ERICA SONG

“and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all…” 

- 1 Thessalonians 3:12

Prior to the mission trip, I wanted to learn what it meant to see the world in God’s eyes and to love like Him. I was initially worried that my heart would not open up to Ecuador and its people, however, I found it did slowly but surely as God revealed His steadfast and boundless love.

One day after VBS, we visited the home that belonged to Jim Elliot and other missionaries who were martyred attempting to evangelize to one of the indigenous groups in Ecuador. Although the 5 young missionaries had guns to defend themselves, they all agreed not to use them because even though they were ready for heaven, those people were not. Above the front door of the house was a quote Jim Elliot is most known for – “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.” Despite knowing the dangers, the missionaries’ hearts to spread the Gospel to the unreached displayed to me what it meant to love like God and live for His eternal Kingdom. 

What astounded me was how I continued to see this same love in countless other people throughout the rest of the month. Every pastor or missionary we worked with devoted their lives to serving God, spreading the Gospel to others because of their love for them. One of the pastors, Armando, shared his testimony to our team and talked about how although he did not like the area of Cotacachi God sent him to, his heart grew for the poor and he continues to serve the community there to this day, teaching me again what it meant to have boundless love. Similarly, throughout the month, our team did devotionals on the book of Acts where we read about Paul and other disciples, who filled with joy and the Holy Spirit, went around speaking boldly of their faith by the sake of love. I found it amazing how God continues to work through the generations as seen from the Bible to His servants today. Lastly, witnessing fellow team members lovingly interact with the children and build relationships with the locals displayed to me how much God loved His children.

As we prayed for locals who could not understand us as they only spoke Quechua, prayed for a family who desired for their loved one to come to Christ, or worked with children who were too young to understand what we were doing, God truly answered my prayer request as He broke my heart for what broke His. I had to constantly remind myself that it was solely through God’s power that His children could be brought back to Him and needed to trust that He would open their hearts and eyes to Him. This reminder weighed on my heart as I interacted with the people, but by trusting in God’s sovereignty, I found true joy in spreading His love to them. By the end of the month, I found myself truly loving Ecuador and its people as well as excited to see how God will continue to use them as instruments for His Kingdom.

Now back at home, there are many things I want to apply in my life, such as dwelling in God’s presence daily and praising Him in every moment. However, I pray that through His love I may not forget to simply increase and abound in love for others.