433. Mission Accomplished
Mission Ecuador Team (MET) arrived safely last Monday. Sixteen members from two congregations served the missionaries and their ministry in the Agape Church. There were unavoidable issues, such as a change of plans and relational conflicts, but there was also an unexpected injury to a member. But despite all these, this team stayed united until the end, and I felt we had accomplished God’s purpose for this team.
What makes this trip unique is that we had the largest number of participants. Thanks to that, we were able to do a lot more ministries than last year and do them more efficiently. Also, for the first time, we were able to visit church members and their VIPs in their homes and had a chance to share the gospel and pray for them. Many of them were living in poor conditions, suffering from illness due to their inability to visit a hospital. As we prayed for them, we felt that the only thing we could offer was Jesus and his power through prayer. I felt challenged by the hopelessness of the situation, but also felt more of Jesus’ heart when he was going around villages healing the sick and sharing the good news.
Another significant difference from last year was that, as the Agape church had recently started its house church ministry, we were able to visit its four house churches. Our team was divided into four groups, and everyone found the visit to be both touching and inspiring. I was moved to see what we do in Toronto happening also in Ecuador, members sharing meals, summarizing last Sunday’s message and praying for one another. It really felt like we were the holy “universal” church, despite our language and cultural differences. We don’t have the detailed plans yet, but as the missionaries asked us to focus more on equipping the Agape church members, our future mission will emphasize equipping and empowering the young leaders there.
We felt the power of prayer in so many ways. There were no major injuries, relational conflicts were resolved maturely, and we received great feedback from the pastor of the church. God also granted us unusually cool weather. The missionary told us that it was scorching hot right before we came. When we arrived, we were greeted by a cloudy sky, which lasted the entire week. I was convinced that God certainly takes care of those who try to take care of his business.
