Hola from Ecuador! It’s hard to believe that my time in this country has nearly come and gone already! As I type this, we only have one more night here with our ministry hosts, Pastor Bob and Lori. I can definitely say that I’ll miss this place and the people we’ve come to know here! This past week, we were able to celebrate Thanksgiving here at Bob and Lori’s home with all the missionary families involved with the church. This was a huge blessing as Thanksgiving is not typically a celebrated holiday in South America. We were not shorted one bit of all the festivities! We were spoiled with a huge Thanksgiving dinner; pumpkin pie for dessert and all! We had the day off and enjoyed good company amongst each other, along with a fun game of “codenames”.
Our Thanksgiving Crew!
Although this Thanksgiving couldn’t be spent with my family at home, I feel so blessed to be where I am and doing what I’m doing. I’m only 2 months into this 11 month journey, but it has already proven to be quite the incredible experience. I’ve been stretched to do things out of my usual comfort zone, but have also found so much goodness in walking with the Lord and seeking Him out daily; letting Him use me for His purpose in whatever that may look like, and beginning to see His people the way that He does. He has been revealing all kinds of things to me through His words, my teammates, new experiences, and others who I’ve been able to learn from along the way as well. It’s not always sunshine and rainbows, but I’m still so grateful for each and every one of these days.
As I think of the many blessings in my life during this thanksgiving season, this great opportunity of the World Race fills my mind. I am so thankful for all of the support I’ve received to be a part of this crazy thing. Whether you’ve given me words of encouragement along the way, donated $1 or $1,000 to my financial trip cost, I can’t thank you enough! Thank you so much for being a part of this great chapter of my life. I’m looking forward to each month ahead and excited for what they each might bring. It is truly something for me to be thankful for this Thanksgiving season!
Along with a great Thanksgiving, I’d also like to share a little bit about a cool ministry opportunity we were a part of this past Saturday. As the Christmas season follows soon after Thanksgiving, we were able to share the Christmas story with some kids outside of the church community and tell them about Jesus’ birth as the greatest gift of all in a prominently Catholic culture. It was a great outreach opportunity and we had a lot of fun with the kids that attended!
We went out from the church in the morning to the nearby Mercado (market) where fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, and other goods are sold. Many of the vendors in the Mercado are women from outside of town in rural areas. On Saturdays, the kids are off of school so many of them have to hang out all day in the Mercado while their parents make an income. We split up into a few different groups, with a Spanish speaker in each group. I went around with 9 year old bilingual Isabella, the daughter of one of the missionary couples working with the church. We simply went up to parents in the Mercado and asked if we could bring their children to the event we were holding at the church, and then return them when we finished. I literally had lollipops in my hand for the kids while Isabella asked these mothers for their permission. In the states, asking to borrow children and luring them with candy might be slightly frowned upon! Apparently we must seem like pretty trustworthy gringos! Javi, the asssosiate pastor at the church, joked that maybe they thought we could give them a better life, but hopefully that’s the actual result from the story of Jesus we were about to share with them! Once Isabella and I gained a couple of recruits, they took us around through the isles to meet up with some of their other friends to ask them along as well! We ended up with about 15 kids total.
Kaelyn bringing kids from the Mercado to the Church
We made our way back to church and began with a game where each child had a balloon tied around their ankle. The kids had to try and pop each other’s balloons by stepping on them, and the last balloon remaining was the winner! We followed the game with a couple of songs and dances that went with the music. I’m not much of a dancer (ok I have absolutely zero moves), but I’d have to say that we looked pretty good with Josh and Karri’s lead to follow and a little rehearsal beforehand! Josh and Javi then proceeded with narrating the Christmas story for the kids, starting from the time that the angel came to prophesy Jesus to be born of Mary. The kids were involved in playing parts of the story, along with some balloon figures for props. I was given the part of Mary’s donkey to ride into Bethlehem. It was a lot of fun and Josh emphasized Jesus being the greatest gift of all time in that He went on to become our Savior. We taught them some key words from John 3:16 in English (God, Loved, World, Son, and Life) to help them remember and further teach the story of salvation through Jesus. We ended with a nativity coloring and another song before bringing them back to the Mercado. I thought, how much better was this little event than sitting around all day while their parents are at work! We also got to repeat the very same lesson the following morning for the Sunday school program at church. Hopefully it helps us all remember the greatest gift of all throughout this coming Christmas season.
Balloon stomping with the kids
So, you think you can dance?
Josh and Javi narrating the Christmas story
That’s a nice looking donkey you have there, Mary 😉
Tomorrow afternoon (December 3), my team will meet up with the other two teams from our squad to spend a few nights at a hostel here in Cuenca for another debrief time together. One of our teams spent their November in the city of Quito, while the other has been in Puerto Viejo by the coast. It will be a neat time to hear stories from their experiences this month and reflect together on things we’ve taken away. Early Thursday morning (the 6th) we will be taking off to make our way to our ministry locations in Peru. My team will be headed to the inland edge of Lima and will be working with a YWAM base there. It sounds like some more kids ministry might be in line over the Christmas break!
I’m so thankful for this time I’ve had in Cuenca. I’ve especially loved Sundays here with the messages being preached in English and translated to Spanish, along with worship songs sang in both languages. Pastor Bob is a knowledgeable teacher and likes to challenge our minds to make us think, seeking out the bible for the truth. There are no simplified Sunday school answers with Bob Leek but you can sure bet that you’ll walk away with some new perspective or understanding along with scripture to back it up! The church here is blessed with many other incredible people involved as well. It’s been a joy getting to know associate pastor Javi along with his wife Carol, and the missionary families of Josh and Karri along with Ed and Miriam. They’ve all been inspirational and great influences to me. It has definitely been a good month here in Cuenca, Ecuador.
As always, thanks much for your continued prayers and support! Lord willing, I will write you from Lima, Peru next time around!
Dios te bendiga!
