here are 5 of my absolute favorite views that i get to look at everyday. i do believe a picture is worth 1000 words, but i won’t hold back from sharing WHY these views have become so much to me.
1. the kitchen.
the kitchen at our host family’s home has become the place of morning peace, afternoon chaos, and nightly conversation / dishwashing- karaoke
+ everything that comes with living in a group of 50. i’ve had some conversations on these kitchen floors that won’t be forgotten. on sunday mornings, this is my favorite spot. every team makes their breakfast in this kitchen and while it’s actually crazy, with our little family zooming around each other to reach for a croissant, i love it.
2. the daily walk to ministry
this view brings so much sense of comfort and excitement.
heading out to ministry in the morning with either groggy eyes or a weird amount of energy is the best. this is the time that our team has random deep conversations, and the time that we get to see the locals that we’ve become friends with nearby our house. i also love this view because i love what it leads to. working at Camp Hope has been 1000x what i expected, and i’ve learned something new everyday. the people (staff+students) we get to be with everyday make it easy to walk up and down these hills everyday.
3. walking up to a waterfall in Baños
((this was taken this week. we are 3 hrs from quito for one week to debrief month #1. ))
if you think this picture is beautiful- this view in person was actually breathtaking that i had to stop at this step. things like this are my fuel for my awe of Gods beauty. He is such an artist, and it doesn’t need words of praise- it just IS beautiful. if nature can reveal so much to us, and nature cannot speak, how much influence WE carry with words to speak and thoughts to share!
4. my squad. ah.
what an honor
this was before one of our morning sessions (teaching of day) at debrief. when i first got to this spot, tears started welling up and i had the ball in my throat that you get before you cry. being able to sit with these people, in this place, really i just have no words. no one is even paying attention or smiling in this picture, but they didn’t need to be. these people constantly show me the life jesus lived.
5. our team‘s bedroom.
first of all, WHAT ? ! ? that was my first reaction to having the worlds best bunk beds when i expected to be living in a tent the first month.
this beautifully messy room has become the place where i’ve gotten to know my team in all the ways only a family knows a person. here we’ve seen eachother in our 1 am sudden laughter (hehe oops) we‘ve heard and seen the weird (and borderline dangerous) sleep talking/walking habits of lexi, melissa, and kori. we’ve seen the monster/ bear that sophie is within the first 2 minutes of being woken up. here is also where we have had some of the hardest and most loving conversations with each other that have only pushed us to grow into who we actually are. here we’ve cried at our frustrations, and here we say something we’re grateful for every night before going to bed. i love this view because of the people that live in it.
I hope you enjoy these views and all they come with as much as i do. of course i could add a million more pictures, so i just might keep adding. my heart loves these views even more than my eyes do. i’ve said views about 32 times.
Lord thank you for what’s in front of me. thank you for showing me abundance in places that would usually go on as normal. help me remember that what you want for us is extraordinary, and that you are the one who puts the extra within the ordinary.
lots of love,
cami!
