Thank you everyone for your prayers as I traveled to Portoviejo, Ecuador. Although I arrived here safely, it was not uneventful! (My first country was changed from Peru to Ecuador.)
The adventure began at 11pm on January 9th when my squad and I “slept” (but didn’t really sleep) at the Atlanta airport, awaiting an early morning flight. My team left at 6am and began our strange flight schedule from Atlanta to New York, then to Miami, then to Quito, Ecuador. We landed in Ecuador at 8pm where we waited for our ministry contact. Around 10pm our ministry host came to show us the way to Portoviejo. We started off on a bus which then dropped us off at another bus station around 11pm. Then we realized that we needed to get to another bus station by midnight in order to catch the long bus ride to Portoviejo. The bus station we were at didn’t have a bus that would get us where we needed to be by 12 and the busses stop running at that time. We were all extremely tired at that point and couldn’t stop laughing at the thought of spending our first night of ministry at the bus station. We decided that if we took a taxi we might make it on time. The 8 of us (my teammates, one of our squad leaders, and our guide) crammed into two taxis with our bags, hoping to get to the next bus station on time. Even though our taxi driver didn’t know we were in a hurry, he sure drove like he knew, weaving in and out of cars and paying no attention to traffic signs and signals. Once both taxis arrived, it was already midnight so we took off in the direction of the bus! I was lugging about 75 pounds of stuff on me, as was everyone else. Our laugher, regarding how ridiculous we looked, quickly turned into panting. The image of the 7 of us running, more like waddling for a half mile, is one I won’t forget. Thankfully, the bus was running a little behind schedule and we made it!!
I thought I might get some much needed sleep during the next 7 hours on a comfortable coach bus, but NOPE. I was continuously whipped back and forth and up and down from my seat. I don’t know how I didn’t throw up; I don’t know how we didn’t end up going over a cliff; and I don’t know how we finally made it to Portoviejo, because it felt like we drove in circles the whole time. Finally, we made it to our host, Percy’s, house and were told that church began in a couple hours. At this point, I’ve slept maybe 6 hours in the past 48 hours; I’m still extremely nauseous from the bus ride; I’m hungry; I’m dehydrated; and I feel extremely gross. Church was the last place my flesh wanted to be. It was then that God started to reveal something to me.
I had a choice. I could give into the negative feelings of discomfort; however, I chose to praise God for each circumstance. I praised God for keeping us safe, for the laughter that came from the crazy situations, for my teammates whom I already love, and for the ministry we have and the honor of serving. Most of all, I praised God for being there every step of the way. This doesn’t mean that I didn’t let some complaints slip out, but it does mean that I realized I can make the most of every situation I am in–whether good or bad–over the next 11 months instead of being miserable.
I know it won’t be easy, but I am going to choose to find Jesus in every situation.
“I lift my eyes up to the mountain — where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip — he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord watches over you — the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm — he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore” Psalm 121.
I am currently 75% funded!! Thank you so much for those of you who have made this trip possible. I am eternally grateful.
