#039: Creating Space for People to Experience Jesus - Jim Olsen
Episode 39 | 31 Minutes | July 1, 2026
Have you ever needed to step away from the noise of everyday life to hear God?
At El Refugio in Ecuador, Jim Olsen and his team create space for young people, churches, and communities to encounter Jesus through nature, adventure, discipleship, and intentional relationships. In this episode of The Lasting Change Podcast, Scott talks with Jim about the story of El Refugio, the power of experiential discipleship, and how One Collective’s work in Ecuador is growing toward deeper community transformation.
Listen in and be encouraged by what God is doing in Ecuador.
In this Podcast, We’ll Talk About:
Why shared experiences can open the door to deeper spiritual conversations
The connection between discipleship and holistic community transformation
See why local leadership is essential for lasting change
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Jim Olsen serves with One Collective in Ecuador as the Director of El Refugio and Assistant Director of Youth World. He helps lead a 300-acre training and retreat center outside of Quito where young people, churches, mission teams, and local leaders encounter Jesus through nature, adventure, discipleship, and intentional relationships.
Beyond his leadership at El Refugio, Jim serves as a catalyst leader who helps develop staff, strengthen ministry teams, support local leadership, and align several Ecuador-based ministries around One Collective’s vision for holistic community transformation. His story is worth hearing because it shows how long-term presence, humble leadership, and deep investment in local leaders can help a ministry grow from a place people visit into a community where lasting change takes root.
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Hey, everybody. Welcome to the Lasting Change podcast. I'm Scott Olsen, and if you've been listening to us for a while, you know that in every episode we try to explore strategies for creating sustainable and holistic change around the world. Our hope is always that by listening you'll find hope, you'll gain value, you'll get some insights that drive positive change in your community, your career, or maybe even your family. Today I'm joined by a good friend of mine named Jim Olson. Uh, not related. He spells it the wrong way. He spells it with an E, and everybody knows it's actually O-L-S-O-N. But Jim, sorry about that. For the past few years, Jim has had a really unique role in One Collective that helps people create space for them to experience Jesus, and I'm really excited to have you here today, Jim. Thanks for joining us. Yeah. Thanks, Scott. It's a pleasure to be here with you. Glad for the opportunity. Jim, I would love to start with you have, you have a really fun story of how you became... when we were called International Teams, of how you actually became part of it. Could you tell a little bit about, about that? Story of Joining OC Sure. Yeah. I'll, uh, I'll try to be brief. Um, our relationship with international teams, now One Collective, started through my wife. Um, she had come down to Ecuador on a, on a mission team, a short-term team, um, back in two thousand four for the first time. And then she ended up coming back as an intern in two thousand five, uh, for about 11 months. And, uh, while she was going through training, it happened to coincide with our spring break trip. Um, we were in college at the time, and so I got a ride out to, to Elgin, Illinois. And while she was going through training, I volunteered with a, a local church and pastor, and in the evenings got to hang out with her and the other interns and, and workers who were going through training, and, uh, just loved what I saw. And so fast-forward several years down the road, and we're kind of at a crossroads in life trying to figure out where, where the Lord is calling us to, and we're reaching out to old contacts from the past. And One Collective got back on our radar and found out a op- about an opportunity in Ecuador. And, uh- And that's what God had for us. So we found ourselves in training 2012 and back in the same building, uh, that Susie had been in for intern training years before. , But this time, she was eight months pregnant, and during training, while staying at the same building that we had been at years before, went into labor. We gave birth right there. She gave birth right there in Elgin at Sherman Hospital, and, uh, it was a pretty im- important part of our story along the way. Started our family there in Elgin before heading to the field. So yeah, that's how our relationship with, with One Collective started. Yeah, that, that... It's a great story, and, I, I remember being with you guys multiple times, you know, during, during that, that time, and it's-- We're just glad to, glad to have you here. What brought you to One Collective What was it that brought you to One Collective? I think the initial connection was through the, the short-term experience that Susie had had, and we knew about the team and the work that was happening in Ecuador. But truthfully for me, when we were going through training, um, and orientation initially, I think what really drew us in was back then hearing about the, the 2020 vision. And, um, when we visited Ecuador to, to see what the team was doing there, uh, we found out that, that where this ministry, a camp ministry, was located, there's a town right next to it, and it was within those town limits. And there just was a disconnect between this ministry and the community that was right there. In fact, a lot of the people in the community didn't even know the name of the ministry. They just knew the historical name of, of what the property was. And so hearing in training, uh, and orientation about this idea of community transformation and working in communities around the world and, and being the hands and the feet of Jesus Christ and bringing about, um, food and freedom and forgiveness, inspired me. Um, and thinking about how we can get from here to there and, and do the work that God is already at work, um, doing in these communities and partner with that was kind of a big piece that kind of brought it all together and realizing we're excited about this ministry, we're excited about what God's doing in Ecuador, but we wanna be a part of the, the boots-on-the-ground efforts to connect with this community, draw a connection to the ministry that's there. And that, that was very, very inspiring for us. I remember as you guys were processing that and that being a big part of your story, and that meant a lot to me. Uh, the 2020 vision, for those of you that are wondering what that was about. So that was, that was a goal that I'd set for, for us to be doing this community transformation, uh, thing in a, in a holistic way around the world. And, I had set some goals for us to achieve by the year 2020, and that's all, you know, moved on to become what our model really is right now, which is this, this whole, , integrated approach to doing community transformation with Jesus at the center of all things. So, Jim, this leads you guys, um, y- you, you and at this point, one baby, 📍 📍 📍 right? to, uh, Quito, Ecuador, and, uh, actually on the outskirts of Quito. And, uh, you are, you're now working full-time for one of the ministries of that's happening in Ecuador called El Refugio. Tell us a little bit about El Refugio and then what your role was then. El Refugio Yeah. So El Refugio is a, it's an incredible property that we have the, the benefit of owning here in Ecuador. 300 acre property that's mainly mountains, um, and we've been able to develop it. Uh, you can think of it as a camp. It's a training and retreat center, but we do camps as well, throughout the year. And our main-- uh, we have about 3,000 people that come through, and about 2,700 of those that come through are Ecuadorians. So it is definitely focused on the, the national church and Ecuadorians. Um, you-- they don't have to be believers. They don't have to know Jesus yet to be able to come and, and participate in the retreats or conferences or camps that we offer. Um, but our, our mission statement at El Refugio is to facilitate a deeper relationship with Jesus through nature and through outdoor adventure. So really for us, it is, it's all about discipleship. It's all about relationship. It's helping people come to know and understand who Jesus is and deepen their relationship with Him, walk with Him, walk in His ways, um, and cr- and provide this space, uh, where they can have an encounter with Him in an incredible, um, country, mountainous, uh, backdrop and setting. Yeah, it's a beautiful, beautiful place with, uh, ropes courses and hiking trails and all... I mean, just you name it, you can, you can do it there. What would, um, what would it look like if you were a, a young, a young person coming to El Refugio? What would a week camp look like? Um, like what kind of things do they do that y- that you guys use to start drawing them closer to Christ? How does El Refugio Bring campers closer to christ? Sure. So, um, the most relatable thing that people would be able to understand is, is summer camp. So in fact, we're in the midst of planning that out, all out right now. Um, August is the month that we do youth camps. So we have 12 to 14-year-olds one week. We've got 15 to 17, 18-year-olds another week, and we have a volunteer crew of Ecuadorians that come in and we train them. And so they stay with us for a whole week, these kids, um, Ecuadorian kids, and it's a traditional camp experience. Um, there's games that they do and, um, icebreakers, games. We have a, a conference speaker that we bring in, um, who will do sessions. We'll do Bible studies with them in the morning. Um, but what, what's kinda unique about our camp here in Ecuador is having the high ropes course and the low ropes course. And really the way that we try and create all of our experiences is, uh, through ed- experiential education. And we can preach at them, but what we find is when they go through these shared experiences with low ropes and high ropes challenges, they've got a shared experience. And then we start asking questions, and through those questions drive at personal things, feelings, thoughts that they have, and connect that with biblical concepts, or in some cases Bible verses. Um, and then start to draw those spiritual metaphors, parallels to their lives. And they're the ones that start connecting the dots. Um, and so it's much more of a lived experience versus us just telling them a bunch of information about Jesus. Rather, they get to experience it together, grow as a group, and think about how Jesus also lived these things in His life. So the, the camp-long experience in August, um, is unique in that it's pretty traditional summer camp that didn't really exist as part of this culture here in Ecuador for many, many years. Um, but throughout the year we have groups that come on the weekends or midweek, whether it's a high school group in the, in the midweek or whether on the weekend it's a church group or a business group. But we always do that lived experience, um, experiential education using questions, um, bringing about spiritual parallels to their lives. Um, and there is times that we'll obviously share and, and teach as well. Um, but for the most part we try and lead them, um, through the scripture, through the experience to Jesus. What, what, what has been the, what's been the impact that you've seen like in those, in those youth groups, those churches, those, those people that have come? What, what are you seeing happening in other communities throughout Ecuador of those who visit and come? 'Cause there's gotta be a catalyst to get things started, I would think. What's the impact across Ecuador from camp? Yeah, certainly. Um, we, we very much value the local church and, and we don't try to be the local church. You know, we are a, a para-church ministry. But one of the beautiful things is through different relationships that we've developed over the years, we've seen this kind of mixing together, merging together. So one example I can give is, um, a church comes out with their, their youth group, and they have a great experience, and the kids in the youth group, a couple of them who are about to graduate say, "Man, we had an incredible time out at El Refugio. We wanna experience more of that." And so they give us a call and they say, "Is there a way that we could be involved? Is there anything that you guys offer?" So we say, "Sure, we'd, we'd love to have you. Uh, we offer different internships for young people throughout the year, a three-month intensive, a weekend version." And, and in connecting with their local church, the pastor says, "Well, we'd love to give some scholarship funds to this individual from our church 'cause we see leadership potential in them. So why don't we help scholarship them to take part in your internship? You guys invest in them for three months, and then they'll come back to the church, and they can help with our youth group, and they can help with some of the efforts that we're, um, spearheading in our community." And for us it's a huge win because it's a way to invest in the next generation, walk alongside them, pair them with mentors, and do discipleship classes. Um, they learn through service and through missions, and then we send them back to the community where we have a ongoing relationship with this church and with these pastors, um, in the work that they're doing in the community, and now they've got young people who are better equipped to serve, and they're inspired and excited, um, because of the time they've been able to share with us. What are the positions you fill by Americans? So I, I happen to know that, that you, you have lots of, uh, people who come from the US to help you, uh, throughout the year and particularly through the summer. Talk about some of those positions that, uh, that Americans often come to fill. Yeah. So we have, um... In the summer, typically we'll receive a few interns from the U.S., um, anywhere from three to five, depending on the year, and these are usually college-age students that might feel a call to missions, um, they wanna serve, they wanna grow. And so they'll come down kind of in a similar way that, that people might serve at a, at a summer camp. But rather than, uh, being with kids in cabins, um, their role more so is helping with the mission efforts and the community efforts that we're involved in that we do in, in collaboration with the short-term teams that come down. So each summer we have multiple short-term teams that come down. In fact, we've got our second and third teams arriving this week, um, and they're gonna be with us and, and it's a great opportunity for us to take a bunch of people coming from the U.S. who are excited to be the hands and feet of Jesus- And connect not only them in the work that we're doing here at El Refugio, but also in the, the ways that we're involved in the community, both locally and, and with some of the partners that we have in the jungle as well. Um, so whether it is painting a building here on the property to kind of beautify and help, help the pro- the property continue to be, uh, a great place where people can encounter Jesus, or whether it's going into the community and helping out, um, with physical needs there, uh, partnering with the local church, partnering through a, a local scholarship program that we have connections with, connecting with former interns, um, collaborating with the school. Um, there's lots of different ways that we're able to connect these mission teams with the partnerships and the work that we're doing in the community, um, to be able to strengthen that relationship and, and move things forward.' Helping people connect with Jesus thorugh camp? Let's go back to talking about, um, you know, helping people connect with Jesus. And, um, you've got this incredible camp, these, these beautiful mountains. Um, I mean, it's just so, so rich. How do you put together a strategy that brings in nature and adventure and then the whole disciple-making process? What is-- how do you do that? Well, if I go way back, um, so this, the ministry here of El Refugio was founded 25 years ago. And in the, in the brainstorming conversations about why we would want to buy a place like this, one of the, the kinda original quotes that we'll come back to often was the guy who ended up becoming El Refugio's first director said, "I think what the youth of Ecuador need is to be pulled away from their everyday busy lives to unplug. We need to get them out into the country, get them into the mountains, where they can have all those distractions eliminated and come face to face with God, have an encounter with Jesus." And so really that has been a huge part of our DNA from the beginning, just the 300 acres of creation that we have. Um, it is a peace- peaceful place, um, that many people just walking on our trails or sitting in our prayer garden, um, have that encounter with Jesus. So a lot of times we'll, we'll put together, um, activities, prompts, uh, like a half sheet of paper with some questions to think about, some scripture to think about. Um, give them some direction, but then encourage them to, to have that time in silence and solitude, uh, in prayer to connect with the Lord. Um, and so in a lot of ways that's kinda that reflective connect with Jesus. But the other thing that we pair with that, um, is this idea of activities, adventure. Um, when you're on our zip line and you're flying across, um, this gully that's beneath you higher than the treetops, your heart can be racing, and you can be thinking, "And, and what if the cable breaks? And what would I-- where would I end up, you know, if I were to die right here?" And there's something about these, these adventure activities that open people up emotionally to talk about some of these thoughts or doubts, um, or things that come to the surface when you're confronted with some of your fears or some of these challenging circumstances. So that's the way that we're able to have this entering into a conversation with them as they reflect on what they just lived through, and again, pointing them towards scripture, pointing them towards the truths of the Bible and, and what Jesus shared with us. Um, and so we pair those things together. It's, it's some of the high adventure, shared experience, heart-racing things that can be connected to the spiritual life, but then also giving them the time and the space to slow down, to be quiet, uh, be before the Lord and His creation. Um, and the Spirit works. We don't have to do a whole lot. Um, He, He's there, He's with them, and, and He does the work in them. that's a, that's a beautiful thought, um, because the Lord has already set the stage, you know, with this, with this beauty and this creation, and He's bringing kids to you whose hearts are ready for something. And yeah, it's, it's, it's a, it's a beautiful thing to, uh, to see and imagine. Hey, Jim. So as, as you think about El Refugio and the, the ministry of, of, uh, you know, you, you talked about, you know, your, your interest in community transformation and how do those things come together for you in your mind as you look out into the future? Well, one of the, the exciting things for us now that we've been with the organization for coming up on 13 years, is just seeing all that's been developed within One Collective and how we want to approach holistic transformation. And so when we came through training, we were inspired, we were excited. But now we've realized over the last many years, um, all that's been developed towards integrated community transformation and how we do that around the world. So having the, the privilege this past year of being able to go through some of the cohorts, some of the trainings that One Collective offers, has been amazing to 📍 📍 📍 see that content, that training pairs with the work that we've already been doing for years in the community of Kalakali Which is the town that's right here in our front doorstep. and thinking about how we can take some of these tools, some of this training, and align that and incorporate that into the relationships that we've been developing all this time. We've been attending the local church since we've arrived. Our kids go to the local school. Um, again, talking about the, the mission teams and the scholarship program that we've been connected to in the community. Um, but just trying to see about how we can be more intentional about being present in the community, see what they have to offer, and lifting them up, um, but also looking at what the needs are and trying to pair this idea of, community development with discipleship, leveraging this camp that we have right here, just a stone's throw away from the town, um, and seeing what God, uh, might continue to do in our relationship with this town. But, but kinda turning up the dial on our intentionality and what that relationship and involvement looks like. Um, so really excited to be able to keep learning and keep implementing what we're learning and seeing where God is working and how we can pay attention to that, to see about real transformation, not only in a physical sense, but in a spiritual sense in this town, um, that we've been so involved in for so many years. Hosing ICT Intensive One of the things that, you and I are aware of that, um, our listeners might not be, but we have every two years, we have something we call an ICT intensive. It's built around our, our model for holistic ministry and how to do that in a, in a variety of ways around the world. And we just hosted, uh, or you guys just hosted our intensive this, this just a few weeks ago, uh, which is, as I said, a every two year kind of a gathering. And, uh, what was that like for you guys to, to host that and to have all these people from all over the world come in to talk about this holistic transformation thing? it was a joy. Um, if I, if I'm being honest, just to, to be in the room and look around, to know a bunch of the people that are in our organization doing, doing the work of Jesus around the world, um, to hear things being shared from the front, um, in conversations, over meals. Uh, I was blown away just by the, the richness of the, the passion and the commitment and what God is doing, the testimonies of what God's doing all around the world. Um, and it was a joy for us to be able to receive everyone, to kinda be the, you know, the host site. , And the fact that one of the days everyone was able to jump on a bus and come out to El Refugio and drive through our town of Calacali and, and be here where we could show what God has been doing and what He's blessed us with here, over the last 25 years was, was an incredible pleasure. there's something about- Telling people about what you're doing and telling people about what, what the Lord is up to. And there's something completely different about coming and seeing. Seeing it in, in person, being able to visualize the space, see the people, remember the faces of the people who shared the impact that Jesus has had on their lives. Um, so for me it was just a, a delight. Um, being able to show, show off what we do here and give glory to God for that. Um, being able to hear what, what Jesus is doing all around the world through our workers and through the efforts, um, it was inspiring. It was joyful and, uh, uh, yeah, I incredibly enjoyed myself. Yeah, it was, it was great for me too. This, this model of ours we've been working at for, for a very long time, to, to keep honing it and trying to make it better and better and to make sure it works and make sure it transfers, the concepts transfer all over the world. And it was great to have you guys host it. And one of the things I've, I've seen in the time that I've been here is, um, is as I was looking out on the final night and just I, I was speaking at the end and I was looking around the room and I was realizing that there, there are just no ego celebrity people among us, you know, looking to build their own thing. But there truly is a unified collective, that word one collective, of people who all just shared that, that week this common belief and this common love to see holistic transformation take place in, in, uh, all the different places around the world. And I re- I remember how, how emotional I felt about that because, you know, as this was being built over the years, there were... You know, sometimes egos got in the way, sometimes technical things got in the way. But this was for me the first time th-that I truly felt like we were, we were one. There was nobody that was better or, you know. I mean, it just-- we were just one. And, uh, it was a beautiful, beautiful thing for me to look out and, and to see that. And so I'm super grateful for the time that we had in Ecuador, um, and for you guys being willing to host that. Um, it was, it was really great. Now, you had some of your Ecuadorian, uh, teammates came to the intensive too. What, what did they think about the model and, and what they were experiencing? Ecuadorians thought on the model that's a great question. Yeah, I remember specifically there was a, a break that we're kind of out in the lobby having a little snack together, and I circled up with about four or five of our Ecuadorian, um, ladies that serve, uh, with one of our, our ministries here called End Slavery Ecuador, and I, I basically asked them that question. I said, "Hey, what, what have you thought so far? Um, have you been enjoying it?" And, and they said, "Yeah, it's been incredible." Um, they were, they were overwhelmed by just the heart that came through of why we're doing what we're doing and how we do it. And, and I remember saying back to them, for me, it's so affirming, um, to be able to connect with this broader body of, of workers, of people who have responded to, to the call, and to realize we are so aligned, we are so, um, w- we're all in this for the same reasons, to realize we have the same DNA, we have the same desire, a- and to realize we're not just this isolated thing, we're not off on our own, but we're a part of a much bigger work, um, a kingdom work. And, and they were just blown away by, by the warmth of people, by the teaching, um, a- and by how aligned really what, especially in End Slavery Ecuador, what they're doing, how well aligned that is to the global structure, um, and approach of, of how we, how we wanna see transformation in communities, um, in this case, in a people group. I remember, one of the things that gives me joy when I first went to Ecuador and was participating in, in, uh, one of the conferences, gatherings for all of the ministries that we're a part of in, in Ecuador. I, I remember how many Americans there were there compared to how few the number of Ecuador- Ecuadorian leaders were, and now that's really flipping around, and there's a ton of, of, uh, great superstars that are just sort of rising up and becoming, becoming powerful leaders, you know, doing, doing their work in the, in the, in the country. So I'm just... That's fun to watch, you know, because part of the model, for us is always, you know, the idea of working ourselves out of a job. You know, to go in there to identify local leaders who are al- always gonna be more passionate than us because it's their t- home turf. They're gonna know the language better than us. Um, but oftentimes they're, they lack resources. They're, or they're under-trained. And, uh, to watch them rise up and to, to feel a little less important than you maybe did in the beginning is it's, uh, it's actually a good feeling when you start really thinking about what's happening. because it's like what Jesus was doing. He was always raising the disciples up, and so that he could go on and do what he needed to do, but they could continue the work that Jesus started. And it's, it's just so, so fun to see local leaders rising up and, and, uh, picking up the stuff that, that Jesus has called them to do, but that we, we were a part of, of their story, and I, I, I love that so much. Ultimatum in coming to One Collective So I'm grateful for you, Jim, and for Susie. there's a, there's a little part of your story that you d- You didn't tell, I don't know if it's on purpose or if you, forgot about it, but, I was trying to remember. you and Susie connecting Elgin baby. But wasn't there an... like, early on an sort of an ultimatum? am I, am I remembering this story, you and Su... like, Su- you and Susie, wasn't there like a, like a... You may not wanna talk about this, but I always, I always loved that part of your story. Folks, if you can't see him, he's smiling a very big smile, and I'm not sure if he want... if he's gonna tell us or not, but let's see what happens. yeah. No, it was on, uh... So let's see here. This would've been May of 2005. So Susie was in that internship of, of 11 months, and I'd come down to visit her for, I th- it was about three and a half weeks. And we were coming back from the jungle on a bus, and, uh, Susie had been hosting short-term teams, and I was able to join with this team and kinda participate with and lead a little bit. And on the way back, you know, everyone's tired. We've had multiple days in the jungle serving and, um, driving back, and it's, you know, windy roads. People are tired, and we're just kinda sitting there in the seats and, and we're staring out the window at the beautiful Ecuadorian countryside. And, and Susie says to me, she says, "Jim, we have to come back here someday." And Yep. at this point, um, we were, we were dating. Uh, we, we were not engaged yet, let alone married. And yet that statement, um, communic- I think I read into it a little bit too much, but communicated, if we're together one day, you know, we both have interest in, in missions and serving. And, uh, what if, what if God were to call us back to Ecuador? So put that in the back of my mind. And so every time that we kind of reach these crossroads in life of what, what's next and where are we being called and how do we be ob- obedient, I kinda would pull this idea of Ecuador. Maybe it's time to go back to Ecuador. And so finally, when it was, uh, time to go back to Ecuador, I brought this up to Susie and said, "Hey, you remember all those years ago on that bus when you said that?" And she said, "I don't, I don't know. I don't really remember that. But if I said that, I feel like I was probably just talking about coming back to visit or, you know, see, see things again, not ne- necessarily come back and live to serve." So, but, but I believe, I trust that, you know, God, that God called my attention to that in that way because He knew His plans, and He knew that one day we were meant to be back here serving. And so in the midst of a probably reading too much into a simple statement, I think even still God was at work Yeah, I think it was too. You, you got the, you got the image of wedding bells and service somewhere in the world, and she was m- she was possibly making just a passing comment to the guy she was dating, and you were, you were like thinking, " Hey, we're gonna, we're gonna be married someday coming back here and doing this." I, I l- I love that story. Yeah. I don't know if you tried to dodge that one, but I actually think that's a very endearing part of your story and, and here you are h- how many years later and how many kids later and how many years of service. So it's a, it's a wonderful story. Prayer request for ministry going forward So Jim, 📍 📍 📍 is there anything that, , our listeners could, you know, one or two prayer requests that, , you'd like to share regarding your ministry or your lives, your family, whatever. Whatever's on your heart, , these folks will, will lift you up, if I had to kind of back my way into answering that, I'll, I'll give you way too much information. Hope- hopefully we can boil it down to a small prayer Yep. Yeah, go for the way that, that our team here in Ecuador started kind of had its own focus and was more focused on young people and youth, and in One Collective years ago had different focus too. And, you know, over the past 10 plus years, obviously One Collective has continued refining and, and drilling down on what the focus is and the approach to ministry. A- and to me, one of the encouraging things is being here at El Refugio now for 12 and a half, almost 13 years of its 25-year existence. Half of its life we've been here. And what I've also realized was we started with a focus on, on youth and on youth workers, but that has grown over time. And, and I think God has just continued to kind of pull back the curtain and have us realize it's not so much about this ministry, it's about His kingdom, and it's about focusing on communities and how He's at work in different places in this country that we're so blessed to live in. And so what I'm encouraged by is seeing as God has been working in the, the focus of vision at the One Collective level globally, I think He's also been working in our vision here through this ministry and the, the team, the broader team in Ecuador towards similar community focus, towards holistic transformation, both addressing the physical needs and the spiritual needs. Uh, doing both of that together. And so I guess I just see where we currently are in the ministry here in Ecuador at a really interesting crossroads to where I think we are growing in a really similar direction towards greater alignment. Um, and so I'm excited about that, and, and the fact that there's a lot of openness in doing that in a really proactive way here in Calacalí. Um, that would be my prayer request, is that as we, as we continue to do the ministry here at El Refugio, the camp and, you know, training retreat center, encounters with Jesus, that we'd be able to also have the-- a dual focus on the community and increase that intentionality, and that we'd be able to see the pairing of those things together just bear a lot of fruit. Um, that a lot of people would come to know Jesus and deepen their relationship with Him, and that we just see great kingdom impact and transformation in the community of, of Calacalí specifically. Um, that would be, I think, my, my primary prayer request. And just that for the broader team here in Ecuador, um, 'cause there's multiple ministries that they're a part of their work here in Ecuador too, that we would also just continue to, to grow in unity and direction and alignment, um, to be able to keep being faithful to what God has called us to and, and representing Jesus and, and making an impact in His name. Just there be much fruit, and that we'd be a part of, of bearing much fruit in Christ's name. folks, we, uh, we would ask you to, to, to, you know, to rewind and, and listen and, and actually pray 'cause the potential for impact in Ecuador Yeah, it's a 📍 pleasure. Thanks for the opportunity. And to you folks that are listening to the Lasting Change Podcast, I hope this has been, uh, helpful, encouraging, inspiring. And, uh, if you wanna look at the show's notes or see more resources, go to onecollective.org/podcast. Okay, see you next time around. Take care, guys. Bye-bye. 📍
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