First of all, I’m so sorry for how long it took me to write and post this. The last few weeks have been crazy.
Leaving Africa was hard. We were in Malawi for twice as long as we had ever been somewhere, and it was hard to say bye to the people that we had become such good friends with. Arriving in Ecuador was completely insane, and so cold after coming from Africa. We had a three day conference with two other squads called The Awakening, and it was so epic. There was another Gap Year squad that left the same time we did, and a 11n11 Fusion squad of older racers that were only finishing their second month. It was so cool to talk to the other Gap Year squad and compare our months and have someone else there to understand what it was like this far into the race, with home so close. It was also really cool to talk with older racers who were in the beginning of their journey. We were able to share with them how much the Lord has worked in our lives, our biggest heart changes, some of the craziest times, and some of the hard times. It was such a great time of community and sharing stories of how good the Lord is.
For ministry this country, we are working at an after school program for older kids in the morning, and little kids in the afternoons. Since I hardly speak any Spanish, it’s a little rough sometimes to communicate. Because of that, we have found our own different ways of blessing them, even if it’s not helping the kids with their spanish homework. We garden, we wash dishes, we clean the buildings, decorate the classroom, and are currently painting three murals on the walls outside. Sometimes it is hard to do ministry though. It’s rough for us to communicate, they normally don’t actually have much for us to do anyway, and the kids run around so much that we can’t keep up with them.
In an exciting turn of events, my parents are coming to see me next week! All of our parents are coming down for 6 days to do ministry with us, explore the city with us, and basically just see how we live. I’m so excited to see my parents, and sing ministry with them is going to be so cool. We are going to have some amazing worship every night, and so much fun exploring the city during our off time.
Please be praying for them as all of the parents are traveling, and that they will be open to how the Lord with grow and use them in the few days they are here. Please pray for my ministry, that we will be able to really make a lasting difference to them. Pray for everyone on my squad as we are starting to think about what coming home will look like, and all of the stress that comes with that. Be praying that the Lord speaks through us to our parents and that they will be able to learn from the time they are here.
Thank you all for your support and prayers, I feel like I say this at the end of every blog, but I honestly love and appreciate every single one of you that read my blog, reach out to me, and pray for me. It means so much to know that I’m not forgotten, and I cannot wait to get coffee or a meal and catch up with all of you when I get back! See you in 72 days!
