Encounter Quarterly: Winter 2005
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The Moyano Family: Jorge, Maria Gloria and
children Maria Emilia and Juan Esteban. |
Hope of Heaven
Six o’clock in the morning. The day
that Jorge Moyano and his wife Maria Gloria long
expected had suddenly arrived. As they went to their
daughter Anna Carolina’s crib, they knew her long
battle for life was over. During the night she
passed away quietly in her sleep. That morning she
would wake in the arms of her Heavenly Father.
Born with congenital health
problems, doctors told the Moyanos that Carolina
would probably not live to be a year old. She lived
for 18 months. In her short life she endured three
surgeries and lived most of her
days in the hospital.
Knowing that this day would
inevitably come did not minimize the Moyano family’s
grief. Yet in the midst of their sorrow, God in His
grace provided them with the hope, the support and
the strength not only to endure, but to glorify Him.
Roots of Faith
The story of God’s grace began early
in Jorge’s life. Born into a middle class family in
Quito, Ecuador, both of Jorge’s parents were
doctors. Growing up he received a good education and
did well in his studies. Though he did not need to
worry about money, he recognized the need to work
for things in life.
“Early on in life I embraced various
challenges,” says Jorge. “Accomplishing these led to
the wrong belief that I could achieve by focusing on
myself.”
After Jorge graduated from high
school he went on to the Catholic University in
Quito. Following that he entered the business world
and began advancing up the corporate ladder. True to
his beliefs, he continued to think that his own hard
work would bring satisfaction.
The cracks in his worldview began to
emerge in 1989 when he was invited by a co-worker to
a bible study.
“I enjoyed it immediately,” Jorge
recalls. “I began to feel the need to return every
Tuesday to the bible study.”
Through the study he befriended
several people who attended the El Batán Church.
Among them was a man named Rene Naranjo. They became
models for Jorge.
“Every one of them gave their lives
to me and discipled me. I noticed that I was growing
and changing in ways that I never experienced
before.
It was a Tuesday night in the month
of May. As the group studied the Gospel of Matthew,
Jorge came to the question that Christ asked his
disciples:
“Who do people say the Son of Man
is?” asked Jesus.
They replied, “Some say John the
Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others,
Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
“But what about you?” he asked. “Who
do you say I am?”
Simon Peter answered, “You are the
Christ, the Son of the Living God.”
As Jorge read these words he knew
that Peter was right. Jesus was the Son of God. If
that was true, then it demanded the commitment of
his life to Christ.
“In that moment,” says Jorge, “I
accepted Christ as my Lord and my Saviour. I
confessed all my sins and I recognized my need for
Him.”
Learning to Serve
In the years that followed Jorge
continued to advance in his career, eventually
rising to Vice President of Diners Club Ecuador. But
his decision to trust in Christ had altered his
priorities. As he grew in his relationship with the
Lord, Jorge started volunteering with a ministry
that worked with poor children around the city. It
was through the ministry that he met Maria Gloria. A
short time later, they married.
The following year, Jorge’s friend
Rene Naranjo and others from the El Batán Church
were commissioned to form Batán’s first daughter
church – La República. Rene invited the Moyanos to
attend.
“As my wife and I thought about it
we got excited. We knew that we needed to get more
involved in the body of Christ. By this time we were
expecting our first child and felt that we couldn’t
let this opportunity pass us by if we wanted to be a
family committed to the Lord.”
Because of his business background,
the church approached him early on about serving as
the church treasurer. They invited him to take
charge temporarily to see how it would be. In the
months and years that followed, Jorge became more
involved in the church, eventually becoming a deacon
and participating in the church’s small group
ministry.
Peace in Midst of Pain
And yet for all the service given to
the church, it was the church that ministered most
to them in their darkest hour.
“During the time that Anna Carolina
was with us, our pastors, brothers and sisters from
the church were with us,” Jorge says. “They
challenged us. They prayed with us. They cried with
us. We are thankful to our pastors… God placed them
here to love us and to share His promises with us.”
As a result, through the most
difficult days in their lives the Moyanos found
peace and encouragement.
“Throughout we knew the joy of the
Lord and His mercy. Since the beginning we knew that
the Lord had a purpose in all of this. I believe the
purpose was to confirm to us that after this life
there is a wonderful heaven where there will be no
more pain, no more suffering and no more tears. We
will be together with the Lord, with our brothers
and sisters and with our beloved Carolina.”
Just days before Carolina passed
away, Jorge testified before the church of his hope
in Christ by being baptized. Shortly afterward Maria
Gloria was baptized as well.
In the aftermath of Carolina’s
death, La República’s senior pastor Porfirio Ludeña
asked Jorge to share with the church what God had
done in their lives. Jorge shared that even in pain
and suffering the Lord was always with them and that
ultimately, one day, everything will be for His
glory and honor.
Sharing the Hope
It is this message that the Moyanos
continue to carry to the people they share with
today. For Jorge, it is a message particularly
relevant to his professional life as well.
“The most important thing is to know
that the Lord loves us so deeply that He died on the
cross for us. He challenges us to share his
salvation and grace to our families, our city and
our country.
“I believe that I am in this
[professional] position because of the Lord. I
believe that I can be a witness for Him here in my
business and that others can see the difference in
my life. I sometimes feel like Joseph. When things
are not going well, when the problems in our country
impact us, when we see injustice around us, it is
beautiful to call on the name of the Lord and leave
our problems and circumstances in his hands.
“I have opportunity to give my
testimony at various conferences for professionals
and business people. I am able to share my life and
the way that God changed and transformed the
priorities of my life. It is not about money or
power, but how you can serve and give to others. It
is about how you follow the will of God.”
As the Moyanos share with others who
do not know Christ, their experiences allow them to
relate to those who are hurting. Even more, they are
able to testify to the enduring goodness of a God
who brings joy in the midst of sorrow and hope in
the midst of suffering.
EQ Winter 2005
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