Eric Wenninger

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