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!