It seems like yesterday I was saying goodbye to my family and friends as I hopped on a plane to begin this thing called the World Race. Yet here I am, looking at a blank Word document wondering how to recap what happened this past month in 600 words or less. Where did the time go? What happened? What impact did I have in Ecuador? What impact did Ecuador have on me?
Honestly, I don’t think I’ll be able to answer all those questions for a long time. But I can try and give you a glimpse of what happened during my time in the beautiful country of Ecuador
Ministry
We did so many different things with ministry. From sharing testimonies at small groups to building a roof to helping other missionaries reach Ecuador to building relationships with the jovenes (youth) of the church.
I know for me personally, one of my favorite “ministries” this month was hanging out with Jonathan, a young adult at the church. When we first met him, it seemed like every other word he said was “chevere,” which is “awesome” in español, but after hanging out with him after church the first Sunday, we realized he’s a kid with a genuine heart and a great love for the Lord. We saw him several times a week, joked with him, and got to just spend time with him. Our last day in El Carmen involved Jonathan driving us to the River Cajones where we could swim and relax for the afternoon.
Life at Home
Our ministry contacts this month were beyond awesome. They loved us unconditionally and made sure we were always comfortable. We had beds to sleep in and delicious food for every meal. However, I think the best part about our contacts was that they let us into their lives. We had the opportunity to live life with them and enjoy their company every day. I think a good example is how we would joke with them. They taught us great things like saying “de nalgas” (your buttocks) instead of “de nada” (you’re welcome). All in all, Elmer, Carmen, Kristal, and Jacob were probably my favorite part of the month.
Fun
Let’s see here. I saw the Equator, went to a carnival, ate sketchy street food, and rode bumper cars. In the jungle we got to swing on a rope swing in a nearby river after nearly dying during daily construction. We ate a ton of “squeaky cheese,” which is this weird tasting cheese they put in everything and store in big buckets full of water. We went to soccer tournaments, youth celebrations, and an anniversary party. Us guys went and played pool in a local pool hall one night (they are everywhere). And I got to experience the craziness of a 3rdworld country with my team. Life is always full of laughs when you don’t know the language and are in a completely different culture.
Personal Life
I came into this month expecting to be a super missionary and do everything possible, but God took that away from me pretty quickly. I processed so much this month in terms of what my role was on this trip and what constitutes “ministry.” There were definitely times when I was frustrated because I couldn’t really do anything except observe. Thankfully, God is good and taught me so much about myself and what my ministry can look like. This trip is all about sharing the love of Christ, not about how many houses you can build or how many people you can convert. And I’m glad I began to figure this out month one and not month ten. Of course, it is still a daily battle in my life to know the best way to serve God everyday, but that’s why I’m on the race, isn’t it?
By the Numbers
Hopefully all of that gave you an idea of what went down in Ecuador, but sometimes it’s fun to see a more statistical look of a month. So check it out:
- Number of different places I slept: 5 (hotel, hostel, apartment, house with mosquito net, church floor)
- Different types of transportation: 10 (shuttle, airplane, bus, car, taxi, ranchero, truck, motorcycle, chitty chitty bang bang car, panamobile)
- Cities I visited: 8 (Miami, Quito, El Carmen, Valle Del Sade, Bramadora, El Reten, Portoviejo, El Rais)
- Number of rice shapes I ate: 4 (Pyramid, cone, inner tube, half circle)
- Number of small groups we went to: 12
- Number of Interventions we witnessed: 1
- Number of ice cream bars I ate at one time: 3 (each was only a quarter!)
- Number of baptisms in random park ponds: 1
- Most plates of rice I ate in one sitting: 4
- Number of times I risked getting sick by eating street food: 8
