January Update + Week in the Life
I’ve had a lot of people ask me “What does your life look like in Ecuador?” as well as questions about what modern mission/missionaries look like, so I wanted to try to answer some questions!
A Short Update on January
In January, I returned to Ecuador after spending Christmas in the States. It was fun to jump back into ministry and see everyone again. Over the first week we resumed all our programs and were able to meet with our women again after two very long weeks!
Also in January, we had our Annual Team Conference. This is a weekend where all the people who are serving in Youth World come together for a weekend to learn about God, what we want to focus on for the year, to learn about each other’s ministries and grow in community. This year we talked about the dangers of burnout in ministry and strategies to avoid it. It was very interesting to see so many people from different cultures and backgrounds grapple with this concept. I think it will be interesting to see how the different ministries adapt and apply this knowledge to their everyday life.
At the end of the month, we had a going away party for one of our Amada women who has been connected to our ministry for over 10 years! She lived in Casa Adalia and was a part of many of our programs over the course of a decade. She’s originally from Colombia and recently decided that the best decision for her would be to return to her home country. It was a blessing to get to meet her and share this time in Ecuador, and I would like to invite you to pray for her as she adjusts to her new home.
A Week in the Life
Our weeks can be busy, unexpected, and often experience “Divine interruption” but this is a loose schedule of our week as we work in ministry to help women exit prostitution and pursue God’s healing and plan for their lives.
Monday (1 & 3)
Our Mondays are on a rotating schedule, so on the first and third Monday of every month we have a team meeting. We start every meeting by praying over our Amadas and their prayer requests, afterwards we pray for our donors and supporters. We then go into a long meeting about the coming weeks, events, and team building.
Monday (2 & 4)
On the second and fourth Monday of a month we go to the historic downtown for “Cafecitos” with our women. This is our intentional, one-on-one discipleship with select women. These women have been so committed to learning, and it’s been a joy to see them learn more about God. Soon, these women will progress into the next stage of the PDP.
Tuesday
Right now, my Tuesdays are dedicated to EsperanzArt. This is our jewelry workshop where the women can work to earn a steady, alternative income. We are focusing on growing the company and trying to get more income to support the ESE organization and provide more jobs for women who want to leave. Soon, we will also be meeting in the afternoons with women who have left prostitution. We want to use this time to disciple them, meet any needs they may have, and try to make sure they are equipped and don’t need to return to prostitution.
Wednesday
Every Wednesday, our team goes to the historic downtown district where the women work to meet them and talk with them. We begin the day by preparing our hearts and materials for this encounter. Lots of prayer goes into this time before we even leave the office. Once we get to the women, we spend time listening to them and their stories. We hear about their needs and ways we can help them. We then share a Bible verse and ask if we can pray over them in the moment. We also ask for prayer requests and pray for them throughout the week.
Thursday
On Thursdays we spend time documenting what we heard on Wednesday and do more of our administrative tasks. This includes trying to meet needs that were brought up or connecting them to other organizations, programs, or trainings to help equip them to leave prostitution and stay out. We want our work to be sustainable and affect future generations positively, so it’s really important for us to meet all their needs, whether it’s educational, physical, mental, or spiritual.
Friday
Fridays always look different for our team. Sometimes we have EsperanzArt sales where we get to share about our mission and sell our beautiful jewelry. I will often schedule and work on a lot of social media and marketing on Fridays. As a team, we try to take this day to prepare ourselves for the coming week. This work can be incredibly hard and emotionally heavy, so we try to prioritize resting and readiness. For this reason, once a month, we take time out of our work week to sabbath together!
Hopefully this helps answer some of the questions that I get asked the most, but if there are any more questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me! I love talking about the work we do along with some of the stuff I do personally! You can respond to this email, send to my personal email [email protected] or WhatsApp me at (593) 98-932-8174!
Answered Prayers
• Our Amada made it safely to Colombia
• We are back to having power 24/7 (at least until April)
• Our relationships with the Amadas women is continuing to improve
• God has answered a lot of my personal requests this month which has been really edifying and encouraging
• We’ve started receiving rain pretty frequently!
Prayer Requests
• For the life of our Amada who returned to Colombia
• That the Lord would use the team at ESE to do his will this year
• For the relationship between our team and the board
• For me as I continue to evaluate officially extending my time here
• For the economic and political situation in Ecuador (their election first election was this past Sunday so the second vote will be April 13th. This is a big presidential election between a communist and a conservative party so it’s outcome will be significant for the future of Ecuador)
• For opportunities for the Amadas women, that the Lord would bless them and help them leave prostitution permanently. Specifically for one Amada who is in her sixties. She hates this work and is actively trying to leave but faces extreme discrimination for her age and hasn’t been able to find a job in the months she’s been job searching – please pray for an opportunity for her to open up.
Learn more about End Slavery Ecuador