Kristi Gerard

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