Published: Tuesday, Jul. 10, 2012 / Updated: Monday, Jul. 09, 2012 03:00 PM
It’s amazing to realize how much we have here
Recently I was privileged to accompany a small group of teens and adults from our church to the country of Ecuador.
Twelve of us flew into Quito, and then drove to Santo Domingo where we met the leaders of the church we were to help that week.
Time and space would not permit me to fill everyone in on the blessings we saw that week. If you are interested, you can visit the church’s Facebook page and watch a short video of the events.
Needless to say, our young people were exposed to life in a third world country.
Many lessons were learned that week, among those are lessons that if you looked closer at Fort Mill, you would learn also.
First of all, there is a common bond among the people of God that transcends any language barrier. The singing and preaching in the house of God may be hard to understand, but you know exactly what is going on.
God is being glorified and His people are being edified.
Secondly, we are very blessed to live in America.
There is a reason people are flocking to this country. Most of us reading this column have multiple cars and a garage too full to put our cars in them.
Even though fuel is as low as $1 per gallon in Ecuador, many people cannot afford to own a car, much less two. A look at how people less fortunate than us live will make one more appreciative of the things they own.
Lastly, the ability to share the gospel, even if only in written form, is as simple as handing your hand out. Most of the people we encountered were very respectful and receptive to the literature from the church. Sadly, I cannot say the same for many people I have encountered here in the States.
Our young folks have seen a great need in Ecuador, but their need is no different than ours in many ways. People here and there need the Lord. Shame on us if we will travel thousands of miles to help with Ecuador’s need, but neglect the need that surrounds us on a daily basis.