From Biology Requirement to Divine Calling: My Journey to Ecuador
In 2019, what began as a simple online biology requirement for my theology degree at Liberty University unexpectedly transformed my life forever. Little did I know, this academic pursuit would ignite a profound desire to love, serve, and ultimately move to Ecuador with my family.
At 43, I was embarking on many new chapters: newly remarried with a newborn in our blended family, new to faith, and new to academia after selling my companies. Adding to this exciting chaos, Liberty University was, for the first time, inviting online students to join resident students on an international trip.
Upon arriving in Quito, Ecuador, from various parts of the U.S., I was immediately humbled. My age often led students to mistake me for a professor. It was here that I met our incredible hosts and leaders from Living and Learning International, Rachel Roskoski and Jose Luis, who would quickly become like family. Their immediate connection, kindred spirits, and a perfect blend of diversity and humility instantly put the team at ease. Rachel, with her formidable cultural IQ from her US upbringing and extensive mission experience, coupled with Jose, a native Ecuadorian, formed a dynamic duo. They masterfully and respectfully addressed our barrage of questions on everything from culture and food to history, religion, government, and politics. Their profound love for Christ and unwavering encouragement to pursue Jesus remain, to this day, my most cherished memory.
Through Living and Learning's extensive network, we partnered with Jungle Kids for Christ, which offered an unforgettable Amazonian educational experience. It was at this remote Christian Academy that I forged another "forever-family" bond with Tyler and Kaylan Foster, new missionaries and newlyweds whose testimonies of surrender to God's will captivated me. The work God was achieving through this organization and their commitment to biblical education was truly remarkable.
To fully grasp the magnitude of this experience, I must share a crucial piece of my personal history. For the first forty years of my life, Christ had no place in my worldview. My sister and I were products of a Portuguese arranged marriage—contractual, cold, and devoid of love—a reflection, perhaps, of the inherited Roman Catholic traditions. Growing up in Northern California, a diverse melting pot, I rebelled as a teen, eventually being "voluntold" into the US Army. The military straightened me out, and by the world’s standards, I became successful, influential, well-traveled, and cultured. Yet, this success came at a devastating cost: the loss of my ex-wife to opioids. She left three children and I with a gaping hole in my soul that only God could fill.
In a moment of utter desperation, curled in a fetal position on my bathroom floor, I cried out to God, declaring I no longer had the will to live and pleading for Him to reveal Himself if He was real. He was faithful to answer. Graciously, He blessed me with a Christ-centered marriage, a beautiful blended family, freedom from the shackles of my businesses, and the joy of traveling internationally with the childlike faith of a grown man.
Dr. Kyle Harris of Liberty University, who led our team with excellence, was instrumental in helping me understand the critical importance of a biblical education focused on a living God who exists outside time, space, and matter—a God who created us in His image and faithfully offers life, purpose, and identity in Jesus.From profound theological discussions to breathtaking walks on the Galapagos Islands, God used the people and country of Ecuador to leave an indelible mark on my soul.
Upon my return, I pleaded with my wife, convinced God was calling our family to Ecuador, though she firmly believed He was calling only me! After graduating from Liberty, we vacationed in Costa Rica, where I hoped she would also fall in love with Latin culture, but she remained unconvinced. Despite being ordained as our local church's Growth Pastor and thriving in ministry, the burden for Ecuador never left me. As God would have it, I eventually led my first mission team to San Lorenzo, Ecuador. Without a word exchanged upon my return, my wife knew it was time. Underfunded but deeply convinced, we partnered with Perception Funding to establish our Ecuadorian ministry: EquippedWorld.org.
In October 2024, my courageous wife and I sold everything, packed 19 totes, and moved our family to Ecuador. San Lorenzo is a small fishing community on the coast, home to approximately 2,500 "sheep without a shepherd." It has been nine months, and the overwhelming evidence of God working in this community is undeniable. The amount of work before us is immense, far exceeding our experience or equipment, yet this inadequacy only affirms that we are precisely where God wants us to be!
In summary, never underestimate the seemingly insignificant. Like Jonah, my biology requirement was my Nineveh. I thought I was simply "dodging a bullet" by choosing Liberty University and Living and Learning for that credit, little realizing God was birthing a profound burden within me to build His Kingdom.
Love and respect,
Jesse Fernandes
Equipped World, Director
www.EquippedWorld.org Website
jesse@equippedworld.org Email
@ProximosPasos YouTube
About the Author:
Jesse Fernandes is the Director of Equipped World, a ministry he and his wife founded in Ecuador after a transformative mission trip with Living and Learning International. His experience in Ecuador, initially as part of a biology requirement for his theology degree, led him to dedicate his life and family to serving the community of San Lorenzo.