#Hashtag-blogging!

This afternoon I took a picture, looked at it, and said aloud "I love it!  Hashtag blogging!" And then I realized I hadn't blogged in over a week...so now I'm blogging:

First of all, I have only misplaced 2 significant items since leaving the States.  However, those two items were my computer charger and my camera charger.  VERY significant.  Cool, Lette.  Thankfully, my parents did some magic and now I have both of those things.  So I can blog with my own pictures again. Positive of the week right there!

 

This week I've been thinking a lot about rest and refreshment.  The word "amusement" stems from the same Greek root as the word "muse" and in it's literal form means something along the lines of "to not think."  So often the things we do to "rest" involve amusement -- watching TV, browsing the internet, ect.  So often we want to do something where "we just don't have to think."  And while I really like to do that, and there certainly is a place for that, those things really only provide temporary rest for our bodies, and don't refresh our spirits.  What does it look like if Christ is King of my resting?  True refreshment comes from resting in God; He invites us to come and be with Him, and offers us rest for our souls.  I'd like to say I know how to do that, and that I feel refreshed every time I sit with God.  That would be false.  But I am learning.  That's true.  Try to approach God without an agenda this week.  Just spend some time sitting.  Listen to a song, journal if you want, and just let yourself rest in His presence.

I've also been thinking a lot about prayer.  It's really a beautiful thing.  No matter what emotion we're feeling, how big or how trivial our thoughts seem, God wants to hear them.  It's also beautiful that no matter where in the world we are, it's the same God that hears and knows us.

 

Here are some pics from the week!  The feature the making of Colada Morada with my Ecua 250 class and our group trip to Otavalo.  I really enjoyed these things -- I hope you do too!

 

The berries for Colada Morada -- a classic hot fruit drink that the Ecuadorians drink to celebrate Dia de los Muertes (Day of the Dead).  It's a holiday on November 1 and 2 that honors those who have died.

Gua-Guas de pan (literally, Babies of Bread)
Another traditional food for Dia de los Muertos.  The breads are filled with something yummy like jelly or chocolate.

The final product!

Lago San Pablo

I. Love. Lakes.
And putting my feet in the water :)

All the beautiful girls I get to share life with this semester!
Lette, Hannah, Lauren
Mahala, Melissa, Abby, Christy, Bethany, Ally, and Dianna

Christy Z, Christy S, Dianna, and Me
These are some of the wonderful women who take care of us here.
Christy Z is our RC/RA: we each have a 1:1 with her every week -- she takes us on all kinds of adventures, which almost always involve delicious food, good conversation, laughs, and prayer.  She's our front-lines trouble shooter and huge encourage.
Christy S is our Dean of Students.  Her job is kind of like an RD in the States (shout out to our incredible RD's!).  She's an incredible woman of God and knows how to set your heart at ease.  She also takes us to the doctor when we're sick, which is a wonderful thing.
Dianna does a ton of coordinating and organizing for us.  She plans all our home stays and internships.  She's also Ecuadorian, which means she holds a wealth of information that we need.  She has a beautiful spirit, loves hanging out with us, and always has us laughing.