Rebuild, Raise Up, Repair
“And they shall rebuild the old ruins, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the ruined cities, the desolations of many generations…” Isaiah 61:4
In July of 2023, Danny and Julia along with Sean Lange, took a “vision trip” together to Ecuador as they felt God leading them to go and inquire into what He would have them do there. They connected with Pastor Fredy Bernardino of Calvary Chapel Cuenca and sensed the Lord strongly calling them to come alongside him. Pastor Fredy expressed a deep desire and need for help in his church, but also for a grand project he’s been praying for a long time: a Bible college. After praying through and collaborating with Pastor Fredy, here is how they feel called to help:
- The church:
Right now Pastor Fredy teaches his church services in Spanish, but surprisingly he is in need of an English speaking service. There are approximately 8-10,000 English speaking expats that live in the city, and they have made attempts to come to the church, only to run into the language barrier.
The other great need is youth ministry. There is no youth minister and he longs to reach the youth of the city. He’s had a small group begin to gather but it’s a lot for him to juggle. They could use someone to come alongside the youth.
- Bible college:
Fredy expressed a desire that he’s very passionate about, and that is to start, build, and direct a Bible college! There are about ten Calvary Chapel churches throughout Ecuador that have branched off of Fredy’s, and he’s been instrumental in discipling most of them. However, they all have gathered and expressed wanting a Bible college. They believe it would be an enormous resource and blessing to not only the pastors and people of Ecuador, but the next generation needing to be raised up and taught the Word of God.
- Outreach:
The last desire Fredy shared was to pursue outreach for his city and the country at large. The dominant religion of Ecuador is Catholicism, but on the flip side the Pentacostal movement is also very strong there. The Word of God is poorly taught, if shared at all. Despite this, there is a sense amongst some of the pastors of revival beginning to sweep through South America. “Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” (Matt. 9:37-38) Pastor Fredy is hoping to organize a festival of life at some point. Danny and Julia also see a hunger in the coastal cities and hope for outreaches there too.
Ecuador is a beautiful, diverse land, and its people are warm and welcoming. Like many countries in South America however, there are areas of high crime and extreme poverty. Drug trafficking and gangs are a real problem in the coastal cities, and too many of Ecuador’s youth battle addiction or face violence in the streets. Many have expressed no hope for their future. The living conditions in Cuenca are much better, being tucked away in the beauty of the Andes mountains, however there too people are hungry for hope and the Word of God.
The Lord used Isaiah 61 to call the Posadas family to the work He’s doing in Ecuador…
“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord…” (Isa. 61:1-2)
Please pray with us for the vision the Lord is unpacking to reach into Ecuador, bringing the Good News, and to rebuild, raise up, and repair for the Kingdom of Heaven.
