WE RUN QUITO 2010

Last Saturday Oct. 23rd four NILI's and I ran a 10k here in Quito.  The race was organized by NIKE and it was super fun!  The race started at 7pm and we all finished by 8:30ish.  This was my first race ever in my life and it was so fun, well except for the last Kilometer, I was ready to fall over and my legs were yelling at me...WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO US.  But I finished my first 10K run here in Quito which don't forget is almost 10K in altitude in 1 hour and 9 minutes! Pretty good for a first run!  Below are some pictures of us before and after the race...no we didn't get any of us finishing...it was a little crazy at the finish line :)  I'm so ready for another run... :)

Thad, Isaac, Amy and Jenna (Team NILI 9)

Me, Amy, Jenna (The Girls)

Isaac and Thad (The Boys)

Our warm-up run

Getting ready to stretch

Our fellow racers in the front of us!!!!  There were roughly 6000 people who ran!!

The girls again, so excited for the race to start!

Me and Amy (the back of the pack)

Getting ready

YEAH we finished!!!!  And we weren't last!!!!

TEAM NILI 9 with our glow in the dark medals!!!

Harrison and I, he was tired and hungry 

Harrison's Visa

Hi everyone, I just wanted to let you know that Harrison did not get the visa, they said he needed to be more established in the country.  We were very honest in all that we did and we were very sad because it means once again that I have to leave him here for a month when he could be with me.  But so many times in my life God does things I don’t understand, one of my favorite verses is, “your thoughts are not my thoughts and your ways are not my ways” God’s and my thoughts aren’t the same on this topic, however God is good ALL the time, ALL the time God is good (thanks Kim)!  And it doesn’t matter if we don’t agree God and I, He is good, and He knows what is best for me and for Harrison.  So yes I was sad, and a little frustrated. HOWEVER, I wanted to celebrate Tuesday and even though it was a rainy dreary COLD day here in Ecuador which or course just added to my sadness and desire to cry there was joy in that day, the little ray of sunshine I saw on that cold damp dreary day was that God was and always is in control. Whatever happens, happens but God is ALWAYS in control!  And that is what I like about the next verses in Isaiah:

As the heavens are higher than the earth,
       so are my ways higher than your ways
       and my thoughts than your thoughts.

 ¹⁰ As the rain and the snow
       come down from heaven,
       and do not return to it
       without watering the earth
       and making it bud and flourish,
       so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,

 ¹¹ so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
       It will not return to me empty,
       but will accomplish what I desire
       and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

 ¹² You will go out in joy
       and be led forth in peace;
       the mountains and hills
       will burst into song before you,
       and all the trees of the field
       will clap their hands.

 ¹³ Instead of the thornbush will grow the pine tree,
       and instead of briers the myrtle will grow.
       This will be for the LORD's renown,
       for an everlasting sign,
       which will not be destroyed."

God is good His ways are WAY higher and WAY better then my own, ( I don’t understand them, but you better believe they are good!!!)  And joy will go out and be lead forth in PEACE!  And what will it be for, the renown of the LORD.  
I don’t know why Harrison didn’t get the visa when so many people were praying so hard and long that he would.  But God knows and He has something better.  I’m sad right now, Harrison is sad right now, but in the end there will be joy.  Because there is going to be a story, when God works it all out and in HIS time (which once again is not the same as my time) where there will be peace and joy replacing this sadness and frustration.  And not because of what Harrison, me or the embassy did, but because of what God did.  I believe this with all my heart, yes even my heart right now that is sad.  We will not give up we are MORE then Conquerors, we are His children and he loves us, and just like any good parent , we don’t always get what we want when we want it, but God will surprise us with something WAY better then we could have imagined!  
Thank you all for your prayers, Thank you for your words of encouragement, thank you for being part of and witnesses to this story.  Please don’t lose heart, I pray your faith as well as my own is strengthened through this little bump in the road!  So as we say in Spanish Animo mis hermanos (this is for me as much as I write it to you) Be encouraged my brother and sisters God is going to do something great!  Thanks for being alongside us in this journey and hang on it could be a long one, but when God does that something great in our lives, I would love if you are all there celebrating with us!


One more exciting thing is Saturday night, me and 4 NILI's are running a 10K race here in Quito!  It is going to be a blast, so check back next week and I guarantee there will be pictures!!!!! 

The Basilica

Wednesday's are our academic outtings and yesterday we went to my favorite place in Quito, the Basilica.  It is the largest catholic church in Quito, however it's never been finished.  The goal for this church was that it would reach to heaven, that goal never happened so the building is huge but not completed.  Instead of being decorated with gold or marble inside it is just river rock, so everything is grey.  It sounds kind of boring, but the awesome part about this church is that you can climb up to the top of the towers and look out over Quito and get some pretty sweet pictures!  This is not my mom's favorite place because I like to be daring and hang out of whatever nook or cranny I can find, I am ALWAYS holding on, but sometimes it looks like I'm in a dangerous spot.  No te precupes mis hermanos (don't worry my friends)  and enjoy the pics of the Basilica! 

Oh you know what else we got to explore yesterday, not just the high towers, but also the Catacombs!  It was so cool, kind of scary at first.  But we went down under the Basilica and there are hallways of boxes lining the sides of the halls and that is where the people are buried.  Its an incredible sight.  Below are some pictures of the catacombs also!  Enjoy!

Lucy, me and Natasha

NILI 9

Isn't that an awesome view!!!

Here's Quito!!!

Isaac in a little hole...it was a dare to see if he would fit...he did

Lucy playing the Organ, her hands hardly reached the keys

How many NILI's can you fit in this space??

The "chapel" in the catacombs of the Basilica

The what seemed to be the never ending Hallways of the catacombs

The tombs in the walls of the Catacombs

Chocolate...what they don't tell you on the Chocolate World tour at Hershey

So this past week we ( 7 NILIs, 3 staff members,  2 seminary students, and 1 member of a local church) traveled to Santo Domingo for a week of ministry.  We knew we were going to be doing a lot of work like painting and working on the foundation of a cistern, but we didn't know we would get to try tons of new fruits one being Cacao.  First of all God worked in an amazing way on this trip, preparing hearts and minds for his work and we all came home with a new understanding of what it means to be the body of Christ.  And how each part is important and if we work together with Christ as our focus we can complete anything!  Everyone on the trip worked really hard and did a great job of working and sharing God's word and love in ministry through song and a drama.  You can check out the NILI 9 Everything skit on Youtube, click here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_QZrIFRdmM


I have also posted lots of pictures on my facebook of our Santo Domingo trip check them out here: http://www.facebook.com/#!/album.php?aid=552442&id=786695077&ref=mf

Ok so now onto the Chocolate, first of all did you know chocolate comes from the Cacao plant?  (they tell you that much at Hershey) but did you know it was first known as a fruit and not for the dark sweet goodness known as chocolate.  It is a fruit and it's really good.  You open the cacao pod and there are these white gooey globs, you put them in your mouth and suck off the sour and sweet white stuff then you are left with a seed...THAT is what turns into chocolate.  You have to clean off the seeds and let them ferment then they are dried and toasted then cleaned and ground and then made into paste which then needs to be spun until it is the sweet chocolaty goodness, although it is very bitter. We went on a chocolate tour in Mindo a small town in Ecuador where we learned all about this process...it's not quite like the ride through Hershey's chocolate world with the singing cows and large machines doing the work of making the chocolate.  First we saw Cacao growing in it's natural habitat so many times in our travels in Santo Domingo.  And we tasted that yummy fruit many times also.  Then on the tour in Mindo we walked to what looked like a green house made of plastic and saw where the cacao seeds are fermented and dried.  Then we walked to the house where on the roof was the "chocolate factory" with homemade machines to toast, clean, ground, make paste and spin the chocolate.  And of course to finish the tour we had a taste test of the bitter chocolate with out sugar and then finally the grand finale of Brownies and either chocolate ice cream or hot chocolate.  Again a little better then the one piece of free chocolate you get at the end of the Hershey tour.  It was really fun to see the real thing being made, it is quite a long process and even though we brought home some cacao to try to make our own chocolate, I think it is better left to the professionals!  And yes it was fun and really good chocolate in the end Hershey's is still the best (gotta stay true to my roots)  :)    Below are some pictures of the cacao we found while driving and the chocolate tour in Mindo!

Me and the Cacao on the tree

From left to right:  cacao pod, me eating the fruit, cacao seed

The cacao pod, fruit, seed and toasted chocolate (very bitter)

This is where the Cacao ferments and dries

Cacao fermenting (this makes good chocolate)

Cacao Drying...it's starting to smell like chocolate

This is the Toaster

The seed cleaner

The grinder

This makes chocolate paste

The paste spinning for three days...we're getting close

FINALLY HOT CHOCOLATE AND BROWNIES!!!! YUM!

And we're off...again!

So I've been back in Ecuador two and 1/2 weeks and Lots has happened!  First I got engaged!!!  Yes the night I arrived Harrison surprised me with a HUGE bouquet of Beautiful Roses and a beautiful ring and he asked me to marry him!!!  So that is very exciting!  Then the next day our new group of NILI's arrived.  We are currently in our 9th semester of NILI, which is so hard to believe.  We have 7 Wonderful students from three different Universities:  Olivet Nazarene, Southern Nazarene and the newest school to join with us George Fox University!  For the past two weeks we have been getting everyone oriented and into their Spanish classes, and Tomorrow we are leaving for our first long trip and it's our ministry trip!!!!  We are headed to Santo Domingo, where we will be staying at the Nazarene Campground and working at various churches on that district.  The students have been working on a drama to the lifehouse song "everything"  that they will perform in the churches.  We will be doing some painting, and kids ministry along with lots of other fun activities.  So please pray for us this week as we journey out to Love on the people of Ecuador through work, ministry and fellowship! 

The Journey Home...

OK I know it's not Thursday, but I never updated my blog last week so I'll try to do two updates this week!  So first of all I'm here safe and sound in my parents house in PA, boy did it feel good to sleep in my bed last night!!! 


So I need to go back and tell you how the Visa story ended!  It was a total God thing!  Kim and I went back downtown on Monday morning to see if our Visas were approved, they were so the man behind the counter told us go down stairs and pay the $150 for the Visa, we did that came back upstairs and he gave us a receipt and said come back on Wednesday.  At that point I though ok so after we get our Visas back we still have to take them somewhere and register them which they said could take 2 days which is Friday and I have to get my CENSO which doesn't usually take very long, but you never know and I'm leaving on Sunday night so If I don't have everything on Friday I'm in trouble.  So I explained my situation to the man and he said ok come back tomorrow Tuesday between 12:30-4:30pm and hopefully everything will be ready. So Tuesday we had a lunch with the other missionary ladies at the mall el Jardin pretty close to where we needed to get our Visas and so we headed to the visa place and got there around 12 noon and we headed up and just asked the guard if we can get our Visas, we weren't expecting them to be ready, but we thought it can't hurt to ask!  So we asked and our good friend behind the counter handed them to us, we signed for them and then asked ok what is the next step he said you just need to go across the street from the Mall El Jardin and get your CENSO.  I was thinking seriously, that seems to easy, and I asked what about registering the Visa, He said no just get your CENSO.  So ask we left the Visa place where we had visited 3 times, I did a little dance and joy with my passport in hand!  Then Kim and I headed to the CENSO place, which yes was right across the street from where we were having lunch.  It was closed until 2:30pm for lunch so we too went and had a wonderful lunch with the missionary ladies.  Then we headed back over around 2:30pm and I had my CENSO my 3:30pm and I was totally legal with a Visa and Censo for the next two years!  God is so good, THat was a HUGE lesson again for me!  It is so hard for me to let go of things when I can't be in control.  But all along God was in control, he knew what I needed and when, no it didn't happen on my time schedule.  That would have meant that I had my visa and censo on Thursday the first day we went downtown.  But I had everything I needed on Tuesday a whole 5 days before I left!  So I just want to Thank the Lord for ALWAYS watching out for me, and for always being in control.  I'm so thankful that when things are OUT of my control, they are always IN God's control!

So Sunday night I headed to the airport, crying of course, I know it's only a month home, but I'm gonna miss everyone in Ecuador, Especially Harrison!  So I headed through getting my boarding passes, paying the exit tax, all the shops that were closed, immigration, security to go look for a bottle water, and I knew that last time there was only one place open downstairs, and so I headed there to buy water (which they were out of) and gum.  Then I headed up to the gate next to mine to drink the strawberry soda I bought and spend some time online until it was time to board, because in Quito if you are flying to the states you can't take ANY drinks on the plane.  So I waited and chatted online until they made the final call which was at like 10:30pm the flight didn't leave until 11:30pm  So I headed over to the gate I went through another check of my carry on bags, to make sure I didn't have a bottle of water :)  then I sat and waited.  Of course on my flight was a group of high school kids from some exchange group.  There were alot of them.  As I waited they were getting louder and louder, then one of their leaders came back in to the gate with a bottle of water and walked right past the people checking for of course bottles of water.  And very nicely in English the guard lady said mame, I'm sorry you can't take that bottle of water in there.  Well the leader lady starts yelling and being very rude, WELL HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO TAKE MY MALARIA MEDICINE AND THIS AND THAT, and being well yes the rude american.  I was ready to get up and say look This is for YOUR safety, get a grip, get your pills go take them out there and be done with it. Oh it made me very frustrated.  Then as we were heading down to the plane the kids from this group were running and screaming and swearing and being once again the rude americans.  I just about lost it, we work so hard with our NILI students and as missionaries to try to NOT be the rude americans, it really gets on my nerves when I am out and about in ecuador and I see people from my country talking about the people of Ecuador in a negative manner and using obscene words because they think " no one understands what I'm saying"  Well  let me tell you YES there are people who understand you, sometimes they are other gringos other times they are ecuadorians who do speak english.  So please if you ever travel outside the country and don't speak the language be careful what you say and how you act.  Everyone can tell where you are from, and remember there are people how live in that place from your country and they are trying to change the way people see our country, learn how and put in action how to be a Global citizen, PLEASE!!!!

So anyway we finally get to atlanta, I didn't sleep hardly at all on the place because they changed my seat to a middle seat, those are the worst.  I was in between two guys who were all stretched out with both of their arms on the arm rest, so I had none.  Apparently I'm still a little upset about that.  Something I must work through :)  It is always a little rough for me my first few hours back in the states, I don't know what language to speak in, looking at all the new stuff, being hurried to order my coffee :)  Anyway as soon as I got through the last security check in Atlanta I smelled the sweet aroma of Starbucks so of course I headed up the escalator for my first Grande, non-fat caramel Macchiato in 7 months and WOW did it taste good.  Sorry Kim, I'm gonna try to bring you one back!!!!!  I spend the next 3 hours people watching.  Then I boarded my flight to Philly and finally was with my parents around lunch time yesterday!  It is so good to be home, where everything is familiar and different all at the same time.  I can't imagine what it would be like for someone to come into the states for the first time, the hustle and bustle, the stores and all the little "gadgets" we have the variety of food and even types of coffee, its overwhelming for me after 7 months.  I hope the next time I'm coming home in December I will have  Harrison with me, and I'm so excited to see through his eyes what it's like to come to the states for the first time.  I can imagine it to be intimidating and exciting all at the same time! 
Well it's about time I get out of bed, I'm off to wal-mart today!  first time back which means a leisurely trip through every aisle to check out whats new and different :)  It's so good to be HOME!


P.S.  please be in prayer for Harrison, when I get back to Ecuador we are going to start working on the Visa process for him!  It is so good to be an american where we have the freedom to travel pretty much anywhere we want to with just a passport!  There are other who aren't so blessed and need to go through hours and lots of money to try to get a visa to travel!  Thank you Lord for the freedoms we have in the US. 

God Bless everyone!  Talk to you Later :)  Chau

I LEFT MY PASSPORT....

Yes I know you are NEVER supposed to let your passport out of your site when in another country, however there are times when you NEED to!  Today Kim and I went downtown to renew our Visas.  IT was actually quite easy, we gave our papers and they told us you have to pay $30 downstairs and make a copy of your actual visa page in your passport and come back upstairs.  We did that and they reviewed our papers and gave us a receipt and told us to come back on Monday to see if we are authorized for the Visa (I really hope we are, because if not, then it looks like I have to get my visa in the states).  So on Monday morning we will head back downtown check out our authorization, hopefully pay the $150 for the Visa, wait for the VIsa (hopefully they will give us back our passports with the VISA on Monday.  Then we  have to register our Visa, at some other place (I'm not sure where)  then get our Censo, or our Ecuadorian ID card, then I can leave for the states in peace, with all my documents in order!  Which I leave in 10 days!  I'm very excited to see and spend time with my family and friends!  However it will be difficult to leave Harrison and my friends here!  Pero, asi es la vida.  But, that is life.  So I hope all is well with you wherever you are today!  I pray God is blessing you in Great ways and you are sharing his love with those around you.  I do have one favor to ask of you!  Please, please pray for this fun Visa stuff and that all the papers would be filled and that I would have the Visa early next week!  And that it is for 2 years!   Thank you so much!  Talk to you next week!!!!!! Dios Les Bendiga!  God Bless you!

Lucy and Harrison got their Drivers Licenses!!!!!!!

 Lucy and her Drivers License!

 The Top news this week here in Ecuador is that both Lucy and Harrison got their Drivers Licenses!!!  That is huge, they had to take 6 theory classes, where they teach you all the rules of the road here in Ecuador (Everyone has to take that including me and yes it was all in Spanish…which was lots of fun, since I got my license about 6 months after I moved to Ecuador)  And if you have never driven before like Lucy you have to take I think it is like 12 hours of on the road driving.  I didn’t have to do that part since I now have been driving for more years then I have been alive.  Anyway for Lucy this was a HUGE feat.  She had never driven in her life, I’m talking not even a bicycle.  So it was a big thing for her to get in a car and start it and actually make it move and then to go out on a road, she was a little nervous.   The funny thing is her teacher kept telling her "stay to the middle of the road", because she kept moving towards the side of the road.  She told her teacher "look, I’ve spent the past 3 years riding where you are riding so to me THAT is where I NEED TO BE".  Unfortunately he wasn’t very compassionate and He said "well that’s great if you are not driving but if you are driving you need to be in the middle".   She also now likes to tell us, frena, frena, jira jira embraque frena which translates to brake, brake, turn turn, clutch, brake.  So our time in the car now is also practice.  She likes to ask questions, how do you know you need to down shift, or she tells us, the engine is making lots of noise you need to shift, Never a dull moment in the car.  Although the funny thing with Lucy is that I gave her the keys the other day well let me rephrase that I TRIED to give her the keys the other day just to drive to the gate and she said NO NO, I have my license but you still need to teach me how to drive.  HAHA, she is so funny.  She explained to me I have it all in my head I know what I should do and even when I was in the car driving before the teacher was telling me what to do.  So now I need to practice but I can’t do that without one of you with me telling me what to do at first, and then little by little I’ll try to do it without you telling me.  So Lucy has her license, however she isn’t quite ready to drive but it is fun that she has it and if there is ever an emergency when we are on the road she can legally get behind the wheel (if her feet touch the pedals, that is a joke between her and stan he says she is too short and can’t touch the pedals) and drive.  

Harrison also got his drivers license he and Lucy took classes together, which was hilarious because they like to pick on each other.  Anyway he had driven before but he also has had two accidents and so for him getting behind the wheel was just getting over a fear of crashing.  This is a big thing for him as well, once he gets time to practice, which he does in the seminary with the work and witness vans and truck, driving from the shop to the construction site down below and back and just moving the cars around, he will be able to go and run errands for Jon.  Since he is almost always working with teams and Jon and lucho the other work and witness worker someone is always running for supplies.  Most of the time Jon is busy directing the team and Lucho is usually the one to go and get the supplies, but he is usually on the roof or something so now there is the option that Harrison can go and get supplies also.  So it is a really exciting time for both Lucy and Harrison now that they can legally be out and about on the crazy roads of Ecuador.  So please just pray for them, that they find time to practice and for those of us who will help them practice.  Never thought I might be a driving teacher!

Well that’s the news here in Ecuador.  Oh the NILIs just got back form the Galapagos Islands, which they loved!  Tomorrow is 4^th Of July!!! No it’s not really a holiday here but YES we are going to celebrate American style with a cookout and strawberry shortcake! Maybe even some sparklers!  The NILI’s leave in two weeks from today which means I leave two weeks and a day from today!  I’ll be home for a month, which I’m very excited about!!!!  Although it will be hard being away from Harrison for a whole month, we go weeks at a time here, but a month seems long right now.  But I know it will be good for both of us and Hopefully the next time I’m home in December he will be with me!! Please be praying for that also.  When I return in August we will probably start working on the Visa process for him to travel in December!  Ok well time to go make some pasta salad for the cookout!  I’ve already made 7 batches of Rice Krispie treats today (that is for CENIC the convention center.  They have a group of 120 gringos and so Salomon asked if I would make some American desserts…Rice Krispie Treats and banana Bread.  So I’ll be busy today and tomorrow!!!!!) 

Anyway God Bless and Happy 4^th of July!!!!!!!  I’m so proud to be an American, even though live in Ecuador!!!  God Bless You America and all of the troops out there serving for our Freedom!!!  We truly are blessed to have been born in this Great Country, Lets not Forget that this Independence Day!!!!  Hasta la proxima semana, Until nextweek!!!

Sometimes its just hard to blend in...

Sometimes this is what it feels like to be a gringo in latin america...a little out of place :)

I've officially lived in South America for 4 years now well in a few days ( I moved to Venezuela June 29, 2006) It's amazing how much I have learned and how I and my world view have changed.  I try to blend in, I try to watch the people around me taking note of how they do things, how they dress, how they walk, what they carry with them when they are out and about and I really work hard at trying to match their spanish accent.  However no matter what I will always stand out.  I am a proud american, I'm proud of where I come from, I Love that I was born in the the land of the free and the brave.  But some days I think life would be easier here if I just blended in.  I think part of it is culture shock, yes I still go through culture shock even after living abroad for 4 years in fact the worse culture shock is usually returning to the states.  But that is a blog entry for another day :)  But you know even in wanting to blend in here in latin america I'm so glad that God has made each and every one of us different, we might "blend in" when we are in our home country or with our family, but are we called to blend in??  I don't think so, Just as Christ was the light of the world, so we are called to be salt and light to the world. 
¹³"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.

 ¹⁴"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. ¹⁶In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

~Matthew 5:13-16

Light does not blend, it stands out and salt doesn't blend either, it is used to bring out flavor.  So trying to blend in with the culture and the people might not be so bad, BUT I can't blend in when it comes to what I believe and who I live for.  So that is something I'm going to work harder at, being salt and light.  I guess I'll just have to sing a little song to remind me of that :)  

THIS LITTLE LIGHT OF MINE

This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine.
This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

Won't let Satan blow it out.
I'm gonna let it shine.
Won't let Satan blow it out.
I'm gonna let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

Let it shine til Jesus comes.
I'm gonna let it shine.
Let it shine til Jesus comes.
I'm gonna let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

Hide it under a bushel - NO!
I'm gonna let it shine.
Hide it under a bushel - NO!
I'm gonna let it shine, Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

 

Down in South America
I’m gonna let it shine
Down in South America
I’m gonna let it shine, Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

Crossing the Jordan...well not quite

So now that is has been a good two weeks since my journey to the jungle with the Mount Vernon and NILI group I can talk about our journey with out feeling overwhelmed. Ha just kidding, it's amazing how God can use a little detour (ok ours wasn't really little) to work in your life.  God always wants to show His kids something new.  So here is what he has been showing me!


This week I've started reading the book of Joshua (or Josue in Spanish) and When I got to chapter 3 and 4 I had a hmmm I kinda know how that feels moment.  Chapter 3 talks about how the nation of Israel had to cross the Jordan, to enter the promised land.  The amazing thing was God telling them to prepare for this journey by consecrating themselves.  Then when it was time to cross the river, He sent the priests and the ark of the covenant in first.  When the feet of the priests touched the water the river stopped flowing.  and the nation of Israel crossed the Jordan river on dry land.  Now you may wonder Jen what does this have to do with your journey.  Well we crossed a few rivers and no the water didn't stop flowing when we crossed, but we had been preparing for the journey in prayer and God did see us safely to the other side.  And we did make it to our final destination a little wet, and muddy and worn out, but we made it.  And God showed more of Him along the way! 

There was a point in the journey when I was tired and just ready to stop driving I was tired of dodging pot holes the size of Pennsylvania, I was tired of going only 5 miles an hour and I really didn't want to cross any more rivers and the only thing that I could do so I wouldn't start crying was to sing.  I started singing to my self I Love you Lord.  IT was a little tense in my van the students behind me weren't sleeping, they were intent on watching the road and the gas tank.  Finally I said hows it going back there guys and they said ok how are you doing and I said well I'm tired and I really just want to get to our destination, they said ok how can we help, and I told them well I'm just up here singing so why don't we all sing, to get our minds off the stress of the situation.  So We started singing, it was crazy I think they thought I was crazy, but we started singing, and the mood changed.  We were not fearing anymore, we were praising our Father the only one who could bring us through this!  And I knew at that point I had nothing to fear, God was with us and he would not leave us.  we might not make it to our final destination when I wanted to, but we would get there and He would protect us and be with us. 

It wasn't until this week when I realized all God had done for us on that journey.  And how i needed to be reminded of what he had done.  Which brings me to Joshua 4, when Joshua called the people of Israel to collect rocks from the middle of the Jordan river to set up a memorial on the banks of the Jordan, so when their children asked they could share what God had done for them in this place.  Mount Vernon did something very similar for me.  They found a rock, a big heavy rock and carried it all the way from Palora to Quito, signed it and gave it to me as a reminder of this trip and all the rocks we drove over on the swiss cheese roads and in the rivers we crossed.  Also on Wednesday Hermano Stan gave a Devotional that touched me and reminded me of this trip as well.  The verse that touched me was Mark 5:36.  "Don't be Afraid, Just Believe."  That is what we did we started singing and praying and believing instead of being afraid.  And the memorial Rock that MVNU gave me will be a reminder to do just that "Believe and not be afraid. 

Me and my Memorial Rock!

(Oh P.I.P.  means plan in process, that was our theme, because the plan was constantly changing!)

Back from the Jungle!

So it was an interesting beginning to our trip when the volcano Tunguragua decided to blow ash and lava so we had to take the Looooong way to the jungle.  We crossed rivers and drove on bumpy rocky paths, we had two flat tires and stalled van and we only made it to macas about 2 hours from where we were supposed to end up.  But through it all God was with us, he protected us, gave us enough gas to last a whole day of driving on roads where well...there were no gas stations and he provided us with big trucks and people when we really needed them.  And that was only on the first day!  But it was a reminder that even though we think we have plans and think we know what is best, God always wants to show us that he wants to take care of his Children, and he did just that.  And it was a reminder for life in general that there will be rivers to cross and bumpy spots in the road, but no matter where we are in our lives no matter what difficult situation we have to deal with no matter how out of control we feel, God is always with us and He wants us to depend on him.  Thank you Lord for traveling with us and for moving the hearts and minds of all of us.  We also got alot of work done, we painted a church, put a roof on a church, held numerous kids club activities and we even got to swim in a few rivers and play with monkeys!  It was a blast, and the best way I can share this trip with all of you...is through pictures...so here are a few...enjoy :)