So asking for help is not something I’m very good at but here it goes.
This month I am living in Baños, Ecuador with our sweet host family, Antonia, Maria and the kiddos. So far our schedule includes some manual labor and spending time with families and other believers each night.
Last night we went to two houses. At the first house we started off our time together with a skit, then my friend Andre shared a message from the Bible and then my teammates and I shared testimonies of how God has changed our lives through the people we’ve met over the past months. We ended up eating a delicious meal together, having conversations in broken Spanish, and playing games!!
The next house we went to was a family of Venezuelans. For those of you that don’t know, their is a lot of unrest in their country and has been for years now. I’ve been informed that prices have gone up in drastic measures, people have to wait in line for days to get essentials like food and toilet paper. Their is violence and lots of corruption so people are constantly leaving and going to different countries with families and friends. I’m thankful we had the privilege of spending time with a family from there that made it to Ecuador safely.
Our time together consisted of the same things that we did at the first house. We also ended up singing some kid songs in Spanish and then a few English songs for the adults. We laughed a lot, ate a ton, and had excellent convos about Jesus! Last night filled me up so much!
Just a couple hours ago as I was walking from the gym to the town square, I ran into a really neat older gentleman. He complemented me on my workout gear and asked me what sports I play. Long story short, he was originally from Jamaica and has been living in Ecuador for 30 years. I ended up running into him again later in the day and I felt that nudge to sit and talk to him about what I’m doing in Ecuador and whatever he wanted to know about Jesus. We talked for a while. His story is incredible. I met some of his friends who were both from Spain. We talked about Europe and more about the Race. I enjoyed our conversations very much!
But the point of this blog is that I want to do more for these people that I’m meeting. I want to bless them, the families, the travelers, the locals… all of them. I would love to take them out for coffee and/or food. If other needs are their, I desire to bless them in bigger ways as well.
I spent 1 year fundraising for this trip which included things life travel, food, money for our hosts, and lodging. Before leaving for the Race I worked and saved up the amount that was recommended for extra things but South America is a lot more expensive than expected. Not going to lie, I’ve also gone on quite a few adventures and hope to do a few more here in Ecuador and Colombia.
Though this is hard for me to do, I’m asking for help. If it is put on anyone’s heart to give in any way it would be incredibly appreciated. It’s honestly really humbling asking for help. Lol
If you end up donating, please let me know what you’d like your money to go towards and I’ll make sure to take pictures and send them your way.
Thank you to everyone who has been cheering me on and supporting me. You are as much a part of this journey as I am. Without your help I wouldn’t be here and all that has happened in the past 10 months would not have taken place without you.
Thank you!
Sending love your way from Ecuador.
If you feel led to donate you can do so through my Venmo or PayPal account.
Venmo – Caleigh-Schuur
PayPal – [email protected]
