Found Freedom in Ecuador
Kathy’s Story | Ecuador Global Trip
A Health Scare
I’m still basking in the afterglow of our wonderful, life-impacting trip to Ecuador. My laundry is tumbling, my duffle bag sits nearly empty, but my heart is overflowing.
This trip was a gift I almost didn’t get to unwrap.
For months leading up to our departure, I’d been chasing answers about a pain that wouldn’t go away. What started as what I thought was a dental issue back in April turned into a long, exhausting journey of dentist appointments, oral surgeons, an endodontist, my primary care doctor, an ENT, and more rounds of antibiotics than I can count. I even made a few urgent-care and ER visits, hoping someone could figure out what was happening in my upper jaw.
By August, I’d had a tooth extracted, but the site didn’t heal and, in fact, got worse. In September, an oral surgeon performed a biopsy. The first report came back clear, but he wasn’t convinced. He ordered another. Praise God for his persistence, because that second test finally revealed the truth.
The day before we were scheduled to leave for Ecuador, the phone rang with results that would change everything. “I’m sorry, Kathy. You have lymphoma.” I didn’t cry when I heard the word lymphoma. I cried when my ENT gave me clearance to go to Ecuador anyway. He smiled, fist-bumped me, and said, “Go. Enjoy your trip.”
It felt like God Himself was giving me the green light.
Saying Yes in Spite of the Unknown
In that moment, I made a choice: if the Lord was allowing me to go, I was going to show up, pain, diagnosis, and all. I promised God I’d figure out how to manage the discomfort and what I could eat. (For the record: lots of tiny bites and absolutely no rice!)
Every morning in Ecuador, I woke up thanking God for letting me be there. The faces, the laughter, the joy of serving together, all of it felt sharper, deeper, more sacred because I almost missed it.
Being part of the Senior Ecuador Team this year was more than another global trip experience. It was a reminder that obedience sometimes looks like simply showing up when you don’t know how the story ends.
I kept my diagnosis private, sharing it only with a few close friends who I knew would quietly pray for me each day. I was still processing the reality of it all and wasn’t ready for the label “cancer patient.” What I needed most was to simply be Kathy, serving, laughing, loving, and doing what I’ve always loved to do.
Focus Is Freeing
While I was in Ecuador, something beautiful happened: I stopped thinking about lymphoma.
Each day was full, serving children, sharing smiles, praying with local families, and watching God work through our team. There wasn’t time for fear or worry. There was just the next moment of faithfulness, the next act of love, the next glimpse of God’s hand moving among us.
That kind of focus was freeing. The very trip that should have been “too much” for me became the thing that lifted my spirit and reminded me that God’s strength shows up best when we’re weak.
Now that I’m home, I know a new chapter begins, one filled with doctor visits, treatment plans, and unknowns. But I’ve already seen too many glimpses of God’s provision to doubt that He’s with me. I don’t know why He’s called me to this road, but I do know He’s walking with me every step of the way.
And that changes everything.
The very trip that should have been too much for me became the thing that lifted my spirit and reminded me that God’s strength shows up best when we’re weak.
Faith Over Fear
If there’s one truth I’ve held close through all of this, it’s that faith doesn’t erase hard circumstances; it reframes them.
In Ecuador, I saw the joy of the Lord alive in people who have very little by the world’s standards. Their gratitude, laughter, and love reminded me that joy is not the absence of struggle; it’s the presence of Christ.
So as I face what’s next, I hold on to that same joy.
I truly believe God can heal me. I also believe He will use this season to let me share Him with people I might never have met otherwise, doctors, nurses, other patients sitting in waiting rooms, and even family members. My prayer is that, however long this road stretches, it will reflect His goodness.
I came home from Ecuador with a heart so full it could burst. I’m thankful for every prayer, every encouraging word, every teammate who served with grace and grit. You reminded me that church is more than a building, it’s people walking together in faith, even when the path winds somewhere unexpected.
To those who led, organized, and prayed over our trip: thank you. You made space for God to do something extraordinary.
And to everyone reading this who’s wondering if they should take that next step, go on a trip, join a team, serve somewhere new, my advice is simple: say YES! You never know what miracle God has waiting on the other side of your obedience.
A New Journey
For me, the trip isn’t over. It’s just shifting locations, from the hills of Ecuador to the halls of hospitals, from the joy of serving abroad to the quiet trust of walking through treatment.
But the purpose is still the same: to love people, to trust God, and to live every day with gratitude.
Because when I look back at how He opened the door for me to go on that trip, after all the delays, the pain, the tests, and the fear, I see His fingerprints all over it. He knew exactly what my heart needed before this next season began. A reminder that He is faithful, that joy is possible, and that community is one of His greatest gifts.
“The joy of the Lord is my strength.”
Those words have carried me through long nights and quiet prayers. They mean something different to me now, not a happy-clappy kind of joy, but a deep, steady assurance that even in uncertainty, God is good.
So yes, the laundry is nearly done, the duffle bag is empty, but my heart is bursting.
I don’t know what the next few months will hold, but I know Who holds me. And that’s enough.
Let Kathy’s story be your invitation: God is already pursuing you. Maybe your yes is what’s next.
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