A Pattern I've Noticed
“Is there something the Lord is telling you to do?” “Give myself to Him… but that’s in the future.” This is part of a conversation I had during a discipleship lunch with one of the women we work with. While we were reviewing the passages we’d already studied, Magdalena* said her favorite one was the conversation between Mary, Jesus’s mom, and the angel that told her she would give birth to the Savior of the world. When I asked her why, she responded: “Because Mary did what the Lord told her to do… and He took away her fear of what everyone else would think of her so she could do it.” So I… Read more >>
“Your prayers are not in vain.”
A few weeks ago, I found myself asking God, “Are my efforts in vain? Are my prayers in vain?” I felt disappointed and discouraged because I wasn’t seeing the progress or the fruit I had hoped to see as a result of my efforts. Although I try to love and serve the women we work with well, their situations are so complicated and the economic reality in Ecuador is so hard that the feeling of helplessness made me doubt whether it was really possible to make a difference. I felt the same way about fundraising for the ministry Despite my efforts, we don’t count on the financial support or… Read more >>
The Way Jesus Loves
This month I visited Chimborazo, one of Ecuador’s volcanoes and the highest mountain in the country. Every time I have the privilege of visiting spectacular places like this, I’m amazed by the greatness, creativity, beauty, and power of the Lord who created them. This time, I found myself reflecting on a Bible passage that has recently become one of my favorites: “For in [Jesus] all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things,… Read more >>
God's Constant Presence
To be completely honest with you, life here has been beautiful, but also tough and emotionally heavy for me. The more time I spend here getting to know the beautiful people God has placed in my life here and the precious women we serve, the more it hurts to see them in pain, difficult situations, poverty and prostitution. I spend a lot of time with the Lord processing this over and over again; mostly with tears, often with anger. I don’t understand how He could allow the human beings He created with love and in His image to be caught up in such darkness. I feel like a simple answer to that… Read more >>