One of our passions around here is missions - Tracy's had a heart for missions and missionaries since she was a young girl, and she's always considered most opportunities as a mission field. She's honored to work with so many authors who have similar hearts, and when she heard the latest news about Write Integrity author Betty Thomason Owens, she was ecstatic and had to share!
Betty, thanks for
joining us today. We’re so excited about your upcoming trip to Ecuador! When do
you leave?
The 10-day trip is planned for July 16th through
July 26th.
How did it come
about?
In a most unexpected way! Our good friends, Bill &
Connie McDonald, have been stationed in Cuenca, Ecuador since 1989. A couple of
months ago, my youngest son, Todd, became interested in spending his vacation
helping the mission efforts in some way. He asked me to go with him. Well, I
had always wanted to make that trip, but had relegated it to my “bucket list.”
I told him I’d pray about it, but in the back of my mind, I was already making
excuses. I could think of at least a dozen good reasons why I couldn’t go.
Todd contacted Bill McDonald, who was stateside at the time,
and due to speak at our church a few days later. They agreed to meet after the
service and discuss the details.
We went up to speak with Bill, and he spent a few minutes
talking to Todd, then turned to me. “And I’d like you to speak at a three-day
conference with maybe a hundred and fifty women, possibly as many as five
hundred…”
You know that moment in your life when you arrive at a
pivotal point and you’re aware that your next words could mean the difference
between … well, maybe not life and death, maybe not even success and failure, but
something really important. I was
there at that moment—and actually felt myself nodding in agreement—when normally,
I’d be shaking my head and making excuses.
In advance of this big moment, I’d been actively praying
that God would use me, especially in the area of ministry—something I had been
called to do at an early age—speaking. I don’t want to arrive at the end of my
life with regrets, knowing I’d let myself, God, and others down.
As Bill went on talking about the deepest needs of these
women, I became aware that God had been preparing me for some time. How could I
say no? In that moment, I knew that if God was truly calling me to do this, He
would provide whatever I needed.
What will you be
doing?
My main function will be ministering to the women at the
gathering. Outside of that, whatever they need me to do. The plans are still in
progress at this moment. We’re also looking into translating my books into
Spanish for distribution in Latin America. Bill and Connie McDonald founded the
Unsion Foundation and Unsion Television. According to Unsion’s website, “Unsión Ministries
continues to move toward its goal of reaching 500 million in the Hispanic
world, and their church planting movement is growing in momentum.” So, looks
like I’ll have plenty to do …
Tell us more about
the conditions and why your visit is so important.
What Bill shared with me that day pierced my heart. These
women suffer from abuse—sexual, verbal, and physical. What’s more, they live in
a country that up until recently, didn’t actually condone such behavior, but
didn’t really disagree with it either. It was so widespread, and since they’re
“only women” – subject to the men in their lives…you know how that goes.
Bill did say that recent inroads have been made, with the
help of the government, and they hope to continue making improvements. I’ve
also connected with a young lady who serves at the Hope House in Sucua. The
Hope House is a home for young girls from the jungles of Ecuador. How
interesting is that? I’m featuring her on my blog soon, and hope to connect
with her while I’m there.
I desire to be an encouragement to these hurting women. To
deliver a message of forgiveness and hope. I have personal experience with the
pain of abuse, and the feelings of inadequacy that dog your life for years
afterward. God delivered me, helped me find freedom through forgiveness, gave
me hope.
How can we help?
What we need more than any other thing, is the gift of your
prayers for me and for our team. In addition, prayers that our specific needs,
as well as funds for travel and lodging, will be met as needed. If you’d like
to help with those, we’ve set up a GoFundMe page, or you if you prefer, you can
contact me through my website contact page or on Facebook.
We’re working on a Spanish version of Annabelle’s Ruth, in preparation for this mission trip. Funds from the sale of the first printing will be for the women’s ministry in Ecuador. To make this possible, we need to raise the funds. The estimated cost of printing five hundred copies is $2,500 - $3,000. If you’d like to contribute to this first printing of the Spanish version Annabelle’s Ruth, you can visit our Giving fundraiser page, and please reference “Annabelle’s Ruth” in the comments.
Owens to Ecuador Go Fund Me link
Betty Thomason Owens website
Betty Thomason Owens Author Facebook page
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