This is Part 2 of 3 installments of Ray Watson's journal from his last trip to Ecuador in May 2009.
Revelation began before our group ever left Orlando. I took this trip with 4 other local guys, Pat McGuffin our trip leader, Chuck Blystone, Tim Frazier and Lee Welton. I really believe God brought the five of us together on this trip as a divine appointment for us as a group as well as individuals. We had never ministered together before but it was evident throughout the trip God had a plan and it was good.
About a week before we left, we were meeting at Pat’s house for prayer and overall trip coordination. It was during this meeting God changed my focus of this trip and I made a commitment to really open myself up to what God had in store. He had already planted a theme in me, “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God …” Matt 6:33. While at this meeting I shared a scripture from Isa. 9:11-14 “The Lord has said to me in the strongest terms: “Do not think like everyone else does. Do not be afraid that some plan conceived behind closed doors will be the end of you. Do not fear anything except the Lord Almighty. He alone is the Holy One. If you fear him, you need fear nothing else. He will keep you safe.” I brought it as a word of encouragement for Tim and Lee but Chuck felt it was directed more to me than them and I needed to address areas of fear in my life so God could accomplish in me what he wanted. I realized then God was ready to complete some things in me if I was willing to be obedient to him.
On Thursday morning after we arrived we were scheduled to go and minister to the staff of the local Christian TV station, ENLACE TV. This has always been a great time of ministry on past trips and I felt this would be the case today. The staff here seems to open up and receive like thirsty vessels allowing God to pour out his blessings on them.
Each of us gave a short greeting and word of encouragement followed by a short teaching by Pat McGuffin, our team leader. After this Pat allowed Lee to share part of his personal testimony of how God delivered him from drugs and restored him from his attempted suicide. What a powerful time. You could see the barriers each staff member had placed around themselves come down and immediately come to the place where God could touch them.
We divided our team and began to pray for the needs of each person. God was good. Freedoms, healing and restoration came forth as the Holy Spirit filled the room and fulfilled his promise that if we seek him first, everything else will come. I was blessed to have Tim minister with me and Pastor Miguel during this prayer time. I was so encouraged to see Tim take in all God was doing and when it was his turn to pray, he was ready and full of faith that God had equipped and empowered him with for this moment.
Tonight I was scheduled with Lee to preach at 7:45 pm at the CEAD Church in Duran outside of Guayaquil. Due to some transportation issues, we did not arrive to minister at this open air facility until 9:00 pm. I continue to be amazed how these people will be patient and wait an extended time to hear what God has put on the heart of someone they don’t even know.
After we arrived, I met Pastor Jaime Fienco. He was very gracious and gave us 30 minutes to speak to them about what God had place on our hearts. We would have gotten more time to minister but he informed us he had to go and meet with a family in his church whose young daughter was murdered that evening. I asked Lee to bring a short greeting and then shared for a few minutes on my theme of “Seeking the Lord “. We prayed blessings on the pastor and headed back to the embassy for some much needed rest and preparation for our trip to Vinces the next day.
Friday, May 1st proved to be a great day. Our agenda for this morning was to be open so we might get an opportunity to go to the Indian Market or site seeing but God had other plans. Instead we got the honor of spending 5 hours with our host pastor Francisco Loor and hearing his heart.
He too, is very concerned with the things going on with the government and the threats that seem to be coming against the local churches. As part of the government plan to bring churches under a national foundation, it has been proposed to provide financial aid to some of the most poor pastors and churches. This is a clever way to bring these pastors and churches more dependent on the government rather than looking for the blessing God wants to bring them. Many of these pastors are struggling financially, spiritually and relationally. In the natural it will be very easy for these pastors to accept this “charity”, but clearly the long term goal is control. We must continue to lift up the pastors who are often times in the trenches with no help and very limited resources. After listening to our friend and host for more than an hour, we were able to pray over him, speak over him and bless him. As we finished, the Lord gave me a scripture in Prov 16:1-3 for him. It says “We can gather our thoughts, but the Lord gives the right answer. People may be pure in their own eyes, but the Lord examines the motives. Commit your work to the Lord, and then your plans will succeed.”
In the afternoon, Pastor Loor took us on a trip about 45 minutes from the embassy to visit another one of his visions. It was the beginning construction of 10 villas at a resort area where he wants to bring his leaders and spouses to for training and marriage conference weekends. This could be a great opportunity for Heart of Titus to come and share, to bringing spiritual healing, fresh anointing and renewal of marriage bliss to these leaders. The whole team embraced the concept and is looking forward to our return here.
NEXT INSTALLMENT: PART 3 - REWARDS!
