¡Bienvenidos! Come journey with me into Ecuador where you’ll find waterfalls, dangerous spiders, and candy the size of your torso.
Welcome to travel day! Here you will see everything needed for a 24 hour bus ride. Note that sanity is nowhere to be found.
Those bus rides are worth it when this is the view. Ecuador greeted us with a beautiful embrace.
On our first weekend, we visited Mitad del Mundo. Fun facts- you become weaker, can balance an egg on its head, water drains straight down, and you can see both hemispheres of stars from the equator.
Fútbol. Lots of fútbol. This was a qualifying match for the World Cup.
This is what happens when you think you’re killing it at the Spanish speaking thing and attempt to order an iced coffee with chocolate.
The sweet kids I taught this month partnered with a pediatric oncology center. The center provides holistic healing for children with cancer and offers classes, counseling, and fun activities to the families- including fútbol clinics with Real Madrid and opportunities to visit Disney World. Each week my kids work in the garden of the organization so the patients can have fresh food.
One week it was raining pretty hard and the garden trip was going to be cancelled, but the kids insisted we still go. They even remained after the time school would normally be over to finish gardening. I love these kids!
We visited Old Town during an Adventure day and explored an old cathedral. We may have found ladders on the outside of the building and climbed to the top. We also may have found a door to the roof and visited the gargoyles for a while. It’s only frowned upon. I think.
Confession: Sometimes I take pictures with the sole purpose of scaring my mom.
During the Carnival celebration (similar to Mardi Gras), each class at the school we worked with performed a dance representing various countries. Uptown Funk is the best interpretation of U.S culture I’ve ever seen.
We hiked through an Amazonian rainforest! And only saw one tarantula.
This is what having a private conversation on the Race looks like.
This is what talking to a llama on the Race looks like.
Some of our sweet kids invited us to see Logan with them. While hanging out with them before the movie we discovered bae. Yes, we ate the entire mountain of cotton candy in less than 10 minutes. No, we did not have regrets.
Liz: Almost trips on the rocks
Me: “Don’t fall. That’s the water’s job.”
All 57 of us lived together in one house this month- and loved it! I adore this family. They challenge and inspire me every day. The Lord has surrounded this squad with unity and love, it emanates from everything they do, and I am forever grateful to be part of this family.
Thank you, Ecuador, for lending your beauty to Q Squad this month. God is so good for bringing us to you and allowing us to serve with you for the month.
¡Dios le Bendiga!
