In early September, a group of Catalyst staff joined Operation Christmas Child for shoe box distributions and ministry follow-up near Quito, Ecuador. The group attended a graduation ceremony for 90 children who had completed our 10-lesson discipleship program. Tim Willard, a freelance writer who serves as editor for the Catalyst GroupZine, describes the impact of the experience in his article City of Clouds.

City of Clouds

By Tim Willard

A small village lies just outside of Quito, Ecuador. It's not an established village that we in the west are used to seeing, but a squatter’s village. The people here do not own the land. Their life circumstances forced them to this place where no one would notice them … this rutty land overlooking the nation’s capital at the foot of the Andes.

We arrived at this village to find a hundred children lined up on either side of the dirt path showering us with wildflower petals and kana lilies. These people, who had nothing, offered us the honor of kings for stopping by for their special occasion—graduation.

A few months before, Samaritan’s Purse did one of their famous shoe box distributions in the village. The project is called Operation Christmas Child. It’s simple really: a shoe box filled with all kinds of small toys with notes from the people who packed it half a world away. But the simplicity is what makes it beautiful. For each shoe box is accompanied with a small colorful booklet that explains the Gospel story. And this is where the real story begins.

For a long time I had a rough understanding of what Samaritan’s Purse did—they help people all over the world get through disasters, build wells, and hand out gifts to children. Great. But my limited view quickly dissipated as I watched these little children stand in line to get the red graduation robe put around their shoulders while their friends cheered. They were graduating from the discipleship program that serves as the follow up to the shoe box distribution.

Months ago the highlight was about the gifts. But on this day, these children were excited for something with a far deeper significance. They were excited for new life.

Samaritan’s Purse is more than disaster relief and shoe boxes. No doubt those things are rich blessings, but what we saw in that squatter’s village was the culmination of the Gospel story. It was helping the people learn to read, playing with the children, supplying food for the needy. It was earning their trust, building a relationship, getting involved in their community. It was the simplicity of the Gospel, communicating Christ’s love with purity and truth. It was seeing a life surrendering to that love. It was the teaching hand guiding the young through the discipleship process.

Twilight was descending on the foothills when we left the village. The Andes stood as a stout backdrop, reverent in the low hanging clouds. And as we headed back to the bus I realized how far and deep God’s love reaches. I stole a glimpse of it as I watched my friend bend down to hug one of the little ones he had played with earlier. Language makes us all fumblers, never the right word in the right language.

But as I watched this little one engulfed in my friend’s embrace I could hear the words of Christ. I could feel the Andes sigh. I could feel the clouds in my eyes. And all at once the words came to me. Mi amor. Mi amor. My love. My love.

Catalyst organizes annual conferences to promote unity and innovation among the next generation of Christian leaders. Visit their Web site at catalystconference.com.

Read more about the children who graduated from our discipleship program.

Samaritan's Purse , Ecuador , Operation Christmas Child , City of Clouds