Hi friends!
I am so grateful to be here in Quito, Ecuador! It has been 9 days since I’ve left good ol’ Texas and so much life has already been lived! I landed in Atlanta, Georgia on Wednesday, August 28th. From there, we shuttled to Gainesville and spent the next 3 days at the base of Adventures in Missions for training camp. Each day of training camp was centered around one of three pillars that AIM is founded on – Community, Intimacy, and Mission. Each day we sat through sessions teaching us about all of the things! It was also packed with team bonding and just so much fun! The only thing I didn’t ~love~ was that we took “bucket showers” which are just as glamorous as they sound (Thank the good Lord above that we have real showers here in Quito)! Also… porta-potties. But regardless, I’m thankful for the non-glamorous parts of this journey because my perspective is being changed! Less is more. Simple is good. The Lord is in it all and geeee He is good.
From training camp, we flew to Quito and arrived on Sunday evening / Monday morning. We took a big bus from the airport to where we are staying for the month! It is quite similar to the dorm life so I’m loving how close and cozy we all are! We have wonderful home hosts, Fabi and Mabi. We spent our first two days here just cleaning up around the house and helping Fabi with whatever he needed of us! Then on Wednesday, we had our first day working with Pan de Vida (Bread of Life). We spent the next two days cleaning up around the property and painting the cement walls with a fresh coat! We will return to Pan de Vida on Sunday to help out with their big feeding program. We will get to work in the kitchen preparing food, with the children’s services, with the adult services, or greet people as they arrive for registration. So basically, anybody who needs a meal can come to Pan de Vida for this program to worship, hear a message, and share a meal together! I’m excited to meet all these people and share in community! Today, I’m spending my “off” day to rest and catch up with loved ones over my McDonald’s happy meal. Processing this whole experience has been a lot, but I’m thankful for the support I’ve received from my family and friends, and my team! I am beyond thankful to be walking with the Lord here, and I can barely wait to jump into ministry next week!
I’ve been reading a book, Tattoos on the Heart by Gregory Boyle, and I love how poet Rumi writes, “Find the real world, give it endlessly away, grow rich flinging gold to all who ask. Live at the empty heart of paradox. I’ll dance there with you – cheek to cheek.” This is my hope and prayer for the rest of my time here in Ecuador, to dance with the people I meet where they’re at, cheeks pressed together, and hearts positioned towards the father. I’ve already gotten to live in a few of these moments. We met a little girl at Pan de Vida and played with her for a little while until she had to leave. Before saying bye to us, she went around the circle and squeezed us all tight. Then, she looked at us and held out her arms saying, “Todo en mis brazos!”. I imagine this is how Jesus did ministry. He seeks us out individually before embracing us all as a whole. He loves us all individually and specifically. He also loves us as a community, united as the body of Christ through Him.
Todo en los brazos de nuestro Salvador,
Kelsey
