Saying goodbye to Ecuador was so incredibly hard. It was a great place to start the race and I will miss so many things about it.
I will miss the view from our house
The fruit store lady and her adorable daughter Dona
Carlos the pizza man
Crazy bus rides and falling all over strangers
Covi the after school ministry and all the friendly faces there: another volunteer there and now friend Leah, tamarita who started covi and treats us like her children (feeding us, making sure we stay hydrated, put on sunscreen, leave in time to beat the rain etc.), the Little kids and their big personalities.
I will miss chicken pot pie empanadas and fried rice with ketchup and mayo (seriously so good)
I will miss the cutest old lady from the seniors home and the way she always greeted us with hugs and would just hang out with us and give us back rubs.
I will miss good conversations in the laundry room (because weirdly enough it’s one of the best places to get privacy for a good heart to heart)
I’ll miss buying Oreos (because the money was for a good cause ;)) and loading them up with fabis homemade peanut butter
I’ll miss a different fresh juice at every meal, and needing a shower buddy so you don’t get burnt in the water.
I’ll miss guapa lula and sonny.
I’ll miss the cool park by our ministry and all the fun fun things there.
I’ll miss Ecuadorian markets.
All these things I truly am going to miss so much. But what I’ll miss most and the reason it was so so hard to say goodbye is because I found myself a couple of Ecuadorian parents. Mabe and Fabi!
Wow they have made such an impact on my life and have been such a blessing throughout our two months in Ecuador. From the moment we met them they welcomed us warmly and showed us love from the beginning. Their generosity and kindness amazes me, and they always make it a point to call us higher and show us where we need to step it up and it’s so clearly out of love. They pass down their wisdom to us (and trust me there is quite a lot). They go out of their way to make sure we know we are loved and serve us so well. Their lives reflect so clearly the fruit of the spirit. I don’t even know what else to say because no words will do justice to express the amazing hearts and the deep love I have for these two! That’s what took me so long to get this posted, I was never satisfied with my discretion of these people who mean so much to me! I just wish you could all meet them and see for yourself just how AMAZING they are. If you’re reading this thank you for everything and for making Ecuador home! I’ll be back! Love you lots!!! -selinita
