When I heard there was a mission trip happening again.  I was really excited.  However, when we went to the first meeting there were over 50 people there with the same interest.  After seeing that, we decided maybe it wasn't meant for us to go.  A few weeks later, we received a call informing us there was still availablility if we were still interested.  From there our journey to Ecuador began.  And it was an amazing yet convicting experience.

Through this trip, we could see God's hand at work from the beginning to end; in choosing and bringing his team together, providing financial assistance from friends & families, securing traveling arrangements to emotionally and mentally preparing us to do his work. 

While in Ecuador, I was able to be involved in all three ministries and see the importance/accomplishments of each one.  Though construction was hard work, I became a semi-expert at bending and tying rebars.  And it was awesome to see the final product of the second floor of the church, which was a wet slab of concrete held up by tons of bamboo sticks. 

The Children's ministry was all so powerful.  From the first day with 20 kids to the last day of 80 kids.  It was truly a blessing to have met all those smiling and happy faces and, now knowing they have been introduced to Christ.  Just seeing their faces when they received their own bibles were priceless.  

In the women's ministry, it was amazing to see the number of women involved in their church and the love that they have.  These women came everyday to the church just to provide us with a warm meal, made all from scratch.  Because of this, we were able to bond and learn to cook Ecuadorian food.  Which was delicious!!!

I went there not knowing what to expect and what it meant to do a short-term mission trip.  Coming home I realized the importance of what short-term missions trip can encompass.  All the above and so much more.  Our group left as a team and came home as a family.  We went there to serve out Ecuadorian brothers and sisters but shortly, found out we were all there to serve one another.

Shirley Thao

God is Great!!!  From the beginning of the trip to the end, God was with us.  I am blessed to have been able to serve alongside Shirley, Aerial and the Wausau Alliance crew.  Ecuador had a tremendous impact on me and my perspective about life.  The people, culture and their faith taught me that God is everywhere and in every language.  We worship the same awesome God.  I would like to share a few pieces of what I walked away with on this short term mission trip.

It was amazing to see how happy and genuine many of the Ecuadorians were with the little that they had.  We were told about how impoverished the children were and how much they had to struggle.  I never once heard a child say they were bored or complained about the things they did not have.  They were content with the little they had.  I remember flicking ants off a malnourished boy’s head and smelling the odor of a body longing for a bath.  Yet, he and his sister still came to church.  All I can remember are the laughter and smiles that the children would give.  It reminded me of the verse in Matthew 19:24 and Matthew19:14, that talks about how hard it will be for a rich man to get to heaven and how the Kingdom belongs to those such as children.  Coming from America, we are easily blinded and get caught up in materialism and the bigger is better attitude.  However, none of that leads us closer to Christ.  I felt that the less I have, the more I can focus and keep Christ the center of my life.  My heart has also gone out to the children because of the challenges they will eventually face and how vitally important it is for them to have God on their side. 

Another big piece that stands out to me was how important of a role everyone played in making this mission trip possible.  God uses people in every which way.  From the entire Wausau Alliance Church to Paul Johnson the Missionary and the Ecuador Alliance Church.  God was through the entire process and He was very apparent at giving people gifts to use to glorify Himself.  From the financial givers to the translators to our musicians and volunteers, everyone worked hard and Christ was exalted. So I want to say a big THANKYOU to all those who supported the group through prayers and financial support and everyone who was involved.

It was a true blessing to serve alongside so many great people.  I enjoyed getting to know our own team as well as the church in Ecuador.  Both have impacted my life and I got to see how God uses people for His glory.  God is amazing and just visiting our touring would not have done it.  Being able to serve and bare one another’s burdens was what we are called to do.  I am grateful for what God has done and for what God will do in the future.  In the words of Jeremiah 17:7  “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD.”

Lah Thao

I am so thankful to have gone on this trip to Ecuador with such an awesome group of people. Everyone was eager to serve, to be a blessing, to stop for prayer whenever prompted, and to be a representative of the body of Christ.  Before going and while on the trip, one thing that specifically stuck out to me was the power of being in the body of Christ.  In Corinthians 12:12-31 the apostle Paul talks about the great importance of each part of the body and how each part, no matter how insignificant it may seem, is indispensable to the body as a whole. He also talks about how each part of the body has concern for all the other parts. There is no selfishness within the body.  It will suffer if another part is suffering, it will rejoice if another part is honored. 

What a blessing it was to see those verses lived out throughout the week.  Each person made up a part of the body of Christ.  Upon joining this team, everyone came from a different background, with various skills and gifts and personalities. Unifying twenty-five people despite our differences and building a cohesive team with a common goal was a pretty big challenge.  I am reminded of my classes when I taught high school Spanish, some of which numbered 31 students, and the frequent challenge it was to get all students on the same page, both literally and metaphorically-it was next to impossible! There was always at least one student who was off in outer space, unaware of anything that was going on. As I compare those classes with our team however, the two are drastically different. It was amazing that with a team of twenty-five people, ranging from ages 6 to 40 something, we were able to unite in prayer, in work, despite language barriers, in lack of sleep, in confusion and lost luggage. 

Throughout our time in Ecuador, we had two specific ministries, both of which were equally important. One was to encourage our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ at the Alliance church through our presence and our work. We had the awesome opportunity to be a part of children's ministry, the construction project, as well as various church services.  Our other ministry was to all those we came into contact with along the way.  From the family next door to the church, to the woman at the front desk of our hotel who couldn't believe that we would come to Ecuador not to sightsee but to work every day at a church, to the individuals we sat next to on the plane, each interaction was an opportunity for us to represent the body of Christ to a world in need of a Savior.

Kristi Gerard

Throughout my personal reflections of our trip to Ecuador and reading through the team member’s thoughts, there has been a question of “how does this trip affect the rest of my life?”  Many people have asked since we have come home if we are getting settled in and back into the swing of things, and each time that question is proposed I am quick to remind myself that because of Ecuador, there has to be areas where my life is not settled and into the swing of things.

One of the battles with short-term mission trips is returning to our own regular lives.  Before leaving, it is easy to see a trip like this as an abnormal week where team members leave their comfort zones and put their normal priorities on the back burner in order to choose others for a time.  I, and each team member I spoke with, realized when the reality of leaving set in that we all struggled with how to accept getting back into the swing of things.   Questions flooded my mind on the bus rides and airplane flights.  What life changes will we make?  How will Ecuador affect our relationships with others?  Where can we be mission-minded at home?  How was I so selfish and concerned with things that had no eternal value?  Because of the people we met and the experiences we shared, Ecuador had to make a difference.  We would be discounting and forgetting the work God did in us if we went back to the way we lived before.

God often uses challenging trips and experiences to change us because our defenses are down and we highly desire God to make a change in us during that time.  In every trip I have been on, God is always faithful to show up and do a work in us that lasts.  As I reflect on desiring lasting change because of Ecuador, I realize that if God is faithful in answering our prayers to have him move in our lives during mission trips, why is that not our prayer everyday?  Why do we not expect to see God work in life-changing ways even in our so-called “normal” life?  The God who did amazing work in us and through us in Ecuador is the same God who wants and can do amazing work in us and through us in Wausau.  That is how I believe God shows us lasting change: by revealing He is the same yesterday, today, and forever and that in all things he works to bring glory to His name.  It is our calling to be faithful and obedient to do that end whether we are home or thousands of miles away.

Nathanael Miles

Now, not everyone may know, but when I was young, about 2 years old I was adopted.  I feel like part of that has always been with me.  I remember thinking that I wanted to meet my “real” family. My “real” mom, my “real” siblings. I felt like this wasn’t my family, wasn’t my real life.  As if I was meant to be somewhere else, with somebody else.  And I knew it was wrong, and I knew that I had been taken from a bad home, but I couldn’t help from wondering.   Then, one day when I was looking through my bible, I found Ephesians 1:5. “God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. “That floored me for a moment.  I thought, “wait, so not only have I been adopted once, I’ ve been adopted twice?” and I realized then, that I don’t NEED to see my birth family.  I don’t even NEED to see my adoptive family, would it ever come to that.  What I need, is to be close to my family in heaven.  My father, God.  My brother, his son, Jesus Christ.  I have a “real” family. They are as real as they can get, and they’re in heaven, waiting for me.  I don’t need to rush. They will always be there.  And my adoptive family will always be there for me here. Realizing that helped me to see that even if you have a problem with family, you will always have an eternal family waiting for you in heaven.  Going to Ecuador, this was shown to me even more. You see children, whose parents do drugs. Prostitution. Who can’t feed their children, but keep having more. Some of them come early to the church, to get away from family problems, and we get to see them, so happy just to be in the house of God.  They may have problems in their homes, but they too have an eternal family waiting for them in heaven. They are our brothers and sisters in Christ, and seeing just how big it is, in person?  It’s amazing, knowing that your not the only church who thinks this way, seeing the way that even through our differences in language, and actions, that through God, we can communicate, like a family. 

Cheyenne Antell

I came into this trip, thinking it would be a great time to experience a new culture and atmosphere. As days went by through the trip, I realised how much more we were doing, then what I thought we were capable of. Not only was I experiencing a new country, but I was also experiencing how much impact we were making. The construction we did, helped the church tremendously, but we also made a huge impact on the kids. We met some children that had never been to the church, and by the end of the week were attending every service. At each Childrens bible class we saw more and more kids. The number of children tripled by the end of the week. 

Some people say that short term missions are not important and a waste of money, but they are indeed very important. Who knows how many kids go to church now because of our service. And who knows where the construction crew would be without our help. We can all make a difference, even if it’s a small one.

Luke Korns

Our last work day in Ecuador, we poured somewhere in the vicinity of 35 to 40 yards of concrete by hand. I thought it would be a tough day, and it was.  It was also a day where I began to re- evaluate what I think work is and what role it plays in my life. 

Talk to anyone about the concrete pour and they will tell you about the Ecuadorian concrete crew.  They ran with 70 to 80 lbs boxes of sand and gravel from 12 to 6 pm. Over and over again. We helped as much as we could, and where we could, and left at the end of the day exhausted.  They went to work again the next morning and we were well on our way back to our lives.

I came home and went back to work too, but my thoughts have often returned to that concrete crew running themselves to death in the alley next to the church we worked at.  

At first I thought it was just a hopeless picture of working conditions in a poor country but then I realized that it is also a hopeless picture of many people in America. I know that there are many people who are dealing with legitimate circumstances that result in too much overtime,  and too little time at home, but for all those who find these conditions forced on them, there are more than a few who take it upon themselves voluntarily.   

  After that it began to dawn on me that it was also a hopeless picture of my own life some days.  Waking up early, grabbing a cup of coffee, skipping my Bible reading, working through lunch, coming home late for dinner only to go back to work mentally right after dinner is over. I don't feel as tired so I keep working well passed what I should.  The allure of a big paycheck at the end of the week also helps to sweeten the deal.  We can easily make allowances for working too much, if we get paid well at the end for it.  Now I know that there are people struggling to make it here in our country.  I am not talking about doing what one needs to do to feed and shelter ones family-that is a command from God, but I do know that in my own life, I have worked longer hours than I needed to, or traveled to jobs that I didn't have to do. The fear of not having enough drives me, even though we have always had enough to pay our bills, and God has always been faithful at just the right time.   

I have a friend who once said to me he likes to work so that he can buy food, pay the bills, and spend time with his family. The appropriateness of that goal is convicting. If that was really my goal at work I would probably work harder, faster, and leave earlier.  Work is a means to an end, that end being a family taken care of, food on the table, and a roof overhead

God has given me both responsibilities--family: my fulfillment, and work: my task.  The first has existed from the time Adam woke from his sleep to find Eve, sharing the garden with him. The second in its present form, was an addition, a result of the fall. I think sometime I am tempted to reverse the two.  Work becomes my fulfillment, while too often my family becomes my task. 

While we ran up and down that alley caring carrying endless loads of rock and sand, I found my self face to face with work as a task. I could take pleasure in the fact that it was being done well, but I could not kid myself into thinking that I was enjoying myself while carrying those loads.  I will never remember this trip without being forced to look at the way in which I work and ask myself am I really honoring God with what I am doing.  Am I completing this task so that I can be faithful to my family, or has this task taken their place in my heart?  I think it is a question worth asking. 

JD Gerard

Houses – “Some houses were broken up, but some were not as broken.”

Food – “My favorite food was when we had the U.S.A. food.  I ate a bun with soda.  I liked a lot of the juice.  The chicken was good.  Some of the rice was good.  I liked some of the soup, and that’s it I think.”

Travel – “It wasn’t that fun.”

Language – “I didn’t know what to say to the Ecuador people.  I asked for help and they (older kids on our team) would tell me what to do or say.”

Anderson (Cal’s friend) – “I first saw him in church.  At church we couldn’t talk.  We played rock, paper, scissors.  We laughed.  I didn’t really talk to him but we played and stuff.  We played Frisbee, not really any soccer.  Anderson’s dad is in jail.  It makes me feel sad.  I liked playing with him.”

Fun – “At the beach, I made a sand castle.  I bodysurfed in the ocean.  Some time I want to do that again.  Is there an ocean in Wisconsin?  I think so.  We played soccer.”

Work – “I tied the rebar.  I helped move the rocks.  It was fun, fun, fun.”

People – “I worked with Bryan.  I hung out with Anderson.  I hanged out with daddy and mommy.  I hung out with God.  I played with Cheyenne.  Luke (Korns) is my favorite Luke Skywalker.”

Singing – “I feel good singing because I like it.  I sing to God.”

Prayer – “We prayed before we ate and before we went to sleep.”

God – “We learn about God through Jesus.  God wants us to be good.  The colors of the bracelet.  I made one in Ecuador.  Everybody else did too.  Black is sin.  Red is blood of God (Jesus).  God made our heart clean.  He made mine clean and yours.” 

Remember – “How we helped make the church.  How hard it was to speak the Spanish there.” 

Favorite – “My favorite part of the trip was playing soccer.” 

Least favorite – “My least favorite part was getting hit in the face with that big soccer ball.”

Cal Wenninger

The opportunity to serve on a short-term missions trip has been such a blessing and I appreciate all your prayers, financial contributions and kind words very much, so thank you Wausau Alliance and others!

In Ecuador, we experienced life in a simpler way; we didn’t have distractions like we do when we are at home. Also, the culture in Puerto Bolívar is much simpler so we had the ability to be completely focused on serving God. This made the experience seem more real, more real in a sense of caring about the things that mattered. It was very humbling because we were surrounded by people that were very fulfilled and happy with life, but had much, much less than you or I can imagine. At the same time the joy that I was filled with is like none I have ever felt. My purpose, which is to live out the truth of the gospel and share the message of the life of Jesus Christ, was at my fingertips at every moment and it was so very joyful.

Although the Ecuadorian people live simpler lives in a sense of having less “stuff” they still have many other places where sin can take hold. Many people deal with problems like drugs, alcohol and pre-marital sex to name a few. During the women’s bible study, two young women sat in front of me and each had a child in their arms. During and after the service I had the opportunity to talk with them and I found out each had a child, but one of the girls was 15 years old, lived with her parents and she was not attending school, but hoped to in the future. The other was 19 and I am not sure if she was in school or not. It was such a blessing to have them in the church, to hear the true message of Jesus and to renew their sense of hope. Please keep praying for the church and the community surrounding it.

Another experience in which God was present was with the 15-20 men who came to lay the concrete. In Ecuador culture, there tends to be somewhat of a machismo attitude which results in disrespectful attitudes towards women, objectifying women and thinking that women are not equal to men. With this said, these men did not want any women on our team to help with the concrete. However, that was some of our passions and desires in how to serve while we were there, so we waited it out. After two or so hours the men including our own team members were tired and there was still a lot of work to be done. So some of the women took the opportunity to start to help. After a while, the men were glad that we were all working together and realized how capable we were. I also think that it spoke to the women in the community, who were nearby or at the church, to see how God can use us all for a variety of purposes. At one point a young Ecuadorian girl maybe about 12 years old wanted to help me carry one of the empty crates and it was great to see how she felt empowered to do so.

Lastly, the people of the Alliance Church in Puerto Bolívar taught me the importance of food, being together, caring for one another, greeting each other, and loving God and each other. These people have it mastered! It was so amazing how wonderful and hospitable they were. Despite not having toilet seats, or toilets they knew how to make amazing food for almost 40 people everyday—their priorities ARE people!! Every house we went to had a stack of 10-20 chairs off of the living room so when large numbers of people or family came to their home everyone had a place to sit. The church has about 60 members and almost each one would hug and say God Bless You at every service!!! We went to serve and they served us in so many ways too!

God is so good and His presence was felt in Ecuador, so both our team and the Ecuadorians can strengthen our relationship with Him and continue to glorify His name.

Angela Wenninger

During church services, they prayed and sung in Spanish. We didn’t know the words but we sung along anyways, knowing that we were singing about the Lord. It was amazing to see everyone worshiping and praising the same Lord; in a different language, different place, with different people. Everyone was praising the Lord.

Aerial Thao

I loved every bit of Ecuador and learned so much from going to another country.  It is hard to pick one thing that I should write about.  Being interested in missions, I decided to choose this subject: We all can agree that those of us that were not fluent in Spanish had a very difficult time trying to communicate with the Ecuadorian people. But we all, including the younger kids, found a way to interact with the people with actions or with the very little Spanish that we knew. However we chose, we could communicate with them. Yes, it was very hard and frustrating, but we could do it. When we see evil, sinful, and wicked people here in the U.S, we actually try to stay away from them because we think that there is no chance to be able to communicate with someone that far away from Christ. But we can. No matter the sin, no matter the crime, no matter the saddness and hatred in their lives, God sees them as the same as any other person. Even if it takes tons of courage and bravery, we can witness to them and pray for them. Wicked people are totally different than Christians and Americans are totally different than Ecuadorians, but we can find a way to communicate with them and share the truth of God with them. Molly Korns

Have you ever noticed that God has a way of directing your life and weaving the scripture, people, circumstances etc. into your life that will bring about a change, that will stretch you.....something that He will be able to use in the future for His purpose and for His glory?

I am humbled by this.  As we began to ascend in the airplane, toward Atlanta, I was literally blown away by how small I am. HE is GOD. HE is the great I AM. Yet, He loves me and is personally working in and around me every minute of every day. God has the same love and persistence with each person He created. 

From the time my daughter and I committed to this trip, I began preparing, mostly through prayer. I asked God to prepare us personally, as a team. I asked God to prepare every individual and every circumstance for His purpose and for His glory. I asked God to give us hearts, minds, ears and eyes open to His calling. I prayed that we would "not be ashamed of the gospel of Christ" and that we would be "ready to give a reason for the hope that is within us".

I claimed and held onto the verses, Philippians 4:6-7, Do not be anxious about ANYTHING, but in EVERYTHING, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the PEACE of GOD, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."

God answered every prayer. His hand was evident every moment of every day. In the airplane to Atlanta, I sat next to "Andrew". He was very open to spiritual questions and a conversation that centered on salvation based on Christ alone. God took care of getting our team members through every check point and He made a safe place for Pastor Greg's guitar so that it would not be damaged. God gave us several opportunities on the flight to Ecuador to connect with Ecuadorian people. God protected Miriam's painting at the hotel, so that it would be used by God throughout the week at the church. God provided bathroom stops at just the needed moment. God quickly developed love and unity on our team as we traveled.

In Ecuador, God used every person on the team for His glory....and I don't just mean the team from Wausau Alliance. God used every person from the smallest and youngest to the oldest. If we had come to Ecuador and not joined our brothers and sisters there, we would not have accomplished nearly as much. There was a man from the church that was older than any and yet he worked SO hard! The women worked tirelessly to prepare good food for us. Through many of the children we were able to connect with parents or siblings. One of the most exciting examples of God's provision came through Nancy. In the weeks before we left for Ecuador, God gave me the idea to make wire necklaces that had the colored beads-the salvation story on it like the ones we used with the children's bracelets. I didn't have time to make them before we left. A team member suggested the night before we left that I pack it all up and bring it with us for the women to make themselves. I wasn't sure if I had enough of everything and there were questions I couldn't answer. Would there be time to make the bracelets? How would I teach this with the language barrier? Again, God said, "trust me", "do not be anxious". I packed it all in a box and put in my luggage. Several days into our trip, I got the box out at the church. As soon as I opened the box and began pulling the supplies out, Nancy followed me and was "glued" to what I was doing. She asked what it was, so I showed her. Before I could offer, she asked if she could make one. I gave her the one I'd started and she finished it! A day later when we started to make the forms for the necklaces, I found I didn't have enough nails. Nancy showed someone the nail I'd brought and 15 minutes later a bag of nails was provided. Someone had gone to a nearby store and purchased what we needed. I'd asked Miriam to sketch different shapes on paper so I could show the women other ideas of what kinds of necklaces they could make in the future. Within a half an hour, Nancy had put together the form for the Christian fish symbol and made it into a necklace. By that evening Nancy had made one of every shape we had given her. We were supposed to make the necklaces together that evening when the women met, but we didn't have enough time. It was announced that the women would gather this Saturday and Nancy would teach them how to make the necklaces. God gave the vision, raised up Nancy and will use it for His purpose and His glory. Pray for our sisters in Christ as they meet to make the necklaces this week. 

As you read and hear testimonies of what God did. Give God all the glory!!!!! God did far more than we can see with our eyes. As I return and process all that happened over that last several months,  I want God to continue to develop deeper roots in the areas God made me aware of. I do not want to limit God in what He will do or where He will do it. I want to remember to be obedient to all God calls me to and trust Him in every circumstance. 

We may call this trip short-term, but God will use everything for His purpose, for His glory and much of the fruit will be eternal. "Lord, help us to have vision for eternity. Help us to say, 'Yes, Lord' when we hear you call. Help us to be faithful and diligent to the purpose You have given us in the body of Christ and help us to build up the body for your glory."

Thank you to each one of you for your part in this trip. Thank you for giving....time, finances, encouragement, prayer. Each of you were vital.  

Anne Torstenson

During our mission trip to Ecuador, I had the opportunity to spend all day with the people we were ministering to down there. Not only did we attend church services, but we helped build the pastor’s house and hosted a children’s ministry. It was during these times that I really was exposed to these peoples’ incredible hospitality. Nearly every time a member of the church would see us, they would give us a hug and call us “brother” or “sister”. During meal times they served us all their favorite foods, and in enormous portions. The only time they let up on the amount was when we specifically asked. Probably the most incredible instance of their incredible hospitality was when a few of us had to use the Pastor’s rented home for their bathroom, since there was none at the church where we were working. When we left, the pastor thanked us for coming into their home, even though all we did was clog their toilet. It made me really think about how we need to be acting as they do. The Ecuadorians do it in such an offhand way, it’s pretty ridiculous that we don’t. On the trip, the last night we were there, the whole team was just relaxing at this one hotel, and J.D. Gerard was playing on his guitar. I had an incredible sense of unity with the team then. If I can do it in Ecuador with my team and with the members of the church down there, why can’t I do it here in Wausau? That was the biggest thing I took away from our trip.

Mandy Korns

This trip has affected me in a variety of ways.  In the first place, I was very blessed to have the opportunity to go to Ecuador with a missions team that included my wife and son.  To experience God move as a family was very special.  I was reminded more than ever that God has given me the responsibility of being a husband and father, and that I need to be focused on my family’s spiritual growth as much as my own.  During the week, I saw my wife respond to adversity by calling out to God, asking him to give her strength and a right perspective.  I saw my son sing out and clap in worship like I’ve never seen him before.  In my life with them, it is my desire to place God where he ought to be so that we do not doubt where our hope and joy is.

I’ve found that in our culture, valuing God above all is often times very hard to do.  Our consumerist culture is one of many distractions that shift our values away from God.  Before going to Ecuador, my family had been convicted of simplifying our lives and living with less, and after being in Ecuador for a short while, that conviction has been strengthened.  While in Ecuador, I was not concerned with acquiring more stuff or participating in my favorite hobbies.  I was concerned with serving my brothers and sisters.  I learned that when we peel away the distractions in life, we are able to serve God and each other with a lot more clarity, purpose, and love.

God also blessed us through the relationships he gave us, both within our team and with the church family in Puerto Bolívar.  Our construction goal on the trip was to lay the second floor slab, which was accomplished through many people working hard together.  During this time, as well as during other church activities, God was strengthening his global family.  Pastor Cesar conveyed to me several times, his gratitude for us coming to help with the construction and ministries of the church.  But he also told me not to forget that we are doing more than physical labor, that we are having a spiritual impact on the church and community in Ecuador. 

Christian, a member of the church who worked with us, is a guy that many of us bonded with.  He was saved 3 months ago.  In my conversations with him we talked a lot about the freedom from sin that Christ brings to us and also how God makes us responsible people through the jobs he gives us to do.  We were an encouragement to each other.  I believe that this is what happens when we build relationships cross-culturally.  We are able to see how we have a common humanity, despite any cultural similarity or difference, and how God unites us more powerfully than anything else could.  It is my prayer as we go forward, that we would stay connected to the church in Puerto Bolívar, that we would keep them in our prayers, that we would continue to grow in our relationship with them, and that we would be able to return shortly, all for the glory of God.

Eric Wenninger

What is God doing in my life following the trip to Ecuador?  I am struggling with culture shock and shame. Shame that I have all that I do.  Shame that I spend money on the things I have. Shame that I have not given more than I have, that I have not loved deeper than I have, that I have not prayed more than I have.  I am finding it difficult to enjoy my home and family knowing there are children in Ecuador, the United States and all areas of the world who are going hungry tonight, do not have a bed to lay in to rest, blankets to cover themselves with, food to eat, or a hand to hold of someone who loves them.  Returning has been much harder than going was.  My heart has been broken for the friends we've made there.  I am finding it quite difficult to listen to friends and family here talk about discourteous drivers, lack of a favorite food, a spider in the bathroom, etc. etc.  I am humbled by the simplicity of life there. By the acceptance of things as they are.  By happiness in what appears to me as despair.  I find myself in prayer for others almost continually since my return.  Praying for safety, comfort, food and love.  Praying for myself to remain this raw for some time lest I forget the lessons learned.   

Worship in church this past Sunday was a beautiful reminder of the time in the church in Peurto Bolivar.  We sing some of the same songs they do, but in a different language.  Singing "Open the Eyes of My Heart Lord" in Spanish as it was projected onto the screen in front of the church was very encouraging.  "Santos, santos, santos" - "Holy, holy, holy"  What a beautiful experience to worship and love the same God in two languages.  God was with us throughout our trip, but never felt more than when we were worshiping together.  He was in all the small things throughout the trip.  Maintaining our health, safety, strengthening our bodies for the hard physical labor we endured and maintaining our health allowing us to work each day at the site and to minister to those in attendance at the church services, the children's church sessions and to those living near the church.  He opened the eyes of our hearts to see, talk to and work with others though a language barrier existed.  He aided in the necessary communication allowing us to laugh, love and worship together throughout our time there.  

One of the team members asked who was praying for patience, for when praying for patience, God will bring situations where patience is required.  Yes, I did pray for patience and guidance before leaving and throughout the time while there.  I prayed for God to lead me to see any work I might be able to be of help with and for the patience to discover it. I prayed for patience with others as with a team of 25, things can get harried.  God blessed us in our relationships with one another and strengthened each.  My prayers upon our return, other than for those living in Ecuador, are to shine for Him each day in all ways to glorify His name.  I am changed and I want to be this new person, so in love with God. I want to continually develop this relationship with him and to build relationships with others in our church.  All for His glory.

Penny Antell

Before the trip even began God started working in my heart to have a passion and great love for the people in Puerto Bolivar. At the beginning of the year I prayed to God saying “God may I simply love like you love, be broken by the things that break your heart, and have a heart to constantly want to serve.” God truly answered my request. I believe that I loved like he loved, was broken by the things that broke his heart, and served in his matchless name!

The most specific thing that I learned on this trip was to fully trust and rely on God, and to never doubt his abilities. On our first night I got to meet the pastor’s wife Marixsa and we began to discuss how many times we would have our children’s ministry. During our pre-trip planning, I had a feeling we would be working with them more than just two times.  In fact, we ended up doing six different lessons rather than just two. When I found this out when talking to the Pastor's wife, I started to worry about the plans and if we would have enough materials. However, I quickly saw how God is good and I shouldn't doubted his abilities.

On the first day (Saturday, August 6th) we went into a neighborhood to do our first session. The coolest part was that we didn’t wait for the children to come to us; instead, we went out and got the children. What a perfect example for us to follow. We shouldn’t expect the people to just come to our church but we should be going out to get them. In total, thirty three kids came that day. It blew me away to see all of them running down the street eager and excited to sing and hear about the same God we praise. It was very hard to hold back my tears!  After making the salvation bracelets and leaving with an excited heart I then found out that most of the children we worked with had parents that were either drug dealers or prostitutes. I was also told that they were physically and sexually abused on a daily basis. It broke my heart but God reminded me that he put us in their lives to share that there is more to life than what they had to face on a daily basis.  We had a great opportunity to show them love that they may have never received before.

On our first day at the church, (Monday, August 8th), only fifteen kids came. The pastor’s wife approached me and Fanni, our translator, and asked if we should cancel tomorrow and go out and spread the word that on Wednesday we were going to have a big event. But Fanni said, “No, I trust that God will bring the children.” Sure enough within a few minutes twenty plus children walked through the doors. At this point I knew God was going to continue to draw the children in. How silly it was for me to doubt that they wouldn’t come. Within the next two days our number grew from thirty three to seventy eight! To top it all off, we had just enough bibles and bags for all of them. One of the greatest memories I have is when they prayed the salvation prayer and many hands were raised after the question “How many of you accepted Jesus Christ as your savior?” What a beautiful wonderful savior we have.

Even though it was hard to leave such beautiful children and people, I am constantly reminded to trust in God and that He will continue to work in their lives and show them love through Pastor Cesar, Marixsa, and the other members of the church. Our God is truly an awesome God! 

Miriam Miles

Well, I would say that the experiences that I had in Ecuador made me speechless, but that would not make a very interesting blog post.  I will try to put together some of my thoughts, but the main theme is: if you have the opportunity and the prompting from Christ to participate in a mission trip, do it.  God will be exalted from the work that you do.  When I first heard that our church would be making a trip to Ecuador, I was extremely excited and felt that God was convicting me to go on such a trip.  After going through the process of preparing, I began to question my decision, wondering: Why should I be going? How am I going to help? Is it really worth it, or am I wasting money to go on a glorified vacation?  These thoughts extended up to the day we left.  All I can say now is "to God be the Glory."  From the first day that we met our brothers and sisters in Christ in Puerto Bolivar and Machala, I could see God confirming that our being in Ecuador was not for "me" or for "us" but for Him.  Looking back, I have recognized that my questions and concerns as to the trip all revolved around "me."  That was my issue. Seeing the growth of the children's ministry (by 400%) within four days was amazing, thanks to the work done by several members of our team who invested a lot of time and effort into essentially a VBS for the church.  Seeing the growth of the children's ministry while we were there encouraged us to work even harder to build a home for the pastor and an addition to the church for children's ministry.  I think of the phrase, "a picture is worth a thousand words."  We have a lot of pictures from our trip, especially thanks to Nathanael and Miriam at almost 1500 themselves; however, actually being on the ground making relationships and being a witness for Christ far exceeds the thousands of words that we can show you.  All of my doubts of why I was to be on this trip were eliminated while working in Ecuador.  My heart has been changed.  Missions is not just something we do once and speak about, but something that we should be consistently doing.  Although I do not know all of the details at this time, I will definately be seeking out how God can use my family and I in greater ways on the mission field.  Matt. 28:18-20  Anthony Schmoldt

One of the things that meant a lot to me, was just the way we felt like we were “family” with the Christians in Ecuador.  I know very little Spanish, but through interpreters and a lot of grinning, nodding and pointing, we were able to understand more than you might expect.  There was just a love that was felt among us.  And, as part of being a family, I feel strongly that we can continue to communicate with each other through prayer with the Holy Spirit being our “interpreter”.  Prayer is what will continue to unite us to our heavenly Father until we can get together again; whether here on earth or in heaven.  As we pray for them, and they for us, I hope we will hear stories about the God is blessing their church and community.

Joel Korns

I feel like God showed me so many things, and is still showing me more things as I continue to process through the trip.  One thing that was really encouraging to see while we were there was the Men’s Bible study they have once a week.  Many of the same guys we worked with during the day were there that night.  It was really cool to see the men of the church give up their days to come help with the construction, then go home to clean up and come back to church to apply the word of God to their lives.  During that time, one of the men shared how he tries to show love to others.  He shared how he used to not be able to afford a car, and his neighbor who did have a car wouldn’t give him a ride.  He said that now he always tries to give people rides when they need them.  As he was sharing this, I was realizing how many things I take for granted here in the United States, and just how many things I count as necessities that really aren’t.  Later in the week, we also found out that an average salary for a plantation worker is around $250 a month, and $200 for a teacher.  That amount is less than a car payment for many people in the United States!  Being down there and seeing things like this really reminded me of the book “Radical” that we read in Sunday School earlier this year and just how easy it is for us to get ensnared in the American Dream.

Nick Larson

Thank you everyone for your prayers as we were in Ecuador.  There is so much that the Lord did during our time there, and there is still so much that He's showing me since I've returned.  One of the hugest things that God has shown me is the great value of short term missions trips. Before going, the thought had crossed my mind...maybe it would be better to send the thousands of dollars directly to the church in Ecuador and let them use it to build an even better facility?  After spending a mere nine days with the people of Puerto Bolivar I clearly see how God uses these short trips in mighty ways!  The relationships we developed with our sisters and brothers of Ecuador are stronger than I ever thought they could be.  I saw the body of Christ in such a new way this past week; and I never would have seen it if God didn’t give me the opportunity to minister to these people.  The excitement of “new people in the neighborhood” brought children into the church where they heard the gospel for the first time!

We had many God sightings while in Ecuador.  Two of which God made most apparent to me are the following…

           In high school and college I had studied Spanish, but I felt that I had lost a lot of it since then.  I was apprehensive about how effective my Spanish would be on this trip.  It made me nervous that I may have to translate for people.  The beginning of the trip I felt a little overwhelmed by the Spanish and found myself not understanding nearly as much as I had five years ago.  I seemed to always be asking “What?  Can you talk slower?  I don’t understand.”  One day earlier in the trip I was pretty sick and had to stay back from the worksite.  I was so sad and even upset about this.  I wanted to be with everyone so badly, but there was no way my body could take it.  During my time of feeling sick, the only things running through my brain were Spanish words and phrases.  It was happening so much that I was getting tired of thinking Spanish, but I couldn’t seem to stop it.  When I was praying in my head, the words were coming to me in Spanish.  I’m not saying this was a miracle where suddenly I was thinking in fluent Spanish…but I know for a fact that God used that time of sickness to bring words and phrases back to mind that I had not thought about for five years!  I noticed a huge difference in my abilities to use my Spanish the next day on the worksite.  It was so encouraging!  God is so faithful!

       During the first day at the church I met two of the neighbor children.  They immediately had a special place in my heart.  That Saturday the boy, Carlos, told me that he and his family were going to the beach the next day.  I knew our group was also going, so I said, “Maybe we’ll see you there!”  In all honesty, I knew it was highly unlikely that we would see them, but it made for good conversation…and it was a phrase I knew how to say in Spanish!  The next day our group went to the beach.  We had to take a boat ride to the part of the beach that is nice and sandy.  There were tons of people at the harbor, and I can image that they send out dozens of these boats every day.  Well…it just so happened that the family I met was on our boat out to the beach!!  I had the opportunity to talk with them, give hugs, etc.  In addition, they were on the same boat back at the end of our stay at the beach!  God’s timing is so wonderful!

Lindsay Larson

Throughout the whole week I was in Ecuador, God was constantly overwhelming me with compassion and opening my eyes to see what He does every single day which at times was very hard. Another thing is, and I think this is the most significant thing He did, was for the first time in my life, I truly could feel God loving those people through me. It was just an amazing thing to see how much I felt God using me in that way. I hope to bring this compassion home so I can show Christ's love through me all of the time. God will always be faithful when we ask Him to use us, and when we do, our minds will continually be blown away as we see His plan for us unfold. `Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen.' Eph. 3:20-21.

Morgan Raymond

There are so many lessons and memories that I could share with you from our time in Ecuador.  One area that stands out is the tremendous amount of time and energy that the church in Puerto Bolivar poured into each of their ministries- from walking door to door to invite children to the children's time, to the hours spent in making us lunch each day, to the birthday party for their pastor, to the farewell party for our team...the people invested their time into each other and into us.  There was never an attitude of being too busy or not wanting to share resources.  There was even a lady that opened her house and bathroom to our entire team for the week because there was no bathroom at the church.  People are clearly the priority of the church in Puerto Bolivar.  My first devotional reading upon returning home included a passage from Titus 2 that talks about our need to be zealous in good works.  We saw that demonstrated regularly each day in Ecuador and look forward to doing the same in Wausau!

Sorry for the lack of updates throughout this past week. I suppose the fact that we haven't had time to update the blog speaks to the amount of time we have been working, spending time with people, and being involved with the church. It has been an incredibly productive week with little to no time for relaxation! We didn't come to Ecuador to relax!!!

As we sit on the bus leaving Puerto Bolivar I am reminded of all that we have done this past week. From bending and tying endless amounts of rebar, to passing (and literally tossing) close to 800 cinder blocks, to hauling bags and bags of concrete (50kg = around 110lbs.), to literally running with loads of sand and gravel for around 5 hours, to seeing God bring 20 kids the first day to 80 kids the last day, to seeing many tears on Thursday night as we said goodbye to the people of the church, we definitely experienced a lot and saw God work in power!

We are so thankful to say that the construction work that we went to Ecuador to finish was finished at 530pm on Thursday night! The sore muscles we feel today are well worth the end result!  

We have learned so many things from serving in Ecuador and are so incredibly thankful for the prayer that went into the ministry here. This was one of those short-term mission trips that leaves us with no question about the value and even necessity of short-term mission trips for all people within the body of Christ! We will be sharing MUCH more over the next week as a way of sharing with you how we have been impacted as a result of our team here in Ecuador. Keep checking the blog!

As I sit here and reflect on the past two days, I begin to realize just how much we as a team have experienced. Sunday began with an amazing church service where a multitude of thoughts swirled through my mind. Mostly, they focused on the clear picture of heaven that I saw reflected through the blend of Ecuadorian and United States voices in song, prayer, and sharing in communion. Every part of the service reminded me of just how diverse the body of Christ is and how amazing heaven will be when every tongue, tribe, and nation bow before the King of Kings. 

Sunday afternoon was spent going to the ocean and spending time on the beach with the pastor and his wife, followed by the team splitting up after dinner to attend separate church services. Some members went to the CMA church in Machala and some went to the CMA church in Puerto Bolivar. It was a long and full day. Monday came quickly and we were back on the work site with the whole team. Because the kids are in school, there was no childrens ministry until the afternoon. With all of us working we were able to get a lot of work done on the rebar! We laid and connected rebar for the concrete floor that we will be pouring on Thursday. God has been good to us in giving us great translators in Eric, Kristi, and Lindsay, as well as our official translators Fanny and Paul. We seem to be able to bridge the communication gap by the help of the Holy Spirit to show Christs love. Monday night we spent some time playing soccer with the Pastor and his friends and we cooled off by taking a dip in a friend of the churches pool. 

 God has been very good to us. He is giving us strength to work hard all day, and unity while we are with each other many hours of each day. We are all trusting in the power of God who knows no ethnic, cultural, or language barriers. "To Him who is able to do far more than we can ask of imagine." Ephesians 3:20. 

- Pastor Nathanael

Today was our first official work day and we are excited with the amount of work that lies ahead of us! Given the building style of the homes, we are working with plenty of rebar to prepare for concrete. The columns for the second floor are up and we are working on getting the floor prepped on the 2nd floor so we can pour the concrete. Between bending rebar and tying rebar together with wire we are anticipating a rebar filled week!

While some of the group worked on the church the others in the group were able to spend time with the children and share the message of the gospel with them. In the afternoon Miriam shared her testimony with the teenagers and Lah taught self-defense as a way of teaching the teens about the Lord! It truly is awesome to see people use their gifts unto the Lord. 

 Last night we had the opportunity to celebrate Pastor Cesar's birthday. The Ecuadorians sure know how to throw a party!!! At the party we ate our fourth meal of the day in addition to eating cake and candy! We are definitely eating well! You won't have to worry about your family member coming home skinny!!!

 This morning we are going to the church service where Pastor Greg will be preaching and Pastor Nathanael and others on the team will be leading worship. We are blessed to be able to provide a full worship team to lead worship for the Sunday morning service!

 Thank you for praying for us! We are evidently blessed by your prayers! At this point no one has become sick although we are assuming that that will probably not last!

 Overall we are blessed by Gods work and the way in which God has provided direct opportunities to speak the truth of Christ. 

8/5/11

We just finished our first day here in Ecuador and we are ready to begin serving tomorrow. Today was a great day of traveling to Machala and Puerto Bolivar which is where we will be for the rest of our trip. Other than one person's bag being tied up in Atlanta, our trip has been very smooth. 

We spent this morning getting acclimated to Ecuador and are now ready to dig in and begin serving in the morning. Part of our group will be doing some childrens ministry tomorrow while the majority will be working construction on the pastors house. Pray for safety and health and for God's protection on us as we serve! For now this is it. We will try to post more tomorrow to let you know of how our first day of serving was!!! Thanks for keeping up with us and praying for us!

Technology is a pretty amazing thing! Getting free wireless on a flight from Minneapolis to Atlanta gives me the ability to keep you updated while we are at 30,000 feet! God is good! As we are flying I am reminded of the past months of preparation: physical, spiritual, and financial preparation. We are so thankful for the Lord's faithfulness over the last 6 months. He has brought us this far and we are confident that he will continue to lead us as we serve this week! Everything has been smooth thus far. Pray for safety, health, patience, and passion for the glory of God and the gospel as we serve! Thank you so much for praying for us and for making it possible for us to minister to the people in Ecuador. We will be updating this as often as we can.

Today the Ecuador Team departs! Please check this page daily for the latest updates!