[ About an hour outside of Sucúa, across a rickety suspension bridge up in the jungle, lives a family with such a foul reputation, even their own people call their village, ‘a den of thieves’. This family has been at odds with just about everybody for years, and they despise gringos – especially christian gringos! So much so, that whenever we had to pass by there, we readied ourselves for the usual barrage of curses, fruit, and...
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Easter is a really big deal here in Ecuador – as it should be. On Palm Sunday, I happened to be in Quito with my nephew and we decided to visit one of our favorite places, the Basílica del Voto Nacional. It’s listed as the largest cathedral in the Americas, a truly awe inspiring work of art and devotion. As we walked up, a parade was about to start. We of course bought some palm branches and joined in the procession. Like...
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On Good Friday, one year ago, a desperate father named Bolivar and his daughter, Dominga, set out on a journey from the deepest corner of the Ecuadorian jungle. They were in a life & death search for a miracle. She was spitting up blood, her abdomen swollen, her body was battling a mysterious illness. They are Acshuar Indians. A remote, indigenous people who fiercely resist all advances of civilization. After...
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In 2008, while on a construction trip for the Hope House in Ecuador, Missionary Joil Marbut carefully aimed a question at me, “Matt, would you consider coming down here, I need your help, there are 600 Shuar villages that have never heard the gospel”? (the gospel is simply, the good news of God’s love) That question hit a bullseye deep in my heart. Yes, I felt the conviction and urgency, but how in the world does one...
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