Here is a blog full of pictures for you and a few details to help you envision what my month has been like at the center of the Earth!
We arrived at the end of Ecuador’s rainy season so our first week here it rained constantly. However, after the rainy season passed, I quickly came to realize that Ecuador is one of the most beautiful places I have visited. We have been staying in a valley at an elevation of 8,000 ft. and surrounded by breathtaking mountains.
We have been staying at a ministry called Mano & Mano (Hand and Hand) in El Tingo, just outside of Quito. This ministry does a lot of work with children in their area. Above you can see a bit of the property, my bedroom, and our kitchen!
Every weekday morning we would go to local schools and teach English to children ages 3 to 15 and in the afternoon we ran Vacation Bible schools for the children in the area. In addition to this, a few nights a week we would teach English and Saturday evenings each week we held a youth group event for the teens in the area.
The children loved getting involved in the bible stories each day by being able to help act out different characters throughout the life of Moses. They also thoroughly enjoyed when we would quiz then on the bible story they heard and when they got a correct answer. They were able to pour water on one of the Americans!
Learning more Spanish in each country and being able to speak more and more directly to the children has been so rewarding. Not only can I hug and play with these adorable kids. I now am able to speak to them without the necessity of a translator. This I remind myself, is why I chose to do the All Spanish Route for the World Race. I am learning a new language and am able to tell people about my Saviors love for them, in their language!
This month I have tried all sorts of new foods! Ranging from any kind of new tropical fruit we could get our hands on, banana chips (my favorite), cow stomach, and guinea pig (brains and eye balls included)
Although ever time a free day rolls around we are so tired we could easily lay in bed all day, we can’t help but pack it full of ways to see the beautiful country we are in. Such as visit the middle of the earth and straddle the Equator (top left) or hike 4 miles up a mountain behind our ministry and then climb 30 ft up a cross in order to see the view into our valley (top right). Or sometimes our adventure is simply getting to our ministry our first day. Which involved carrying our packs a total of two miles, and on and off of three public buses.
Or sometimes it means exploring the historic downtown of Quito
Other days it’s driving to an active volcano, Quilotoa, and hiking 1,500 feet down into its creator in order to take in the beauty of the turquoise lake that has formed there from rain water through the years.
These adventure wouldn’t be half as fun without my teammates exploring them with me!
And half of them wouldn’t even be possible without this amazing family! The Edgren family has been missionaries in Ecuador for 12 years. Scott and my dad were classmates from high school. They have not seen each other in over 15 years. When my dad heard I was going to Ecuador he told both Scott and I that we should be in contact in case I would need anything. This lead to a wonderful lunch at his house with his great family, an English church service (praise Jesus!), a trip to the equator, and the excitement of trying guinea pig like a local. The night ended with Scott answering any questions we through at him. With the wisdom of the bible and The Lord, that God has blessed him with. He filled us up with love and encouragement that we needed more than he knew. After just one day we couldn’t get enough of his family. So we made plans to travel to the volcanoes with them the next weekend. I cannot express how grateful I am, and I know I speak for my team as well, for meeting Scott and his family. It was the little bit of American family that we needed as well as the wisdom of a shepherding pastor that we had been craving. Thank you Scott and Kristi for opening up your home and your weekends to us. God used you in our lives more than you know.
Please let their examples reflect in all of your lives. You never know how a small gesture of kindness to you, can be magnified in someone else’s life and make an impression forever.
At the end of this week we are off to Central America, making Panama our first stop!! Prayers for safey would be much appreciated!
LOVE TO ALL!
