Hi everyone:) Apologies for it taking me so long to recap, I’ve been extremely busy since returning to the states. God did so so much while we were South America, one blog post couldn’t sum it all up, but I will do my best to share as much as I can.
While in Ecuador, our different ministries we did everyday were working in the greenhouse (they grew uchuva berries and it was a source of income for the foundation as well as food), Casa Zoe (where all the girls stayed), and construction (we helped build sidewalks and things like that). Then in the afternoons, we would spend time in the community with the kids. Each of them showed me different characteristics of the Lord.
The greenhouse andCasa Zoe both portrayed joy to me. The greenhouse was more mindless work because we would go in and pull leaves, cut off berries, or shuck them but we also had the opportunity to talk with the men who worked in the greenhouse. It would be silly conversations trying to translate what the other was saying, but we would always end up sitting there laughing because of something they were saying, lack of ability to understand what was being said, or just straight incorrect translation. Whatever it may have been, there was always joy and fruitful conversation in the greenhouse with the workers or with each other.
While in Casa Zoe, we would work with them from 9-6 and essentially just be their friends for the day. In the mornings, they would start with doing school online so we would do our best to help them with that. Something stretching about Casa Zoe was we weren’t allowed to have our phones with us so when we were there, all we could do was rely on our Spanish we already knew or honestly just the Holy Spirit. They would finish school around 11 (give or take) and then have a fun class or jujitsu until lunch. At lunch, we would head back to our house with the squad and be there until 2:30. When the rest of the squad left to go to community, we would head back over and be with them until dinner time. Their afternoons had either agriculture, group therapy, or on occasion the greenhouse. Some days, we’d bring over a guitar and worship with them for the afternoon. They would have family visits during the week and some of them would also go to court for their cases. We didn’t hear a lot about any of their stories because they were still ongoingcases so for the safety of that and, so they didn’t have to constantly relive the trauma of what happened to them. It was so sweet to see how even though they had all gone through so much at such young ages, they still carried so much joy. Although there were moments they were down, which is understandable, there were so many more joy filled moments. Theytruly embodied the phrase “joy isn’t dependent upon circumstances.” One of my favorite memories was when we got to take one of the girls into Quito for a cooking class. She had a special case so there were different privileges that she had that the other girls didn’t. Eutiva and I sat in the building while she did her class for about 5 hours. When she came out, she had made two cakes and was so proud of them. The taxi ride home consisted of dancing, singing, and so many laughs. Definitely one of the times I laughed the most in Ecuador. It’s moments like that where you see that even though their innocence was stolen at such a young age, they’re still just young girls at heart and what happened to them doesn’t define them, but what the Lord says about them does. They’re still beloved daughters of the Most High and that doesn’t change because of what was done to them. The foundation always made an emphasis on the fact that the girls aren’t victims but survivors, that they can and will move forward because there’s a light up ahead. The heart behind the agriculture days was for the girls to have their own personal gardens that could provide food for them so when they go home, they know that’s an option rather than looking for it in other things. The joy of the Lord was so evident in every single one of them and it was one of the sweetest things to see.
Construction was exactly what it sounds like, outside all morning building, digging, or moving bricks. It’s the image of what people usually get when they think mission trip, manual labor making sidewalks. I enjoyed construction because we could see the fruit of our work almost instantly, but it was definitely the most exhausting of all of the ministries (shoutout to the boys who did it every single daywithout a break). One of the workers who was 15 was named Josue, but we called him Joshy. If Joshy was there, something wild was being said but we were always laughing around him.
Finally, we had community. Community was from 2:30-5pm and we would drive out to the field owned by the foundation and play soccer or baseball with the kids, or on Thursdays English class. All the kids would come out from their houses and play with us for a bit and then at the end we would speak a message and give them some bread and soda before we left. One of the little kids was the definition of childlike faith. He was so mischievous at any other time but when it came to the message, he would have all the answers. It was a time of relationship building and just loving them like Christ would.
My biggest takeaway from Ecuador was the power of prayer. Every Saturday evening, we would have a night watch where there were hour slots from 10pm-7am and we would pray through thewhole night. It was so cool to see so many prayers get answered in that time. It’s so easy to forget the power of prayer because we don’t always see it in our timetable because it’s different than the Lord’s, but God was so gracious and kind to us to answer a few while we were on the field. We had someone who has been praying for her family’s relationship with Christ for so many years, and while we were on the field she received a phone call from a brother talking about the way God had been moving in his life. We had conflicts amongst the team that were only solved because of prayer and the Lord answering that. That is just a few examples, but we really got to see the power that prayer brings. We aren’t praying to a far-off distant God in the sky, but one who hears and cares to answer prayers and the desires of our hearts. If we ask things in faith and they are according to His will, He will answer them in His perfect time, even if that doesn’t line up with ours.
The last 4 months were the most stretching, growing, and rewarding months of my life. They came with many different challenges but I’m beyond grateful and honored that God allowed me to be a part of sharingHis message. If you’re considering doing something like this, do it. You’ll never look back on your life and think “Wow, I wish I didn’t obey God when He asked me to do something.” You’ll look back and think of how much better God had for you when you listened and trusted that He really did know better. God has good things for those who love Him.
Thank you all for coming along on this journey with me!!!
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