Day 5 Wednesday

EMT Day 5 Wednesday

Our third day of work consisted of another morning at the school and afternoon at the construction sight. We woke up bright and early, ate a hardy breakfast, and then hit the road for Amor y Esperanza. Everyone was definitely feeling the full days and late nights today, but the smiles on the children’s faces when we arrived at the school brushed away any grumpiness or negativity in our hearts. In my class, pre-k and first grade, they learned all about nature. We taught them the English words for beach, mountain, forest, etc., and did many arts and crafts relating to the outdoors. They seemed to particularly enjoy when we had a little competition about who knew the new words better, boys or girls.

Then, after a hardy lunch of burritos, oranges, and quinoa chips, we headed over to the sight of the new school. Waiting for us there were 500 bricks that needed to be moved from the truck to the first floor of the building, then from the first floor to second story where we are doing construction. This was a long and tiring process, especially after two other days of moving bricks, but the satisfaction of working together to complete a job even when you are tired and sore made it worth it. Then we began laying bricks to the tune of The Greatest Showman and Billy Joel. What a combination. After the work day was finished, we had finished the front walls and started on the back. All in all a successful days work.

Back at the seminary, we began yet another heated soccer game. Grayce and I attempted to contribute, but neither of us will be voted MVP any time soon. Dinner was roasted chicken with french fries (papas fritas) and rice. Then we headed to the chapel to begin our devotion for the day. Mr. Mccune put me in charge of the music, which was a small step out of my comfort zone, but with Zach on the ukulele, Scott and I on the guitar, and Mccune on the Banjo, it was smashing hit. After the music, Pancho and Pity led us in a time of prayer to invite the Holy Spirit to live inside of us. Although many of us may have prayed that before, this was something truly special. We were all on our knees humbly crying out to God and his presence was definitely felt by all. We sang another song and worshiped God with our whole hearts. After singing, Pancho invited people to come up to the front and boldly share what God did in their hearts. Many shared of the freedom found in relying on the Holy Spirit. There was a palpable sense of joy and peace knowing that our sins were forgiven and we don’t have to be afraid--the Holy Spirit will protect us. When devotion ended, some headed to the gym for a game of soccer-tennis, while other, smarter people, headed to bed. Please continue prayer for the team, as some are struggling with illness and all are a little sleep deprived. Nevertheless we are having the time of our lives serving God together in Quito. Thanks for following along!

--Annie and Grayce

Day 4: Tuesday at Amor y Esperanza

EMT Day 4 Tuesday
Today was another great day in Quito! For starters, the day began with empanadas for breakfast. After walking up the stairs to the top floor, completely out of breath, (I’m still not acclimated to the altitude) we began our second day of teaching the kids! In the eighth grade, we began with some English before beginning to build our class project--cardboard cars powered by mousetraps. At the end of the school day, the eighth and ninth grade hung out on the roof with Maddie’s guitar. We enjoyed bonding with the kids and playing music, but we could not, unfortunately, fulfill the teacher’s request to play Zac Brown Band.

After lunch, we went back to the new building to construct some walls. The brick-mover assembly line was moving faster than ever, and walls were quickly going up. The construction site is my personal favorite part of this trip. We get to work hard for the Lord and see visible results. It is certainly hard work, but it is certainly rewarding. Often times it takes weeks, months, or even years to see the hand of God at work. This is not so with the building. Sure, there is much work to be done, but walls are going up--progress is being made. It is truly amazing to be a part of this progress for this community.

Once the construction for the day was finished, and the workers were going home, we headed to the gym for a nice game of indoor soccer. What else would you do after an exhausting day in Ecuador? We then headed to dinner and devotion. Believe it or not, devotion lasted for just barely over an hour! It was a very unique and special time, as every evening is in Ecuador. Piti talked to us about faith, and I think we all learned a lot. So many days we have hours at a time where God doesn’t even cross our mind. We think we can just do everything ourselves. We know how to go to school, do our jobs, make our dinner etcetera, but how often do we realize that none of this--even the smallest task--is impossible without God. Just because it’s cliche doesn’t mean it’s not true. Not only did we learn to put less faith in ourselves and more in God in the little things, we learned about the supernatural capability of faith. I very often think that God does not perform miracles anymore. It seems so much like God only used to perform miracles in the Bible. Last night we learned that is not the case. God is as present as ever. He will and does perform miracles great and small. No matter the lack of faith that we have in him, no matter the doubt, he remains completely faithful to us. He never breaks a promise. He always fulfills his plan perfectly in the best way possible for those who love him. It was truly a night full of revelation and faith, and I am so thankful to have the opportunity to have these experiences with such great people in such a beautiful place.

- Zach J

Day 3: Amor y Esperanza

Today was our first full day of teaching, constructing, and of course some soccer and a devotional. To say it was a tiring and full day feels like an understatement. However, by the end of the day we all felt the fulfillment and joy of spending our day serving others. It was a good day. Humbling, for sure, but still so so good. I think humility is the best way to describe what this day taught all of us. For many of us it was merely our first or second time teaching, and it’s quite a daunting task, especially considering the language barrier. Construction was similarly humbling as we carried over 700 cinder blocks up 3 flights of stairs. It was really beautiful to see the humbling process, though, because I think that’s where God wants us to be. We find Him in that spot when we understand that we can’t do things on our own. Frankly, apart from Him we can do nothing. In this state of humility, there was also a great amount of unity among the team members. Students teaching one grade would help students teaching in another grade who ran out of stuff to do for their class. Our strong Spanish speaking team members graciously served the ones who were struggling. We split up into our different groups that we were assigned for construction-- groups of people who don’t necessarily know each other super well. In an ordinary situation, high schoolers would grumble about being placed with people who aren’t their best friends--this was different. Everyone was happy to work with their group and we truly experienced trinitarian community as we served God together. Unity was also strengthen when we formed a huge assembly line to carry the cinder blocks. There were people lined all the way up the three flights of stairs, staring from below at the back of a truck, and we simply passed each block up the line. It took an hour and a half of doing this, but it was actually super fun. We sang to keep our spirits up, and God gave us the strength we needed when we came together in that way. There is something really special about people from different sports, different grades, different ages, different families, and more coming together for one purpose. When we got back to the Seminary where we are staying, we played a lot of soccer, ate dinner, and had devotion. During devotion, many students opened up bravely to everyone about stuff they have been going through and the redemption they have felt on this trip already. It was absolutely amazing. We got to hear how God used many different kinds of trials in many different students’ lives for good. There was an immense peace for a lot of us who haven’t felt that in a long time. God’s presence was there, and He truly blew us all away. Praise the Lord!
We are excited to keep teaching the precious students and keep building together this week. If you’re praying for us on the trip, you can be praying for energy (we are all pretty exhausted already), healing for a student who got sick, Pity (one of the leaders of Amor y Esperanza) who got sick, and for strength from the Lord as we continue to serve Him. Thanks again for following along with us on this journey. God is doing some amazing things.

-Grayce

EMT Day 2: We are ALL one

EMT Day 2 Sunday

“We are all ONE in Christ Jesus” ~ Galatians 3:28

Our prayer leading up to and throughout this trip is that we would know that we belong to the Lords, to each other as a team, and to our friends in Christ in Ecuador. Sunday this became evident through and incredible day of travel, community, worship and prayer. We began the day by visiting “Le Mitad del Mundo”, literally, “The Middle of the World” or for us, the equator. Apparently the word Quito is derived from the indigenous word for “middle of the world” which is fascinating because they didn’t have GPS. It’s also fun for the geeks among us to believe we’re essentially in “middle-earth”!

The afternoon was filled with preparing for our classes on Monday, resting and playing soccer. Even the best athletes among us are being humbled by the altitude. A great reminder that we are finite and need the Lord’s help!

Sunday evening was what some would call a “kairos” moment of prayer and worship. We sang the song “How He Loves” and it proved appropriate in several ways. First, “He loves US” is a reminder that this is something WE do together. We belong to the Lord and to one another, even across cultural and language lines. “Heaven meets earth like an unforeseen kiss” completely described the moment where the presence of the Lord was intimately and imminently felt. At times it felt like our singing was bolstered by a heavenly host! And finally the lyric “I don’t have time to maintain the regrets” preceded an incredible time of prayer for individuals. There was not a dry eye in the place as prayers for family members with sickness and individuals allowing the Lord to work on the wounded spaces in their hearts were powerfully received. Our group has grown all the more closer as the result and we couldn’t be more grateful for this time of filling to prepare us to pour out.

Sunday evening also highlighted the reality of the true exchange this experience is, and not without precedent. I encourage you to read Romans 15:22-29 when Paul speaks of the value of gentile churches, such as those is Rome, donating materially to the church in Jerusalem because of the spiritual blessing the Romans and others received from the church there. Praise the Lord for this gift! Would you please join us in praying for this week, that this spirit of belonging would be richly felt by ALL, Ecuadorian and American alike.