Hello Everyone!!
I’ve been in Ecuador for about a month now and I have experienced so much more then what I originally thought.
To tell you a little bit about the ministry. We are helping out at a Christian organization called Ramar for this month. They help single parents, poor families, and anyone in a difficult situation, get/stay on their feet. They also have rehab programs that help young drug addicts. The parents get to work and provide for their family as the kids are getting taken care of at Remar. We get there in the morning and help out wherever. If it’s mopping or painting multiple rooms, we are there to serve them and do what is needed.
In the afternoons we are watching and playing with the children on the playground. It’s tiring and joyful at the same time. Jesus said “let the children come” and I can see why. During the day I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else than with them. Having fun and playing with the kids has been one of the most joyful experiences at Ramar.
There are also a few things that happened to me this month that normally do not happen to racers at all or maybe later in the race. We have adventure days, these are basically days that we have off from our ministry where we are able to explore the area and experience the culture a little more.
Last Saturday I lost my wallet on the way to Mindo to go hiking for a few days. I was terrified at first because that was the only way I could get money. However, I was with an awesome group of guys from the squad that helped me out for that weekend, with that night at a hostel, food, and the bus ticket back. I have a hard time asking for help from people. It was hard and a little embarrassing for me to ask for money from my friends. I was so used to being able to pay for myself for anything that being put in the position of their mercy and to accept the kindness of others is not my ideal position. For the past week God has been telling me that I’m fine and no matter what happens I’ll be fine. I really saw what He meant on Thursday night. That night we had a type of “Guys Night”, with 50 people on the squad and only 14 of the people are guys, it was nice to have a night where it was just the guys. We did the things most guys would do, we went down the street to get logs, had a big fire, cooked meat, and talked about guy stuff. But when I was sharpening a stick to cook a hot dog, I cut my finger open. I didn’t realize it a first because it literally felt like a stick just hit the knuckle of my finger. Then I saw that there was blood and then I felt a little worried because I had no money and I needed stitches on my finger. It was just my finger so it was nothing to make be a big deal about, but people were helping me out any way they could. People were praying for my finger, making sure I didn’t pass out or feel to stick, and helping me a lot at the hospital. Especially at the hospital because I know only a little Spanish. I feel so blessed to have people that worried about me and helped me out more then I really needed. God has shown me so much about I’m not alone out here and that it’s ok to ask for help and He’s got my back!
That is all for now, we are moving to Cuenca next week to work with a new ministry. Looking forward to the next chapter in the race. Thanks for all of your support and prayers!
