A Sabbath Day’s Journey: El Triunfo, Ecuador
OUT WITH THE OLD: The old church in El Triunfo (center) served the congregation for many years.It was just what we did,” says Carlos. “From when I was 15 years old until now, every Sabbath we would leave our house at 5:00 a.m. and begin the 20-kilometer [12.5-mile] walk to the village of El Triunfo. It took about five hours each way, and was difficult because we climbed more than 3,000 feet and crossed many rivers. But every Sabbath our family walked into the mountains to preach at the tiny Adventist church in El Triunfo.”
“It’s true!” proclaims Victor, one of the 25 church members in El Triunfo. “They came every Sabbath. They gave Bible studies. They preached sermons. They taught us to sing songs about the return of Jesus. They loved us! We have salvation today because of Carlos, his family, and his friends.”
Today you can drive to El Triunfo if you have a sturdy vehicle and lots of time. But the small wooden structure the congregation once used for church is now empty and dark. Instead, just a little farther up the mountain is a brand-new church with a concrete floor, glass windows, electricity, and handmade doors.
IN WITH THE NEW: The new church building (right) is not only more comfortable, it is also sturdier, better able to withstand harsh weather.“We would never have built the new church,” says Victor, the local head elder, “if the One-Day steel church had not come here. But I agreed to donate a piece of my land, and when the Maranatha men built the one-day church, we were inspired to give more and work harder. Carlos and many others joined us, and now we have a complete church. Do you like it?”
The One-Day Church program is a collaborative effort between the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Adventist-laymen’s Services and Industries (ASI), and Maranatha Volunteers International. These stories come to you each month from Maranatha storyteller Dick Duerksen.
PARTNERS IN MINISTRY: Carlos (left) stands with Victor, the head elder of the one-day church in El Triunfo.
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