We have safely arrived in Quito.  The morning involved orientation, a tour, meeting kids, and grocery shopping for some.

All future updates will be on Facebook.  Ask to join our group: ULC to Quito.

Our bags are packed and we are ready to go!  Eighteen mission trip members will depart from Fargo at 5:30 am Sunday morning.  We will be serving at two For His Children orphanages, the Zambiza Ministry and the Pan De Vida Ministry.  We packed over 5 large suitcases with donations for these ministries.  Wow!

On behalf of the entire ULC to Quito Mission team, I would like to extend a huge thanks to our entire community for their support over the last 5 months of planning. Your donations, prayers and attendance at special events made this possible. A shout out also goes to Ground Round, Pizza Ranch, Mama Maria's and the Eagle's Club for their support of our breakfast and dinner fundraisers. We are bringing lots of North Dakota/Minnesota love with us. God bless!

Monday March 24, 2014

When I think of the children in the orphanages I …

·         Think about how lonely they must feel

·         I wonder if they know they are a child of God

·         I wonder if they ask why they don’t have a family

·         I wonder if they know stories about Jesus

·         I wonder if they know they are loved

·         I wonder if they are content with what they have

So many unanswered questions I have about children who live in orphanages and I hope that this mission trip to Quito and Latacunga Ecuador will help me answer the questions I have.

Every child should know that they are loved and that there is a God who loves them unconditionally. I hope our mission trip group from ULC can show God’s love to these children by our presence with them and by the time we spend with them whether it is reading a story, helping feed a baby, or singing and praying with these children.

 I also really want for us to make a difference in their lives but I know they will touch our lives in so many ways. I think it is a blessing for these children to know that there are people across the world who want to love and care for them.  

Heather Kallestad

March 12, 2014

Making a Difference, One Life at a Time

“Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.

One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the day, and so, he walked faster to catch up.

As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The young man was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean.

He came closer still and called out "Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?"

The young man paused, looked up, and replied "Throwing starfish into the ocean."

"I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?" asked the somewhat startled wise man.

To this, the young man replied, "The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in, they'll die."

Upon hearing this, the wise man commented, "But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can't possibly make a difference!"

At this, the young man bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said,
"It made a difference for that one.”
― Loren Eiseley

There are not many of us who can change the world:  Mother Theresa, Ghandi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Nelson Mandela are the names that come to mind.  But, even they were limited in the effect they could have on the world. 

I think each of us is called to make the world a better place in whatever way we can.  We do this each day at work, school and home.  We do this by being friendly to all, helping a stranger, and by being patient with our children.  We teach Sunday School, lead a Girl Scout troop, travel with our church youth group, volunteer at the Mission in town, shovel our neighbors driveway, or cook dinner for a sick friend. We can also do this by traveling to another country to serve and walk alongside the people who live there.

My daughter, Jenna, has been talking about a mission trip to South America for about four years.  She wanted to go and “help people”.  Well, she is in the middle of an eight month trip to three countries in South America, and boy has she been helping people!  But along the way she has been helped a lot too!  Helped with lost money and missed busses, helped to see the positive in a bad situation, helped to learn about how a simple life can be so satisfying.  She sees the good in people and in each situation.  She has seen what you can learn from those you thought you were going to help.  And along the way she is learning to trust God in His plan for her life.

We don’t always know what God’s plan is, or how the story of our lives will be written, but I firmly believe things happen for a reason, and there is a reason each of the 18 people in our group is traveling to Ecuador.  We will each learn from each other, from our experiences, and from the people we meet in Quito.  Each of us is following God’s call to go and meet His people in Ecuador, and we will be changed in the process. 

If I can change the world for one person, for one day, even for one hour then I have done what I set out to do.   I hope, just like the man who threw the starfish back into the ocean, to make a difference one life at a time. 

Ann Shallman

Questions and some answers

I have been interested in going on a mission trip for a long time and thought my first opportunity would still be several years away.   I was very excited to hear about Jenna and Renae's trip and even more excited when our church started exploring options to send a team.  However, once I made the initial commitment, questions started to arise in my mind.  Is this the right trip for me?  Will I be able to make a difference?

In asking these questions, I have already learned so much from my fellow team members.  This trip is about so much more than simply the work we may do.  It's about the Christ-centered relationships we are building as a mission team and the relationships we will build in Quito.  It's about working together on a common goal.

Patty Olsen

We are going to Ecuador!

I believe God has called us to go to Ecuador to serve the children at For His Children orphanages at Quito and Latacunga. I believe God has called us to go to Ecuador to serve the people who are living and struggling in and around the Quito dump. I believe God has called us to go to Ecuador to serve Him in whatever ways we might be His instruments.

We go trusting the Lord has plans for us to share our gifts there, and the people we meet will share their gifts with us. We go hoping the Lord will lead and guide us there and back, and all long the way will positively and divinely transform us. We go seeking to serve the Lord there, and help people in such a way that we will be doing God's work with our mouths and our hands.

It is our goal of course to be a blessing for the people we meet. In this way, we hope to go there for Jesus and do what he did for children in Mark 10:16, "And Jesus took the children up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them." And so we to Ecuador because we can't do all of this for Jesus by simply staying home!

Peace to all who read this! Peace to all our friends in Ecuador! Peace and thanks to anyone and everyone who prays for our mission trip to Ecuador, and to those who sponsor us with their gifts!

Pastor Tom Colenso