Intrepid members from the Ann Arbor Church visited Las Palmeras, Ecuador, last July to build a church. For some, it was their first visit to an area that mission trip organizer, Dave Reid, calls, "a bleak, desolate place." The villagers have no bathrooms in their tiny, ramshackle homes, and instead of carpet, wood or tile they have simple dirt floors. For other members, however, it was a return visit. Why do they keep returning?

Tom Frary is a returning worker who worried that lack of funds would prevent him from joining the trip. The Lord impressed Tom to sell his car to come up with the necessary funds. He listed his car online, then removed his ad after a week. Tom was impressed to run it again, but this time with a slightly lower sale price. The car sold the last day funds and applications were accepted for the mission trip!

Tom's favorite part of the mission trip was discussing Bible questions and becoming better acquainted with villagers. He looks forward to the next trip.

First-timer Maria Velez heard her husband's stories from last year's mission trip, but she was unprepared for Las Palmeras' abject poverty. Maria quickly learned, however, of the children's abundant spirits. A favorite memory is a little boy who repeatedly asked, "Dome biblia, dome biblia." And yes, by the end of their mission trip, he had his Bible.

Las Palmeras was first visited by Ann Arbor Church members in 2004, and they built a daycare facility. Children had a place to go during the day, instead of running around unsupervised. Subsequent mission teams established an adult education building and a play area for the children, with play courts instead of just rocks. The Las Palmeras children have few toys, and those toys are brought by workers each year.

In Las Palmeras, if a child wants to attend school, they must pay between $50 and $500 annually, depending upon their age and the school. For most Las Palmeras families, $50 is unaffordable. Many Las Palmeras girls are pregnant by their early teens, and have multiple children by their early 20s. Church members who assist with school fees hope to give those children a glimpse of a different life that is not filled with daily poverty.

After the 2008 trip, Dave was pleased to report there is now a Bible worker visiting Las Palmeras. Also, during the most recent mission trip, 12 people dedicated their lives to Jesus. The Bible worker will support those new in faith and continue to offer Bible studies to interested families.

There are many ways you can help the people of Ecuador, such as sponsoring a child's education, contributing to the operating expenses of the daycare center, or helping to fund the 2009 mission project. To do more and see for yourself how this annual mission trip truly changes lives, contact Dave at drreid1958@gmail.com. He will be excited to talk with you about the people of Ecuador!

Jerlee Taylor-Bond is a member of the Ann Arbor Church in Michigan.