As much as I love Thailand, I believe Ecuador goes down as my favorite country to experience on the Race. This was my final country and final three months of the Race and so I was really able to take all I had learned and that God had grown me in and apply it to finish out my Race well. Malaysia and Costa Rica were challenging, but rewarding by how much God walked me through and I was able to overcome. Once I was in Ecuador I was able to really press in and start to see past my circumstances and felt much more capable of finding joy by leaning in to a deeper relationship with God. I had been growing that relationship the whole Race, but in Ecuador I felt much more spiritually mature and was able to really make the most of each day. Also, Ecuador is such a beautiful place with lush green trees and mountains everywhere, which is my happy place. God really shifted my perspective and I was able to really enjoy the country without holding on to burdens and was able to end my Race well. Here are some pictures of my favorite moments in Ecuador.
When we first got to Ecuador, we were staying in the mountains in a little town called Nono. There, we were staying at a facility that would soon be a home for girls rescued from sex trafficking and we were helping get the place prepared. Basically we had to finish building a massive eleven acre concrete wall around the property and get the rooms painted and some other things to get the place ready for the girls. We were able to do a ministry as a whole squad for the first time and not split off in different locations. I think this brought a lot of closer that we might not have known as well before. While we were there I was also able put up my tent and use it for the first time and I had such an amazing view. Also, Tatyana got rammed by a pet sheep on the property on the first day.
My dad was able to come visit me on the field during PVT even though we were worried he wouldn’t get to come because of flights being grounded. His flight actually did get grounded and it was a huge mess, but eventually God opened up a door for him to still be able to come on another flight. I was glad he was able to come and was actually able to spend my birthday with me. This is us at the Middle of the World.
I got to eat guinea pig.
On my birthday my dad and I went to go visit everyone who didn’t have parents come as they were still doing ministry in Nono while we were in Quito with our parents. They invited me to come out and do ministry with them and so I got to take part in a VBS for kids in this very small community that didn’t have much. We were able to love on them and play games and music. We were also able to feed them and to see the joy that it all brought them was priceless.
While we were back in Nono, we had and 11n11 team stay with us during their PVT for those whose parents didn’t come. It was cool to make some new friends and be able to encourage one another.
When we started ministry in Quito our team had ministry partnering with CRU to go into schools and help the kids learn English, but also to form relationships with the kids and love them well. We were also encouraged to share and show Jesus to them. We went to three different schools. Two were fairly close and took two bus rides and about twenty or thirty minutes to get to. One other one was in south Quito about two hours away and we had to take three buses to get there. At first I didn’t look forward to those days, but that school actually became my favorite because the kids were just ecstatic to see us every time. The other schools were great too. All the schools also fed us very well, which was a change from having packed lunches in Costa Rica and eating hot dogs all the time.
Some of us took the opportunity on adventure days to get out in nature and explore this beautiful country. We were able to do A LOT of hiking volcanoes and I even used that for ministry opportunity. We also got to visit a crater lake and even kayak in it. We even climbed a giant metal cross on top of a mountain. At one point we planned to hike the famous Cotopaxi volcano and things just didn’t work out be we still got to see a part of it. It was so amazing to witness so much of God’s wonderful creation in this country.
One other thing that I really looked forward to in nature was being able to see alpacas. I don’t know why, but I really had a desire to see one. We ended up having multiple places to see them and they are so such sweet creatures. I totally recommend cuddling up to an alpaca for a picture. You’ll love it and instagram will love it too. You can thank me later.
This was our base host, Fabi. Him and his wife took such good care of our squad and were really intentional with wanting to pour into us and see us grow. His wife had just given birth to a little girl right before we had to leave Quito, but yet he still came to say goodbye to us all and pray over the next season in our lives. He was such a good influence for me and really opened up my mind to a lot.
After leaving Quito, we headed to Banos for our final debrief. This was a time for us to just really make the most of the little bit of time we had left in this community and cherish it. It was also to prepare our hearts and minds for the transition of being back home and just encourage us to press through the difficult times. I had so much fun in Banos and got to do some really amazing things with people who had become my best friends. I went paragliding over the mountains and a snowcapped volcano, canyoning down multiple waterfalls, zip lining, and even hanging from a bridge with Landon and Tikki for a goofy picture.
Time sure did fly by fast in Banos and before I knew it, we were on a plane headed back to the States. Actually our entire Race seems like it flashed before my eyes. I was able to see and do so many amazing things. God grew me tremendously in my faith and willingness to let Him move in my life an the lives of others through me. I experienced so much of what community looks like and how I can step further into the life God has for me. Ecuador may have been my favorite country, but I am so thankful for each one we visited and how God moved in each season.
