CRESTVIEW — A Crestview family has sold all their possessions to prepare for life as missionaries in Machala, Ecuador.
BIG CITY TO SMALL TOWN
Russell Wells, 48, and his wife, Norha, 46, a substitute teacher at Crestview High School, haven’t always lived in the Hub City. The couple — who have three children, Marysa, 21; Thalia, 17; and Demytri, 10 — moved here from Seattle.
"All of our families were reluctant (for us) to move to a small town," Norha said, "but (since) they came and visited us, (they saw) how Crestview is a wonderful place to live.”
Transitioning from big-city culture was quite an adjustment.
"I came from living in the Miami area, where you don't say 'Good morning' to people," Norha said. "(Here) I don't have to look over my shoulder. Everybody here is so friendly, so welcoming, so willing to go out of their way to help. That definitely broke down a lot of walls that I had around me, being in Crestview. Living here has taught us how to live selflessly for things that are bigger than us."
Another surprise?
"People really try to get to know you for who you are, not what you have,” Norha said. “And that was a big mind shift for me. There was a big change. I did not expect that. That was a first.”
"I really never wanted to leave Crestview,” Russell Wells said. "Crestview became my home. I really thought that I was supposed to be here and I'd always made plans for it…”
Norha agreed.
"Leaving Crestview is hard because it's home,” she said. “Leaving our friends that we've made here — more than friends. They are family."
However, one day the Wellses realized that leaving home was not only necessary, it was their calling.
‘A WHOLE OTHER LEVEL OF POOR’
It all started when the Assemblies of God invited the couple to serve in Machala; they first visited the city in 2014.
"We went on a mission trip helping out at orphanages around the world. The last one was Machala," Norha said. "Russell — that really broke his heart."
“… Upon meeting these kids (in Ecuador) and the needs and everything else, I knew that this is what I was meant to do,” Russell Wells said.
Something about the children called out to him.
"It was — there was desperation in the eyes. Just sometimes, broken spirits. Sometimes it was big giant smiles on their face, but with the sadness behind it," Russell said. "There's — I've seen poor, okay, and we've even experienced poor in the United States, but this is like a whole other level of poor."
Norha said, "When I heard of a 4-year-old being rescued from a brothel, that (hurt). Because as a mom, a mother of two daughters, that really broke my heart."
Russell described Machala as a big city, about the size of Crestview in land, but with about 325,000 people living in it, "so it's an incredibly dense population."
And the risks are great.
"There's big-city-type crime, there's human trafficking crime, there aren't any large hospitals,” he said. “The largest hospital is two-and-a-half hours away."
The city is recovering from earthquakes that make the situation even more desperate for its inhabitants.
"A third-world area, all that earthquake devastation has only made matters worse, which has only made us more anxious to get there," Norha said.
FOLLOWING THE BANANAS
Once in Machala, the family will work to end child sex trafficking there through education; providing safe places for children to avoid predators; and breaking the day-to-day cycle of desperation that children suffer.
"Some of our family members absolutely do not understand why we're going to walk away from a good home, safety, security," Norha said. "For me, it's being a mother working with kids here at the high school who I love like my own, thinking how it could have been one of them. It could be my daughter. We have friends in Belgium and a lot of kids from Ecuador end up in the red light district in Belgium. It's heartbreaking," she said.
"It's just ingrained into us that we're there to help people and when there's a need, you need to be the one to step out and meet that need.”
"With the military, I had a different type of mission, but it was still to help other people. Now I'm doing it to help the children on a more personal level," Russell said.
Another reason the family is happy to go to Machala is what the Wellses call "the banana story."
Before AG leaders told them where they would serve, the family would gather together to pray about where the Lord desired them to go. Demytri, 7 at the time, said, very specifically, "Lord, it doesn't matter where we go, as long as there's bananas."
After learning about their Machala assignment, Russell got an invitation from the Assemblies of God to go to the city. While he was there, they talked a lot about bananas — and saw many banana trees.
"I'd forgotten about Demytri's prayers,” Russell said, “but when he looked at all the photos, he said, 'That's just like my prayer."
Machala, a city surrounded by banana plantations, is nicknamed "The Banana Capital of the World," being the largest exporter of that fruit from Ecuador.
The Wellses adopted that answered prayer as a theme for fundraising efforts. They are accepting tax-deductible donations through their website, wellsgoingbananas.org/giving. People who wish to contribute may donate there or call 902-0360.
'WE SOLD EVERYTHING'
The lifetime mission will cost the Wellses about $300,000 in advance. They have 55 percent of that, and once all fundraising is complete, they will leave for Ecuador.
Nancy Black of Crestview, a longtime friend of the family and part of the ministry at Holt Assembly of God, said being approved to serve as an Assembly of God missionary "is not a short thing or a quick thing to happen. It can take from a year and a half to two years between getting approved and raising the funds to go on the 'mission field,' a term used particularly if a person is going for a long-term commitment."
"The reason that they have to raise their funds ahead of time is so that when they get down there, they will not have to get an outside job. They will be focused solely on helping the children and the families that they are going to serve," Black said.
And what about saying goodbye to close friends?
"Even though I'm going to miss them and my family is going to miss them, we know this is what they're supposed to be doing,” Black said.
The Wellses have sold all their belongings to achieve their goal.
"We probably had 10 yard sales, plus a huge one at our church that took up the whole parking lot of Lifepoint Church,” Norha said.
"Literally," her spouse said.
When they say everything, they're not kidding. "We sold the house. We sold the furniture. We sold the household goods. We sold shoes.”
“Most ladies get shocked when Norha says she sold all her shoes," Russell said. "She's wearing sandals. I gave away my tools in my garage. I sold my Jeep."
So, how will they get around?
"Oh, we walk," Russell said, joking. "We still have the van that we're going to sell before we go. We're staying with people that know we're missionaries and have a heart for missionaries, so they're allowing us a stay."
The Wellses will be in Machala for two years initially; they'll come back to the United States briefly to connect with supporters and give updates on the mission. Then they will return to Ecuador permanently. They'll visit the United States for family events, but they will live in Ecuador.
“As a sister in Christ and a fellow minister, I am so extremely proud of them for taking this step, and I can't wait to hear what happens when they get down there,” Black said. “We appreciate the commitment and the sacrifice they're making to go there and serve the children and youth that are down there.”
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: 'A WHOLE OTHER LEVEL OF POOR'