Life and death...

Because I now have more internet access, it's easier to post. So I will post another story:

About a month ago, during the anniversary of Ecuador's independence, I was walking to a bus stop in Quito. During this time, there were lots of people in the city because of all the festivities. When I was almost to the bus stop, two men came up from behind me and started talkin to me, being friendly and pretending like they knew me from somewhere.
After a minute, they stopped the small talk and said "Money or die!"
My heart started to beat even faster. "Lord help me!" I prayed to myself. "Get me out of this, or at least give me the words to say."
Then they blocked my path to the bus stop.
With my head starting to feel the rush of blood, I said: "I don't have much, but what I do have, I can give you."
"What's that?" they replied.
"The love of Christ."
Hesitating for a second, they responded with: "Oh you must be part of some cult."
"No, I'm a follower of Christ. In fact, do you know Jesus?"
"Oh yeah, we know know Jesus, but we don't care, money or die!"
"No. Though you think you know Him, you don't and you are not saved!"
By this point, I could hardly speak because my throat swelled up from fear.
"We don't care, give us money or we're gonna kill you!"
They kept repeating that, however the error on their part was that there were lots of people around during this time.
I was keeping my eye out for an escape route and in my fast-beating heart I was still crying out to the Lord: "Save me!"
The two thieves didn't see a group of people coming our way because they were faced toward me. Right when that group started to pass I turned shoulder and joined them in walking the other direction and got away.
By the grace of God, those men did not even lay one finger on me! I even had with me: my phone, camera, money and my backpack that was holding gifts that I had just bought. They did not steal one item from me!
The Lord is good and His mercy endures forever!

I'm Home!

Thank you for all you prayers and support. The Lord is faithful and good. His mercy never fails. It is by His grace that I am now home and that I'm still alive.

I almost couldn't get out of the country...
When I went to the Ecuadorian Embassy back in June to extend my visa. No one told me that all tourist-visa holders have to obtain a citizen's card. All Ecuadorians have a citizen's card and i guess you are considered a citizen if you are there with a visa. But for those people, they can't do anything without their card. They can't open bank accounts, they can't apply for loans, they can't even leave the country.

So the customs official would not let me through.

I went back, very mad, to the delta counter and asked them to unload my bags from the plane and cancel my flight. I was gonna have to go to the office of foreign affairs the next day, pay a fine to get my citizen's card, then pay another fine to reschedule my flight. We're talkin hundreds of dolars.

The lady at the counter made sure my bags were unloaded and canceled my flight and all my connecting flights and she tore up my ticket. During this time I was prayin hard and askin the Lord "What am I gonna do?"

Then as I was beginning to walk out of the airport, the same customs official along with another official (maybe his boss) saw me and waved for me to come back up to customs. I quickly ran back up the stairs.

He asked for my passport again and told me, "We will let you through."

My jaw dropped.

He told me that if I already told the delta officials then i need to go back and undo what I had just done. I told him I'd be right back.

Arriving at the delta counter again in a hurried manner, I told the same lady: "they accepted me!"

Her jaw dropped too.
Shw said "The only thing is that I dont know if I can get your flights back because I cancelled everything, but I will try."

The next ten minutes were very intense for me. I prayed so hard for the Lord to get me back on my plane. I also was able to reflect on my entire trip and how good and faithful the Lord had been.
And the Lord hears our prayers I tell you!
After ten minutes had passed, after seeing many irritated expressions on the delta lady's face (as she was fighting with the system), she told one of her employees: "Get Kevin's bags back on that plane, cuz he's gonna fly today!"

Jesus is awesome! He is strong. All because of His grace.

Psalm 139:15-18
My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.
And in Your book they all were written,
The days fashioned for me,
When as yet there were none of them.
How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How great is the sum of them!
If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand.


Thank you Lord for your grace, that I am now home. I also thank you for all my friends and family. I pray that you bless them and be with them. May the true journey start now!


"The greatest mystery is not why He allows things to happen, it's:
'Why does He love us?'" John Mark Comer

"Peace is not the absence of violence,
It's confiance in Him in the presence of violence." Unknown

The beginning is near...

It has been an incredible experience here in Ecuador. I thank you all for your prayers and friendship. Without the Lord, nothing would have been possible. I look forward to sharing with you my experiences. So much more happened than I can even begin to write. I don't see this as the end of my journey but the beginning. The real journey for me starts now. The next time I post will be to let you know that I made it home safely.
I hope and pray that the Lord will be with you all and that He would bless the dreams and ambitions that you have. And if you don't yet know Jesus, that you may come to know Him and that He loves you and wants you.

As far as while I'm still here in Ecuador I do still have some prayer requests:
1. For my journey home. (once again I arrive home this friday Sep 4th.)
2. For my transition back at home and that Jesus' would be praised in my life, especially when I share my story with others.
3. and for the new believers here. That they would trust fully on Christ.

Psalm 90:17
May the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us,
And establish the work of our hands for us;
Yes, establish the work of our hands.