I can get pretty emotional without much prompting so imagine the flood gates opening and the eruption of deep uncontrollable sobs. It wasn’t an agonizing cry like I experienced the night I realized Rick would not survive his accident. It was more of a joyful cry, tears streaming through my closed eyes feeling God’s presence in my heart and smiling as I pictured Rick at peace.
As I stood on a hilltop in the beautiful jungle of Ecuador, I cried as a hundred men women and children played music and prayed over the land, asking for God’s blessing as we prepared to lay the foundation for a new church in Ongata.
This was the highlight of my week, during my first ever mission trip with 15 others from Creekside Church in Cumming, Georgia. The path to this moment started on 7-7-2017.
Two significant events happened that day. In Chicago, Rick, my beloved husband of 25 years, was at work just like any other day. He was preparing the footings in order to pour concrete for a home addition. As he began to cut some lumber with a power saw, he was electrocuted and his lifeless body fell into a ditch he had previously dug.
Thousands of miles away, in Ecuador, Pastor Fabiola and her husband welcomed their first child to the world. They named her Febe, a female name of Greek origin meaning “bright”, “radiant” or “shining one”.
Around seven years later, I was participating in a routine meeting focused on various missions that we support at Creekside church. Sandy, our Ecuador liaison, reported that our partner Pastor Fabiola had been ministering to around 40 children on the front porch of someone’s home in remote Ongata, Ecuador. Pastor Fabiola had a vision to plant a church in this community. A church that could facilitate spreading the Good News to these children and their families and others in their community. She even had the perfect piece of land in mind but lacked the funding necessary,
I think I started writing the check before Sandy finished her report. Months later I learned that the purchase was complete and the closing date had occurred on Rick’s birthday! Additional funds were donated from a missionary’s home church in Ireland and an architect was hired to prepare a blueprint.
Meanwhile, Creekside church leadership began to plan a mission trip to Misahualli Ecuador. This used to be an annual trip where a team travels to provide support to Pastor Fabiola and her church and to several missionaries working at Jungle Kids for Christ and Antioch school. Creekside had not traveled to Ecuador for over seven years. Plans were made for a July 2026 trip and I might have been the first one to sign up.
Our plan for the week included lessons, crafts and games for 60 children – on that front porch in Ongata. Then our afternoons would be spent across the street laying the foundation for the new church plant. On the day we departed from the US, we learned that the building permit was not yet in place so we were unsure what kind of work we would be doing. Turns out the permit was issued in God’s perfect timing and on our first work day we were able to dedicate the land and break ground.
It was quite an honor to break ground alongside Pastor Fabiola as Febe and Rick looked on. Glory be to God for creating beauty from ashes.
- pictured are Sandy and I from Creekside with Pastor Fabiola and her family, including her daughter Febe.
