“There is something about the way,
the street looks when it just rains,
there is a glow off the pavement” –Fearless (Taylor Swift)
This week felt as if it was two whole days. In every sense, it absolutely flew bye. A late nigh thunderstorm even rolled through one night!! It is officially the rainy season here in Ecuador. It rained on Wednesday for the first time since May. There is something peaceful about the sound and smell of the rain here. It truly does glow off the pavement. This week I’ve also felt as if I have gotten into a routine and finally started to settle down. Each day presents it’s own challenges, however each day this week felt very similar. This past week we continued to work at Camp Hope. Monday through Thursday I was in the JOY room. Each morning consisted of either PT or OT. I have the ability to do PT and OT exercises with my pals in this room. Each day was a different exercise with a different friend. Some of my teammates and I were talking about how its crazy that we are able to do PT/OT with very little direction. The nurses in our room keep a close eye on us, however it is still awesome!
Four years ago I began my freshman year at CSU, with the intent to be an OT one day. I began taking classes, that would lead me to a degree in Kinesiology. I was doing OT with one of the girls in the room on Wednesday, when life kinda hit me. I started laughing, I’ve learned more about OT/PT than I ever did in those three semesters in the span of a week and a half. One of my mottos of this semester was for the world to be my classroom and God to be my teacher. Let me tell you, this is so true. God is showing up in so many little ways, he truly is helping me take a stride to break the language barrier each day! To each person that prayed for this, thank you!! God is working!
Afternoons in JOY are my absolute my favorite. They are my favorite because that is when you see the true JOY of this room. Afternoons are full of rest and relaxation for everyone. From taking walks with the sweetest little boy, to sitting under a tree while they lay asleep in my arms, to having three of the most precious souls lay on you while you massage them into a state of relaxation. My love language is and always has been touch, so being able to love on them is not hard at all. It is something that I enjoy and cherish.
Friday afternoon, however was not full of rest and peace. I choose to clean on Friday. Working with my pal Lucia all morning was the greatest! It was mid-afternoon that I got approached in Spanish. All I knew was that I going to follow this lady and something she said had to do with a park. I was taken into a room and asked to take two kids to the front of the building. My level of confusion was at an all time high, I was so lost. Yet, so okay with going with the flow. I got to the reception area and found a fellow teammate who informed me that we were going to a park nearby. Y’all, a field trip!! I was so down and so pumped! We walked two blocks to a park and the excitement on the faces of everyone was evident. The students, the nurses and some of us literally had the time of our lives running around this park. The girl I was with wanted to run from one end of the park to another the entire time. It was not only the highlight of her week, but the highlight of mine. The happiness she got in the simple act of running, made me both laugh and tear up a little bit.
This week both challenged me and pushed me to spend more time with God. In previous weeks, I was waking up early and having intimate moments with God before the days begun. However, this week I decided to take a different approach to my personal intimacy with God. I still woke up and prayed and asked for guidance and direction throughout my day. However, I decided to move my quiet time to after we got home from ministry. I asked myself this question. Why not spend intimate moments with God when I am tired and worn out? I started to feel the fire of the Lord brewing inside of me since crawling to him when I am at my most worn out. I encourage all who are are feeling empty or not on fire for God, to try this! God wants us at all moments during our crazy lives, however he wants us even more when we are most exhausted and dragging!!
To all of you reading this, thank you. I ask for prayer for my team and for my squad! I ask for prayer that we continue to try and understand Spanish. I ask for prayer for all of my new pals I have meet at Camp Hope. I ask for prayer for Camp Hope and each child of God that they get to bless daily. I also ask for continued prayer for Pan de Vida and the work they are doing there. Thank you and God Bless.
-Ben
