Saturday, August 26, 2006

It was a good news/bad news situation.  The good news was we got to stretch out in beds at the Mills' home.  The bad news was that we only had a couple of hours of sleep and then it was off again to the airport.  We began to wonder if God was calling us all to some type of airport ministry.  We arrived at 6:30 am, loaded all the gear into the terminal and then waited... and waited... and waited. Some took this opportunity to visit... some went over their music... but most fell victim to fatigue and went to sleep right where they were.

Finally around 8:15 they began processing our bags and we took off around 9:30 on our miracle flight to the Galapagos Islands.  You could sense the excitement.  Finally after 2 days of travel we were on our way to our destination.  Looking out the window of the plane, we saw Cotapaxi, one of the large, active volcanoes in Ecuador, peaking through the clouds, confirming that "we weren't in Kansas any more Dorothy."   As we approached our landing on the Island, the sea came alive with schools of fish jumping out of the clear emerald water .  The airport was quite small, basically just a runway and little open air receiving center.  Our gear was loaded onto a truck and we all piled into the local taxis... all small pickup trucks.  On the Island, these taxis will take you anywhere in town for $1.  It's really pretty funny to see them zipping up and down the roads with folks bouncing around in the bed of the truck.  But regardless, we were finally here... ready to begin our mission and proclaim the creator from the seat of evolutionism.  Welcome (bienvenidos) to the Galapagos!

We arrive at the church in just a few minutes.  We were greeted by members of the church and the Mills family.  After we settled in, Denise Mills, Michael's wife, as usual, fed us... yum.  Bryanna, the Mills' daughter and her husband Miguel were also there to help, as was Pastor Jimmy from the Mills' church in Quito.  The church here on the Island is a miracle.  While it was being built, they ran out of sand to lay the footers for the foundation.  A building team was coming from the states to get things underway.  In a panic, the new pastor called Michael and told him of their dilemma.  There were only 2 machines on the Island that could grind the lava rock into building sand and they were both broken and there were no parts available to repair them.  Michael told them to just keep digging and he would see what they could do.  But God had another plan.  While they were digging the footers, they hit a sand mine... and with every shovel full they took out, it filled back up... they kept digging out sand until they had all they needed to pour the footers and then it dried up... It was truly a miracle... And the great thing was that God knew when he directed Michael Mills to this property that that sand was there and would eventually be used for his glory... Praise God!  

As afternoon approached, it was time to head down to the Darwin Center and begin preparation for this historic worship festival.  The open air amphitheater was really cool, settled in amongst the indigenous cactus, scrub trees and lava rocks.  We began to set up the musical equipment and video cameras, and as the sun set and the people began to come, you could sense God's presence in this place and we knew it would be a very special evening.

The evening began with Michael Mills prayer of forgiveness for the Island.  It had been used for many things over the years, including a penal colony.   But as Tabernacle began to play, God's forgiveness was apparent and the worship began.  To say that the evening "rocked" would be an understatement.  The music filled the air and the Spirit of God fell as people stood to worship and praise God.  It was incredible!  And although it threatened rain with a little drizzle off and on, the people stayed and we proclaimed Jesus from this place.  It was almost as if it was transformed into Holy Ground!  The evening ended with Pastor Aldaberto giving an invitation to know Christ... As hands raised throughout the audience, God confirmed to each of us why we were brought here.  Imagine, the FIRST EVER Christian worship festival from the Darwin Center.  You could almost feel the impact rippling through the spirit realm. 

Another great thing was that we got to celebrate Miguel and Bryanna's son Aaron's first birthday. Many of us who have been to Ecuador on previous trips feel as though they are our family, and we are thrilled.  And as one might expect, Michael and Denise are the ultimate proud grandparents.  Suffice it to say he WILL be spoiled.

And so it begins... Tomorrow, a morning of rest (finally) and then a concert at the Church... Please keep us in prayer as we spread the gospel through song and service.