Month one is done and we’re moving on to month two of the world race. This month we’re in Ecuador and we are the first world race team to visit this country. We landed in Quito, the capital of Ecuador, around 2 am on Friday and got to spend a few days relaxing in a super nice house. Quito is quite possibly one of my favorite places i’ve ever been. There was such a peace in the air that you could actually feel. Being there and exploring the city made me forget about the previous 40 hours of no sleep and 26 hours of travel across 4 countries.
This month my team will be in Portaviejo, Ecuador. It’s an “8 hour” bus ride from Quito. Really it takes about 12 hours….speaking from experience. So we got here literally 5 hours ago and met our pastor. His name is Percy and is a 30 year old youth minister at what I consider a huge church here. He said that on Sunday mornings there is usually around 600 people in attendance. I can already tell that Percy is top notch and a wonderful man of God. He set up houses for each individual of my team to stay at wtih the exception of me and Will and two of the girls on my team. But everyone else is staying in a host home by themselves.
There will be a lot of different ministry opportunities this month from what I understand…mostly involving youth. Youth from the church in Portaviejo and also youth from the surrounding area. Currently all the students are out for summer vacation. So we’ll be playing sports with them and participating in the youth services. Also, there is something called the Garbage Dump Kids Ministry. This is a daycare center that operates similar to compassion international where children are supported for a dollar a day in order to go to this daycare which gives them a place to stay during the day instead of the city dump. A place for them to stay at night is in the process of being built as well…we could possibly have a roll in the construction of this facility. It was also mentioned to me that we may have the chance to go into the rainforest which involves a three hour bus ride and then a three hour mule ride…i’ll definitely keep you posted if that does happen.
At any rate…i’m having my mind blown right now because I thought I would be roughing it, so to speak, on the race. It is far from it. Last month I was in one of the nicest neighborhoods of San Juan, DR with a mattress and showers. This month I’m staying in my pastor’s apartment with Will. He has air conditioning in his bedroom and wireless internet for us. We’re in a city that the first then that pops up on Google is that it is known for having the best food in Ecuador. It is simply unreal to me that God would choose to bless me so much. All I want to do is praise him continually…after all that’s what we were made for. Because no rock is going to take my place. Thanks to my Lord for choosing me and giving me the opportunity to be used. Please continue to mold me into a vessel that you can use for your glory.
Much love…
