HI!
Wow! It feels so good to finally be able to update all of you sweet people!
We arrived in Quito on Sunday and have been settling into all of the new-ness!
The first two days, we worked around the house we are living in and we are so blessed to have the sweetest host serving us and loving on us!
The past two days, we have been working with a ministry called Pan de Vida (Bread of Life!!!) and i just love their mission! Each Wednesday and Sunday, they hold programs that consist of a worship service and then they provide a meal for everyone that attends. Sunday will be the first day we get to be apart of the program and i am so excited!
However, the Lord has already been teaching me so much just through working and preparing the ministry for these programs!
Something that really inspired me about this ministry and the intentionality that each of the workers possess to engage with the Lord and welcome His presence into the place. We were cleaning chairs and tables up and our leader, Jeff, asked us to pray over each chair and table individually and for the people that would sit in those chairs.
It really opened my eyes to the fact that i can be so bad at being intentional with the Lord in my everyday life! Yes, He is always there with me no matter if we acknowledge it or not, but when we stop and invite Him into our day or into our conversations or just simply pray over a chair a stranger will be sitting in, it makes His presence that much more special and really opens up the ears of our hearts to hear Him which is so beautiful! It is a prayer of mine that i would focus on being intentional in engaging with Him in even the smallest of things because it really does make a BIG difference!
The Lord has also showed up through sweet texts from family and friends and photos on my phone from years ago! Since i do not have access to wifi, i like to just look through old photos some days!
Last night, i started to worry a little bit about if this is where i am really supposed to be and got a little overwhelmed by the fact that i am 100% adulting for the first time in a foreign country! Which is totally silly of me because the Lord has worked everything out so beautifully to get me here and the enemy really likes to make us think that is not the case. I got to talk to my mom and she was so encouraging and i know that was all from the Lord!
ALSO this morning as i was scrolling through my photos, i came across a screenshot from 2 years ago that said this:
“You might not be able to see where you’re headed, but I assure you, the Lord can. And He is holding your hand. He is breathing life into every aspect of your present and future. He is shining His light even in the darkest corners of your mind. So hold tight to Him. Hold tight to His love, knowing that He will never leave you or forsake you, and because of Jesus, you are in His grip forever. No uncertainty, no broken dreams, and no fear of the future can keep you from Him. He is with you always in all of this. Trust Him. Believe. And let Him gracefully lead you where you need to be.
-Morgan Harper Nichols
Man! The amount of truth in that just blows me away! i am so thankful to serve a God that is so loving and kind and faithful! My sister also reminded me of Philippians 4:6-7:
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
i am just constantly overwhelmed by the Lord’s provision and faithfulness and i am so thankful that He has allowed me to be in Quito, Ecuador right now! He has already been teaching me so much and this day of rest has been so refreshing and encouraging and it has made my heart so full hearing from so many awesome people!
Thank you so much for your continuous love and prayer and i hope that the Lord can speak some truth into someone’s heart with this post!
HE IS SO GOOD!
