Day 11: Ecuador

Can you believe we're already one-third through our 31 day challenge? I've been learning a lot through writing, and I hope there is something here for you, as well. I'd love to hear your thoughts! (Yes, it's true...shameless ask for comments!)

Today I'm excited to introduce you to a very special girl who is inspiring tonight's post. She and I don't share a language or a homeland, but we do share a birthday and part of our names. Our childhoods haven't looked the same, but I'm so happy to be a part of hers. Blogland...meet Liz, our Compassion kiddo.

She loves music, likes to dance. She sends hugs through letters, and draws a picture every time she writes. I've never met her in person, but I know I'll get to someday because she wrote a few months ago to tell us she believes Jesus is her Savior. She included a butterfly drawing on the back of that letter and reminded me why Jesus calls us to have the faith of a child.

She faces struggles and poverty that I can't relate to, but when she writes that she wants to take piano lessons, I know what she means. I struggle to understand the fear of not knowing if your dad will have work, but when she says she loves to write, I get it.

And in the midst of this strange tension--so foreign and yet so familiar--I'm reminded that God is creative, and yet we all bear His image. We are each diverse expressions of the One Source. So I don't need to fully understand Liz's life to connect with her. I don't have to speak her language to love her. And I don't need to have met her to call her my sister in Christ.

Ecuadorian Quick Facts
Population: 13.8 million
Primary Industry: Agriculture
Annual Income per Person: $3,928
Political System: Democracy
Primary Religion: Christianity
All facts found in Operation World

Lord, we praise You and thank You for the way You created us. We may lead lives that look very different from each other, but You still gives us ways to connect with others, and it is beautiful. We pray for the nation of Ecuador. We pray for increased political stability and growth of job opportunities. We pray for families like Liz's who are struggling in poverty. Thank You for Compassion and the opportunity to make these numbers and statistics more than text on a page. Help us to live connected to others and stir in our hearts the desire to see Your gospel take root in our own neighborhoods, in Ecuador, and beyond. Amen