Ecuador Mission Trip Day 5

Day 5: June 10

For breakfast, we had ham and cornbread! How random is that? It wasn’t bad at all, but seriously random. Lunch was the best rice that we’ve had, a pork chop, some avocado green something, and a peach for dessert. Supper was a soup, bread, hamburger steak, veggies, and potatoes. I do not understand how these people can eat so much starch! Then they gave us bubble gum flavored ice cream with chocolate syrup and a peach. We went to the pharmacy next door to get legit ice cream instead! LOL!

Mrs. Holly and Uncle Jesse put on a skit called the “Annoying Little Sin” about how easy it is to struggle with sin, and we can’t get rid of it if we try to do it by ourselves. We have to have Jesus to get rid of it. We made bracelets with various colored beads: black for sin, red for Jesus’ blood, white for purity, blue for the baptism water, green for growing in Christ, and yellow for the streets of gold in Heaven.

We played tug a war and did a sack race with them. We played musical chairs, and I got third place! We played charades which was really funny! Tracy’s germ-x exploded in my eye, but it wasn’t much, and it was really funny!

Tammi and I went to the mall to get ink cartridges for the photo printer. We rode with the preacher, and Jerry went with us because he could speak Spanish. When we got in the car, I realized there were no seatbelts in the back seat. The traffic in Quito is insane so I was sorta nervous. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust the preacher and his driving… I just didn’t trust the other drivers on the road. I stared at the floorboard the entire trip because what I didn’t know would not hurt me. In the electronic store, I found a Mi! It’s a Wi, but they call it a Mi instead! It started raining on the way back to Sweet Refuge, and Tammi, Jerry, and I got soaked! Then one of the little girls at VBS asked me if I had just gotten out of the shower! : )

Thursday would be our last day of VBS : ( and Thursday night, we would get to eat out! Friday we would get to go to the rainforest and do zip lines through it! They say it’s totally safe, and there isn’t anything that will eat me, but I really want to see some monkeys or something! I really hope we get to go see the Amazon River! I don’t exactly want to go for a swim by any means because I’ve watched waaaaaay too much Discovery Channel for that, but it would be awesome if we could see it!

Jerry led us in devotion. He asked the team 4 questions: 1. What fears did you have before you came? 2. What are you enjoying the least? What has made it difficult? 3. What are you enjoying the most? What has made it positive? 4. Is there anything you can do to make the ministry easier for the rest of this ministry better for others and yourself?

Romans 15:5 “May the God who gives you encouragement and endurance give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ.” This verse really applies to our team because we were instantly united, and God is working wonders in us, around us, through us, and for us. I so totally just made that up on my own! I deserve a cookie for that! Our God is an awesome God!

Ecuador Mission Trip Day 4

Day 4: June 9

For breakfast, Tracy said that she hoped we had pancakes! I said that would be amazing! But then Terry and I were joking around and saying that we aren’t that lucky, and Tracy said, “wheres your faith?” I kid you not when I tell you that we had pancakes for breakfast! She totally called it!

VBS was going amazing! We were working at a children’s clinic called Sweet Refuge! The kids were so sweet, and “their hearts are open.” They are so obedient too! We shared the story of Jesus calming the storm, and the kids loved it! We made wind catchers and little bottles with water, blue food coloring, and sequins to shake and look like the storm. The translators were our best friends! They are so sweet and loving and helpful and patient and incredible! One little girl colored a picture and gave it to me, and it was so sweet! It took all I could do not to bust out in tears on the spot! The kids really enjoy the bubbles and the jump rope and other games that we play outside! We colored pictures of Jesus calming the sea! The kids really are very artistic! We had a photo team to take pictures of all the kids individually and print them out for them so they have a picture of themselves! The kids also sang “Father Abraham” and “I’m in the Lord’s Army!” How awesome is that? We gave them stuffed animals to take home, and they were not picky at all about which one they got! They were so grateful to us for giving them something so special!

For lunch, we had some kind of meat (we still haven’t figured out what it is), rice (go figure!), mashed potatoes that were awesome, and corn with broccoli… you should be so proud of me! I’ve tried every food that is put in front of me, but I did hide the rice and corn/broccoli in my napkin and threw it away so I wouldn’t hurt anyone’s feelings. They told us that Ecuadorians get offended if you don’t finish all of your food on your plate. I can’t do that even if I love the food! For supper, we had soup, bread, rice, salad, fish, and a fruit cup. BTW: I found Spanish Red Bull!!!!!!! It saved my life!

Shavers did devotion sharing on faith and works. He read James 2:15-26.

Ecuador Mission Trip Day 3

Day 3: June 8

Breakfast started at seven, and it was ham-n-eggs and potatoes. Apparently, Ecuadorians LOVE rice and potatoes because we eat them with EVERY meal! But it could be worse! And the food isn’t bad at all! We left at 8:00 because we started Vacation Bible School, and it was truly a blessing for me! We focused on the story of the Good Samaritan. We came up with a last minute skit on the bus for the Good Samaritan, and all things considered, it went really smooth! Karissa was the guy that got beat up; I was the priest; Kelly was the Levite; Annette was the good Samaritan, and Holly/Uncle Jesse was the Innkeeper. The Translators told the entire story and did amazing! The children responded really well! I gave Karissa a legit-looking black eye with eyeliner and eye shadow. Some people even asked if it was real! It took all we could do not to giggle during the actual skit!

The kids were precious! We had over 100 kids in VBS! We did a craft, and the kids were so creative and artistic! I made the comment that I was 3 times older than some of them, and their pictures looked better than mine! Some kids spoke a little English which helped a lot! We played with bubbles and a jump rope! We read Jonah and the Whale to them, and we taught them a few Bible verses and stuff! At one point, I got the hiccups and funny looks from the kids! We gave them all a stuffed animal, and before they left, they came around and hugged every one of us! It was so sweet!

I also helped with the construction team!!! Ha ha and I have the pictures to prove it! I used a pick on the ground for the first time! I told everyone to call me Happy because Happy was my favorite of the seven dwarfs (they had the picks when they sang Hi-Ho!).

Lunch was great! Chicken, homemade French fries, rice (go figure), some veggies, and ice cream! So good! Supper was shrimp, rice (told ya!), salad, soup (we still haven’t figured out what kind yet but it was good), bread, and some kind of lemon cake.

We had a market close by that reminds me of the market place on Aladdin. I bought some cute pink and black placemats!

Annette lead us in devotion. She read 1 Peter 5:8-11, and showed us how it relates to our trip. Then she read 2 Chronicles 7:14, which is her favorite verse. Dr. T said something that really touched my heart. He said that God already has His plans for Ecuador. “He didn’t have to have us. He didn’t need us to make the story happen. It’s a blessing to be included in it.”

These are some of those moments when the only explanation you have is, “That’s God!” I’m so happy and blessed that I could come and be included in this amazing experience!

Ecuador Mission Trip Day 1 and 2

Day 1: June 6

The Crenshaw County Mission Team departed from South Luverne Baptist Church in the early morning on Saturday, June 6, 2009. We flew out of Atlanta to Miami then into Quito, Ecuador. The team members included Will Tate, Tracy Watson, Terry Lyne, Mr. Jesse, Allen & Tammy Byrd, Joshua Shavers, Jerry Cottney, Dr. Charles Topkins, James Norman, Mrs. Holly, Annette Stephens, and Kelly & Karissa Seales. Sorry I don't remember everyone's last names! I went to Honduras two years ago, but last year, I told Will, our team leader, that I could not go on the mission trip. He told me that if I didn't go, then I would never go again, and I wanted to prove him wrong so bad! While we were in the Atlanta airport, I looked up at Will and said, "I just want to say I told ya so!" I think he was happy to be proven wrong just this once. I knew I was going to forget someting... my watch. I bought a watch to go down there, and I forgot it… so sad. I sat by a guy named Jerry Cottney on both planes… he met up with our group in Atlanta. He’s really cool. He’s from above Roanoke, Alabama, and he is engaged to a girl in Tuscaloosa. On the plane, there was a guy wearing a Georgia hat that said, “Ya’ll have the prettiest missionaries!” The man beside me on the second plane was from Quito so he got to tell us about Quito, which was very helpful.

I roomed with Tracy and Terry. We have three beds in the room, and it’s really nice. The first night, I introduced peanut butter and oreos to Tracy! She loved them!

Day 2: June 7

Quito is B-E-A-U-tiful! Tracy and I found the roof and got some pics! For breakfast, we had good ‘ol eggs and bacon, but they did taste kinda funny, but not the worst thing ever! The weather is compared to women’s moods; it is constantly changing! LOL! Ecuador has 2 seasons instead of 4: rainy and dry. We are in between the seasons now. If you thought our politics were weird, you should see it here! They have had 7 different presidents within the past ten years! And the country has seen 13 different constitutions!

We went to the equator! So neat! I stood in the middle of the earth! There was a small village (it looked like a haunted village from Scooby-Doo!) at the equator that was really neat! The guide told us the chief of the village was buried in a pot, and his wife would be buried alive with him. That was really creepy! Tracy talked me into climbing into one of the pots for a Kodak moment! They showed us some really cool tests to show how cool the equator is! If the water goes down the drain north of the equator, it spins clockwise. If it goes down south of the equator, it spins counter clockwise. If it is on the equator, it doesn’t spin at all! So neat! You could put an egg on a nail, and it would stand up! They showed us a shrunken head that was totally gross and told us (with pictures) HOW to make a shrunken head, which was even grosser! They had an anaconda that was 21 feet long in an aquarium that was kinda creepy but totally awesome!

You will not believe this! I actually tasted the guinea pig!!!!!!! I said I wasn’t going to, but then I did! It was so gross! The flavor wasn’t bad, but the texture was terrible! But I am so proud of myself for trying it!

We went to the Mama Yoli House for a church service, and it was so incredible! The kids were so cute, and even though we could not sing the praise songs, we were worshipping the same God so the language barrier did not matter! The preacher read Ephesians 2:1-10, and we had an interpreter to help us understand.

We had a meeting with some of the leaders of SIFAT (Servants In Faith and Technology), and they said the goal was to "give a piece of eternity here on the earth to the children." They tried to give us a preview of what to be expected. There are so many children here that are mistreated and neglected. There are many single mothers and sicknesses and most children do not even finish grammar school. They told us that a few years ago, the country switched to American money, and after that, 84% of the population went into a poverty state (ironic right?). The man in charge of SIFAT said "it is a challenge from God to be able to serve the children. The gospel belongs to everyone." He encouraged us to be like disciples and spread the gospel. The engineer of SIFAT said “Dreams can come true… even if they seem impossible.” SIFAT is helping build a children’s clinic with classrooms, a library, computers, and a kitchen! The lady in charge of VBS said the children come with "open hearts" ready to receive love because they need love. She shared a few stories with us that made everyone in the room at least tear up. Some children have so much violence in their life that they will hit the other children, the pastor, or the VBS workers because that’s all they know. One that really stuck out in my mind was a 5 year old that heard the story of the Good Shepherd. His stepfather beat him and he always came with hugs and kisses to the workers and he always asked for the Good Shepherd. He thought the Good Shepherd was the pastor! Most kids go to work at 6 AM or they have to go without food. We have watched children on the side of the road selling strawberries or anything they can to get by! We watched two kids would walk up to cars at redlights and juggle for money. It was so sad!

Will lead us in devotion. He asked the questions: What do you intend on doing while we are here? What was your motivation to come? What do you hope will result from being here? What do you plan on doing when you get home? How does it change you? The purpose of the devotion is we get fired up for God while we are here, but we need to go home and not let the fire burn out. He read us 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, Colossians 1:28, and Philippians 1:4-6.