BEHIND THE SCENES

Each day is a little different; whether we do home visits or community pop-up clinics, a sudden downpour or a single phone call can completely change the day. I start around 5 a.m., before everyone else in the house is awake and have some quiet time with God. I also go for a run or do a quick workout at home. Our family then has breakfast together before going our separate ways.

Here’s what yesterday looked like: Around 8 a.m., I met with Flora, a community worker, and a new doctor and nurse completing their rural year of service required for licensing. We went to a community to follow up with the homebound elderly and children. The truck taxi took us up the gravel road to Alto Pununo, only a few kilometers from our house. However, the drive took about an hour before we were dropped off. Walking to each house, we saw six families.

My friend, Flora, speaks Kichwa and translated the visits into Spanish. As we walked between houses, she taught me new words or phrases in Kichwa. I’m glad I wore boots because the mud is extra squishy today! Since we looked tired, one elderly couple gave us a glass of ‘tomate de arbol’ juice. Around 3 p.m., we caught a ride back to town in the back of a truck.

When we could access cell service again, I saw I had received a text from an ill church member. I walked to their home, provided care, and prayed with them. I walked home and found our electricity had returned, but we were without water. Our mango tree had broken a pipe! I cleaned up with wipes then Moriah, my daughter, and I headed to a ‘quinceañera’ (15th birthday party). We came home around 8 p.m.; it had been dark for two hours. And this time we had a little water pressure; what a blessing! Soon my husband, Adam, and son, Caleb, returned home from a boys’ basketball game.

We finished the day with a hug and a sigh. What will tomorrow bring? God knows the opportunities we will be given to share the Gospel with a people who know His Name but not His Son.

About the Writer:

Adam and Carol Duncan are IM missionaries who have served in Ecuador’s Amazon region since December 2022. Carol is a family nurse practitioner and has worked in health care for over twenty years. They have three children, two of whom, Caleb and Moriah, live and serve with them when not in school or playing basketball. The Duncans are working to share the Gospel through doors opened by medical outreach.