Inspire, Summer 2005

Inspire 19 Topics in Christian Education: Project Ecuador by Michael Parrott, Assistant Professor of Bible After seeing so many students express interest in an MIS trip to Ecuador this past Spring Break, the stage was set to offer the unique topic of “Planning and Leading International Projects for Youth” for the “Topics in Christian Education” class. Today many churches and organizations are taking high school students overseas on short-term projects. These projects can accelerate an existing ministry, create a new one, and give vision and training to those who go. It was the goal of this class to equip students who are seeking to work with youth to be actively involved in leading a project from start to finish. After the beginning of the Spring Semester in January, CU students Holly Congden ’05, Carey Edgren ’06, Catherine Lawrence ’06, and Molly O’Connor ’05 worked with 42 other students in six teams called crews. They each then recruited two other student leaders and took an active role in leading the weekly project meetings, casting vision for the project, training students with the skills needed, and helping students stay focused spiritually. Three Christian education professors and two of their wives were also part of the project: Tom ’80 and Amy Hutchison, Mike and Tracey Parrott, and Scott Dixon ’84. Tom, Mike, Scott, and Chris Miller, chair of the department of biblical education, traveled with the team to Ecuador March 5-13, 2005. Philip Blodgett ’06, another student in the class, also participated in cross-cultural ministry. He spent Spring Break in Mexico. My Ecuador Experience by Stacey Reeder ’08 “To the bus!” and “Crew check!” were the typical shouts from our group leader to get our large group of almost 50 together. I was privileged to travel in a group of 47 from Cedarville University to Ecuador during Spring Break 2005. The large group was well organized into six different crews with student crew leaders to keep us together. These crews served as our families throughout the entire week of traveling through airports, riding on long bus rides, and working together to minister to the Ecuadorians. We learned to be flexible, as our plans and preparations changed during the months prior to departure. We were ready to pretty much do anything and everything the Lord put in our path. Our ministry was to students and faculty of La Universidad de Bolivar in the city of Guaranda. Each day, my crew went to the university to randomly meet Ecuadorians. Each of us needed to take a step of faith and ask God for boldness to just walk up and talk to someone we’ve never met. I enjoyed sitting and talking to the people for hours, learning about their lives and sharing a little of my life, including the most important thing, my personal relationship with Christ. The main goal was to teach them some English and develop friendships. We had many English lessons, tracts, small books of John, and Bible studies to share with them, depending on what they were open to. The most exciting part for me was sharing gospel bracelets with them. They listened intently as I explained each part of the gospel through the colored beads. The catch to all of this interaction I had with the Ecuadorians was that the communication was completely in Spanish! The Ecuadorian university students spoke very little English. As I look back at the biggest prayer request I had before the trip, I see that God abundantly answered it. I prayed that God would use me, personally, to minister to these people, especially through my speech, and that God would give me great ability to communicate with these people in their native language. It was amazing how God used my simple Spanish abilities to communicate so well with these people! I cannot begin to explain what a blessing it was to present the gospel in Spanish to those Ecuadorians. As the others on the team realized that I spoke Spanish, I was constantly pulled into conversations to translate between an American and an Ecuadorian. I know it was God, not me, and I give Him the glory for what He was able to do during that week!