Encounter Quarterly: Summer 2005
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The Albujá Family: Andrés, Estela, Mikaela
and Rafaela. |
Joy in the Morning
Morning was still hours away. In
darkness, Andrés sat in the front room of his
apartment. Sleep would not come. His tears would not
stop. A raucous lifestyle and the hurts of life –
including the premature death of his parents –
brought him to the point of desperation.
He was alone. In his search for
happiness, he turned to a life of partying and
drinking. But this provided only a momentary numbing
to the pain in his life. The next day, the same
sorrows would return compounded further by his
increasingly self-destructive lifestyle.
As the sun began climbing over the
mountains of Quito, Andrés didn’t know where to
turn.
“I was crying,” says Andrés, “saying
to God (I didn’t even know what kind of god),
‘Please, I need you in my life because I can’t live
this way.’” God responded through an unlikely
source.
No Longer Alone
Diego Castro was a friend of Andrés
– a drinking buddy whose life was also spinning out
of control. But Diego had recently come to know
Jesus Christ. Excited about his newfound faith,
Diego came to visit Andrés at his apartment.
“I know God,” Diego exclaimed, “and
I want you to know Him too!”
Two months later, Andrés gave his
life to Christ.
The decision was only the beginning
of the journey and early on Andrés found it
difficult to break with many of his old habits. He
still hung out with many of his old friends and
still engaged in many of the activities that he did
before. But the Lord was at work in his life.
Three years later, in 1992, Andrés
was with friends at a disco when he met Estela. They
quickly hit it off and were married a short time
later.
Then in 1994 they moved to Costa
Rica so that Andrés could pursue a Masters degree.
The move would be pivotal in their relationship with
the Lord.
Steps of Growth
Separated from their friends and
their usual activities in Quito, Andrés and Estela
made a new start. One of Andrés’ professors at the
school was a Christian. In addition to teaching at
the university, the professor led a small group
bible study for students and their spouses.
It was through this bible study that
Estela came to know the Lord. Together they began to
grow in their relationship with Christ.
As they were ending their time in
Costa Rica the professor challenged Andrés to think
about what institutions would be the most important
in his life when he returned to Quito.
“So, I was thinking,” recalls Andrés,
“important institutions…well, there is my company
when I am working, there is an association of
students to which I belong, and a church – but what
church?”
Andrés was never committed to attending church
regularly, but now he knew that they needed to be
once they returned to Quito.
As he thought about what church to
attend, he remembered the El Batán Church. He had
seen this church many times when living in Quito
because of its prominent location at the
intersection of two significant streets. Andrés
cannot explain why the church came to his mind other
than the fact that he remembered seeing it regularly
as he drove through Quito.
Once back in Quito, he made plans to
visit El Batán, but Estela was not interested. Like
many Latin Americans, her personal identity was
deeply associated with her Catholic heritage.
“No, no, no! If you want to attend
the evangelical church, you can. But I am a
Catholic,” she stated emphatically.
“For the next four Sundays,” says
Andrés, “I took Estela to the Catholic Church and
then I went to El Batán. After church one Sunday I
spoke with the pastor and shared with him my concern
that my wife didn’t want to come to church with me.”
The pastor responded, “You have to
get on your knees and pray. We are going to pray to
the Lord for your wife.”
For three weeks they prayed. Then on
the fourth Sunday Andrés was preparing to go to
church and asked Estela if she wanted him to take
her to the Catholic Church.
She hesitated, then responded, “No,
if you want we can go to the Batán Church together.”
Excitedly, Andrés said, “Yes, yes. I
want that!”
But Andrés was concerned that the
contemporary style of worship at the church would be
so different from her experience that she might be
turned off to the church. He suggested that they
should skip the first half hour and arrive in time
for the sermon.
But Estela would not hear of it.
“No!” she replied, “I want to experience
everything.”
At the service, Estela was struck by
the words of the pastor.
“I felt like he was preaching
directly to me,” she says. “Afterward I asked Andrés,
‘Did you tell the pastor my life story?’”
Andrés told her that he had not told
the pastor anything about her.
The moment was transformative for
both of them. The next night, Estela and Andrés
began attending the church’s bible studies together.
Through the Batán Church they began to grow even
more in their faith. The following year they were
baptized.
A Shout of Joy
In 1998, the Albuja’s were asked by
the pastors of the church to consider being a part
of a new church plant in the Quito suburb of Cumbaya.
They knew it would be hard work, but after praying
they agreed to be a part of the new congregation.
Today, they are actively serving the
Lord in the Cumbayá Church. Andrés has served as a
deacon. Estela serves in the women’s ministry.
Together they lead a small group bible study in
their home.
For Andrés, the goodness of God is
overwhelming. His journey to Christ began in the
loneliness of a darkened apartment. Since trusting
in Christ he is no longer alone. He has a wonderful
wife, two beautiful daughters – Mikaela and Rafaela
– and serves as the Technical Director for the
biggest steel producer in Ecuador. But more than
this he has the assurance of knowing Jesus Christ as
his Lord and Savior.
“I know that if I die today I will
see Jesus Christ. That is my greatest hope – to see
my God when my earthly eyes close forever.”
In Psalm 30, David states that
“weeping may last for the night, but a shout of joy
comes in the morning.” So it has been in Andrés’
life. His nights of loneliness, sorrow and despair
were but a prelude to the blessings, joys and hope
he has found in knowing Jesus Christ.
EQ Summer 2005
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