Immersed in the Culture: A Prayer of Reflection

Buenos Tardes, and Happy Sunday! 

Today was an incredibly reflective and eye opening day for many of the team members, where God was seen in many different experiences, conversations, and environments. With that reflective attitude in mind, I'd like to share the team's journey today day in a little different way: as a prayer of praise, gratitude, humbleness, and request...

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Heavenly Father, we come before you with humble hearts, grateful for the opportunity to let Your will be done here on Earth, specifically in this beautiful city of Quito. We give you thanks for healthy bodies and the strength that you restore in us with each renewing day. 

We are in awe of how the Spirit moves in incredible ways, and how many voices come together as one, no matter the language, cultural, or personal barriers that one may encounter. We thank you for the opportunity to experience a different church setting this morning at Dios es Fiel, one in which was completely in Spanish, one that, for many, is entirely new. For the ability to sing as one, read scripture as one, and partake in communion as one body. Lord thank you for this church's passion for the Lord and energy in praising him. We ask that you ignite that fire within our own hearts to share with our communities back in the U.S. and to bless the congregations here in Quito, that they continue to share the wonderful news of the Gospel and be transformed and moved by Your power. 

Also, Lord, we are so gracious to work alongside Pan de Vida this week, and for revealing Yourself through our first ministry opportunity. We do not know the magnitude of the impacts of us serving food to the "beneficiaries," helping children color crosses in Sunday School, or sweeping the streets. However, we know this: that this kingdom work that You prepared in advance for us to do is our calling and our act of worship to You, our creator. We ask that you be with the families who were recipients, that they would feel your presence and see Christ within us as we serve. And for the children, that you would develop their childlike faith to see God's provisions. What an inspiring picture to interact with the kids and be rejuvenated in spiritual energy by their pure joy and willingness to hear the Word of God. In the midst of such hardships, we ask that you use these people as a conviction to our own hearts in challenging us to hold onto Christ as these Ecuadorian people do daily. May we not forget of your faithfulness in their lives, as well as our own.

For the families that we visited today in bringing food and seeing their houses and the previous work Pan de Vida has done for them, we ask that you open our eyes to the poverty that surrounds the city, grant us empathy, humility, and reflective hearts towards our possessions and our purpose for being in Ecuador. Thank you for the way you've impacted their lives, so much so that they are willing to share their personal stories to complete strangers and sing of your blessings. As we work this week on creating a protective wall against mud and dirt for one of these families, we ask that you grant us physical and spiritual strength to do the work that you've called us here for.

Thank you God for the laughs, for your beauty in creation, for all the dogs (and even a pig) that we've encountered along the way, and just for the opportunity to connect as a team while focusing our hearts on servitude. While we know that there will be plenty of hardships here in Ecuador as well as when we return home, we remind ourselves of your word in Revelation which says that '[you] will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain.'

God, you are everlasting to everlasting, the Alpha and the Omega, beginning and the End. Help us to remember that wonderful truth, and to continue to exhibit the love that Christ showed on the cross for us to those we are helping this week.

In your most holy name we cry out, Christ Jesus, Father,

The Grove City Men's Soccer Team

 - Nate Curry