Poncho and Pitty warmly welcomed us at the airport last night, and we all loaded up on the bus to head to our new home for the next 10 days. We safely arrived late last night at the Seminary where we are staying and promptly went to sleep.
This morning, we ate some delicious pancakes, met the wonderful kitchen staff that will be serving us this week, and had a devotion (courtesy of Mr. David) before embarking on our touristic day in Quito! The first stop included beautiful views of the mountains and some friendly Alpaca’s and Llamas. We then headed to the market at Otavalo where we all tried to use our limited Spanish skills to barter for various goods: scarves, sweaters, llama’s, jewelry, drums, and even some musical instruments. We all got pretty decked out in Ecuadorian gear! Next we headed to have lunch. We watched the Korea vs. Somalia soccer game and enjoyed a nice meal!
In between each of these touristic attractions, we spent time on the bus, talking to locals, walking around, and intentionally observing Ecuadorian culture. For a lot of us, we were witnessing a culture that we have never seen before and experiencing what it feels like to starkly stand out for the first time. Although it may have been uncomfortable at times and not being able to speak Spanish certainly comes with its frustrations, it is a truly humbling position to take. This day was an opportunity to admire a culture very different from our own, but one that is quite beautiful and inspiring. Driving on the bus and merely looking out the window at God’s creation reminded me how powerful God is. He’s so much bigger than we think. These mountains that seem to overwhelm us with their prominence and size don’t compare to the size of our God. After all, they are His creation. The same God that created mountains like these wants an intimate relationship with us. He knows our name. He knows our wants, our desires, our fears, and how many hairs are on our head. Most shockingly of all, He loves us. He genuinely and passionately loves each of us.
As we spent special time together today, our group definitely began bonding. We sang karaoke on the bus, bartered together, and took lots of pictures. I think God is really knitting our group together in a special way so that we can serve Him better together. Pitty challenged us this morning to ask God to reveal himself to each of us personally over the course of the trip. In faith, I believe that He will do that. When we draw near to Him, He promises to draw near to us.
After a full day together, we are definitely feeling some exhaustion. However, God is preparing our hearts and minds to serve Him at Amor Y Esperanza this week. Thank you to everyone who has been praying for us on this trip. Prayer truly makes all the difference. None of us can do this trip if we are relying on our own strength. We are truly helpless to our sinful nature without the power of the Holy Spirit. Although we are weak, though, God chooses lovingly to use us to further His mission on earth. I think that’s one of God’s greatest blessings to us. He certainly doesn’t need our help, but He chooses to invite us into His mission on earth. We are all thankful for that opportunity and are excited to see what He has in store for us in the coming days.
Thanks for following along on our journey!
-- Grayce
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