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This morning I received an email from a gal asking about opportunities to serve in Ecuador. I sent her back a response and asked her what aspects of missions she had been involved in previously? Her reply was inspiring and reminded me about the importance of sharing our stories.
Concerning the impact the stories of past missionaries had on her, Christie wrote, “It really made me think, What if? What if I also surrender it all? What can God do through me too?" We never know how our stories will be used to motivate someone toward what God has for them to do. Here is a quick story from Christie she said I could share:
"Like I said, I've been to Ecuador a couple times. During the first trip, the group that I went with stayed primarily in Quito and in some of the surrounding towns doing street ministry and small work projects with churches and local missions agencies. My last trip was to Shell. I have some friends who live there and work with Mission Aviation Fellowship. We did some work projects at the MAF compound and Nate Saint Memorial School, hosted a breakfast for some of the missionary women who live in the area, and spent some time loving on the kids at Casa De Fe, the local orphanage. And since I'm a nurse, my friends also arranged for me to spend some time at the HCJB hospital located in Shell.
Both trips were amazing, but I think the trip to Shell was the most significant for me. I grew up reading and hearing about Nate Saint, Jim Elliot, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, and Pete Fleming. The first time I read their story, I hated it. What could possibly be good about five young men being killed and taken away from their wives and children while trying to share the Gospel with an unreached people group? It took years and God having me hear the story several more times to understand that the story didn't end with their deaths. Because those five men were willing to sacrifice everything for God, He was able to use them to do great things. And while I am often tempted to think that death is the end of a story, it isn't for God. God took what first appeared to be a horrible and hopeless story in my eyes and redeemed it for His glory. Being able to visit Nate Saint's house and see how God is continuing to work in Ecuador was a huge faith building experience for me. It really made me think, "What if? What if I also surrender it all? What can God do through me too?""
Thanks for reading!