I started going on mission trips when I was in the 6th grade. I would honestly consider it slightly earlier since the majority of my family lives in areas that are damaged by hurricanes every few years. My true first experience with construction was kicking through soaking wet sheetrock after my grandfather’s house was flooded. However, despite having a heart for missions for about 16 years, there has always been one place that I wanted to go to more than anywhere else.
ECUADOR
Why Ecuador? Because the first time I ever heard the term missionary or mission trip was when my dad did mission trips to Ecuador. And he went for years. I can remember being five years old and my being gone for about ten days. He would always come back with souvenirs, stories, and a sunburn. But he always came back slightly different. It was like the person that I knew as my dad was still there, but there was something else there. It took me until I started doing missions to understand what that was. F. Scott Fitzgerald summed it up pretty well, “It’s a funny thing coming home. Nothing changes. Everything looks the same, feels the same, even smells the same. You’ll realize what’s changed is you.”
Every time my dad came home, he had changed. God had moved in his heart with the people that he encountered, the sights that he had seen, and just how much need there is in the world.
Because of my dad doing mission work in I picked the route that I did for the Race. It had Ecuador at seemingly the perfect time. Why? Because I would be there for my dad’s birthday. What better way to celebrate my dad’s birthday away from him than to be in his favorite place?
It wasn’t until Training Camp that I heard the potential of the Parent Vision Trip being in Ecuador. Let me tell you, I SOBBED. But once I got home, my heart was disappointed. An email was sent out that said the dates and location of PVT. It wasn’t in Ecuador. Fast forward a few weeks and another email came in. The location of PVT was changed… to Ecuador! Several of my squadmates knew just how much this meant to me, and texted me immediately when they saw the email. I had been praying for years that my dad and I would one day get the chance to do God’s work together in Ecuador. And it was going to happen.
234 days into my race, I impatiently waited for my parents to arrive at the Quito airport.
And then they arrived.
It was a dream come true to be able to spend the week with my parents in Ecuador. A seemingly small prayer that I had been praying for the majority of my life came true. And I was the happiest I had been on the Race.
We worked and played and saw so many wonderful things. About halfway into the week, one of the coordinators, Courtney, who also happened to be one of our squad trainers at Training Camp, asked us how we were doing with our parents here. The answers ranged from okay to they are driving me nuts, but all I could do was cry in complete joy because less than a year ago I wouldn’t have believed that my parents would have been in Ecuador. But they were and I was relishing in God’s goodness.
The week eventually ended and they headed back home, but I was still called to finish the Rae. I was able to go on with a newfound level of my relationship with God. And I fell in love with Ecuador for myself.
I fell in love with the beauty.
I fell in love with the adventure.
And most importantly, I fell in love with the people.
I now knew why my dad loved Ecuador so much. I am thankful that God orchestrated this portion of my Race so perfectly. I said it once before and I will say it again, I will be back.
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