Passion for the unreached in southern Ecuador

Ecuador - You do not have to talk to Darren van Rensburg (28) long before discovering his drive. Darren from South Africa, a team member of OM Ecuador, will tell his story to anyone interested and shares his vision with a passion that only comes with God’s calling. He has a passion for the people of southern Ecuador.

The south of Ecuador is the most unreached region in the country. Christian believers average less than two percent of the population and syncretism has long been a religious norm. The church in the region is weakened by the social prejudices and ill-conceived beliefs about evangelicals. Darren hopes to change all of that as he works alongside the church to spread God’s message of hope in Christ.

'I want to see the church of southern Ecuador mobilized and equipped to reach the region and beyond', said Darren. And that is exactly what he is doing. He has been working in Saraguro, Ecuador since the medical mission campaign took place three weeks ago.

During that campaign OM Ecuador’s evangelism team saw over 200 people make confessions of faith. Since then Darren, along with the local church and a team of volunteers, have been working to contact all 200 people and visit them at their homes. The local church is also starting cell-discipleship groups led by local believers to assist the new believers as they grow.

'We’ve had a lot of genuine professions. On the other hand some of the professions recorded did so without real understanding. Some even gave fake addresses showing us their desire not to be found', said Darren. And while this might discourage some, it does not deter Darren. 'God has given us divine appointments because through many home visits more people have heard the message and some have come to the Lord', he shared.

A recent visit by Darren, other OM team members and church members exhibited the Lord’s guidance. A drop-in visit on a new believer resulted in an invitation to eat cuy, a local delicacy known to the rest of the world as guinea pig. The late lunch turned into an invitation to join the family for their Mothers Day celebration. Over cake, the team shared their faith to the extended family. Several curious men engaged the team members in a healthy dialogue over religious relativism, catholic doctrines and biblical teachings.

'It was amazing that the family invited us in and shared so much with us. It is very rare to be welcomed into a person’s home here, to have that open invitation was a huge blessing', explained Darren. While no one came to Christ through the conversation, seeds were planted.

And planting seeds is exactly what he plans to continue doing. He will continue his work, with the greater goal of reaching more communities in southern Ecuador. Tabitha Moore, an OM team member who recently joined in the home visits expressed her confidence in him. 'Darren is a brilliant man with enthusiasm and direction for the ministry in southern Ecuador. Great things are going to happen.'

OM’s role in the Church is to mobilise people to share the knowledge of Jesus and His love with every generation in every nation. OM pioneers and leads initiatives to redeem lives, rebuild communities and restore hope in over 110 countries.