I spent the last week house-sitting for the Dickersons while they attended a missionary conference in Peru. My dear friend, Elizabeth Ascanta, spent the week with me. The Lord truly provided through us spending the week together. I believe it was a rich experience for both of us. Elizabeth is from an indigenous community in Tupigachi, Ecuador. I met her two years ago when I spent the summer there.
This week, I saw a piece of how different our lives are. We celebrated those differences in as many ways as possible. We cooked our favorite meals for each other from our own cultures. We had Elizabeth’s 1st pizza, 1st macaroni & cheese, 1st brownie, 1st real icecream sundae, 1st coffee from a coffee maker. She watched it the 1st morning and said, “Es incredible!” We did things in Quito she has never done. She had 24/7 internet & Christian music access! We kept saying, “It’s vacation!” She said it was like spending a week in the United States; so that is what we imagined. I realized once again, how ridiculously MUCH I have! Her life is so simple and mine so complex.
In the greatest way, we are very similar. Elizabeth & I both desire to serve Our Lord by sharing the news of His great salvation! We are both 22, both love music, both study in seminaries, both are pastor’s daughters, both work with the youth and children in our churches, both single with confidence in God’s timing and will, and both want to be missionaries (though most of the time I’m still scared to admit it).
There is a great difference even in our greatest likeness. Elizabeth’s great desire to serve is hindered because she does not have someone willing to serve with her. It is difficult to accomplish the work of sharing the Gospel alone. Mrs. Ruby pointed out to us that Jesus always sent his disciples out in twos. There is strength in group of two or three. Please pray for a partner in ministry for Elizabeth to continue to reach the people around her community. How many times I have taken for granted the body of Christ which surrounds me! I have great friends who love and serve Christ! How often do I stop and thank God for that team of CO-workers in God’s work? Rather I live like I am entitled to such friends. Like I am entitled to go back home in a month and pop right back into my busy routine and great friends without hardly look back. Rarely remembering the believers who God is working through here. On Elizabeth’s last morning here, during my quiet time with the Lord, I was seriously convicted of my selfishness and grumbling in the midst of God’s great provisions. As I confessed my self-centeredness to Elizabeth, I promised to pray for her as she continues in her walk of obediently following Christ.
I thank God for providing this week with Elizabeth. We learned so much from each other. To share in family of God across cultures is a reminder that God is so much bigger than us! As I mentioned in an earlier post, Elizabeth only speaks Spanish. Thank you for your prayers this week for our communication. We enjoyed talking, encouraging each other, and praying together IN Spanish. She was gracious and patient with me and the Lord provided just what He intended all along!
Check out pictures of our incredible week!
What’s next? This week I’m shifting gears in my summer and will begin working on REAP’s translator ministry. Goal? To organize and update the contact lists & to make finding a translator for REAP teams easier for the Dickersons in the future. How? By meeting with small groups of potential translators to get to know them, their English levels, and their availability. I meet with my first group in the morning.
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