Ahead and Behind

We went to the beach.  We've been anticipating this trip all semester, and we finally made it to Ecuador's fourth world: the Coast.  We rode 6 hours in a bus, ran along the water, walked on the sand, ate fish, laid in the sun, played a little volleyball, had some debrief sections, encouraged each other, journaled, reflected, and started to actually realize that this semester, one that most of us have been anticipating for months - if not years - is coming to a close.  Life is coming in hot, folks.  But the beautiful thing is that just because this semester is nearly done doesn't mean that the way it's affected my heart is over.  There is still more room for growth (I think there always will be), more things to discover, more of God to fall in love with.  There's still a Savior to abide with, and fruit to bear (John 15).  And once again, I'm thankful the God who goes before me and comes behind me.  I'm glad He's present in Ecuador, and present in the States.  I'm thankful for the people He's given me here to walk alongside me in this journey, and I'm thankful for the people that are going to welcome me home and walk alongside me as I transition our of Ecua-culture and back into States-culture.  It won't be easy.  But that doesn't mean it will be bad.  Just different.

 

"Come away with me...

It's not too late, It's never too late, for you...

I have a plan for you...

It's gonna be wild, it's gonna be great, it's gonna be full of me.

Open up your heart and let me in"

-Come Away by United Pursuit

 

Here are some snapshots of our time on the beach:

 

Late night Dutch Blitz: 6 teams of 2

We spent a lot of time journaling and filling out semester evaluation/reflection questions

Beach Campfire

This is the direction I ran every morning.  I LOVE running on the beach.

Me, Ally, Lauren, and Abby

The Mid-West Crew: Lette, Andrew, Abby, and Nick
I'm so thankful for these men of God, the friendships we've formed, and the adventures we're had.

Christy, Ally, Mahala, Abby, Christy, Melissa, Hannah, Lauren, Diana, and Me
Fireworks on the Beach!!

On our way to lunch

This is where we had lunch every day -- SO close to the water!!  We could literally feel the breeze off the ocean.

 ^"Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?” -Exodus 33:15-16

Praying that God goes with us as we leave this place, that His presence will go with us, distinguish us, and continue to give us Rest.

Open the Floodgates of Heaven: LET. IT. RAIN.

We made it back from the Jungle -- safe and sound!  And that is quite the accomplishment - those of you who have experienced the heat, sun, bugs, rain and sweat of the Amazon Jungle know what I mean.  We returned to the same town we went to at the beginning of the semester -- I slept in the same bed in the same hostel, worked at the same school, shared dinner with the same missionaries, and used the same insane amount of bug spray.  But this trip was different.  First of all, all of our Spanish is a lot better.  Our team is more united.   We served for more days.  The kids we worked with were from a different community.  And -- we were in charge of a lot of planning and executing.  In one of our classes we learned a lot about Short Term Missions (STM) and partnerships -- we asked "Are STMs worth it?" and "How do we measure success?"  We talked about how to merge in well and merge out well and were challenged to build relationships and bear fruit.  And then we were set free to plan VBS. 

If we're being honest, I was really nervous about this.  In a group of 18 people, my ideas were not always the ones chosen, and there was no way I could be in control of the entire program.  Nor did I want to be.  I was scared enough to lead my own small group of kiddos.  However, despite my fears and anxieties, God was beyond faithful (as always...).  It was beautiful to see how each day when we arrived at the site my heart was more and more excited.  As I tried to pour out His love, each day God used those beautiful, dirty, broken children to fill my heart with more and more of His joy. 

We started each morning with a couple hours of manual work at Jungle Kids for Christ School, our partner ministry.  I sanded and painted some soccer goals, among other random jobs.  In the afternoons we headed out to the VBS site where we sang, had small group time focused on being part of God's story, shared testimonies, did crafts, played soccer and tug-of-war, and had a slip-n-slide.  We had a worship/debrief session every night, and usually ended the night with a rousing game of Dutch Blitz or Nerts (Abby and I make a fierce team, just saying :). 

It rained every day.  And when I say it rained, I mean it poured.  Literally a torrential downpour (including when we were tubing down the river on our last afternoon).  It's so interesting how usually I think of rain as an inconvenience, or am at the best indifferent to it, but in the jungle I think it's absolutely beautiful.  It's like the rain washes everything clean and gives it a fresh, crisp start -- and every time it rains I pray that God will rush through my heart like that.  One night it was pouring on the metal roof while we were worshipping and my RC appropriately led us in "Let it Rain."  I sat on the ground with my eyes closed and listened to the sound of the rain and the voices around me belting "Open the floodgates of Heaven, Let it rain!" and begged for God to pour down His kingdom in our hearts and lives, begged Him to pour down rain to nourish and grow the fruit we're being challenged to cultivate and bear. 

We're heading to the beach for debrief on Sunday morning.  In reality, debrief has already been beginning.  We talking about how to prepare to go home, but still live fully and take in our time here.  I'm really excited for this trip -- I'm excited to spend time on the beach and eat delicious food.  I'm excited to take long walks and play volleyball (sorry guys...I hope your exams go well!!)  And I'm excited for some focused time to process and debrief and begin to identify the fruit that God is calling me to bear.  To keep bearing.

 

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." -John 15:5

 

At the Shell Mera station -- where James Elliot and the other 4 missionaries had their home base.  It's still a working missionary aviation station.  We got to meet the family and walk through the Nate Saint house.  It's an incredible story and an incredible ministry.

Our whole VBS group!  We had about 130 kids come out every day.

The two girls that were holding my hands before I even got off the truck the 2nd and 3rd day we arrived. Love them.



EQUIPO AZUL! (Team Blue)
I got switched from a "big kids" group to a "little kids" group at the last minute, and ended up loving the switch.  It was so cool to see our identity as "Azul!" grow more and more each day.  In addition to our small group and craft time, we played Pato-Pato-Ganzo, messed around with a drum, and transitioned to every station by making and walking in a train formation. By the end Andrew and I would yell "Azul!" and they would come running.  It was incredible -- especially compared to the chaos of the first day.  It was also really neat to see my defensiveness and love for them grow and grow.

Making our hand print posters on the final day.
Soy un parte de la historia de Dios (I am part of God's story).
Shout out to Abby for being our incredible crafts coordinator.

On the way home we stopped at some natural hot springs.  Incredible.  (Also, it rained most of the time we were there -- don't let the sun deceive you!)

 

To be Thankful

"...Proclaiming you LOVE in the MORNING and you FAITHFULNESS at night." -Psalm 92:2

It's been kind of a long week in Quito for this girl.  I've spent the week fighting a stomach bug...pretty typical around these parts.  But still less than ideal.  We finished up academics on Tuesday, and I had lots of plans of fun adventures I was going to go on and places I was going to visit.  And instead I've spent the week drinking Gatorade and watching movies on the couch.  Not what I expected.  The first morning I had to cancel my plans I literally freaked out.  "What am I going to do all day?  I need to make these days count.  I'm wasting precious days in Quito...."  Which is true, and is a bummer, but God really challenged those thoughts with: "Why do you freak out at the thought of an entire day without plans? Why are you so ashamed that you can't do things for yourself?  Why do you feel so badly when someone asks you what you did today and you say 'nothing'?"  So I've been moving slowly.  I've been saying no.  I've had to ask for help. And I'm finally getting better.  It hasn't been my favorite week here, but it could have been a whole lot worse.  And I still have a whole lot to be thankful for. A whole lot.

Here is part of what I jounaled on the roof this morning:
Yesterday was Thanksgiving -- it's the first Thanksgiving I've ever spent away from home.  We had our great big Thanksgiving Feast and celebration on Wednesday -- which was great -- but then without church and family and fall leaves it was hard to remember it was actually Thanksgiving.  And since I wasn't feeling good I had a hard time being thankful  But God -- you deserve SO. MUCH. THANKS.  So much praise.  Help me continually access my life and see the many many reasons to be thankful and to praise you.  Keep me aware of these things everyday--and may you continually receive my thanks and praise.

Thankfulness List:
-Mountains
-Sun
-Beaches -- all across the world
-A family who will support me wherever I go
-An incredible community at Trinity -- who let me pour into them, and then turn around and pour into me
-New friends
-All things Ecuador
-God's love -- which I don't have to earn...simply receive
-God's grace
-And His faithfulness
-Third Tib
-The Dream Team
-Opportunity
-Rest
-Abby in Quito with me
-A home in MI
-Health for my family

And those are just a few of the many many reasons to give thanks.  Seeking to proclaim God's love and faithfulness, from morning til night.

We are heading to the jungle tomorrow.  We are hosting a VBS for a community there, and doing some manual labor at the same school we were at before.  Prayers for this trip would be appreciated -- we are in charge of all the planning and needless to say I'm a little nervous.  But I'm trusting God to fill in the gaps where our plans fail.  I will be Internet-less, just FYI.
We get back from the jungle on Thursday, and then head to the beach on Saturday.  I'll try to blog about our time in the jungle between those two trips, so be watching.
Until then.
Blessings.
I am thankful for you.

Celebrate

I feel like we're always finding reasons to celebrate around here.  Dessert on Tuesdays, Chapel on Wednesdays, we frequently find something random to do on Thursdays (except we usually have a lot of homework so we're kind of distracted :), Friday is a reason to celebrate itself, Saturdays are perfect for activities, and then throw a birthday, guest, or other event in the mix just for fun.  Needless to say, there have been very few dull moments since I got on that plane to Quito three months ago.  It's good though.  It's good to celebrate together, even if we're just celebrating the fact that we're together, the fact we're in South America, or the fact that we're eating really yummy food.  We've also been toasting (or "cheers-ing") recently.  It reminds me of the (often aggressive) toasts we do in the BBC or the caf.  It's possible a glass got broken the other night.  And no, it was not my fault :)

 

Last week was our last normal week of class.  We still have a Spanish final and presentation on Tuesday, but after that our academic work is done.  There's a LOT happening between now and the end of the semester -- we are going to be experiencing a whole lot of Ecuador right up until that last minute.  But conversations about going back to the States are slowing becoming more of a reality.  There are moments when I look forward to going home -- to being reunited with my family and friends and going to Annah's birthday party and going sledding and taking a hot shower and living in English.  And there are a lot of moments where I get really nervous about going home -- that I'll "fit-in" (this is a negative term -- it's what happens when your abroad experience doesn't affect how you live your life at home), that I'll forget all my Spanish, that I'll forget to let God be in control when I'm immersed in the crazy busyness of day-to-day life, and I know there will be a lot of people, places, and things here that my heart is going to miss.  And while I think it's important to process those thoughts to some degree, for now I am going to keep celebrating the time I do have here.  I'm going to celebrate the little things and celebrate the big things.  And I'm going to make a toast with my mango juice: "Cheers!  To Jesus!  And to that Quito life!"

 

Without further adieu, a few pictures from the celebrations of this weekend:

(side note: Abby's family is here right now! Yup, in Quito.  She's hanging out with them for the week, hence her absence in my pictures :)

 

Our wonderful Dianna is our in-house beautician - whenever we need a haircut, this gal is on it!

Lette, Melissa, Hannah, and Dianna
Our for dinner for Melissa's birthday!!

Saturday afternoon = spontaneous Girl's Day!
We headed out after lunch, got some delicious gelato, spent a long afternoon at the art walk/market/park, ate some delicious Chinese food, and finished the night at a craft fair.  So good to spend an afternoon moving slowly and enjoying each other's company.

Me and Bethany
That chopstick life.

Hannah, Bethany, Christy, Dianna, and Lette
Picking up our race packets!
We followed up this event with celebratory stop at Dunkin Donuts.  Clearly a necessity.

On Sunday morning 10 people from our program ran in a 5K race to raise awareness for domestic violence.  It was a duo-run, so we each had a partner (guy-girl) and ran relay style.  It was so fun to be in a race environment again, especially because there was so little pressure.  Justin and I took a close second (as in close to first) among our 5 pairs.  We were pretty proud of that!

After the race we went back to the boys apartment and made chocolate chip pancakes.  By 10am I had two of my very favorite things on the same morning.  I was so happy.

After the race, breakfast, church, and lunch, we spent a while in the park close to our apartments. On Sunday afternoons the park is so busy -- people come out with their families to play sports, picnic, walk, etc.  It's actually really neat to see.  We threw a Frisbee and a football around, enjoying being outside and out of the busyness of the city for a bit.  It's amazing how the atmosphere of the park feels so distant from the city.


"I will CELEBRATE before the Lord..." -2 Samuel 6:21

Hymns, Cheesecake and Good Convos.

Today was the last day of our Spiritual Formation Class.  This class has rocked my world (shout-out to Becky for teaching me that phrase).  Today we went to our professor's house and had a delicious breakfast together.  We sat around her kitchen table and enjoyed wonderful food and quality company.  I love kitchen tables - and I didn't realize I was missing them until this weekend. Good things happen around them.  We talked about our reading assignment, recited our memory verses, shared how we had been praying for our prayer partners, and were prayed over.  This semester we've been challenged, we've been encouraged, we've been honest, we've gone on retreat, we've shared with each other, and we've grown closer to God.  We've struggled through big topics, wrestled with sin, and been reassured of God's unfailing love every time.  We've sat with God when it was really good and when it was really hard.  And we learned how to turn toward God instead of away from Him when it's hard.  We've had good conversations in class, and probably even more outside of class.  Thanking God for this class and the ways He's showed up.  He's answered a lot of prayers in that regard. 

This afternoon a few of us ended up at the same coffee shop.  Abby and I got there first, and were later joined by Andrew, and eventually Lauren and Christy.  We did some homework (paper writing time!), ate some cheesecake, made some birthday cards, and had some really good conversation.  I love afternoons like this.

Lauren and Abby
After we had been working for a few hours
we took a birthday-card-making and
caramel apple cheesecake-eating
break.  Good life choices.

Abby, Lette, Lauren, and Andrew
Living and Learning is not keeping a low American profile :) Eventually
we got asked to share tables...which I don't understand because
there were NOT very many people there...

Tonight we had chapel (as always on Wednesday nights...)  We shared dinner together and sang hymns.  Hymns are really beautiful.  Listen to your favorite one today.  The words are rich and full of God's truth, and they're not sugar coated.  We sang them acapella, and the beautiful pure sound of voices filled the room.  I was reminded of this gem of a song tonight -- singing this with you on my heart, Becca.

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
when sorrows like sea billows roll;
whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul. 

Thanking God for having a plan even when we can't see it.  And praising Him for who He is.

 

Positive Thoughts for the Day

Back in the day (meaning when I was a freshman at Trinity) my dear friend Lisa taught me and my fellow hall-mates how to make "Positives Lists."  We would usually make them on Friday (NEVER in class, of course ;) and we would use them to list the funny, serious, and random reasons we had to be thankful for the week.  It was kind of a joke for a while - or maybe a coping mechanism - but it became something that has helped shape my attitude over the years.  Being able to acknowledge challenges, but being able to find "reasons to sing" despite those has taught me how to think thankfully.  Here are a few positives from my week:

 

+All my Worldview homework is turned in!  I read a LOT of books and wrote a lot of papers, but I learned a lot.

+Coffee shops where NOBODY comes upstairs for three hours. 

+Lots of roof time this week.

+Special K with Vanilla and Almonds

+Running and roof-top workouts

+A beautiful field trip to the Basilica

+I'm not sick.  The kids at my internship all have colds, and I don't, so that's something to be thankful for.  My tummy is also not sick.  That's a reason to sing every day.

+MANGOS!

+Spontaneous Chinese lunch date with Abby.  Quality food, quality time, quality friend.

+Really good conversations with some of the leaders of our program.  They know me a lot better than I thought.

+Solo-time. Journal-time. God-time.

+Birthday parties.

+Hot cocoa, marshmallows, and the moon.

+Jesus is living in my heart. (this one makes the list every time)

 

Make your own list!  And feel free to send it to me...I'm not kidding.  I promise you'll feel more blessed and less stressed when you're done. 

Here are a few pics from the week.  Enjoy!

 

My Monday afternoon tradition.  I go straight from internship to a coffee shop and work hard and uninterrupted for a few hours.  It's a great way to start the week.

Lette, Lauren, and Hannah
We (and Ally and Abby) made a surprise breakfast in bed for our RA on her birthday.  We also made enough that we could eat a delicious breakfast with her :)

Danny (photo bomb :), Lauren, Abby, and Me
Friday night dinner out -- 50cm burrito!

Art in the Park!  It was actually really cool.

Our Ecuador 250 class at the Basilica.  I love when we get to take field trips for class!

La Basilica

Think this could make it on the Chacos website??

A beautiful stained glass window on the inside of the Basilica.

Five in a taxi on the way home from the Basilica/pizza downtown.  Such a fun night.

Sunday afternoon we had a retreat for our Spiritual Formation class.  Thankful for intentional time to spend with God, as well as this class and the things we have shared and learned together this semester.

"Spirit rain. Flood into our thirsty hearts again.  You'll come."  -You'll Come by Hillsong

Galaps!

This weekend we went to the GALAPAGOS ISLANDS!  This is a big deal -- there are a lot of people who live in Ecuador who have never been able to go, so we felt really blessed to have this opportunity.  We left Wednesday morning and returned Sunday afternoon.  While we were there our days were full of traveling and seeing beautiful things.  The islands are an interesting mix of beautiful beaches and dry desert-like landscapes.  We had  a lot of time to fellowship (traveling tends to provide that) -- and we ate some delicious food!  It was a blessed trip.  Here are some picture highlights. Pictures give good launching points for story-telling.

 

Landing in the airport in the Galapagos!  We took a bus to the Quito airport, a plane to the Galapagos, and then a combination of buses and boats to get to our actual hotel.  Took this picture for you, Mom :)

Taking a taxi across the bay to hike.  These things made me nervous!  But they provided a beautiful view of the ocean.

Our first physical contact with Pacific Ocean water from the Galapagos (except for those of us that put our hands in the water off the boat :).  After we got settled at our hotel on Wednesday afternoon we took a 45 minute hike to get here, and then swam in the lagoon.  The water was so clear!  A lot of us climbed up the walls and then jumped into the water.  I did...but I didn't choose very high rocks :)

Dessert in the port-town after a delicious dinner (Dinner: shrimp pasta, Dessert: strawberry milk-shake).  Shout-out to Dianna for all the planning she did to make this trip possible.

Thursday we spent the entire day at the beach.  This is the path on the way to Tortuga Bay, the beach we went to.  The path was about a 40 minute walk.  Abby, Lauren and I ran to the beach and back on Thursday afternoon.  It was such a good run -- the air has so much more oxygen at this elevation!!

The beach.  It was so big and open -- and there were hardly any other people there.  It is literally the most beautiful beach I have ever seen.  Thursday was a warm, sunny day.  We played lots of volleyball and Frisbee, walked the beach, ate lunch, went swimming, and laid out.  And...I wore lots of high SPF sunscreen and didn't even get sunburnt! 

Classic jumping picture.  Just look at that beach.  Is this real life?!?!

Hanging out with these hot women of God.
Abby, Me, Lauren, Melissa, Christy, Dianna, and Hannah

Making my claim on the beach.  I was actually here. I can't really believe it.

On Friday we took a 2-hour boat ride to another island.  I'll spare you the details, but the ride there was pretty awful.  Rough waters and lots of sea-sick people.  I took some Dramamine and actually felt ok (Praise the Lord) -- but I was super nervous for the first hour.  I swear that boat was going to tip over in the middle of the ocean.  Eventually Abby let me use her phone and a little country music calmed my nerves and got me sanely to the island :)  We walked on a little path to the bay where we went snorkeling.  The cute little guy was hanging out on the path!  Sea lions are everywhere on the islands.

We went snorkeling!  It was kind of cold and cloudy, and it wasn't quite as beautiful as we were expecting, but I'm still really glad we went.  When else am I going to go snorkeling in the Galapagos??

Giant Tortoises!  There is a Tortoise breeding center on this island.  We got to see Tortoises at all different stages of growth.  These things are weird!  But super cool.  And super big.  We also saw some flamingos on this island.  So pretty!

After lunch we spent an hour at this beach before heading back to our island.  I slept for half an hour and then wandered the beach by myself for the second half hour.  Those moments of quiet-solo time are quite the blessing when we're always in a group.

On the boat on the way home.  This boat ride was SO much better.  I passed our Dramamine to our ENTIRE group and pretty much everyone fell asleep.  I took a non-Drowsy Dramamine and stayed awake to watch the sky, waves, and setting sun.  I was way calmer this time and actually enjoyed the beauty and power of the ride and ocean.

On Saturday we had a free day.  Some people went scuba-diving, some explored the town, and some rented bikes.  Abby, Ally and I decided we wanted another beach day.  We had breakfast at our hotel, went to the little grocery store and bought chex mix, vanilla wafers, apples, and a jar of nutella for lunch, then walked to the beach.  It was cloudy in the morning, but cleared up throughout the afternoon.  I went for a run right where the water meets the beach -- my all time favorite place to run. After that we enjoyed the sand, sun and water.  It was a great, restful day.

These guys are everywhere.  For real.  I thought they were gross, but I photographed them like it was my job because I knew Micah and Gideon would LOVE them.

Abby, Hannah, and Me
On Saturday night we took a boat across the bay to a really pretty restaurant right on the water.  We had pizza, pasta, and chocolate cake.  It felt like a celebration and was a beautiful way to end the trip. 

So thankful for the chance to see this unique part of God's creation and spend a long weekend with our team.  Now we're back and have three more weeks of fairly intense academic work and will be wrapping up classes in Quito by Thanksgiving.  Then we'll head back to the jungle for another short term mission trip, and finally we'll head to the beach for our wrap-up and debrief.  Looking forward to seeing what else God has in store for this next month.  And thanking Him for the ways He's proven His faithfulness over and over again. 

"The Lord replied 'My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.'" -Exodus 33:14