Ryders to Ecuador – Our Call
Our Call
In late 2019 I felt the call of God to serve on the mission field. I spoke with my pastor about the burden God had been convicting us about serving as missionaries in another country. As he prayed for us and my wife and I prayed about God’s will for our lives we felt God was calling us to Belize. As we were looking at Belize and preparing for service there the pandemic came along and shut down the world. When the world opened back up for travel God laid on our hearts the country of Ecuador. This was a bit confusing to us as most of the population of Belize speak English so we could hit the ground running so to speak. Going to Ecuador would require me to re-learn Spanish and my family to learn the language as well. God is in control and he never said that he would send us down the easy road, so we started researching Ecuador and in June of 2023 we took our survey trip and fell in love with the people there. Upon returning to the U.S. we met with several pastors in July and prayed with them and asked that their churches prayed, as we prayed, to be sure that this was truly God’s will for our lives. In October 2023 we accepted the call to Ecuador and in December I left my job so we could go on full time deputation.
About Ecuador
Ecuador has around eighteen people groups throughout the country giving it a population of around eighteen million people. This includes the Galapagos Islands, over a thousand miles of beaches, the Andes Mountain range, and the Amazon Rain Forest. Spanish is the main language spoken in Ecuador, but due to its diverse people groups there are multiple languages spoken, around fourteen. We will initially be serving in Cuenca which has a population of around 600,000 people, including the smaller outlying areas surrounding the city. The city sits at around 8,400 feet above sea level and has a small percentage that speak English. Although we are learning to speak Spanish, we will have to learn Ecuadorian Spanish once in the country. Catholicism is the main religion with fifty-two catholic churches in Cuenca. There are a couple of “protestant” churches with small congregations spread throughout the city. This would include Baptist, Christian, Mormon, and Pentecostal making up the small percentage that are not Catholic. Ecuador is known for its chocolate, coffee, ice cream, and Panama hats. It is the largest exporter of bananas in the world and the third largest exporter of flowers.
Our Call to Serve in Ecuador
We pray we will be able to work with a national pastor, to help in his church while learning the language and adjusting to the culture. Once fluent in the language we will plant a new church. As God leads, we will either plant a new church there in Cuenca or in one of the many smaller towns around the city. Our mission is to win souls for Christ as this is the Great Commission. Once converted we will disciple them so they can both grow in the Lord and become soul winners to their own people. One of our main prayers is that God will call a national to grow in the Lord and accept Gods call to take over the ministry so we can plant another church. As our main focus is on winning souls, it is essential to establish a community outreach ministry where we can build a relationship with the community and show them Gods love for them.