¨Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentlenss be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.¨
-Philippians 4:4-9
It has been about a week now here in Huaticocha, Ecuador and wow…a lot has happened!
A typical day would be:
7:00am or so – Wake up
7:30am – Breakfast
8:00am – 9:00am – Quiet Time
9:00am – 12:00pm – Work (macheting, staining/varnishing the walls of one of the dorms, harvesting cacao, harvesting peanuts, moving rocks, helping with errands in Lorato (a town about a half hour away from Huaticocha),
12:00pm – Lunch
12:30pm – 2:30pm – Free time to do laundry and bathe in the river
3:00pm – 5:00pm – Ministry time (MWF @ La Floresta and TTh @ Dies de Agosta and some house visits)
5:30pm/6:00pm – Dinner
6:30pm – 8:30pm – Free time for laundry/bathing, sometimes worship around the campfire
8:30pm – 9:30pm – Team feedback/sharing time
10:00pm – Bed time/Quiet time
Pictures/Videos to come later because the internet cafe I´m at doesn´t have wifi and the computer I´m on doesn´t have a place for me to stick my SD card or USB drive in.
I am truly blessed with an amazing team and an amazing group of people that have been taking care of us while we´ve been here.
Jim – missionary from Pennsylvania that met us in Quito and took us + Team Reckless Pursuit to Huaticocha and currently lives at the missionary school that we live in. He´s incredibly patient and always smiling
Alvero – missionary from Guatemala and helps us out with translations at the ministry sites we go to. He is super talented at playing guitar and singing and all things creative. He is also an amazing man of God with a gentle spirit that is just awesome.
Fernando – he has been making the most delicious meals for our consumption and he has a laugh that is super infectious
Mark and Sheryl – their vision for the missionary school is really great and their passion is undeniable. They have tons of awesome stories too!
Luisa – her meals are delicious as well and I know we´ll be in good hands when Fernando leaves. Also, her spirit of service is unmatchable, her attitude and demeanor towards helping is so selfless and Christ-like
Lots of love for Ulysses and Pedro too <3
I don´t really speak a whole lot of Spanish so things have been a little harder, but I´ve been able to pick up some basic terms and Alvero is teaching me a verb a day ^^ I love what my teammate Patty writes about this so please go read her blog! 🙂
I´ve been able to use some Chinese since I´ve been here too because my teammate Chelsea wants to learn and some of my other squad mates…what a blessing it is to be able to teach others 😀
I´ve been sharing Room #6 with Cherissa which contains two bunk beds with mosquito nets and I gotta say, even though I haven´t been sleeping the best, I love rooming with Cherissa. She is such an encouragement to me and the rest of the team and she never fails to crack me up.
Be sure to check out the rest of the blogs of my fellow teammates to get a deeper glimpse as to the happenings of Huaticocha, Ecuador 🙂
¨I love you, Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer, my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold¨
Psalm 18:1-2
