Buenos dias! I apologize for not posting last week. I had just landed in my plane from Ecuador on Monday morning and was exhausted from being on a plane for 7 hours. I have been back in the US for a week now so I feel like I am in a great place to share my experiences in Ecuador with you. Two Sundays ago, I felt like I was on top of the world. I was 10,000 feet above sea level looking over the capital city of Ecuador (Quito) and reflecting on my sojourn in an astonishingly beautiful land. Just as a recap, I was very apprehensive about joining this mission trip. There were a lot of unknowns and unfamiliar aspects to the trip, which made me somewhat nervous. I went on the trip knowing that, in spite of my concerns, God would work out everything for His glory.
When I landed, I felt an overwhelming peace descend over me. This was the right trip. This was the right group of 19 people. Together we dug trenches, poured concrete, and saw several volcanoes. The beauty of nature in this country is not something man can replicate. It was a million times beyond what I ever asked or imagined God had in mind for the trip. I even got to participate in a tribal dance, got stuck in deep jungle mud, and river bathed in the amazon. Our hard labor was for the establishment of a church and building a missionary trainer’s house. The jungle pastor’s heart for the people around him was inspirational. God has broken his heart for the lost souls all around him. His church still needs $700 to be completed. I ask you to contact me to join me in this endeavor.
photo credit goes to Justin Bean
God has relentless grace. He has changed my ashes for beauty. God’s grace touches every end of the earth. I got to experience that just by seeing what happened in Ecuador. Not only did I see God moving in Ecuador, but I also felt a confirmation in my decision to go on the trip and quitting my job. Knowing this I am confident and so excited for the speaking engagements I have coming up in the next week at Ladue High School and Lindenwood University.
A word I discovered that would help sum up the whole trip was “phantasmagoria”, which means “a shifting series of things seen.” I saw a shift from not knowing God’s plan for me on this trip to seeing His work established among His people. What I saw, when we prayed over the church, was a vision of this child becoming a lion. God’s plan doesn’t have an easy way out. You persevere in His comfort away from your understanding and lean on His. God always delivers, but in the flesh we sometimes lack patience for His sovereignty. There is no place His love and comfort cannot reach.
The Child Becomes The Lion
Like a phoenix rises from the ashes, a child has the potential to become a lion. A pastor weeps for his people and purpose as he prays. A community broken, with a heart of a child, that heart will soon rise in the name of grace and let it roar with compassion. The emotions of a man’s heart will pour onto the lost and there will be paradise. One man’s calling is another man’s discovery.
My heart is heavy,
-B