Maria started working with us over ten years ago. I desperately wanted her to know Jesus, so I talked with her any time I had the chance. Since we hosted multiple Christian groups in our home, I hoped she could see the love that believers in God’s Son have for one another. Ten years passed and I wondered what it would take to move her heart toward Him.
Recently, her brother became extremely sick and ended up in the hospital in a coma. He was there for several months, and they did not think he would survive. We prayed with her for the healing of her brother.
Little by little, he began to get better. Miraculously, he was able to leave the hospital, even though he was still very weak. Once he was at home, he gathered his family around and told them what God had shown him while he was in the coma. He said, "There were two angels standing in front of me with a gap between them where I could see hell. If the angels had stepped aside, I would have been tossed into that horrible place."
As a result, some members of his family came to Christ and others rededicated their lives to Him. This all happened because God used a terrible and frightening experience to share His grace and mercy and consequently, people were saved from complete separation from God. We give thanks that God uses every experience to help us realize our need for Him
Quilting Ministry
In order to buy supplies, Jeanette drove several ladies from their quilting class to a village with a large variety store that has a big fabric department. A couple of the ladies had never been in a store this large. In addition, , they had never used a public bathroom and therefore didn’t know how to operate the facilities.
To help sustain the ministry, each lady contributes a few cents each week to help purchase the much-needed quilting supplies. This contribution gives them a sense of pride in and ownership of the colorful and beautiful quilts they create.
Nolan's First Mission Journey
My first mission trip to Ecuador was with a dental team, focused on meeting the essential dental needs of the community. As we cleaned, filled and extracted infected teeth, we began to see God’s grace at work. God was not just concerned about the health of their teeth, He was more concerned with the health of their souls. I watched as He created life changing impacts on many people, including myself.
On our arrival, we turned a small room in the back of the Christian Community Center into a dental clinic in under a day. As Spanish is a second language for me, I was asked to take records and translate when people came in for help. Those in need lined up long before we were open and waited patiently, sometimes only to be told there would not be enough time to see them and they would have to come back the following day.
Alejandro, a young Ecuadorian man, and a profound servant of Christ, joined our mission team. He spent his time sharing the good news of Jesus with those waiting for dental care. Alejandro's words were inspirational and life changing. Later, I had the opportunity to share the Gospel with those who had Catholic upbringing, but did not know a personal Savior. From young children to elderly women, I witnessed as seventeen people accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and wrote their names in eternity. Those who once believed they were destined for Hell, heard the truth, and opened their hearts to God’s grace.
On another occasion, Mauro, a husband, and father of five children accepted Christ just shortly after losing his job. He invited us into his home where I shared my testimony with his wife. Through God's grace, she then made the choice to be saved as well.
God used us abundantly in Ecuador for His purposes. I was blessed to see an entire family’s course to eternity changed forever as they each made a decision of faith. Watching these parents and their children come to the Lord was the biggest testament to God’s glory I have ever seen. “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.” Ephesians 3:20
“Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Luke 6:38