Let’s just take a little trip back in the past. Remember all those times that I switched my route time and time again? All those times that I became frustrated and embarrassed of how nothing was working out. Of how the 11 month route was the one I was determined to go on? Yet with all the struggles I decided to change to the month long passport trip instead. Man that was a crazy time.
Flash forward
July 2nd
All day I was receiving and sending messages and snapchats to the people I had yet to meet in person. I left home and flew out of Cinci airport and arrived in Atlanta around 12:10pm. Immediately after landing I received messages asking if I was here, four of my squad mates greeting me just outside baggage claim. (Not the official meeting place for pickup) we greet another member as she arrived and we begin to try and navigate to where we are suppose to go…it took a while. Immediately as we wait for our vans, our group, those of us traveling to Ecuador, were filled with conversations and laughs. You can say we were “…clicking.” The other half of our squad we met at AIM home base, where training was being held.
My squad: let me just start by saying wow. I have never experienced a group like this one. Immediate friendship was formed. We got DEEP fast and icebreakers for us weren’t needed. I understood now that this is the one, this is the trip that God wanted me on. Being with these people remind me of my home away from home and all the people I met there. It’s a similar feeling that I didn’t think I’d feel again for a while. I guess it could be described as a feeling of freedom, peace.
July 3rd
What we’ve done/living conditions until we fly out.
I woke up and was out the door by 6:30am for a run. (I was planning on beating the heat….right…the humidity was already up to 93% and 74 degrees) it was still refreshing and beautiful….SO MUCH RED DIRT!!! Anyway, you could probably imagine my need for a shower. What you didn’t know is that Showers here consist of a 5 gallon bucket that you fill up with cold water and you use a cup to help soap up and rinse off…Yay bucket showers! ( but really with the heat it’s actually very refreshing)
Our sleeping condition: we all receive mattresses that are 3-4inches thick (just barely thicker than CYO camp’s) and we laid them out in our main building that we use for worship and sessions. (Note, I almost stepped on multiple people as I tried to navigate out the door this morning)
Bathrooms: lovely porter potties and outdoor portable sink stations.
Food: The food has been sooo good! So far nothing too crazy.
Sessions: Talking about mission and what exactly that means. Talking safety, expectations, Faith, and anything else we may encounter.
Team-building: I found the low challenge course on my run… this place is familiar to me because it’s so similar to camp Life.
Currently we have participated in the Helium Hoop and Magic Carpet….I have to tell you, keeping your mouth shut while participating is hard. But my processing skills were on point.
July 4th
Another run, another bucket shower.
American food to celebrate the 4th. That being said my dinner consisted of a lettuce and tomato sandwich. (If you know me, this was very hard to eat)
Today we received the surprise of team building at the lake. We went swimming, we played soccer, exploring Olympic tower area and so much bonding. Once we came back we worshipped and really dug deep in our faith.
July 5th
Last day of TC and really we cannot believe how our trip would have gone without these past few days of bonding.
Tomorrow we will leave for the airport at 6am. This awesome Ecuador crew that I am on will not be flying until the afternoon, but that’s fine, we make the best of every situation.
July 6
TRAVEL DAY!
Hello 4:20am wakeup. We left around 6am after cleanup and arrived at the airport around 7:30am. Our flight doesn’t leave until 6:30pm. Who knew spending an entire day could be so much fun. I spent my day in conversation, worship, and filling out a last minute job application for an opportunity that showed up on Wednesday.
As of current, it is 6:16pm, we are sitting at our gate waiting for the weather to clear and hoping that we will not have a long delay. We are all in high spirits and we all enjoy the company that we provide for each other. (The flight is 5.5 hours)
ECUADOR HERE WE COME!
God is preparing awesome things in front of us. So much has happened in this week, if you are interested in knowing more of the deep please feel free to reach out! Thank you all for the Prayers and Support!
