Lasting Impressions

For three months, three times a year, we get to host an amazing young group of men and women in our JMI (Jungle Missionary Intern) program.  It is an encouraging time for all of us.  For the interns who give up their time in the comforts of the USA to join our Jungle Missionary Team, for us as we get to know them and see what they have to bring to the ministry, and for the people of Ecuador as they pour into their lives.  
This Spring, we had four young ladies from the Southeastern part of the US, they all brought such joy to the team!  The worked daily with the girls at Ecuador Hope House and I do believe they left a lasting impression on their hearts... both ways!

visit Ecuador Hope House

Living with the girls at the Hope House for six weeks forever changed my life.  From dancing until our lungs burned and our legs gave out to chasing each other with water balloons and trying our best to use google translate to help with English homework, there was never a dull moment with the girls.  If the enemy had his way, Hope House would be the darkest place in Sucúa due to the battles these girls face, but instead it is a shining example of hope and the transforming power of Christ.  Those girls wills steal your heart in a second and keep it for a lifetime.  I'm excited to see what God has in store for every girl that ever has and ever will walk through that house.  I know that this is only the beginning, and God is going to do "exceedingly and abundantly more than we could ask or imagine." The best is yet to come.
- Shelby Fulcher


One of my favorite parts of being in Ecuador was having the opportunity to develop friendships with the girls.  Two weeks before I left, one of the girls sat down next to me after tutoring and asked me to help her practice her English.  At first, we read out of her textbook to practice, but after a few minutes I brought out my Spanish/English Bible. Because all the girls had been watching a television series about Joseph, we read part of the story of Joseph.  It was a lot of fun working with her one on one with something that was separate from homework.
While in Ecuador we were able to participate in several fun activities with the girls in the Hope House.  One of these was helping the missionaries teach the girls how to make homemade pizza.  I enjoyed watching the girls roll out their pizza dough, choose toppings, and eat their pizzas to the sound of Italian music.  I absolutely love these young ladies.  My life is definitely better because of them.  Working with them has taught me persistence and new ways to minister to others.
-Jordan Ovenshire


In February of 2017 I began my three month internship in Sucua, Ecuador. During that time, I had the opportunity to live in the Hope House for six weeks. I had been coming and going regularly before I moved in, so I had a relationship with the girls and Hope House "tias"(staff), but living with them bonded us even more and gave me a new perspective into their lives. 
I got to see them go to school, do their chores, help cook food, do their homework, play games, and dance. (There's always lots of dancing going on!) 
I was constantly struck by how these young girls, who had been through so much trauma in their lives, were able to live here and have a safe home. Every once in a while, I would be sitting at dinner, looking around at all the giggling girls around me, thinking how wonderful God's mercy is, and that their past does not hold them back in the Hope House. 
On Sundays I sat with the girls in church and got to experience worshipping with them. God has been using them to teach me to adopt the attitude of a child when I come to Him. Jesus' words, "truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it" run through my mind when I see them worship. 
Seeing them grow, receive love from the "tias" and missionaries, and watching God work in this House has changed my perspective forever. The girls are so ready to love and be loved, to laugh, to dance. The Hope House let's them do all of that.
-Anna Fuqua


* For more information on our Jungle Missionary Internship, please visit junglemissionary.com

Value

Value is a word we hear all too often, but forget the meaning of. This is a word we use a lot in The Hope House. We want the girls to understand that they have value. But not only that, we want them to understand who gives them that value. We want them to know that they will not find their value in boys or in their families or in their talents. God is the one that gives them their value, and He says they are priceless. So many of them come from terrible homes filled with abuse. They were constantly taught growing up that their value is in how many children they can have or how much money they can make. They were taught to look for value where it cannot be found.

Value can only be found in Christ. He is the only one that can give them their value, because He made them. When you don’t know where your value comes from, you end up searching everywhere for it. You look for it in your job, in your family, in the opposite sex, and in cultural expectations. But the only place value is found is in Christ.

When they learn more about Christ and discover the value that He gave them before they were born, they’re attitudes change about themselves and others. The way they treat others changes. Because when you know your value, you’re free to see the things of value in others. Instead of frantically searching for your value, you begin to see the value of others.

As they have learned their value, they’ve also learned how to see the value in what’s important. A few weeks ago, we had a team come in and give every girl their own Bible. The way they treasure their Bibles is amazing. Every time I go to the house, I see at least one girl studying their Bible. They take care of them and make sure that they don’t mess them up or lose them. They treasure their Bibles. And I believe it’s because they understand the value that The Word of God has in their lives. It’s their foundation in hard times. It’s their peace in chaos. It’s their guidance in confusion. It’s priceless.

Value. Everyone has it. It just takes God to reveal it to us.

*Post and Photo credit by Caitlin Emfinger. 

Caitlin is a Missionary Associate to the Jungles of Ecuador. She currently lives and works in Sucua and the jungle region of Ecuador, she has worked with the Ecuador Hope House and other ministries in Ecuador for over a year. If you would like to know more about Caitlin and her ministry, visit her at caitlinemfinger.blogspot.com.

For more information about the Ecuador Hope House,visit our website ecuadorhopehouse.com by clicking here