Why am I going to Ecuador …
…and not as a Tourist?
It was just a normal workday, I was sipping on some coffee, when I got an unexpected text message from my cousin Stephanie. Something to the effect “Hi primo, how are you? Tell your wife Happy Mother’s day. And by the way, I am getting married and it would be great if you and the family can make it!”. A few months later, my family and I are on a plane to Cali, Colombia. It’s rare someone travels internationally last minute, but it seemed like the perfect occasion. My cousin’s wedding was amazing and we are all happy we were able to go.
It was in Colombia while I was walking around the city that I slowly began to realize that most likely everyone around me wasn’t saved. This is when the verse in Matthew 9:37 “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few” came to mind as it felt like I was seeing the harvest in front of my eyes, but with no laborers.
Since the Colombia trip, I have been pondering and wondering if I can help the people of my hometown, my Buga folks. I was born in Buga, Colombia in the early 1980s, and although I came to the states when I was young, it still is very much a part of me. I saw the city I am from a little behind the times and unkept. They have a Catholic cathedral there called ‘The Basilica’ the size of an entire city block where they pray to a Jesus statue, not realizing the one who saves and heals them is not the statue, but Jesus himself. My wife has encouraged me for many years to go on a missions trip, but after this trip to Colombia, I finally understand the need.
I’ve never been on a missions trip before, and when a recent opportunity presented itself through my local church, I decided to sign up. They did not have any trips to Colombia, but there is an opportunity to go to Ecuador with our team and do street evangelism where Catholicism is heavily mixed with Voodooism and the local priests are also witch doctors. I will be an asset to the team since I’m already fluent in Spanish. The missions trip will be in March 2024 to a city named Cotacachi where we will be joining alongside a local church to speak to the people of this town about Jesus and how he has saved us from our sins. What I am truly looking forward to on this trip is to see how I will be used and if my family can fill a need in the missions field.
The trip will cost me 100. I’m also looking for people to commit to praying for me the week I will be in Ecuador in March. Now, I invite you to be a part of this mission, to make a lasting impact on the lives of those in Cotacachi. If any part of this letter resonated with you, please consider making a donation.
- Go to https://crossassembly.org
- Choose the “Give” option and your campus (choose Yonkers Campus as the default).
- From the contribution drop-down menu, select “Global Missions” and in the memo box enter “Ecuador - David Rojas”
Thank you for taking the time to read my letter.