This is our final installment of Ray's journal from his last trip to Ecuador.
Our trip to Vinces was about an hour late leaving but we finally got our caravan of about 16 or 17 people together and made the 2.5 hour trek out to Vinces. In our car we had Pat, Chuck, Fernando, Marcel and myself. What a great time. I had planned to listen to some music and relax but this group had other plans. Chuck and Fernando spent almost the entire trip telling jokes and cracking us up. We declared Fernando the winner of joke telling just before we arrived at Dr Manuel’s home for a time of refreshing and dinner before our evening meetings. This was a great time of fellowship with each member of this group and helped clear our minds before the events of the evening.
Pat and Lee went with several of our group to speak at Galilea Church while Tim and I accompanied Chuck to Asambleas de Dios Church. We all had some great times of ministry with several healings and salvations. During the alter ministry, Chuck ministered to one of our team member’s brother. She had been praying for him to return to the Lord and for the restoration of his marriage. God showed up and did a wonderful work in him. It is so awesome to see cleansing come forth when the Holy Spirit is allowed access to soul.
Saturday, May 2nd again proved how great our God is and how he so much wants freedom, healing and restoration for us. We were able to help facilitate a medical brigade in Vinces, with several of our team doctors and Dr. Manuel. We had over 200 people show up for some type of treatment or medication. The doctors would provide the medicines for the physical ailments and our team would bring the medicine from Dr. Jesus for the spiritual sickness. Both venues were successful as God showed his mercy and willingness to not only bring healing of the body but also salvation and freedom to over 50 people by way of introduction to Jesus. How awesome is that!
Saturday afternoon proved to be my revelation day for this trip. It was requested that Pat provide a workshop for business leaders at the home of Pastor Cesar Guerrero. This was supposed to be an opportunity for our team and local business men and women from his church to interact with us to learn and discuss business principles from a Christian perspective to help them grow not only their business but also in their walk with the Lord. Many of these people were successful in business but very new to Christ so they were eager to hear and learn.
We had been discussing topics earlier as to what we would talk about during our meeting and Pat asked me to talk about fear in the work place. I thought what an odd topic and until the Lord reminded me of my scripture, “…do not be afraid that some plan conceived behind closed doors will be the end of you.” All of a sudden feelings and thoughts about a previous job from almost 20 years ago rushed into my mind. All of the feelings and hurts of how I had been treated when I was terminated without warning or for any cause filled me again. I knew in my heart I had laid these things down in the past and had dealt with them. I had given forgiveness to my past employer and done all the things necessary to keep me from harboring offense.
Revelation came when God showed me that while I had done things right, I had opened a door to fear after starting my next job. I made a conscious decision in my heart no one would ever treat me that way again. As a supervisor, I ruled with arrogance, harshness and strong words. I wanted my employees to know I was in charge, fear me and do it my way. I managed this way until I went through Cleansing Streams in our church in the fall of 1999. I changed, but the roots of this fear was still evident in my life and it wasn’t until this meeting I realized where I had opened the door.
I immediately repented, renounced, broke the contract and prayed blessing on myself. Instantly I felt freedom be restored in my spirit and soul. A boldness like I had never had before welled up inside me. II Timothy 2:7-8, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. So you must never be ashamed to tell others about the Lord” became alive in my spirit. I could actually sense a difference in my attitude and felt a weight lift from my body for the remainder of the trip. Our workshop was successful as each participant and leader brought forth good ideas for each of them to build on.
The remainder of this trip, Sunday and Monday were spent in El Empalme and Guayaquil speaking at several churches and spending time with our Heart of Titus team there. Monday night we met at Pastor Fernando Ubilla’s home as he hosted our Heart of Titus meeting. It is hard to comprehend that over 35 people would attend a meeting that would start some time after 10:00 pm. Many of these people were our friends from Vinces, who traveled over 2 hours to just be with us. They fed us, prayed over us, blessed us and loved on us and we returned it to them in kind.
If you have never been on a mission trip, this type of fellowship is hard to understand or even comprehend. How do people from totally different cultures come together and have such a wonderful time in the Lord? It is only through the love that Jesus gives and the closeness in the Holy Spirit, as he knits our hearts together. You talk about a reward, it doesn’t get any better than that!
