(DISCLAIMER–I had pictures of each one of the Purdy family members but my phone was stolen shortly after leaving them! sorry for the lack of pictures, if you are really curious what they look like feel free to creep on their facebook pages! ;)… )
Who are the Purdy’s and why am I writing an entire blog about them? Well my answer is easy… their hospitality and love have been a blessing beyond what I could have ever asked for. Each person in the family is so unique and important to my journey so instead of just introducing them as a group I would like to introduce them individually as well.
First, to give a little background, the Purdy family is from the United States and had no intentions of leaving until God called them to Banos, Ecuador. They left the U.S about 9 months ago to live, grow, and minister within the city and surrounding areas. Since being in Ecuador they have felt called to open a hostel and share the gospel with travelers from around the world. A big part of this calling is patience. They have spent much of their time in Banos praying and waiting on the Lord. Because, yes, sometimes God calls us and then it takes what seems like forever to get the ball rolling.
While we were in the city the Purdy’s offer on a building was denied but this only pushed them further toward Christs direction as they are now looking into fixing up an apartment and renting it out as an air bnb.. it’s always funny how God’s plan seems to redeem our attempted ideas. So the Purdy’s are committed to staying in Banos for as long as the Lord asks of them. To say I respect this family is an understatement. They gave up everything in order to follow the Lord, with that comes rewards but also a lot of challenges. Please hold this family up in your prayers and if you would like to donate to their mission let me know!
Let the introductions begin!!!
Before you realize how long this blog is and you lose interest, I must introduce Ms. Quinley. This little beauty is originally from Ethiopia. She was adopted into the Purdy family when she was very young. Q (As I call her) quickly became one of my best friends. I am pretty sarcastic so when I say keeping up with her sarcasm was a task… I mean it. This 9yr old had some serious sass and I loved every second of it. Her and I spent countless hours playing card games and talking about what we wanted to be when we grew up. She wants to be a dancer or a singer and would love to work with children’s ministry. Q has such a servant’s heart as she was always lending a helping hand. We went out to eat with the family one night and she was back in the kitchen helping serve! I have learned how to serve others well through Q, a lesson I was so blessed to learn along side such a pure heart. I miss her dearly.
Donna Purdy (Momma Purdy)!!!!!!!!!!
The biggest most impactful thing I have learned from Donna is the love she has for her husband. This woman has given up everything and followed her husband to a country where they can’t even speak the language. She is hosting people frequently, cooking constantly and making time for her husband always. Something I love about Donna and Sterling is that they spend most mornings drinking coffee together just being in the presence of one another. I hope to honor my husband and my family in the way Donna does so that I may walk fully in the role God has called me to within marriage.
Next we have Sterling!!!!
Sterling was literally driving us everywhere. He drove us around town, up into the mountains, out to the waterfalls, into Ambato and then Quito when Joshua broke his arm. He helped carry huge jugs of water up to our apartment and also took us out for some bomb cheese/tortilla thingy’s. He went with us to play basketball and soccer with the youth and was just so present throughout our time in Banos. He could have just left us to ourselves but he made sure that we were taken care of and even went out of his way to make sure he was along for the ride. It’s so easy for me to fall back and it was so inspiring to see him constantly stepping forward. I have learned so much through Sterling and am more than thankful for his willingness to deal with our mess!
And then there was Hayes!
Hayes is the son of Donna and Sterling. This kid was hilarious. I immediately was drawn to his obvious sarcasm and great taste in music/tv show’s (NF/Brooklyn Nine Nine all the way). One of my favorite things about Hayes was the wisdom he carried. We could carry on conversation for days about different parts of scripture and how to apply it! He definitely challenged me in the word, causing me to dig deeper into why I believe what I believe.
Introducing Ms. Bella Purdy!
She is young, she is beautiful, she loves Jesus and she is single, Ayyo! Bella, oh where to begin. This girl walked with me (literally) through some trying times on the race. She was a listening ear and someone that I could just do life with. A normal person with normal conversation. She left all of her friends and abandoned all normalcy when she followed her family to Banos. Having no friends around that know your heart can be quite difficult, take it from a world racer. The time we had together was so refreshing. We were pushing each other toward Jesus in so many different aspects of life that it just became a natural thing. I admire her for dropping everything and following her family, I admire her for fighting through the loneliness and for seeking the Lord first. This girl is a beautiful soul and I am lucky to call her friend.
