How the First Lady and "Threads" Came Together

Have you ever experienced a moment that when it is over you think, "Wait. Did that just happen?" That is how Inge Lise, our CMI Ecuador Coordinator, felt when a series of unplanned "coincidences" all happened at the perfect time during the most recent medical mission trip to Quito, Ecuador, this past March.

The first threads of this divine coincidence began in February when officials from the Office of the First Lady of Ecuador learned of a request for medicine to come into the country as part of the annual medical missions trip led by Fairhaven Church (Dayton, Ohio) and coordinated by CMI.

Curious, the First Lady's office reached out to Inge Lise.

In Ecuador, the First Lady is equivalent to the First Lady of the United States with this addition – she serves as the president of Ecuador's charities. Her prominence imparts dignity and importance to the challenges these organizations tackle within the country.

Seeing their interest, Inge Lise invited them to come see the medical team in action at the Puembo Church – a CMI partner ministering in the fastest-growing community in all of Ecuador.

An entourage from the First Lady's office showed up on the third day of the medical clinic.

Carolina, the First Lady's Chief of Staff, led the way. She was joined by two others including the head of Ecuador's Director of the National Council on Disability. Inge Lise was waiting to show them around.

A second thread also began weeks earlier. CMI Executive Director Craig Murray had set up a meeting at the same time with the president of Ecuador's national church denomination to which the Puembo Church belongs, Fairhaven's Senior Pastor, and CMI board member John Turnidge.

Inge Lise recognized a golden opportunity to connect all the partnership dots together for the First Lady's team…threads one and two.

Then, as if on cue, the third "coincidence" occurred. A group of 30 handicapped Ecuadorians began making their way inside Puembo Church Clinic for care.

The First Lady's representatives couldn't believe what they were seeing. Doctors from Puembo, along with medical professionals from Fairhaven, dispensed kindness and care for these strangers.

Questions bubbled up from Carolina and her team: What was this? How did it come together? Did this facility belong to the church? How was the church able to secure such a great place in this prominent location?

Inge Lise shared CMI's vision to plant and equip churches like Puembo in influential cities like Quito and unite those churches together to serve the city.

She shared how CMI helps fund the facilities like Puembo Church and cultivates church partnerships like the one they were witnessing between Fairhaven and Puembo.

Surprise and gratitude buzzed through the group.

Then Inge Lise added, "In fact, we are currently applying to create a local nonprofit here in Ecuador to help accelerate the development of more churches like this."

Carolina's ears perked up even more as she saw a concrete way they could help. "Send me the information about that application!" she said. "We can help make sure that nonprofit gets approved." She was so emphatic that she said this three more times before she left.

"We never planned on these people and events coming together in such perfect timing," Inge Lise recalls with a knowing smile. "We couldn't if we tried," she adds. "This was the Lord doing more than we could ask or imagine for Quito, for Ecuador."