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Serving Christ in Ecuador |
A family of four lost their lives in this home that dreadful evening.
The smell of decaying corpses was horrible. This is taken from the town of Tarqui, just outside of Manta. One of the areas hardest hit. This section is being blocked off because all of the buildings are unstable and the whole neighborhood will have to be demolished.
In this home were 20 family members and extended family members. 7 lost their lives but 13 were able to be rescued.
This is the beachfront in Manta. The machinery is putting all of the ruble from destroyed homes and buildings here. People are searching through it for their belongings, items of value and other things personal to them.
I
t has now been almost 13 days since the devastating earthquake hit the Ecuadorian coast. Some days it seems like a lifetime ago and other times it seems like it just happened yesterday. It is probably to the point in the U.S. that the earthquake is no longer getting a lot of media attention. My parents have told me that there really hasn’t been a lot in the news since the week it happened. There was a news piece on FoxNews I am told of the ONE news anchor that came to Ecuador. ONE. I know there are many things going on in the lives of those in the U.S. The death of Prince, the birthday of Queen Elizabeth, etc, etc…
But life here doesn’t really have the capacity to have an “out” so to speak when it comes to the earthquake disaster here. Relief efforts continue whether they get new coverage or not. People mourn and grieve at the great losses they have experienced. And even if we personally have not experienced loss, we mourn with them, we lament with them at the destruction and the lives that will never be the same.
Since April 16th, the reports have said that 659 people are dead, 16,600 injured, 50 missing and about 7,000 buildings destroyed. These numbers are likely to increase.
The IPEE (National Covenant Church of Ecuador) Camp in Santo Domingo is being used as a temporary shelter for a group of people from a city that was over 80% destroyed, Pedernales. There are currently about 70 people being housed there and IPEE has coordinated a rotating schedule of people from churches in various districts from Ecuador to come and provide assistance in the form of counseling, pastoral care, recreation, job skills training, medical care and music. The goal is to have the temporary residents take ownership of the space and time there to coordinate their meals and cleaning. There is a general camp administrator and someone from the area of Service or FACE from IPEE is in charge of the overall decision making.
This week has been a time of planning and evaluating what is the best way to do long term relief efforts in an organized fashion. Below is an official letter from the President of the Covenant Church of Ecuador, Henry Burbano. Click on the link below:
HENRY BURBANO EARTHQUAKE LETTER ENGLISH (1)
Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
1 Thessalonians 5:11
It’s a little hard to explain the feelings and emotions that we feel each day since last Saturday when the earthquake hit. I feel like there is so much I want to say, but I’m not sure if it will articulate well, but I figured I would try anyway, because I need the release of letting it go and I’m sure people are wondering how things are. You also may be thinking that because we are safe and sound, why are we so emotional? I will do my best to explain…
Since Monday of this week, there have been meetings, a lot of meetings with the Covenant National Church of Ecuador, F.A.C.E., the Santiago Partnership and basically anyone in the area who wants to attend and be involved. We have been working to plan how best we can help those on the coast that desperately, DESPERATELY need help. These meetings are draining. In all honesty, we don’t want to think about the things we are talking about. We don’t want to imagine what people are facing just miles and hours from where we are. I personally don’t want to think of women, children, families torn apart, children without parents, parents missing children or facing the reality that they will never see them again. I don’t want to imagine the images that our fellow missionaries, pastors and lay people are seeing. Because let’s be honest, it’s easier not to think about it. It is easier to think about MY children who are safe and sound, MY family who is together over dinner to pray and eat together, to be silly together and to ‘be normal’. It is easier than thinking of those families that have nothing, no water, no food, no families…no hope tonight. I feel bad admitting that, but I feel it needs to be said so I can say this…
I remember when we lived in the States and there were natural disasters that were…”out there”, in Japan, in Haiti. I remember being, well, jaded. Knowing that because it didn’t affect me or those I knew and loved that, that was THAT! I prayed of course, every once in a while I thought about it…at a distance. But this isn’t a distance away now. It is here, in my country. It could just as easily have been our family who was lost and wouldn’t I want someone to help me? To help us? To find us, to bring us food, clothing, shelter? How can I be different thinking of others now that aren’t far away? Why has it taken an earthquake here to help me realize that? It became clear to me this morning that because I remember what I felt like in the States with those disasters “over there” and those suffering across the ocean. It didn’t faze me…I could look at pictures, see the loss, see stories of rescue and I wasn’t even fazed. But now, being here, it is a whole new thing. I feel like we are carrying the weight of our world, our world in Ecuador. We have angst to help but want to make sure we help and not make things worse, we want to GO but we know we need to prepare before we do so. It such a fury of thoughts running through our head that sometimes we can’t put our thoughts together once we get home.
We just prayed for Joel as he will be going to the Coast tomorrow to evaluate further action with other church leaders. I looked into the eyes of our children and was so thankful for God’s protection and provision. But we also think of those who are suffering. The orphans, the widows, those who have nothing right now and we pray for them, we lament with them and we petition you to do the same. I know it is far easier to not imagine what things must be like here, I know, I get it, I have been there. But I ask you to go there. Go deeper and let yourself stand with those who are suffering here because this is what God calls us to. Our neighbor which Scripture speaks about is not just our literal neighbor next door. If we are to love our neighbor as ourselves as Mark 12 says, then we should be feeling what they feel, hurting when they hurt, lamenting and suffering when they suffer. It’s not the easy way. It is much easier to put it out of our minds, look the other way, “focus on the positives”, but we live in a world where bad things, awful and unimaginable things happen and as Christ followers, we must CHOOSE to love, choose to show compassion and mercy and build each other up. Choose it today.
“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.” Matthew 5:14
When I was younger, I LOVED lighthouses. I remember having a poster of a lighthouse on my wall with a huge wave hitting it in a storm. What an amazing a beautiful image to wake up to each day. Much like a lighthouse, Jesus was sent into a world of darkness to be a light. We are called to do the same as followers of Jesus. Just like a lighthouse, a city can be seen clearly from a distance, even in the darkness. As Jesus was light sent into a world of darkness, we must also be the same in a world of darkness.
An amazing example of the above illustration is the church that we partner with, Iglesia Emanuel. Over 10 years ago, the Pastor of the church, Pastor Jose, had a vision for the church to be a light in the surrounding community of Juan Montalvo, just outside of Cayambe. He had a vision for building a clinic to serve the people in the area of healthcare, as the majority of its inhabitants are unable to afford healthcare for their families. Around the same time as Pastor Jose felt a call to build a clinic, Joel and I felt God tugging on our hearts to start a clinic and to help children in need. After so many years, God has brought our calls and visions together in a small community in Ecuador. Iglesia Emanuel and Pastor Jose have built the clinic and as of today, it is open to the community of Juan Montalvo to serve those in need and to be a light. As God has called so many before us to be a light in a dark world, Iglesia Emanuel and Pastor Jose have answered that call and are a light in a community where poverty, illness and lack of access to many things are limited. We consider it a privilege to call them partners and friends and we are thankful that God has gone before us to pave the way to be the hands and feet and light of Christ in a dark world.
Written by Kim
On Monday, April 11th our Medical Clinic in Cayambe, Ecuador officially opened to the public!!! After almost two years from starting in Ecuador, the first ministry in our two part project has commenced. After almost ten years of constructing the clinic and trying to open it, the Covenant Church Iglesia Emanuel has finally achieved what it has dreamed for so long. After almost 14 years of planning and tirelessly serving, the Delp family can rejoice in what the Lord has accomplished through the local and national Covenant church of Ecuador. We thank God for his faithfulness in helping us see this dream become a reality.
As an outreach ministry of the local church, the Medical Clinic will serve the children at the Compassion Center at Igelesia Emanuel as well as other surrounding Compassion Centers and will be open to the public with very affordable costs so that way medicine is accessible to all. If you are interested in knowing how you can support the ministry of the medical clinic, please watch the video here: https://www.santiagopartnership.org/64-for-ecuador/
Please meet our medical clinic staff below. One prayer request is that we are still needing a dentist to complete our team so please pray that God leads us to our final candidate very soon.
Our Medical Clinic staff
Dr. Abimael Hernandez
Nurse Intern Nancy Pujota
Nurse Myriam Molina
The Santiago Partnership
