Ecuador!!!

Me and my teammates that I worked with in Ecuador (Noe, Diana and Samuel)

Me with some of the girls on Island Santay

Last week I got home from going to Ecuador for 2 weeks! I was excited to go to South America for the first time, go to a conference for Latin American youth, and to have the opportunity to serve for one week after the conference.

The conference was great, and it was encouraging to see over 400 Latin American youth be excited about missions, but more importantly wanting to serve God wherever and whenever He calls them!

One of the highlights from the conference was the last night. The guest speaker was the grandson of Nate Saint. Nate Saint was one of the five martyrs killed by the Auca Indians in Ecuador in the 1950's. Actually the Sunday after the conference was the 50th Anniversary of their death. Also at the conference as the grandson of the Auca Indian that killed Nate Saint. The amazing thing about this story is how through the deaths of these martyrs, God was glorified. The men that killed these 5 missionaries came to know Jesus. The grandson of Nate Saint (Jesse) was baptized in same river where the body of his grandfather was found. The Auca Indian that killed his grandfather was the man that baptized him!

After the conference I had the opportunity to serve with 3 other people from all over Latin America. We (Samuel- from the Dominican Republic, Noe- from El Salvador, and Diana- from Ecuador) went to an island called Isla Santay. It's an island in the middle of a river close to the coast of Ecuador. There are about 200 people who live on the island. They live without lights, bathrooms, or running water.

There is no church on the island...but there is a church that is working regularly on the island, sharing the gospel and helping on the island. 2 years ago they build 36 houses, and they also married 20 couples on the island. Before this, no one was married on the island...they just lived together.

While we were on the island we slept in tents and did various things on the island. Every morning we helped several men cut down bushes and shrubs. They are hoping to clear land to grow fruits and vegetables to start to build a little bit of economy on the island. A big city and market are only about 15 min away from the island, so there are opportunities to sell things in the market. In the afternoons we visited the families on the island, and every night we had a program for everyone on the island.

It was fun working with the team...and definitely a growing and learning experience! Thank you so much for all of your prayers during my time in Ecuador!!