In just a few days I’ll be starting month 10 of my World Race. I can barely believe it. So as I sit here in Ecuador I’ve been reflecting on the past few months of my life.
To start off, Ecuador was pretty rough for me.
If you don’t follow me on Facebook or Instagram, you should, but I have been effected negatively by elevation sickness as in I can’t seem to get enough oxygen into my lungs. I went to the hospital the middle of the month and got some muscle relaxers and an inhaler, which has been a big help, as well as the prayers you guys have sent over. Thank you so much!
Being on the Equator the sun is pretty brutal. You think you’ll be okay because it’s a beautiful day and it’s nice and cool outside. No. You will fry. You won’t be able to tell the difference between yourself and a lobster. Sunscreen is my new best friend. As well as aloe vera gel. I got a tan though, that’s a plus.
The equator was pretty cool though, and learning about traditional Ecuadorian culture.
I almost drowned, so that’s crazy. We went white water rafting while in Banos for debrief. My first and last time ever. Those rapids were insane. I prayed and pleaded with God for my life for the last half of the trip. I guess you can say I’m trying to be more adventurous.
And some pretty rough spiritual warfare has been eating at me. I feel guilty for not recognizing it sooner. I went the past 3 weeks feeling irritated, tired, grumpy, anxious, rude, and it stole a lot of my joy and fun from this month. So I’ve been trying to be on guard and attentive to my surroundings. I have no idea why this month I was such a target for the enemy’s attacks, but I must’ve been doing something right for the Devil to get me to stop.
But now we will reflect on all the good that has happened this month.
We started out by flying into Ecuador because of tensions at the land border. I’ll take a flight over bus ANY day. We headed straight up the mountains and for 4 days we helped out a ministry called Dunamis. It is a safe home for girls rescued out of sex trafficking. We helped take care of the community by picking up trash along the road and then fixing the road itself. The family who oversaw the ministry were so incredible and welcomed us in like their own. They were so sarcastic and funny that it was like a breath of fresh air, I felt like I could be myself there.
There was also a Gap Squad there for the month, it was neat to be able to talk with them and pour into them as well. Their alumni squad leaders were so awesome, we invited them to dinner to give them some “adult time” and pray for them.
So while 11 of us were there, the rest of the squad was at PVT (parent vision trip). It’s a week where parents of Racers can come out and see them and do ministry together. It’s a great time of bonding and adventure and fun.
I loved my time up at Dunamis. I felt so happy and healthy. It was absolutely gorgeous, and we worked our butts off. If we stayed the whole month I’m sure we’d come back ripped.
From there we headed to Banos, a beautiful tourist city for debrief. Our OG squad leader Carson, our amazing coaches and super cool squad mentor all came out and it was such a good time of rest and intimacy with the Lord. We reflected on the past few months and talked a lot about finishing strong. The next time we see them will be at our final debrief. Crazy.
After that we made our way back to Quito, about 40 minutes from the city tucked away in the country. Funny story, our host was actually in the states at the time. We did all our communication through facetime. We lived in their house, and his brother lived on the floor below us. So he became like a co-host. His family was super sweet and helped us out any way they could.
Our ministry this month was teaching English at the local elementary school, and just playing with the kids. We had a pretty chill couple weeks here, so it gave us time to pray for the ministry and community and serve our hosts better.
These kids were super cute and fun though.
Ecuador went by fast, but it was a very full month, so we stayed busy!
I’ll miss the beauty of this country, and the wonderful people we met.
