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Tracy on both sides of the world. |
by Tracy Vazquez
This summer I had the honor and privilege of traveling to
Quito, Ecuador for 2 weeks with Go
International and Coast to
Coast Central for the first part of a multi-year, multi-nation movement
called The Justice Tour. The goal of the Justice Tour is to bring justice and
God’s love to each continent. Upon our arrival
we had a prayer rally at the middle of the world (on the Equator): The Justice Tour kicked off, literally, in the middle of the world.
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The Team |
From our very first meeting in Miami, there was something
different about this trip. Our trip leader, Greg Baca, said that our main
purposes in Ecuador were to love people well and to bring light into the dark
places. This was so freeing to hear because I could do both of those things. He also said that ministry shouldn’t be complicated or fit into a box. Ministry
should simply be meeting peoples needs and bringing God’s light into the dark
places. Sometimes we get caught up in doing things a certain way because we
have always done them that way, instead ministry should be creative to allow
God room to work. Our God is Creator and
we should want to co-create with him.
Loving people well:
Most of our time was spent in Quito, but we took a few days
and went to a town a few hours away, called Latacunga, to help Jessie
and her family. Greg met Jessie at a ministry, Casa Mi Sueños ("My Dream House"), which helps
women who have come from jail, prostitution and human trafficking, get back on
their feet. Greg teaches business classes there and Jessie stood out as one of
the most promising students in his class. You would never know it from meeting
her but Jessie was in prison. We were never told what she did, but her abject
poverty and the fact that she was left alone while both her parents worked, lead
her to make some poor decisions. Since being released she has completely turned
her life around. She is the oldest of 6 children and is currently in nursing
school. Her family’s economic situation hasn’t changed though so Greg wanted to
step in and help. The children range in age from 6 months to 18 years old and
since Jessie is gone most of the day in school her mom has no one to leave the
younger children with. Her mom has always dreamed of having a store in their
house so that she can work and still watch the children. So, we put on our painting clothes and went to work. We also stocked the store so that they could get a
great start. A portion of the money that we raised for our trip went to fund
this project. Jessie and her mom were both so overwhelmed with gratitude that
they could barely speak. When her mom did speak she said, “I always thought God
was real, but now I know He is.” This family will now be able to have a steady
source of income and hopefully break the cycle of poverty.
Bringing light into dark places:

Would you join me in loving people well and bringing light
into the dark places right here in Raleigh?
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"God is LOVE" |
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