the team arose and gathered on the roof of Dona Esther. We reviewed the words of “Waymaker”, our theme song for this year. Since all of our supplies had already been sent ahead via truck, we were able to pick up our personal items and walked over to church…Iglesia Bautista de Galilea. We have developed close relationships with the people at Galilea, including the pastor and his wife, Wilman and Clemencia Varela. Kim and I consider Wilman and Clemencia to be very good friends. 

Worship at Galilea is always spirit-filled, but especially so on this Sunday. Wilman brought the Word, and Baptist missionary David Wells led us as we took communion. The Galilea praise team led us in worship, and our team was privileged to witness the baptism of an older Ecuadorian woman. Our team then sang “Waymaker”, first in Spanish, then with the congregation in English. The Holy Spirit presided wonderfully over all. The Body of Galilea served the team a home-cooked lunch, then we all boarded a bus and journeyed for three hours to the small town of Lita. 

Unlike Otavalo, which is high in the Andes, Lita is at an elevation of about 4000 feet. The air is much warmer and humid, with lush vegetation everywhere. The team stayed at the camp facilities built around the Liebenzell Awa Center. One historical treat this year was that George Hege was visiting from Pennsylvania. He is the first missionary assigned to the Awa people. He received a strong call from the Lord and first came to live in the area in 1989. He subsequently helped to develop a written Awa language. He worked directly with them until 2000, then as regional director until 2006. He now serves as a pastor in the USA. When I offered my thanks to him for pioneering this great work, he quickly stated that all of the original start as well as all of the subsequent progress was wholly accomplished by God’s grace. Kevin and Kathy Bruce, also in attendance, said the same thing. 

Once all of us…the team from Kentucky, the missionaries, the members from Galilea, and various translators from the local area as well as from Germany…had settled in, we were serenaded by various songbirds and the occasional rooster. We were all tired, and sleep came easily. The tasks of Monday would come early. 

In His Grip, 

Dr. Tim