In Quito, Ecuador’s capital city, a 10-kilometer race was just what a group of young Adventists needed to help them plant a church!

“The idea came from a small group of youth. We used to gather together here in my living room, and we used to say, Besides just being together and learning from each other’s experiences, we need to do something else.”

They decided they were going to plant a church in an unentered part of the city!

“This is a small valley, but we have a couple of churches. This neighborhood was isolated, so we decided that this neighborhood that’s alone, they need their own church.”

“We knocked on doors and asked, Do you want to study the Bible? It was a bad idea. The people responded, No, we don’t even know you. Who are you? What do you want?”

“So we got together again, and we planned how we could reach the people.”

“And we started asking the community about their needs. We found a lot of problems.”

“One of the most important necessities was health. So we planned to have free consultations, lab tests, and a health fair.”

After much planning, the group calculated the cost of a health fair and found it would be about 3,000 US dollars. But the group of young people and students couldn’t afford to contribute that much.

Every Wednesday, they went jogging together as a group activity. As they prepared for their weekly jog, someone came up with the idea to use their activity as a way to raise funds.

They began organizing a 10-kilometer race where people can register and pay a small fee to enter. Any earnings from the race could go towards the cost of the health fair.

“We started just as young people making plans. We started like, You’re going to do this; you’re going to do that. I felt like I was doing something big for Jesus. I took that as a big responsibility. I thought it’s a big job; it’s a great opportunity to do something useful for the Lord.”

“We have never done any race like this before. We didn’t even know where to start, but we decided to do it and set a date...in one month. I have no idea how we did this. I don’t know how God helped us through this.”

“Because the permits to close the streets, many times you need a year to get permission. But we did it!”

As a result of the race, they raised the money to conduct a health fair and start their church plant, and they also kept contact with many of the race participants. Each participant received a book included in their registration called “The Power of Hope.” These events opened doors to the community, and they studied the Bible with anyone who showed interest.

They found a building to rent for church and were finally ready to open their own doors.

“And we opened the first Sabbath. It was only us. But we continued with the Bible studies, and we began seeing people come little by little.”

Noemi and Miguel own a bakery next to the church. Sometimes during the week, people from the church went to buy things from their store, and one day, Noemi asked them about the church. She was invited to study the Bible with them the next Sabbath. As her faith grew, she prayed that Miguel would go to church with her, but he showed no interest.

After a few months, as a birthday gift, he agreed to join her for one Sabbath only.

“My first impression was that I didn’t know anybody, but everybody knew me. They called me by name and said, Miguel, welcome! I felt an immense love.”

Miguel wanted to learn more, so he and Noemi asked for Bible studies at home. Eventually, they gave their hearts to Jesus and were baptized. Their bakery is now closed on Saturdays, but business has doubled on Sundays!

“It’s a radical change. When we were not baptized, when we didn’t know the church, we had a lot of problems. Now it’s different. We study together, go to church, sing, pray to God.”

Miguel and Noemi’s family is just one example of those who have come to know the love of Jesus, and they’re excited to share what they’ve learned.

“In my house we have a small group that meets once a week. Our goal as a family is to share God’s word with other families so they can know God as we know Him.”

About ten people have been baptized as a result, and now Global Mission is helping this new church plant in this major city. Church members pray that their efforts through Total Member Involvement will continue to spread God’s love throughout the community.

“The dream is that this church can grow, and we can all see each other in heaven.”

“I feel satisfied with my work here. I feel very grateful to God because I see how I can make a difference in this place. I can serve Him.”

“It feels good to serve Jesus.”

Please pray for Mission to the Cities, which focuses on reaching people in the largest cities in the world. Thank you for your support of Global Mission church planting projects in urban areas like Quito.