It’s beautiful the way God knows what we need before we know it ourselves. This month, he knew I would need family. I thought I just needed the family I already had – both at home, and on my team. So, when we found out everyone on our team would be staying in separate houses, I was worried. So much of our ministry was on our own, and going to different houses at night added more stress to the situation. Plus, I didn’t speak any Spanish, and had no idea how I would communicate with them. But, God knew what the month would bring. He knew this month would be hard for me – that I’d be missing friends and family at home. He knew long before I did that there was a lot happening that would make it hard to focus on ministry. So, he provided me with exactly what I needed – family.
I
had an incredible, patient, loving host family. Right from the start
they loved me and accepted me as one of them, despite not knowing
anything about me. They gave me a bed to sleep in (actually, a whole room), 3 meals a day, access to a hot shower, and washed my laundry. But none of that is what I will remember about them. What I will remember is the abundant joy Sandra, Andrea, and Nico lived with and the love they showed me. I never once felt uncomfortable around them – it truly was as though I were in my own home, with my own family. The very first day I spent with them, instead of
getting frustrated when I couldn’t understand what they were saying,
they would just giggle and find a way to help me understand. Language didn’t feel like much of a barrier. They looked words up in the dictionary, acted it out, drew pictures – one way or another, they found a way to communicate what they wanted to say. I was shocked at how much Spanish I learned in my time with them, but it was because they never gave up trying to communicate. They brought such joy to my time in Ecuador. After long days of work, I’d come back and be exhausted, but never ready to go to bed because I wanted to spend more time with them.
had an incredible, patient, loving host family. Right from the start
they loved me and accepted me as one of them, despite not knowing
anything about me. They gave me a bed to sleep in (actually, a whole room), 3 meals a day, access to a hot shower, and washed my laundry. But none of that is what I will remember about them. What I will remember is the abundant joy Sandra, Andrea, and Nico lived with and the love they showed me. I never once felt uncomfortable around them – it truly was as though I were in my own home, with my own family. The very first day I spent with them, instead of
getting frustrated when I couldn’t understand what they were saying,
they would just giggle and find a way to help me understand. Language didn’t feel like much of a barrier. They looked words up in the dictionary, acted it out, drew pictures – one way or another, they found a way to communicate what they wanted to say. I was shocked at how much Spanish I learned in my time with them, but it was because they never gave up trying to communicate. They brought such joy to my time in Ecuador. After long days of work, I’d come back and be exhausted, but never ready to go to bed because I wanted to spend more time with them.
Going home to the family was actually something I looked forward to. By the end of the month, it was really hard to leave. I just wanted to take them all with me to the next country and do it all again. But, yet again, the Lord knows better than I do. As much as I miss them, I’m so excited to see how they all grow and change, and I’m excited for what God is doing in our team this month. Three of us girls are all staying together, and have been blessed again with a very loving host family. Yet, this month has such a different feel to it. While last month there was a lot of growth in us as individuals, I think this month is going to spark a big change in our team, and I can’t wait to tell you more of what is happening here in the next blog!
