"I am debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. Thus, for my part, I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome. For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to every one who believers, to the Jew first and also to the Greek" (Romans 1:16 ).

I have just completed personal evangelism workshops in Totoras, Ecuador.

These workshops in several locations have been well attended. There is a hunger in these churches for solid Biblical teaching, and for encouragement to share Christ.

I taught the material I wrote in the Spanish training manual on evangelism. I don't think I have ever been around a group of believers who have such a hunger to learn how to share Christ with others.

 

In the community of Totoras, the church is at 12,780 feet above sea level. Potatoes, onions and large butter beans grow at this altitude. The air is rare, and at 13,000 feet sheep feed on Paramo grass. Nothing else grows above that altitude. But in this simple agricultural existence there is a passion for Christ.

I found that same hunger for God at Puculpala where I conducted three day personal witnessing workshop. There was an intense hunger to learn with a hundred questions and desire to apply what they are learning.

The last conference in the Andes on this trip was held in the high isolated mountain village of Huaneu Pallaguchi. There were over 80 in attendance, and a constant appeal to please return and teach us more of these studies. The pastor expressed the same thoughts of many other pastors who tell me, "We have never heard such a simple presentation of the plan of salvation. It is so easy to share Christ this way. We have never had anyone show us how to mark the Bible and demonstrate how to use it."

The first week I worked in towns along jungle road in Tena. One of the professors at Peniel Theological Seminary is the pastor in a town composed of jungle Quechuas who speak a different dialect from the Cotopaxi mountain Quechuas. Four two day conferences were held in this area. The professor-pastor told his congregation, "This is an in-depth Bible centered presentation of the Gospel message. It is not shallow. It is a simple presentation, yet profound."

   

I also spent one afternoon in Colta speaking to a group of 50 Quechua pastor's wives at a special conference on the family led by Alberto and Nancy Copa. There is such an intense hunger to learn Biblical principles that they keep asking for more. Pray for these women who faithfully serve in churches along with their husbands.

One afternoon along this road, we visited a Quechua business man who owns a tourist camp along the Napo River that flows into the Amazon. He is a leader in the Baptist Church in the town. He invited his family and workers into a conference room and asked me to speak. I sensed the Lord leading me to take them down the Roman Road. When I finished with an invitation, one of the employees raised his hand and said, "I want to receive this free gift of eternal life today." We prayed with him as he put his trust in Christ. His boss said that this young man had been very hard to reach for Christ.

  

There is so much more I could share. Let me close with the testimony of a Quechua couple in Tena who accepted Christ as their savior 52 years ago, and have faithfully served Him in the midst of persecution. When Manuel was seven years old missionaries gave his older brother a hand cranked phonograph with records of Scriptures and Bible stories translated into Quechua. They got around the phonograph every day and cranked it and listened to the gospel message. They were too afraid to go into the missionaries homes, but God used this to open the door to their hearts and to faith in Christ. His brother, Pablo Sugui was the first believer in the community of San Antonio de Quito near Colta, Ecuador. Those who were opposted to the gospel called him "the devil's child." They tried to burn down a hay stack where he was hiding from them one night, and on another occasion they built a huge bonfire and said they were looking for this "son of the devil." God protected him and his younger brother and family trusted Christ. They grew in the grace of God in the midst of persecution.

We are privileged to serve the second generation of Quechua believers.  Pray with me that God will use these evangelism workshops to His glory among the Quechua speaking believers in Ecuador.

From Him, and through Him, and to Him be all the glory. "Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen" (1 Timothy 1:17, NASB).