God has called everyone to serve in a ministry and provides each of the necessary tools to achieve the task. God has plans for each of us: the place someone is going to live, the job he will have and the people that will influence him. I am Ecuadorian and grew up in the Andes Mountains. In 2014, I moved to Rioverde, Ecuador, on the Pacific Coast to live with my missionary mentors.
I was called by God to live in this region, not because that was my first choice, but because he had a plan in using my life to serve him.
I started working as an English teacher in a school where I got to know not only the students but also their parents. I earned their respect, and I noticed that God called me to do something else there. God used my skills in teaching a second language to give me the opportunity to start sharing his Word in a small group two missionaries started in that town. God gave me more and more responsibilities in the church. We were able to move to a more comfortable place to meet where more people could gather. Some of the members of the church were my former students and their parents and grandparents. I realized God had always wanted me to reach that specific group of people and that is why he put me in a place where I could earn their trust and respect.
Groups from the U.S. have come to Esmeraldas to partner with our local church to reach and expand God’s kingdom. Believers from churches in Texas have helped us draw more people by getting them interested in the activities the Texas believers offer every time they come. These activities have helped us reach more youth, which has opened a door to have youth meetings every week. God has given me the opportunity to serve as a youth leader, and most of the youth who come regularly to the meetings are my former students. Currently, we are still having our regular meetings, and the youth enjoy having something to do on Sundays.
Thanks to the partnership with the churches in Texas, we have also been able to work in community development. That was another strategy that we as a team prioritized because it is a good way to reach people who are not interested in hearing God’s Word, but little by little, we can share with them God’s love through our testimony.
God has also been opening more doors for me to reach the level of maturity he wants me to have, not only for my personal growth but also for his kingdom. Thanks to the support that North Garland Baptist Fellowship has given our church and me, I was able to begin a master’s program in theological studies at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. This opportunity to enrich my knowledge of the Bible has helped me in clarifying doctrinal aspects that in the past I had known but for which I hadn’t had academic, scientific or theological evidence. Seminary has also helped me teach in the church.
I know that God has more plans both for me and for the ministry here in this town. The help and support that believers from Texas have provided to this ministry has helped us to share God’s love and his grace. We know that he will provide for you, for the ministry here and for me to continue working for his kingdom.
