This is the blog summing up my time in Colombia. This will be my last blog about our work in Colombia and will be fairly lengthy, so I apologize in advance but there are just so many things that I still want to show you guys! I have lots of pics and a few short, adorable videos of the kids for you! So, as I promised, I am writing this final blog about the after school ministry, the nursing home ministry, Saturday youth group and Kid’s Church on Sundays. Oh and since I am already here in Quito, Ecuador, I will also fill you in on debrief and give you an intro to what we are doing in month two.
After School Ministry
We all especially enjoyed the after school ministry, when kids would come over to get help with homework, practice English, play games, or beg us to take them all to the local park to play – which we almost always did, of course. They are way too cute to say no, right? So, there is not much else to say about this ministry other than that I was so blessed by the kids. They brought so much joy to my heart. Here are some pics and videos!
This is the local park (Feat. my boy Zachery).
Me getting a quick workout (Feat. Squad Leader Myles).
This is Emily getting swole on the pull up bar (super cute).
This is Manuel.
And Manuel again. This may be my favorite picture ever.
This is my friend Juan Jose. I taught him “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes.” He could not get enough of it! (Sorry, it is pretty bad video quality but still cute).
Here is Manuel going hard in soccer. (And also Feat. Zachery and David and some other kids.)
Saturday Youth Group
Youth group was for kids twelve and up. I think the oldest person we had was 16. We basically just talked, gave testimonies and answered any questions that the kids had. We also heard many of their testimonies, too! There was a fifteen-year-old girl that poured her heart out one Saturday; no guys showed up to the group, so myself and the other men went to the park to play basketball with some friends we met. However, it seemed to be a divine set up because both Madison and Suzan got to share their testimonies with the girls, which ended with this young mother telling her story of how her baby’s dad had left and how she really needed some good community like she found there with the girls that night. It was very powerful. I was not there, of course; but I have reputable sources! I do not have pictures of the youth group, but I do have one of the guys we played basketball with, so here it is!
Kids’ Church
Every Sunday, we had younger kids come to the house for church, up to eleven-year-olds. What was also cool about kids’ church was that some of the older kids always came over to help us with the little ones. It was so much fun! We would sing, watch Bible movies (Veggie Tales, Superbook, etc.), read scripture, discuss, ask/answer questions, play games, do crafts and lots of other things. Kids’ church was definitely always one of the highlights of each week. Here are some pics!
Me trying to keep Emily occupied.
Doing crafts.
Worship time.
Miscellaneous Photos and Videos from Colombia that I Have Not Posted Yet
My team got to do a radio show on Fridays for the local university’s Modern Language hour. It was so cool! I cannot say that I am not famous.
This is Gracie. Super sweet.
Some kids at school wanted to show us how they can do flips. #amazing
We were all memorizing this verse in Spanish. Lol at how my friend misspelled “fortalece” in the really pretty drawing she did. Some of you will get it. “Fortarece” is not a word. Bless her heart.
These are the horses that lived in our back yard. Literally, we could open a window and pet them.
View from our front door.
The crew.
Awesome rainbow (feat. Chase).
Again (Feat. Zachery).
Cool view of the moon on the way to Ecuador.
Debrief
After departing for Ecuador, we arrived in a tourist town called Baños for four days and five nights of rest and debrief. We reviewed the previous month, walked around the city doing ATL (ask the Lord), shopped, tried the local food, went on some adventures and had several nights with awesome worship services and communion. The following pictures were taken on the way down the mountain. A few of us decided it would be cool to run four miles back down to our hostel after enjoying a small zipline and swings on top of the mountain.
This is the church in Baños.
Quito
We are now here in Quito, the capital of Ecuador! My team is working with a group called COVI, an organization which fosters street kids and provides lunch, homework help and pleasant company for kids who spend their afternoons in the city park until their parents get off of work. Many of these kids are from dysfunctional families, so please pray that God would help us to love them especially well and show them Who He is – love! We’ve spent the past few days clearing the garden of weeds and trash, serving the kids lunch, cleaning up the kitchen and dining room afterwards, helping with homework and just playing with our new friends. It has been really great so far!
New updates coming soon. Love you guys. Until next time!
Grace and peace to you in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
-Reece
