Entirely too many tears have been shed tonight by both my team and our contacts, but they were well deserved. Today marked the end of our first month on the World Race and I am definitely not ready to move on. The people of Ecuador have captured my heart and I wish we could stay here longer. These people have been too kind to us and if every month is even remotely like this, I’m going to come home an emotional wreck. Our church has shown us a kind of hospitality that I have never seen before and they are too kind. For our last night, they threw us a surprise party where they danced for us, sang for us, washed our feet, and showed us so much love that I will never be able to forget them.
Our church has treated us like family since day one, and I am not even a little ashamed to say that everyone on my team ugly cried when it came time to leave. These people are such an example of what the Church should be and I am so blessed to have been able to meet them and learn from them. They have given me so much more than I can ever even begin to repay and I just cannot say enough about how much of a blessing they have been to me and my team. They have touched my heart and I know that I will see them again.
Two women have really touched my heart this month, and I am so sad to have to say goodbye to them. I only got to talk to each of the a handful of times, but they just stood out to me so much and I can't explain why. I think it has to do with the fact that they both remind me a lot of my own mom, which automatically makes them great in my book.
The first lady is Anita.
She is such a mom at heart and I'm glad that I got meet her. She treated my whole team like we were her own children, even though she just met us. She made sure we each had money to put in the offering when we didn't have any cash, she always made us feel welcome, she welcomed us into her home, and we are all so blessed to have met her. She is one of the sweetest ladies ever and I'm going to miss her.
The second lady is Patty.
This woman is a true woman of God and I am better for having met her. She does so much for other people without asking for anything and I just loved getting to know a little bit about her. She has such a good heart and one of the most beautiful families I have ever met and she holds them together because she is such a strong woman. She has inspired me and I will miss her so much.
Ecuador has been so good to me and my team and I am so sad to have to say goodbye. It has set the bar very high for the next ten months and I am excited to see what comes in Peru next month!
