And this is the end. The time has come. Debrief at the beach has passed. And we’re getting ready to head back to our homes. It’s crazy to believe it is almost over. A mix of emotions is occurring…sadness, excitement, anxiety, fear, joy, and thankfulness. 

Our time at the coast was well-needed. We stayed in cabins ON the beach and had 2 1/2 days to completely relax, enjoy the water, soak up the sun, eat incredible food, and cherish our time together. 

These past two days consisted of nothing but eating, swimming, relaxing, and debriefing about re-entering our home states. 

Almost 4 months have been spent together in Ecuador. Memories have been made. Stories will be told. And life here will never be forgotten….

“The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory anddominion forever and ever. Amen.”   -1 Peter 4:7-11

Wow. Where do I begin? So much has happened this past weekend. We just got back from the Jungle—we were there for about 6 days. And prior to that, we went to El Refugio for some team-bonding activities. 

So let’s start with El Refugio. We went there this past Thursday to have some fun and most of all to prepare for our mission experience in the Jungle. El Refugio exists to be a retreat center that facilitates a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ though nature and outdoor adventure. When we were there, we did some challenging team activities such as getting all of us through a moving rope without getting touched, trust-falls, balancing a plank with all of us on it, as well as doing the High-Ropes Course! 

Through these activities, we learned a lot about ourselves, ourselves as a group, and what we need to work on. Teamwork, communication, and patience were key factors.
Our day spent at El Refugio was so enjoyable. We were definitely able to get some good laughs during the ropes course watching everyone fall!

On Friday morning, we headed back to the Jungle—the same town we went to before, Misahualli. We traveled for about 6 hours and got some rest before the big work day on Saturday. Roberto & Charmai have a school there that we go to and do construction work. Last time we came, we helped them work on their house and this past Saturday we got the privilege to finish it up and move them into it!! Prior to this, they were living in the schoolhouse. It was such a blessing to experience it and come along side of them. Them and their 9 kids now have an absolutely beautiful place to call “home”.

After working all day, it was time to tube down the Napo River. We rented tubes, drove upstream, jumped in the river, and floated down for about 45 minutes. It wasn’t exactly a “lazy river” type experience…there were parts where we had to paddle hard to avoid strong currents or avoid huge rocks or rapids. But overall, it was awesome. There was a part where we got off to go walk up to a waterfall…so beautiful. We were thankful we made it through safely!

On Sunday, we had the opportunity to meet a family of the Waodani tribe. The Waodani, previously known as the Auca’s, are the primitive tribe in the jungle that are well-known because of Nate Saint, Jim Elliot, and 3 other men who gave their lives to spread the Gospel to them. They used to be known as the “savages” but after the 5 missionaries gave their lives to spread the love of Christ to them, they are now a peaceful tribe that has been very much exposed to the Lord.

We took a 2 hour bus ride deeper into the jungle and from there we got out and started walking through the mud. Soon we reached a little grass hut with 2 men, a few women, and many children dressed in their native dress (or no dress at all, you could say…) while doing tribal dances and singing in Wao. It honestly felt like a dream. We were all asking each other, “Is this real life?” It was so bizarre but so incredible at the same time. Who gets to experience things like that?

They told us a little about their culture and showed us their gifts and then we followed them as they led us through the Jungle on this tiny little muddy path. The men, who were in their late 70’s, were pointing out all the plants, bugs, and fruits that they use and eat in the jungle. We got to eat ants that taste like lemon, got our faces painted, trekked through streams, tasted roots that clean your teeth, tried poisonous bark, and watched a 70-yr old man climb trees.

Monday and Tuesday consisted of working at the school site in the morning and VBS for the Jungle kids in the afternoon. These were quite the work days as we were pouring cement, by hand, in the pouring rain! VBS went really well… kids showed up and we put on worship, a story/skit, crafts, and games for them. It is also so refreshing to be able to let loose and run around with kids. They love playing with the Gringo’s!!

On Wednesday morning it was time to head back to Quito, but we had one more exciting stop on the way: Papallacta Hot Springs. These are natural hot springs in the middle of the Andes mountains. The scenery was breath-taking and it felt so wonderful to just be able to relax and enjoy the warm water. 

We made it back to Quito. We have 2 days here until we head to the coast/beach for debrief! Can’t believe this time is already coming to an end…

We are slowly rounding up our time here in Quito…so surreal. So we had to fit in 2 specific adventures that are truly “Ecuadorian”: making Ceviche and climbing the big Pichincha mountain. 

On Thursday night, Jenna and Melisa’s host-mom came over to the girls’ apartment to teach us all how to make the famous Ecuadorian dish, Ceviche. It is a popular seafood dish/soup that is served cold. It usually contains some type of fish or shrimp, citrus juices, tomatoes, onions, cilantro, spices, plantain chips (chifles), toasted corn kernels, and popcorn to top it off. 

We all spent the evening chopping away—cutting up vegetables and squeezing limes! Patty, our chef for the night, gave us great instructions and responsibilities. 

We also made “llapingachos”, another Ecuadorian dish. These are like little mashed potato balls with butter and cheese in them that you fry up. Soo delicious and so easy to make!

What a great treat! It was such an enjoyable time being able to get together with everyone and learn how to make and cook this delicious Ecuadorian dish. So thankful for Patty for being our chef for the night :)

And then Saturday came. This was the big day—the day we had all been waiting for. It was time to hike and climb Pichincha! We had heard a lot of stories about this place…how scary some parts were, how cold it was, how exciting it was, and how tiring it could be. We had no idea what to expect. 

Dan, one of the guides, came over to the girls’ apartment Friday night to teach us how to do the ropes and harnesses. He went out earlier that day to scope out the mountain and see how it looked. And he didn’t forget to tell us that it was cold, hailing, and foggy. Lovely. He told us that if it was lightning/thundering, we would turn around immediately (because it is REALLY easy to get struck by lightning up there, Dan actually got struck last year and survived!!) and if it was not clear skies, we would not be able to do that “Pass of Death”. This part of the climb was named that simply because people have died there…even more lovely. But, thankfully, during this segment, we would be harnessed in. 

So Saturday morning arrived and all of us were decked out in our warmest clothes, rain gear, backpacks filled with lunches and lots of water, and hats and mittens. We took taxi’s over to the Teleferico, basically a 15 minute gondola ride up the mountain from the city. From there, we started our hike…not knowing what to expect. 

We were already at about 10,500 ft (altitude), so we could feel the lack of oxygen right at the beginning. With lots of drinking and walking, we were off. Right away, we were already panting for air. We all felt like wimps—but we got to have the excuse that there was no oxygen! :)

After about 2 hours of hiking up steep hills and grasslands, we finally made it to the rocks. Our 4 guides scoped out the condition of the rocks and made a wise decision by saying that we weren’t going to do the “Pass of Death” because they were too slippery. So instead, we went around the mountain to the top. They said this was the “easier” way, but we all challenged that thought….parts of it were BRUTAL! 

We had to hike up this what seemed like a never-ending sand dune and we all were dying. So incredibly challenging and exhausting. Because it was so foggy, we couldn’t see the top of it. But when we finally reached it, it was a glorious moment! 

Once we reached the top, it started raining. Then hailing. We kept on climbing because we were only about 20 minutes away from the summit. And by climbing, we were literally climbing—over boulders and grasping onto rocks for support. We reached a resting point and looked over the edge and couldn’t believe where we were. It was insane! Then, it started hailing even more, we were getting pelted, we were freezing, our fingers were numb, and then we heard thunder. Not good. So we immediately turned around and rushed to get down the mountain. It wasn’t as easy as it sounds due to the fact that all the rocks were very slippery and it was muddy. It was a bummer that we were so close to the summit, but we obviously didn’t have a choice but to head back down. 

It started to clear up and we were able to see the city of Quito on our way back down! So beautiful.

After about for about 6 and half hours of hiking, we were exhausted, muddy, wet, and ready to get back home to shower.

Hiking Pichincha is something that none of us will forget. Despite some moments when we were so tired that we just wanted to turn around, we pushed through. We finished the challenge and it was so rewarding! It was such an amazing experience. Thankful for no injuries or problems!

This upcoming week we finish up our classes, say goodbye to our internships, and head back to El Refugio for a day of team-bonding and team-building activities. Then on Friday, we are off to the Jungle again for 6 days of ministry and mission work! Stay tuned for the final stretch of the semester!

Spending a big holiday in Easter was exciting. For some students, this holiday brought memories with it… it meant not being with family. But we made our Easter weekend a memorable one! 

In Ecuador, actually a lot of South American countries, Holy Week (Semana Santa) is VERY important. On Good Friday, they celebrate with a processional with the “cucuruchos”—thousands of people dressed in all purple gowns and pointed hoods. These cucuruchos symbolize repentance and remembrance. Many have heavy crossed strapped on their backs, chains around their feet, or real thorns wrapped around their heads or bodies.

Thousands of people go to watch this processional, or parade. It was extremely crowded and your “personal bubble” is definitely pushed to its limits. It’s a very interesting sight to those of us who have never seen anything like it. It wasn’t the most pleasurable experience but it was definitely something cultural and unique.

On Easter Sunday, the girls invited everyone involved in Semester Abroad (students, staff, and families) over to our apartments for a BIG brunch. The girls spent hours preparing delicious dishes: fruit salad in a watermelon shaped as a bunny, deviled eggs that looked like chicks, waffles, quiche, and much more… 

We all highly enjoyed our fabulous meal together. After eating and playing some card games, Jed and Micaiah led some acoustic worship and we sang together. It was a time we all enjoyed. Such a beautiful way to spend Easter Sunday together in Ecuador.

This past week was yet another normal week: classes, internships, and chapel. But on Friday night, we enjoyed a night out in La Mariscal (the “gringo land” of Quito and where night life flourishes). As one of our cultural activities, we spent the night at a Salsa Restaurant and Dancing Club. Diana, our Ecuadorian staff, came over to the apartments before we headed out and taught us the basic Salsa dance steps. As Gringo’s, we were excited to basically make a fool out of ourselves among all the Latin’s.

We spent a few hours at the Club—it was such a blast! We all loved our experience and we’re planning on going again sometime soon.

One highlight of the week for the girl’s: On Saturday night, we turned our living room area into a huge fort (made with sheets and all)! We were lovin’ life as we made popcorn, watched movies in it, and a few of us slept in it. Good times!

This upcoming week is the last “normal” week we have left here. Only one more week in Quito…so strange to think about! Next Saturday, we are climbing Pichincha and going across the “Pass of Death”. We will finish up Spanish on Tuesday and then we’re headed to the Jungle net week for 6 days. Following that, we’re off to the Beach for debrief for 5 more days! What a life we live here. Stay tuned for some exciting stuff.

Since we have been back from the Galapagos, our lives have continued to be busy. With all of our different internships, classes, and homework, our schedules are jammed packed. All of us look forward to having an afternoon off or a night to relax. 

God has really been teaching us alot. Through the changes we have to go through and learning how to live in community and love one another, all of us have grown in some aspect or another. Last week, all of our homework was due for our Worldview class and this alone made us process what we have been learning and how our lives have been changed. 

This past week was a normal week consisting of work and school, but we did get to enjoy some exciting one-time events…

Dave, one of the students here, works at the Alliance Academy for his internship. This school is an English-speaking K-12 school where missionary kids attend. Dave has always been passionate about theatre and he was blessed enough to be working with the high school theatre production at Alliance. This past Thursday and Friday was the performance, so most of us got the chance to attend the show, “Puss in Boots”, that Dave helped with. It was so exciting to be a part of the audience and to experience what our fellow student had been working so diligent with!

<Dave (third from the left on top) and his students!>

The next day, on Friday, for our HPCM we did a field trip to Rumipamba Archaeological and Ecological Park. Here, we walked around the park and saw ancient artifacts from centuries ago. We learned about the first civilizations that were in Quito and were able to see some of their ruins still present today.

Then, on Saturday, was a concert/support show called Mi Llacta. This concert was put on by IntaFresh, the internship that I work with. It was a concert to raise support for the business that works with human-trafficked girls. Most students were able to come and enjoy the music, dancing, and atmosphere…as well as buy some jewelry.

To top off the events, all of us had the chance to hang out with the Casa Gabriel boys. Casa G is a ministry within Youth World that started in 2003 and it is a home for street boys here in Quito. Right now there are 12 boys living in the house and some have lived there for about 7 years. We went over there on Sunday afternoon to hang out with them, eat lunch, and hear about the ministry. To top it off, we played a game of Futbol (soccer for you, North Americans!) with them in the rain. This was an amazing experience for all of us. It was such a blast to get to know them and play around. God is doing some really incredible stuff within that home and it was so cool to catch a glimpse of it.

This upcoming week is a relaxing one for us. “Semana Santa” is Holy Week here and the Ecuadorians go all out. Most schools are off this week and the entire week is considered a holiday. Therefore, some of our internships are not taking place and we have Friday off of school. We are all looking for some time off and to celebrate Easter together.

This week consisted of islands, turquoise water, sea-lions, snorkeling, giant tortoises, ice cream, sun burns, beaches, walking, dolphins, boating, blue-footed boobies, sharks, pools, and markets. To say the least….
“Spring Break 2012”, as we all called it, was absolutely incredible. It’s sad to believe that we are already back to our apartments in Quito—with the mountain weather and high altitude.

Our 4-day excursion started out on Wednesday, when we arrived at the airport at 6:45am. We fly to Guayaquil first for a 30 minute layover and then headed to the Galapagos from there. It was about a 2 hour plane ride until we landed on the small, dry, barren island of Baltra.

<The girls gettin’ ready to take off!>

<Walking off the plane..we weren’t ready for the scorching hot heat!>

<Our first view of the ocean. Beautiful.>

From there, we took a little ferry across the waterway (pictured above) to the populated island of Santa Cruz. This island is where about 90% of the inhabitants throughout all the islands live. We were surprised to learn that about 19,000 people live in the Galapagos! We arrived at our hotel, ate lunch, and had some time to relax before we headed out to explore the Charles Darwin Research Center.

<All of us entering the Charles Darwin Research Center.>

We walked about with our tour guide as we learned about the iguana’s, plants, land, crabs, and giant tortoise’s. We finished the afternoon off with a swim at the beach—which we were all anxiously awaiting due to the fact that we were surrounded by turquoise clear water all day!

We had every meal at our hotel. Like the Jungle hostel, our hotel fed us for every breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And our entire time on the islands was fully guided by our tour guides, Maria and Jacinto. They picked us up from our hotel, navigated our adventures, and coordinated our transportation. It was so care-free!

On Thursday morning, we were brought to Tortuga Bay Beach. We were dropped off and walked for 45 minutes until we reached the absolutely beautiful scenery.

<The end of our looong walk to the beach.>

After spending about 3 hours swimming in the waves, catching fish, looking at crabs and iguanas, and soaking up the sun, we headed back and got ready to go to the Highlands. 

Up in the highlands (the mountain part of the island), we looked at two craters, called “The Twins”. These are two volcanic depressions that have formed after a magma chamber became empty and the ground above caved in.

After The Twins, we went in a tunnel cave. This massive cave was formed when volcanic lava flowed through it and then emptied. 

Following the caves, we drove to a Giant Tortoise Farm. We saw numerous tortoises (4 feet in diameter!) while getting drenched in what seemed like a torrential downpour. We were even allowed to climb into turtle shell fossils! 

On Friday morning, we had to get up at 5:45am because we were off to the Island of Isabella! We took a charter boat across the ocean for 2 hours until we reached the other island. The landscape was absolutely breath-taking…ships, turquoise water, wild sea lions, and numerous islands.

While here, we took another small boat to a smaller little island and walked around looking at all the exotic wildlife: sharks, blue-footed boobies, sea-lions, pelicans, and crabs. Despite the scorching heat, we thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful scenery and amazing unique animals.

While on Isabella Island, we swam in the ocean, saw more giant tortoise’s, saw some flamingo’s, ate some wonderful ice cream, and went snorkeling.

We spent the whole day on the Isabella before heading back onto our charter boat for another 2 hour boat ride back to Santa Cruz. Except this ride home was much more exciting because we were lucky enough to see multiple schools of wild dolphins jumping near our boat! Life is always full of pleasant surprises.

<Just getting off the tour boat.>

One thing we all loved about being on the Galapagos is that we were able to walk around the town at night. Every evening after dinner we would go out on the main street along the ocean, get ice cream, check out the little markets and shops, and enjoy the island life.

<Each evening fishermen would haul in their fish from the day and the wild sea lions and pelicans would gladly wait for their share of the scraps.>

On Saturday morning, we got up early to head to the airport. Leaving the water, hot weather, and sun was hard to say goodbye to, but we made it back safe and sound with memories that we will save for a life-time. How many people actually get to say that they have been to the Galapagos Islands?? What a life we get to live here while studying abroad!

These past two weeks can defined as us simply living in Ecuador and doing life here. We lived with our home-stay families, went to classes on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, had our specific internships on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, as well as going to the Jensen’s on Wednesday nights for Chapel.

Life has become pretty routined…in a good way. We all have become comfortable navigating the city on our own as well as figuring out our own schedules. It feels like we have honestly been “living” in Quito now—as compared to feeling like a tourist.

We all have been having amazing times at our internships. Whether it’s playing with kids, feeding children, making jewelry, teaching English, skateboarding, or teaching acting, all of us have stories and memories that will continue to last.

This past Saturday was yet another change for us…we finished up our home-stay experience. For a lot of us, leaving our families was sad. We had become so used to being apart of their family and especially getting home-cooked Ecuadorian meals! God has really taught each of us a lot while being in homestay’s. It stretched most of us in ways we didn’t expect, we learned Spanish better, and had an amazing chance to dive into the culture here. Without a doubt, we will all hold treasures from this experience. 

On Saturday afternoon, we had a “Going Away BBQ” with all the families and students at the boy’s apartment. It was a chance for us to enjoy each others company one final time as well as share stories and thank you’s. For some students, plans have already been made to meet up with their families throughout the rest of the semester!

It was bittersweet saying goodbye to our families, but now the time has come for all of us to be reunited at the apartments! It will be a delight to share life again with one another—as well as having a crazy loud house with girls running around everywhere (in my case!).

Tonight, we invited all the boys over and we made burrito’s for everyone. It was a great welcome home party and celebration. This Wednesday, we are off to the GALAPAGOS ISLANDS!!!! :) Stay tuned.

Sorry….NO pictures for this week’s post… :/

Every week brings about something new here! New opportunities always await us. And so…this past week we finished up our Worldview class with Spencer and started our individual internships!

Like mentioned in the previous blog post, we started our WV class at El Refugio—in order to connect with our professor Spencer before diving right into it. In order to fit all the credit hours into a week, we had class either 3 or 6 hours a day. And honestly, it didn’t even feel like that! 

For me, this class was unlike any class I have taken before. It is hard to describe our time with Spencer. He made us think about our lives in a way that most of us have never really considered before.

Some main topics we discussed were:

—The importance of stories. Stories dictate meaning.

—Culture and our stereotypes. 

—Creating a “3rd space” during interactions with others. Meaning both cultures need to create a win-win situation for both sides.

—Perceptions and how they influence our believes and views.

—3 distinct worldviews that are present in the world & they are all present in Scripture.

—US Culture and values.

—God’s plan and intent. These are shown in creation, fall, and the redemption (authority, identity, communication, knowledge, art, beauty, marriage…).

—God is the King. There is no part of the Kingdom that the King does not rule. So what does it look like for King to rule over ALL of His Kingdom? (we took a look at our lives…money, job, school, religion, vacation, sports, free-time…)

— 12 aspects of every culture. We looked at extremes of each and saw their importance. We also took a test to discover our own personal aspects.

—The 7 sectors of the world (business, health, education, media, arts, politics, and marginalized) and talked about how Christ needs to be shown in EVERY one. 
—What is the “Good News” and how do we share it with people? 

As you can see, we talked about the whole spectrum. And it was so amazing to see how every single part of the class was essential and how it all fit together. I want to believe that every one of us learned a few key points during this course. It challenged us to think about the way we do life and how to align ourselves with Christ’s story. We were shown that most of us THINK we are living with a Kingdom mindset, but that we actually had a lot of tweaking to do in our thought-processing, beliefs, and lives—which is a life-long process.

After our final class on Wednesday, we prepared to start our internships on Thursday (or for some, Friday). Throughout the rest of the semester, each one of us will invest in a specific ministry. We go to our internships every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning (and for some people, Zach especially, they go more days when needed). 

Alice and Melissa are the exception. They came down to Semester Abroad solely for their full-time Social Work internships. So they have been going strong since the beginning!

Each of us has come alongside a different ministry so I’ve decided to give a brief description of everyones…

—Zach is going to school for Youth Ministry so he doing a Youth Pastor internship at the Comunidad Christiana Nazareno Restauracion. Zach’s homestay parents are actually the youth pastors of that church, so he is working with them—such a great setup! He has his hands full with this internship: youth leader meetings, prayer meetings, Bible studies, worship practice, Sunday school, church itself, plus more!

—Victoria & Ashley & Jenna are working in a daycare center in Zambiza or more commonly known as “The Dump”. The kids at the daycare are children of parents who are trashmen/women. The site is where the trash is delivered at they separate it at this facility. Victoria and Ash watch over kids ages 1-6 and do anything ranging from playing, feeding, or taking them to the bathroom. The older kids (4-6) have a time to learn Sunday School-like songs, colors, and numbers both in English and Spanish. Jenna will also be helping out at the health clinic on Fridays.

—I (Breanna) am doing two internships. The first is this blog. My second internship is working with human-trafficked girls. I visit girls (ages 12-17) who just got rescued from brothels. While there, we plan crafts, jewelry-making, or skits and intertwine it with a Gospel-centered message. I also help with the jewelry business, IntaFresh, that is specifically for older girls who are out of the government housing and need to make some type of living. I will also be teaching some of these girls English. 

—Charlie & Kaylyn are working at an orphanage called For His Children. They will be playing with and taking care of these kids of all ages. They will also be helping out kids with special needs here.

—Sarah is teaching English at Centro Escolar Experimental San Francisco de Quito. Wow, what a name! She is teaching English to 3rd-8th graders as well as helping another teacher with her classes. Sarah has been enjoying using her Spanish to help the children as well as simply hanging out with them.

—Nelson is working at La Roca, which is a skateboarding ministry for kids. He will be at the skate park giving them lessons as well as helping with the “Skate Church”.

—Micaiah & Courtney are working at an orphanage. They are helping the kids with their homework, spending some time talking and playing with them, as well as helping prepare meals.

—Dave is helping with the Theatre department at the Alliance Academy School. He is a general assistant with the program and he is working with the high school actors with their play, Puss In Boots. They will be performing their play for the younger children at the school.

That’s everybody. We are all busy these days with our classes and internships so we greatly look forward to any time that we are able to spend together. Wednesday night chapel’s are usually a main highlight of the week…we get to be reunited with everybody and eat great food, as well as have some time for worship and devotions. 

HOMESTAYS.

For some of us, this was probably what we were worried about the most. Simply because we had become so accustomed to living with all the girls (or all the boys) and doing life in Ecuador together. And now we were about to split, go our separate ways, and figure out how to do life on our own. 

But God is faithful.

All the families and students met at the Youth World office on Friday. Previous to this, neither the parents or us had any idea of where we were going or who we were going with. It was all a surprise. After some instruction, they finally announced which student was with which family!

Here are some of us with our families (or part of our families) for the next month…!

The first weekend we were with our families happened to fall on the holiday of Carnaval. This is an Ecuadorian holiday vacation where everyone is off of work and has time to relax. A lot of families take this time to go on vacation. During this holiday, water and foam are a huge tradition. If walking the streets, expect to get sprayed with water or foam. As Kaylyn says, “Everyone plays on Carnaval!!”

Despite some initial shock and challenges for a few, this homestay experience has been and will be incredible. It has been a chance for all of us to completely dive into the Ecuadorian culture, humble ourselves, practice our Spanish, and step out of our comfort zones.

We are with our families from Feb 17-Mar 17th. Exactly one month. It will challenging at times, but so rewarding!

The following Thursday, our group reunited to head to El Refugio—another branch of Youth World that is a camp/retreat center 45 minutes away from Quito. It is located in the mountains and it’s purpose is to glorify God through outdoor adventure. We headed there for about 3 days to get to know Spencer better. He is our Worldview professor that flew in from LA, California to teach us for this upcoming week. Again, this course is an intensive one; we will be squeezing in about 40 hours of class into 1 week! 

Being at El Refugio was very refreshing. We were able to get away from the big city and enjoy life as a “camper”. While here, we had a bonfire one night and roasted hotdogs and s’mores, ate cuy (guinea pig!), went ziplining, played EcuaVolleyball (volleyball with no rules basically), spent time in an enormous treehouse, had Worldview class, and touched llama’s.

This week has been stretching—for all of us. It has been so good watching how the Lord has His hand upon each of us. While we are all in our separate homes, God’s plan continues to play out and we are continually getting molded into who He wants us to be.

This following week we are starting our internships and finishing up Worldview class. So much more exciting information to come!

This past week, actually only 4 days, we were in a small village in the jungle called Misahualli. It took us about 5 hours to get there from Quito. Traveling through lush, vibrant mountains and curvy roads was quite the experience. At times we thought the our bus driver, Julio, was on a race with some other invisible driver because of the speed we were going around those hairpin turns!

We made a pitstop on the way at a place called Jumandy Caverns. Here, most of us spent an hour in the region’s second largest cave! Inside the massive and what seemed like a never-ending cave, we saw spiders the size of our palms, swam in waterfalls and pools, and learned about how they were formed. Definitely a phenomenal experience!!

At Jumandy, there was a pool with a waterslide as well. And let’s just say that most of us got our use out of that! Some of us literally almost flew out of it at the bottom because of how fast we were going. It was so funny watching everyone fly down the slide and wipe out as they entered the water. 

I’m pretty positive that almost everyone would rank this day as one of the best days spent in Ecuador thus far. Exploring and new adventures are always a highlight.

Once we arrived at our hostal in Misahualli, we were fed a delicious meal made by the hostal staff (it is common in Ecuadorian hostals that the staff serve its residents, so every breakfast, lunch, and dinner we were fed absolutely AMAZING meals.) and figured out our plan for the next few days. 

We arrived on Monday afternoon and left on Thursday morning, so we spent two full days there. Our schedule was such: wake up around 6:45am, eat breakfast, drive to the school ministry and do physical labor and work there, go back for lunch, rest for an hour or two, drive to another school village and put on a VBS for the jungle kids, drive home for dinner, debrief, and hang out until bedtime. 

Roberto and Charmai are parents of 9 and have started their own school for kids in the jungle. Both mornings we drove to their location and helped work on the home they’re building for their family that’s located on the property. We sanded walls, varnished wood, moved a pile of ant-infested wood, and built some walls. It was a tiring 4 hours of work but knowing what we working for made it so fulfilling.

<All of us in front of their beautiful home.>

<Nelson and Charlie building a wall.>

In the afternoons, we planned a VBS (Vacation Bible School) for a little village of kids. It went for about 3 hours and we had 3 different stations: Crafts, Games, and Story-Telling. We started out by singing some kid worship songs in Spanish and then all the kids split up by ages and went to different stations. The VBS was an amazing time. Being able to be with little kids was so refreshing. Well, some weren’t little-the ages went from 2-17. Yes, it was draining running around with them and trying to control things, but overall it was beyond rewarding. God really blessed us. 

One thing that struck my heart was seeing the environment these people lived in and the joy that stemmed from them. The school looked like a run down, deserted room with only a handful of desks and the neighborhood surrounding it was dirty and messy. But amidst what they have (and don’t have), they were consumed with joy. The smallest things to us were huge gifts to them…like pipecleaners, pencils (a MOM even asked her kid to get her a pencil and the look on her face afterwards was incredible. She was so excited for a single pencil!), beads, and water balloons. 

<Playing Futbol with the kids in front of the school.>

<Jed getting attacked during the water balloon fight. Everyone was soaked by the end of this game!>

The Jungle, or La Selva, was a remarkable time for everyone. We got the chance to jump off a bridge into the river, play with wild monkeys, play card games at night, eat delicious food, see what God is doing in another region, invest in children’s lives, help out another ministry, and relax with one another.

Despite the humid temperature, crazy amounts of bug bites, being tired and dirty, and having a hard time sleeping due to the extremely loud rainstorm against our tin roofs, being at the Jungle was something we all loved and will hold dear to our hearts. God was there and it was so incredible to join in on His work there. 

We are all anxiously awaiting our next trip there in April. But for now, we are all headed out to our homestay’s. We met our families last night and we will be living with them for a month. So stay tuned for next week’s post!