Art is a powerful tool that grabs people’s attention and opens conversations, as missionaries Rod and Deborah Bond have seen firsthand. A professional artist before she went to Ecuador, Deborah wasn’t sure how the Lord might use her talent in her new home. But God has used her talents in unexpected ways.
In March 2007, she led a mural-making ministry to the Galápagos Islands—the place where many of Charles Darwin’s views were spawned. On some of the most prominent walls of Santa Cruz Island, her “Beyond Words Ministry” painted a series of murals depicting the creation account in Genesis.
The mural series begins with John 1:1, which declares that Jesus Christ is the Creator, and is followed by a painting for each day of creation.
For added interest, each day was painted in a different style. “For example,” Deborah explains, “Day One was done in the style of Monet and Day Four was inspired by Van Gogh’s Starry Night.” While the group painted, they witnessed to people passing by, handing out 2,000 tracts.
Photo courtesy of Rod Bond
Their work was so well received that Rod and Deborah returned six times in the past two years for evangelism, discipleship, and Bible study, “with the goal of planting Bible-believing house churches.” They plan to visit again this summer on more “mural ministry projects to proclaim God’s message of hope.”
Rod says, “God is amazing! His plans are higher than ours, and He leads us into strange and wonderful adventures if we are willing to step out in faith and go.”
To see Deborah’s murals, visit their family’s website at www.rodbond.com/creation/creation.htm.