June 9 - Ecuador vs. USA

The teams unite in prayer following the game.

On a gravel field, in the midst of Carmen Bajo, un barrio de Quito, the annual match between Whitefield and Amor y Esperanza was played today.  In goal for the USA was Nkosi, while Ali, un professor del sexto grado, played goalie for Ecuador.  The USA had hope of a win this year with William in the midfield.  But with Pancho at striker for the opposing team, and some good defense from his teammates, Ecuador came out on top 3-1.  Halftime of the game was forced when the soccer ball went over the fence and a neighborhood dog headed it, caught it in his mouth, and took off down the street.  The girls from the school said that this is the third ball that the dog has absconded this year.  After finding another ball, the game continued with one more brief interruption when the dog returned and had to be chased off the field.

Nkosi makes a save for the USA.

William challenges Matteo, a 10th grade student who is
applying to IB programs in the city for next year.  10th grade
is the last grade that Amor y Esperanza is able to offer in
their current building.

During the soccer game, these girls enjoyed cheering and playing
games in the stands with Bailey.  Michelle stared into Bailey's eyes
and said, "Sus ojos son como el agua."  They were entranced with
her blue eyes!!

Despite the loss, the team remains in good spirits and is both excited and sad about our last day with the children of Amor y Esperanza tomorrow.  Both yesterday and today, we have had afternoon clubs with the children in addition to our morning teaching.  Tomorrow, we will have a science fair where each of the classes will be able to present a science project that they have been working on throughout the week.  Following the fair, we will have a farewell ceremony with the children and a party to honor the teachers who work diligently throughout the year to not only educate but also to disciple the children in the school.

"I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.  I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want."  Philippians 4:12

I do not mention this verse in reference to myself or to the Whitefield team here.  We are witnesses.  We are here to see the glory of God through some precious saints who we have had the privilege to meet, to serve alongside, and to know in the Spirit of Christ.

One of these saints is a mother of four whose children attend Amor y Esperanza.  She worked alongside the team in repairing the roof of the home for the family who has moved here from the coast following the earthquake.  She worked tirelessly, removing roofing tiles, consulting with and directing William in what needed to be done, moving the heavy ladder, continually with a smile and without a complaint.  On other days, she served in the school and I observed her, again with a smile, carrying food for the lunches, cleaning, or lending a hand to others in their work.  Yesterday, we took a walk through Carmen Bajo to see the neighborhood in which the children at Amor y Esperanza live.  Pancho pointed out this mother's home to me.  She is a single mother of four, and lives in a single room near the school.  I am humbled.  I now have seen what it means to live out Philippians 4:12.

This is a picture of her home. 

Not only have I seen God's spirit at work in the adults here, but also in many of the students of the school.  Yesterday, when we held clubs for the students, a young man named Henry came to "dancing".  While the other older children who were there sat back and wondered what on earth Nkosi and then Bailey were doing, Henry entered in fully.  He enjoyed the moment.  He tried whatever type of dancing we threw out there, from the Panda (something I don't think I ever thought I would do before this trip), to the Whip, to classic swing dancing.  After dancing, he attended art.  The students stood before the class at the end to present their work -- a paper with their name and things they enjoy.  Many said, "I like futbol," or "I like music."  Henry came to the front of the class and said, in English, "My name is Henry, and I love my life."  He showed me joy -- the kind of joy that you can see in a person's face, and feel in their spirit.  Again, I was humbled.

A view of homes in Carmen Bajo, near Amor y Esperanza.

Beauty in the midst of poverty -- just like the sweet spirit
of Christ that we were able to witness in the saints here.

Afternoon Clubs

Daniel and Maggie Leigh teach guitar to a rapt audience.

Hair and nails!!

Mrs. Davis takes a turn painting finger nails.

Nkosi and Malcom tirelessly led an hour and a half of dance.
The other teachers and students rotated out, except for this little
girl who danced the whole entire time and wanted more today!

William and his boys with paper airplanes from art.

"The Queens of Quito"

Recreation

Maddie with some of her class on the "playground." 

My view of the recreation area from the top of the school
building which is across the street.

The younger kids playing "pata, pata, ganso."

June 8 - God Works in Mysterious Ways

Hello folks back home! Mrs. Justice is an absolute saint, and has allowed me, Maddie, to make a blog post that is about something really special to me. She delivered a great devotional tonight, so she's earned the break in blog posts tonight. So, without further ado, I wish to tell you a story. The story of my decision to be on the Ecuador team this year.

Throughout this year, I was quite certain that I would not be going on the trip this year. I had been planning on getting a summer job and working on college trips and essays and summer reading, etc. etc. etc. But in April, a powerful earthquake shook the coast. And a day after that, I found myself praying to God saying, "God, are you calling me to Ecuador? Speak to me, please." And speak He did. I was called by God to join the team this year, and to go back. He made every detail work out to even the tiniest of concerns, and it was as if the entire world had aligned to let me onto this team. I didn't know what He had in store for me, or even why He wanted me of all people to go back. I had been two years; I had done good work for God's name. What could I do in year 3 that I hadn't already done? 

Oh yeah; you can laugh knowingly. God completely surprised me, and I realized I never should have questioned what He had in mind for me. 

As you have previously seen, we have been working on a house for a family from the coast, who lost everything in April's earthquake. Today, we went to pray over and bless the house. We all stood in the product of our hard work, and each one of us prayed aloud in a circle for the house and the family. After the prayer was over, the family was brought into the house, and they were so overwhelmed with happiness that they began to cry. And, of course, when others cry, I cry, and knowing that I contributed to this happiness only made me more emotional. Team member Jared Jones and I both presented gifts- Jared a great many of bags, clothes, and jewelry, and me, a simple soccer ball for the two young boys, Santiago and Alfredo- and when the family looked upon these things, they spoke of an incredible gratitude, not just to Jared or I, but to the whole team for the great deal of help we had given them. I was humbled by it because I did not comprehend the amount of impact this had until I heard the family speak of their immense gratitude. I realized that our team has changed this family's lives. I realized that even the smallest contribution to a situation such as this one is so much more impactful that you may know at first. They embraced us all and spoke so happily of how we have made them so joyful, and so thankful, and how we have helped them beyond words. 

And as I walked out of the house, a final realization hit me like a cement truck- wham! This is what God wanted me to see. What He wanted me to do. He wanted me to see the impact that a simple action can have; a simple voluntary action taken selflessly for others. That action is so indescribably powerful and strong and impactful, and I had forgotten this. God knew I needed to be reminded of it. And I think that the team, all of us, needed to see how a selfless deed can breed potently beautiful things. 

This is the answer I was searching for. This is why I was being called back to this gorgeous country to help such gorgeous people. In April, when I knew I was receiving the call, I had no idea of God's plans. I wasn't clued in on a single idea of what I could possibly do on this trip that warranted a call from God Himself, but now I'm here and I see it. God works in mysterious ways, and today was living and real proof of this. 

Never not listen to God's calls, and never forget the impact of selfless actions. It doesn't have to be something like going to an entirely new country and teaching english for a week, working on a family's new house after earthquake damage, or even going to visit a new place. It could be as simple as offering to take out someone's trash, or calling an old friend to ask how they are doing, or even a prayer for those in need. The impact is still the same- it makes someone's day, week, month, year, or even decade that much better. Works done for others in God's name are the most powerful things to ever be done on this earth. 

Thanks for reading my story, and may God bless you,

Maddie Fry

The adults of the family

Santiago, the older boy (3rd grade)

Maggie Leigh- sponsor to Santiago and Alfredo- poses with the family

The team and the family together, outside the house

June 7- Mrs. Justice's Day Off

After a very busy day, Mrs. Justice needs some rest. So, unfortunately, the blog has to fall into the hands of an irresponsible, and exhausted, teenager. Or two. In this case, William and Daniel.

We started off the day with another amazing breakfast at the house, and hoped in vain that the coffee would provide inspiration for the day. Once we got to school and resumed teaching, Daniel and I experienced some of the same difficulties that we had the day before. The students were dead-set on convincing us that they didn't understand a lick of English, and many seemed generally disinterred in everything we had to say. We were memorizing 1 Timothy 4:12, which says, "Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity." A few students genuinely tried to memorize the verse, but even they were far from focused on the meaning of the verse. After I tried to explain it to them (failing partly due to the language barrier, but mostly due to lack of attention), I recognized that they didn't understand the importance of knowing Scripture by heart. Of course, I have been in their seats many times, and for a long time, I did not recognize the importance either.

*passes computer to Daniel*

William shared a story (with the help of a translator) from his life to try to impress on them the eternal importance of this seemingly futile activity. This story caused a profound change in their attitudes towards us. I'm not sure exactly what part of the story caused this change, but perhaps it allowed the students to connect with us better than before. In any case, the kids seemed much more enthusiastic afterwards. We began preparation for an egg drop experiment, and the students were really into it. We should have more information along with pictures/videos later in the week.

After school, we worked on a house for a family who lost their home in the earthquake on the coast. We mainly painted the interior of the house and moved old wood and trash away from the house.

We also went to Pim's, a really nice restaurant, and the food was incredible. I'm sure there is more I could say about the day, but it is practically impossible to condense the hectic events of the day into a tiny blog post, especially at 12:53 AM. I hope everyone is doing well back home, and please keep us in your prayers.

Quote of the Day: "The nuggiest nug to ever nug!" - Maggie Leigh (On Santiago, a student)

Henry steps on a nail.
His mom's response: "Did you do this just this just to get new shoes?"

Daniel and Maggie Leigh enjoying themselves while everyone else is hard at work.

The home-repair crew with Ivan, who will be living in the house

Emma with "The Nuggetsss!"

Totally did not exceed the capacity of this van...

June 6 - Day One at Amor y Esperanza

"I command you -- be strong and courageous!  Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."  Joshua 1:9 Esto es el versiculo de Amor y Esperanza.

It is difficult to wrap words around the experiences of today.  There is no way to express in prose or even in picture the depth of the experience of God's vast love for us, the challenge of being immersed in a different culture and language, or the stark reality of the surroundings here -- both beautiful and tragic.  We have been enveloped by the voices and song of the children of Amor y Esperanza (Love and Hope).  We have shared meals together with laughter and prayer.  We have entered classrooms knowing little or no Spanish, tried to communicate math, science, chess or English to students eager and excited to learn, and walked away from the classrooms not sure what we said!  We have also sanded and scraped plaster, removed mold, and replaced roofing for a family displaced by the recent Ecuadorian terremoto (earthquake).

We have been encouraged, in everything, to give God first place.

The Lord is definitely at work here.  He is moving in the hearts and lives of the children who attend the school.  I learned today that La Fundacion de Amor y Esperanza also has a nursery school which serves 70 children ages 0-3.  We saw some of the little children leaving with their parents at the end of the day, and oh, how cute they are!  Emma and Maggie Leigh are dying to visit the nursery school and have a chance to play with the little ones.  Across the street from this school, which is about a 5 minute drive from the current school campus, is the land for the new school building for Amor y Esperanza.  We are praying with Pancho and Pity for the Lord to allow the work to continue on this building.  And we are giving the Lord Jesus first place, even in this.

The team began the day at Amor y Esperanza at a school assembly.

The students welcomed the team from Whitefield with songs
and prayers!

View from one of the classrooms while students were out at recess.

William teaching English in 9th and 10th grade
 using the lyrics to a song.

Adria (above) and Mariah (below) are enjoying 1st grade. 

Emma teaching 2nd grade.

Isaac is an excited 4th grader.

David y Roberto

Michelle y Allison

Maggie Leigh and Maddy with 3rd grade.

Danny is a teacher from Alaska who is
teaching with Amor y Esperanza for
three years.  She is a huge help with
translating for the team!

The boys unload materials to repair the roof
of the home.

Those not working on the roof sanded, scraped,
spackled, and painted the interior of the home. Mariah
is sporting her paint and spackle.

This is the other house on the property, where
currently, there are three families living -- one will
be moving into the home we are working on.

This playground was donated to the school and will be a
wonderful addition to outdoor recess which is currently
held in a concrete courtyard.

This is a view of the home that the team worked on to prepare for the new
family from the coast.  The building in the background is the start of the
new school for Amor y Esperanza.  Eventually, this home will be torn down
and this area will have fields for sports and recreation.

Pancho and Pity share with the team about the challenges they are facing
with the new building.  Construction costs have increased due to changes in
requirements to meet building code secondary to earthquakes in the area.

This little one across the street from where we were
working was just too cute not to include!

Back at the apartment, there was down time
for basketball instruction and of course, more
futbol!!

Jesus and William -- thumbs up, of course!!