Quick Update before the real story: We made it to Quito, Ecuador! It’s all squad month so all 26 of us are staying in a big ministry house called Casa Blanca. Our host mom and dad are Mabe and Fabi. They are incredibly loving and treat us like their own kids. Fabi makes us breakfast every morning and a bag lunch to take to our ministry. It’s precious.
Each of the four teams in our squad are serving at different ministries. Our ministry is Pan de Vida (Bread of Life). It’s a food distribution ministry that provides meals to those in need two days a week, as well as a kids ministry several afternoons a week. My team was under the impression that we would be doing a lot of food prep this month. We were very wrong.
We have been helping a family rebuild their home. A family consisting of a mom and dad, their 6 kids, and 4 grandkids all lived together. Their home burned down 3 months ago and in the process of trying rebuild their home, the father died suddenly and unexpectedly of stomach cancer. It is heartbreaking to hear their story, but it’s so cool to get to rebuild their house alongside them.
Each day my team leaves our house right after breakfast and takes a bus to their home. We spend all day digging fence post holes, building the walls for their home, digging their sewer, and finishing their cement floors. It is definitely not easy. We are all incredibly exhausted by the end of the day. The work is so rewarding though. I just love that the family works alongside us. They are so thankful for the help but they also aren’t afraid to pick up a shovel and dig a fence post hole with us. I can’t wait to show you all the finished product!!!
Ok, now for the story: First, some background info – When I started the World Race I was incredibly skeptical of anyone who tried to help us. I feel like due to some past experiences I assumed the worst in people and never trusted their motives.
Fast forward to now. Each day on our way to ministry we take a bus (sometimes multiple buses). I’m pretty good with directions and I can speak some Spanish so I’ve been helping my team get around the city. The bus system here in Quito is semi organized, but mostly chaos. The bus drivers don’t announce where you are at each stop so it’s hard to know when to get off the bus if you don’t already know what the bus stop looks like. God has been challenging the skeptic in me because each time we get on a bus I pray that the Lord would send someone to help us figure out when to get off. The Lord always provides someone. Sometimes people are so kind that they go out of their way to make sure we not only get off at the right stop but also catch our next bus.
The other day we had to get from Casa Blanca (our home for the month) to the work site (in a very small town called Cocotog). It was our first day attempting to get there by bus, and Fabi, our host dad explained that we should take 2 buses and explained where to catch them.
With the help of a few kind strangers we made it on the first bus. We got off at the right stop and walked to catch the next bus. Everything was going as planned. At the next bus stop I asked a few people standing around which bus we needed to catch to get to Cocotog (the small town where the construction site is). One lady looked at me funny and was like, “There are no buses to Cocotog from here. You have to go to a different terminal and catch a bus from there.” A couple other people had never heard of Cocotog before, so that was encouraging lol.
I prayed and asked God to either send the right bus to us, or send us someone who could help. A couple more buses came and each time I would ask the driver if they were going to Cocotog and each time they either shook their head or looked at me like I was crazy. Finally this random dude on the side of the road came up and was like, “You need to get to Cocotog? I’m not sure how to get there, but I will help you.” He then proceeded to hail every single bus that went by (this is a busy 3 lane highway) and ask every driver how to get to Cocotog. He talked to several different bus drivers and then came back and was like, “Ok I have a plan!” He then hailed a smaller bus and told us to get on.
We got on the bus and a different man came up to me and asked where we needed to go. I explained and was like, “Please help us. We have no idea what we are doing.” He laughed and agreed. Eventually the bus pulled off and he got off the bus with us and pointed out where we needed to go to catch the last bus to Cocotog. We crossed the highway and the very next bus to come our way was on its way to Cocotog.
I just love the fact that God literally guides us right to where we need to be. I feel like he just connects the dots perfectly and places people in our path who are so incredibly kind. It has been so cool to be on a crowded bus (and I’m talking cheek to cheek) and just look around and wait for God to highlight our next guide. I’ll make eye contact with someone and God’s like yep he/she’s the one!
It’s such an exercise of trust everyday, but it’s so fun! We have met some really cool people!
God is healing the inner skeptic in me. I’m still very aware of our surroundings, making sure all my zippers are zipped and my backpack is in the front. I still find myself turning around a lot to see if anyone is following us. But something is changing inside of me. I feel like I no longer assume the worst in people. Instead I look for the goodness. Not everyone is out to get me or rip me off. Most people are just going about their life, and are more than happy to help.
So that about sums up our first week here in Quito! Thanks for your prayers! I also have less than $1,000 to go until I am fully fund-raised! WAHOOO! I am continuing to trust that God will provide. Love you all!
