We have been in Ecuador for three full days now but it feels like we have been here for weeks! After about 24 hours of traveling (if you want to read more about our travel adventures, check out Kate’s blog), we arrived in Lago Agrio, Ecuador around midnight on Saturday. On Sunday morning, we jumped right in to ministry and were informed that we would be preaching, sharing our testimonies, and my teammate Rose and I would be translating for all the church services. Honestly, I had a minor panic attack. I wasn’t ready for that quite yet! I mean, yeah, I know the Race is supposed to stretch me but it is only day 1 for crying out loud!!! Rose could tell I was freaking out and prayed over me. I am simply amazed at the sense of peace that can come just from seeking the Lord and trusting Him. I translated the service that night for my teammates and although I didn’t know every word, the Spirit put the words together so it made sense.
In between services on Sunday, we went to the park and played 3v3 basketball for like 2 hours! My team won four games in a row (mainly because the Pastor was on our team) and I didn’t get hurt either! Monday is the Sabbath for the Pastor and his family so we went to the market, took some fun pictures in a park in town, and then went on a hike in the Amazon and played with monkeys!! But that wasn’t even the best part of the day!
A few pictures from our afternoon in Lago Agrio and in the Amazon!
It was my night to help cook so I helped Sara (the Pastor’s wife) cook tortillas españolas (basically potatoes, onions, peppers, and egg). Anyone who knows my family knows that my mom cooks every day that ends in Y and usually that means one of us is helping too. What a joy it was to cook dinner with Sara and feel a little like I was at home. She is an excellent cook and a really good teacher. We laughed and joked and talked about cooking; she has such a beautiful and infectious laugh that you can’t help but feel joyful around her. I told her about how my mom loves to cook and how we have people over at our house all the time. She even asked me to teach her how to bake cookies! Not sure how it is going to happen without an oven but she said she could get one or something close enough! She told me that for her, cooking is a way to show love and that comes from the heart. I’ve thought about that and it made me realize that really everything we do should come from the heart. Colossians 3:23 says, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.” What a great reminder that no matter what I am doing, whether I’m cooking or singing or translating or taking out the trash, it is a privilege and blessing from the Lord!
We made two pans of the tortillas españolas and mine didn’t stick but hers did! She said it was because I threw my potatoes in the oil rather than gently placing them like she did! HA HA!
As for our ministry for the month, we are involved in every church service (they have four main services throughout the week and then several bible study type classes)…translating, preaching, sharing our testimonies, and eventually singing with their praise team. We will also be doing some visitations with people in the community and teaching English classes starting next week. It has been an incredible past couple of days and my Spanish is getting better and better. Please pray that my team would really pour into the people here and deepen our relationships with each other, with the Lord, the Pastor and his family, the church congregation, and the rest of Lago Agrio.
Thank you for all your prayers!!
Grace and peace,
Alyssa
P.S. Becky, we have a washing machine! We have to wash a little at a time and it takes about 5 hours for the cycle to finish completely but it is way better than having to beat it against rocks!! No dryer though of course! 🙂
