Hey everyone! Somehow or another I blinked and we landed in month 6. This life is crazy let me tell you. We are wrapping up our last weeks here in Ecuador and preparing to welcome our parents this weekend, eeeek!!! Let me keep it real with you, these months haven’t been easy. Spiritually, emotionally, and honestly even physically (the altitude here is insane) I’ve struggled here. I’ve struggled in my intimacy with the Lord, I’ve struggled with homesickness, I’ve struggled in ministry BUT as with almost any hard season it would be impossible to not recognize or remember the joy that I’ve found here. The other night my team and I sat down and wrote a list of all the good and funny and happy things that have happened here. Man did we laugh, and man was it a sweet reminder that even in this hard season there has been so much good to be thankful for. I don’t think there’s a more accurate way I can tell you about all the things I never want to forget than to just share this list with you. Some of it might not make a lick of sense, and some of it, well, might just sound downright silly, but I hope it shows you just a glimpse of the joy we’ve found here and I hope it reminds you that there’s ALWAYS something to smile about 🙂
1. We arrived to Ecuador early early in the morning and on our very first night in the house, we experienced an earthquake (hasn’t ever happened again, weird)
2. On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day we all brought different family traditions and did them together, we had KFC chicken and homemade pancakes in honor of my family, we read the Ragman on Christmas morning in honor of Sarah’s family, and we popped a makeshift Christmas cracker in honor of Shelby’s family AND we had a candlelight Christmas Eve service as a squad
3. We all bought $5 Christmas hats on the street and wore them for a family Christmas picture
4. Morgan McCrary gave Alex a pair of mesh speedos for his Secret Santa gift
5. We all sang Good Grace together while streaming the passion conference as we rung in the New Year, the song that somehow became our squad anthem at training camp
6. I got trapped on a trampoline in the pitch dark after 2 horses charged at me
7. We got to wrap hundreds of Christmas presents together while we listened to our favorite Christmas music
8. We played an intense game of soccer with the kids from Dunamis
9. Our ministry host treated us to Pollo Campero (the closest thing to CFA) on our first day of ministry
10. Our AWESOME coaches rented us a party bus at mid point debrief and we literally danced the night away
11. We got lost on public transport on our second day of ministry
12. Our ministry coordinator Jeff always sharing our lunch chips with us
13. An unnamed team member pooped her pants while our team washed dishes
14. Almost 20 clinic trips with my teammates
15. Late night giggles and sweet talks with Karson, Shelby and Sarah
16. Karson and I going to a random gas station by ourselves at 5am because we were locked out of the house
17. Waiting in an insane PAPA JOHNS line for 50 cent slices of pizza
18. Mabe and Fabi’s Monday night soup
19. Elf drinking (hot chocolate) game for team time
20. Doing snow angels with Sarah in donated bags of clothes
21. Alegria giving me her very first wave
22. CORFU ICECREAM
23. Eating the goooood bread rolls for every single meal while we stayed at Dunamis
24. Adding mustard to anything and everything to add flavor
25. Accidentally buying slightly inappropriate shaped balloons for Graces half birthday
26. Boys (Jack) making us cinnamon rolls and biscuits and gravy on Christmas morning
27. Movie nights in “Jodi’s room”
28. Fabe’s Hummus (NOTHING beats it) and him making us hummus sandwiches when he knew Id had a tough day (that’s love)
29. Everyone asking for peanut butter money on their stories because it cost almost 15 freaking dollars here
30. Helping (hanging out with) Mabe and Fabi with dinner
31. Secret dominos trips with Braeden
32. Lucy always saying “cho” and “chicas!”
33. Diarrhea
34. Guys making us breakfast and washing our feet on Valentines Day
35. Gas truck song….
36. Supermaxi snacks (Apple Powerade, grandma candies, rice cakes, sour cream and onion ruffles, 80 cent ice cream sandwiches)
37. Started a squad yearbook with Sarah and Emma
38. Carol and I pretending to be a two headed dragon and nobody thinking it was funny
39. Squad worship on Monday nights (my favorite)
40. Making 100 too many cookies at Pan de Vida on complete accident
41. Worshiping in the Paris airport on our way to Quito
42. Never eating any dairy
43. Being called “the other Elizabeth” when Colby and I both had to go to the clinic
44. Headbanging at midnight in the Dunamis field with Alex, Will and Colby
45. Finding an amazing Mexican restaurant the last week (…) with Emma and Colby
46. Wine (pink tea) nights with my team
47. Sunny always getting out of the gate at the house
48. Sarah acting a fool because “we’ll never see them again” right….
49. My favorite Pan de Vida beneficiary always letting me hold her little bitty fresh baby
50. A bigillion ice cream dates with Colby (Corfu is better than Crepes and Waffles)
