18 years ago we started the church in Puyupungo, preaching the gospel of Jesus to the precious Kichwa of the area. Oh, how marvelous it has been, but still all these years, we’ve never had electricity. No lights, no power outlets, no mics, no speakers.
Then, just about 1 month ago, the possibility of electricity became available to us and we jumped on it! Within a short time, we were finally able to obtain it!! Oh, how excited we are to have lights and power outlets in the church. I can now bring my keyboard to play there, we can connect speakers, we can stay until the late hours to pray and worship with no concern of having to walk home in the dark all because we have electricity! We’re so happy! But we also know that here, having electricity doesn’t mean that you’ll always have it. Just last week it was off there and in several neighboring communities all day Monday and Tuesday! So back to tambourines for service! lol
But the very first night we stayed late, it really touched me deeply. We had finished service and I went to drop off the first load of people at their homes, at which time the members of the church that were still there had turned the lights on. I had never seen it with lights, so on the drive back, there it was. I saw it, from a long distance off. That beautiful, bright light shining in the distance. The church. WOW!! I was moved to tears! The light coming from that building was radiating so powerfully that it reminded me of the Scripture in Matthew 5:14 which says, “Ye are the light of the world; A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.”
There’s no way you could NOT see that bright light in the middle of the jungle shining out to everyone, signifying hope for their lives; a place to give them joy and peace instead of pain and heartache; a place where they are loved in spite of what they’ve done or where they’ve been; a place where they can start anew and receive salvation from the Lord instead of continuing on a spiraling path to destruction. I wept seeing the lights on in that building and Jesus ministered to my heart in that moment. He reminded me that that is exactly what it has been all these years, and that’s what we’ve been extending to everyone, His love and grace. When I saw it literally, I was moved beyond what I ever imagined. So getting the electricity connected has been so much more to me than just a light bulb. It shouts it out even louder now that there is Hope! There is liberty! There is salvation in Jesus! And there is a shining light in Puyupungo!
