I am so thankful for the partnership of Brothers and Sisters investing in the Kingdom of Jesus Christ! Their prayers and financial support have made a huge difference in the lives of families in El Recreo, Ecuador, as well as the lives of our team members from Texas. I am so thankful to those who gave so generously! Their gifts covered the cost of my trip and supported several others to be able to participate.
I learned a great deal through this experience. Most deeply, I realized that I need to allow the Lord to break my heart. I need to allow the Lord to break my heart over the physical and spiritual suffering that takes place in Ecuador, Texas, and around the world, because it breaks His heart. And I need to allow the Lord to break my heart over the sin and arrogance in my heart, because it breaks His heart.
On Monday through Thursday, our team partnered with a congregation in El Recreo to distribute approximately 25 filters per day, household by household. The families were very grateful for the filters given to them, and after explaining how to use and maintain the filters, we prayed with each family. It was such a joy to partner with our Brothers and Sisters in El Recreo to help people practically with clean water and establish relationships for the local church to follow up!
Of course, the highlight of the week was seeing the transforming work of Christ in the life of Raul, one of my students in my Water and Wastewater Engineering course this past semester. I was so excited about him being able to come on the trip and seeing how the Lord would work in his life. On Tuesday, I asked Raul what he thought it meant to be a Christian, and his answer was so insightful. He told me that he didn't have much religious experience, but based on what he saw in the local church in El Recreo, he answered my question, "To love… without restriction." On Wednesday morning, I asked Raul, "What is your purpose in life?" Over the rest of the day, we discussed creation, worship, sin, and forgiveness. As we were walking back to the house, we talked about what it meant to make it real and personal. We talked about admitting that we need Jesus to rescue us from ourselves, believing in Him, and committing our lives to follow Him. I told Raul that it is like committing to go on a spiritual hike for the rest of his life, and I asked him if he wanted to begin this journey. He told me that he has been waiting for this. So we prayed together, and Raul committed to follow Christ! I am so excited for the great things that God is going to do through Raul!
On Friday, I was able to visit the campus of a respected technical university in Guayaquil, with Raul. We contacted a lady named Alby, one of the lecturers in environmental engineering on Thursday evening, and she graciously agreed to meet us on Friday morning. When we arrived, I expected to meet her in her office, but actually, she was teaching a class at that time, and she invited us to give a presentation to her class! Raul gave a great presentation in Spanish about our project of installing the filters in El Recreo. Several students began asking questions in English, and I realized that everyone spoke English. So I was able to give a brief lecture about membrane filtration on the whiteboard, right there in Ecuador! It was incredible! I also spoke about water sources, treatment, and water development, and afterward, Alby said that she felt like the students were inspired by the presentation to consider getting involved in environmental studies. We were also able to meet the directors of two research centers who are interested in partnering in research and teaching with us at UTEP!
Friday afternoon, we drove out to Curia, a remote town on the beach about four hours away from El Recreo. Marcello, is developing relationships with people and commuting weekly for Bible studies and children's ministries so that they can soon plant a church. In the car, Amy, Susie, and I shared several passages of scripture about baptism with Raul. He was very receptive and understood the significance and importance of baptism. Saturday morning at 7:00am, Raul, Giovanni, and I went for a run on the beach; it was great. Raul and I talked about how our life in Christ is like a run, and we run to win the prize. We run together, and we spur each other along. A little later, our whole group gathered on the beach, and I shared about how I had met Raul, and how excited I was for him in his new life in Christ. Then Raul shared a little about his background and experience in Ecuador. Then we walked out in the ocean about waist-deep, and I had the great privilege of baptizing my new Brother! It was awesome! I saw baptism from a new perspective. As I pulled Raul up out of the water, I had a vivid and clear picture in my mind of God pulling us up out of spiritual death, and giving us a new life in Jesus Christ! It was so encouraging to me!
It is my prayer that God will receive all of the credit for the good things done and ongoing. It is such a joy and privilege to love Him and cooperate with Him in His good work. I pray that the Lord will continue to cascade His blessings and grow the Church through these activities this past week.
