We made it to Ecuador!
After a long 36 hour bus ride, stops at customs and border patrol we made it to our host for the month. This month is all squad month which means all 54 of us are under the same roof! This gives us the opportunity to bond, grow and deepen relationship with my squad mates; however each team is serving with a different ministry throughout the city of Quito, Ecuador.
Host Parents: Mabe and Fabe
House Rules:
-Choose Joy
-Love Covers All
-Give 110%
-Challenge By Choice
-Be Here Now
Ministry: Covi, before and after school program for children 12 and under
Location: Quito, Ecuador
Elevation: 8,000 feet
Weather: Sunny and 65 most days with occasional afternoon showers
Currency: US Dollar
Current Events: The elections of their new presidency happened this past weekend!
This month’s goal: Finding my identity in Him, learning to be authentic and finding my voice.
After a long month of evangelizing, I had prayed for some type of ministry that included kids! Well I got it! We are working with a before and after school program for kids that come from different types of background. Tamara is in charge of the kids and Maria is the chef.
Established in 2006, Covi is ran by two beautiful women: Tamara and Maria. Some come from drug abuse, some single parent, some low income families- the program is government funded which provides the kids with snack and lunch.
I was really excited to be at this ministry. Day one come and when we get there we were given the task to sweep the walkways, sweep leaves, pick weeds, haul wheel barrows of dirt and compost… where did the kids come in? Did I mention I also prayed for manual labor? I quickly learned to be careful what I prayed for because God is a faithful and comes through on his promises.
I was given the task of moving piles of weeds and dirt. So I stand in front of this beeping pile of dirt without gloves and dig in. In that moment I was definitely waiting on the Lord
“What are you trying to teach me moving this dirt?”
My hands quickly became dirty, I made the mistake of sticking my hands in an ant pile so my eager spirit to learn what God was trying to teach me quickly became irritation.
Throughout the day as the piles got smaller the Lord revealed something to me. I stared at my dirt covered hands, He told me: my life without out him is just as dirty. It’s easy to go through life dependent on ourselves, but its dirty. It is messy.
We did get the chance to play with the kids in the afternoon, all 35 of them and it brought such joy to my heart. However, it took a “dirty” heart check in the morning before I was able to sit in God’s grace and find joy in the task He had given me for the month.
I am excited to walk with Him as I journey through the rest of this month.
