As I write this, we have 2 days left in Ecuador. I can’t believe it has already been one month….yet at the same time I can’t believe it has ONLY been one month! I feel like I have been here for years and cannot imagine it without my family and friends back home supporting me, my new Ecuadorian familia, and my family that I get to travel with.
My family and friends. There has been a lot going on back at home. My family is going through some difficult times. My friends’ lives are still going on and many things are changing. There have been times where it has been difficult to “be here now” in Ecuador. But God constantly reminds me that He has called me here. Ahora. He wants me to be a part of His story here now. And I am constantly reminded of the honor that is. Check out John 3:33-34 too, it’s pretty sweet.
Me and Ben moving a giant pile of rocks, with our feet. I felt like a dog. haha
My new Ecuadorian Familia. How can I begin to describe how thankful I am for them? They have done SO much for us. Such as: throwing a surprise b-day party for one of my teammates, taking us all over Ecuador to see jungles, equators, hot springs and so much more, taking us to Pizza Hut and the market, cooking meals for us 7 days a week, and on and on. They truly feel like family and have treated us like their kids, hermanos, grandchildren, etc. They have set a pretty high standard as far as contacts go.
This is Pastor Fernando and his family: Marcela, Sarita and Aby. (son, Josue not pictured)
Me and Papito. He is Pastor Fernando's fater-in-law. He was like a grandpa to all of us.
My traveling family. My team, my friends, my brothers and sisters. I do not know what I would do without them. We knew each other 9 days before coming on this adventure. It has been difficult at times but more so rewarding. We are learning to be real with each other and keep each other accountable. Every night we do “feedback.” This is where we give encouragement and constructive criticism to specific individuals. It is hard but we are getting better at it. I know God has specifically placed each of us together and it has been exciting to watch how we each bring an important piece to Team Qodesh.
At Kursti's surprise birthday party…totally planned by our contacts.
And so we leave for PERU on Monday! We will travel by bus for at least 12 hours to the border. And then we will head to our ministry site…Laredo! (It is 8 hours north of Lima and about 2 hours from the west coast). We will get the down-low on our work for the next month after a few days there. I am excited, yet sad to leave Ecuador. I pray that we have left a mark. I hope to have more pictures of our work in Ecuador and how we left it. Or you can check out all the pictures people have tagged of me on facebook.
Love and appreciate you all!
