Carnaval!!

Martin bobbing for bananas!

the kids during the egg toss 

In preparation for Lent, all of S. America begins celebration of "Carnaval" which starts the Friday before Fat Tuesday and continues through the weekend. It is well-known for its use of eggs, water, flour, oil and mud and foam. At Casa de Fe we started the celebration out right by spending all day Friday playing games with mentioned above supplies incorporated into every game. Between an egg race, egg toss, bobbing for bananas, an obstacle course and tug-o-war the kids had tons of fun and got plenty dirty! After the game day we ended our celebration with a big barbeque that the tías prepared for us, it was amazing!

The girls on the obstacle course :)

The Carnaval celebration didn't stop there, though. Melissa and I traveled to Quito since we had a long weekend. Saturday night we went to Old Quito to check out some shops we heard were cool, and much to our surprise, the road was blocked off and filled with people spraying foam all over each other. We didn't make it far before we were covered from head to toe in foam and dashing to the nearest street vendor who would sell us foam to defend ourselves! Though we came out soaked, we had tons of fun and lots of laughs!

Melissa and I at the top of the Teleférico!

The rest of our weekend in Quito was spent being "tourists", making a trip up the Teleférico, going on a tram to the top of a mountain to see a beautiful view of the whole city of Quito. We also got to relax a lot and enjoy the things that we don't get in the jungle like cinemas and coffee at a coffee shop.

We returned to the jungle with a new roommate in tow! We picked up Victoria on Monday and have been enjoying more action in our quiet house. We will be getting another roommate on Friday so we will go from a house of 2 to 4 until April. There is also a short-term missions team of 32 people coming on Friday. That will also make for an exciting week.

love and such

Frisbee and other things

I made it back to the Ultimate Frisbee field after a long absence and got to enjoy 2 hours of intense frisbee with other missionaries on Sunday afternoon. But while we were playing, my bike was stolen. Luckily, the cops found the guy who had my bike and it was returned only an hour later... praise Jesus!

School 

We started a new science unit for my 6th graders and the girls are actually enjoying learning about the construction of an atom and we are also working on memorizing the Periodic Table in English and Spanish! The 2nd graders were having trouble learning to read in Spanish so I stopped teaching in English and have been helping reinforce what they are learning in their Spanish Language class and they are starting to read, which is huge and I am actually really enjoying teaching my classes in Spanish!

Día de Amor y Amistad!

Valentines day we had a program for the kids, and we shared cards and candy and words of encouragement. I went home early because I was sick with a parasite but after sleeping a while, I felt well enough to go hang out with Ecuadorian friends to celebrate the day of love and friendship!

What God is teaching me… 

God is my HEALER. He wants me to have freedom and victory over the things in my life that have me in bondage. By not dealing with the hurts and scars from my past, because of fear, I am remaining in bondage from those things. I am learning that God is big enough to change what I do to cope, to find comfort, and to survive conflict. Also, that as a teacher of the Word of God,  I am reminded that I will receive stricter judgment. We are responsible for the people we teach, so I must be disciplined in maintaining my relationship with Jesus.

for lack of better judgement

Tubing the Amazon 

Sunday afternoon five of my buddies and I got our inner tubes and life jackets and went tubing down the Pastaza river for 2 hours. I had never been tubing in Ecuador but all the boys had and they didn't mention how intense it was! To my surprise, about 20 minutes into it, we were on tiny tubes on class-5 rapids and there was no turning back. After getting thrown off my tube by the current and tossed by the water into huge rocks a handful of times, we all came out alive but not without some sweet battle scars and a story to tell the rest of our friends. My body still hurts like the dickens but it was soo much fun!

Super Bowl

So blessed to be able to watch the Super Bowl. A group of us gringos (white folk) got together to watch the beloved game and even though my team lost, which I am soo bummed about, we had a great time hanging out and cheering on our favorite teams.

They can steal our money but they can't steal our joy!

Melissa and I came home last Thursday from work to find our house was broken into. They had cut our back fence and kicked in our back door. They stole Melissa's guitar and my camera, ipod, and $100. It spooked us a little bit but it was a good reminder that we don't put our joy or hope in material things.. all we need is Jesus. They are replaceable and blessings, not something we need or even deserve. 

What God is teaching me

I am in a Bible Study with some awesome ladies who are also serving here in Ecuador. We are going through the Book of James and I think we all have decided it is kicking our spiritual butts, it's been a humbling experience really. I am reminded of how much I need God. Not just in the big stuff but the small day-to-day stuff as well. That no matter how holy or spiritual we think we are, we all have deceptive hearts that are in need of a renovation. I doubt God even though I know He is faithful, and hat He is my only source of stability. I am reminded that my trials are to produce perseverance in my life and I am learning to find joy amidst them. 

Shell to Alaska and back again!

Edison enjoying his outing!

We finished the semester with giving the kids tests to see their comprehension and my kids all passed! We also had a Christmas party with all the kids and also got to draw names and take a kid out for a special day. I got to take Edison who is an 11-year old who is deaf. We went to the pool and went and got pizza and ice cream then played games at the house.  It was cool being able to connect even though we couldn’t understand each other half the time. We both had a blast!

Celebrating Christmas with my family in Girdwood, Alaska!

Cross-country skiing with my parents!

Going home for Christmas was such a huge blessing! It was great being able to go home and spend time with family and friends and enjoy the snowy outdoor recreation that Alaska has to offer! Some of my favorite time home was going crosscountry skiing with my parents in -8 degree weather.

My Agape tribe (discipleship group) from Alaska
came to the airport, giving me the
best welcome home ever!

After a fabulous time spent at home with family and friends for the birth of our Saviour Jesus Christ, I returned to Ecuador and was able to spend New Years with the kids at Casa de Fe, making Pizza and having a huge bonfire where we burned the "old man", which is an Ecuadorian tradition for New Years. All the kids had so much fun!

My beautiful Greis is dearly missed.

One of my second grade students, Greis, returned to the jungle to live with her father. Even though we all miss her a lot, I am happy that she has a father who loves her and is able to take care of her. The nurse, Alaina, who was my roommate for the last 5 months also left this week to go work in the States. They both are definitely  leaving a hole here at CDF.

Spending a Sunday afternoon at the pool with
Maria and Wilson from CDF!

Last roommate picture before Alaina went back to the USA 

We are back to the grind of school and all the kids are performing well! Between school and being back on my training schedule for a marathon, life is so busy, but I am loving it!

What God is teaching me:

I am learning to recognize that there is a world in desperate need to hear the gospel. We must not forget the power the gospel has to change peoples lives and the calling on our lives to take it to the nations. Jesus says, “feed my sheep”.

The day is going to come when God asks us to go and do things that we don’t want to do, but we must go and do!

What God wants of us is what we want in our lives.. whatever cost He expects of us we will pay that price, in His time, not ours.  It’s His ministry, not ours. It’s the need out there, not ours, it is His purpose, not ours!

In our fallenness, we are in the prison of our thinking but when Christ comes, He frees us from this prison. He takes our weaknesses and uses them to show His power.

He asked Peter to go places where he didn’t want to go, I know that God will ask me to go places I don’t want to go, but I will go with Him because it is the place of perfect peace.. His time is perfect and His will is marvelous. We must marvel at God’s promise and His claim upon us!

O Come, O Come Emmanuel!

The month of November was filled with many celebrations keeping all of us at Casa de Fe very busy! I got to celebrate my 23^rd birthday with my new Ecuadorian and missionary friends. They threw me a surprise birthday party where we ate my favorite Ecuadorian food, Volqueteros, and played fun Ecuadorian games! My brother Powell came to visit me for my birthday, so we spent a week showing him life in Shell, including a trip to the tourist town of Baños and spending a weekend in Quito showing what the city has to offer. Powell got to spend a lot of time at the Foundation also and all the kids loved Mr. Pablo (his Ecuadorian name) and just thought he was the coolest. The month of November also included celebrating Thanksgiving with fellow missionaries, we all made our favorite Thanksgiving Day food and spent the evening talking about all the things we are thankful for and playing Apples to Apples. Starting at the end of November was “Shell Days” ,which was the town’s celebration of its existence. Part of “Shell Days” includes the yearly parade, which we got to take part in. Since October we have been practicing a traditional Ecuadorian dance and we got dressed in traditional Otavaleño dresses and danced around town for everyone to see. It was a total blast! We are also staying busy getting ready for our upcoming Christmas program. We decided to do the Christmas story but from the point of view of the animals in the story. It is so fun to watch the kids, especially as all of it comes together as we draw closer!

I go home for Christmas in 10 DAYS and I am oh sooooo excited! As it draws closer and closer I find myself more and more homesick because I know that I will be seeing my family soon. I am going to miss the kids here a ton but my excitement to be with family for Christmas overwhelms me! I already have a lot of plans to take advantage of the snow while I am home including sledding, skiing, ice fishing and making snowmen. But I am most excited of being able to spend quality time with my family and friends and be able to celebrate the birth of our Savior together.. I am so blessed. 

Dwight and I dancing during the parade.

Powell reading to my class during his visit!

The gang in action at the "Shell Days" parade!

Us "gringas" showing just how excited we were to be Otavaleñas!

Powell and I on my birthday!

Surprise! You're 23!

All my Ecuadorian guy friends came out to celebrate my birthday. 

Anthony and Martin right before the parade! 

O Come, O Come Emmanuel!

i can see Your love

Today we are back to the grind of school after a long 4 and a half day vacation. Last week we celebrated the "Day of the Dead" with the rest of Ecuador. We began last week by making crowns on Monday and on Tuesday we took a field trip with the kids to the cemetery to put the crowns we make on the gravestones of the kids from Casa de Fe who had passed away. The next day we had a half day of school and we taught the kids how to make “Colada Morada” which is the traditional drink made on this day consisting of lots of fruits, spices and oatmeal. We also made “Guagua de Pan” (Quechuan word for bread babies). The kids had fun learning how to make the traditional food they eat each year. I had an awesome holiday weekend. There is a missions team here from the United States so us “Gringa” missionaries came up to the property to help the team make Banana Splits for all the kids and we watched a movie. The next day was the hottest it has been since I have arrived in Ecuador and I went to the city of Puyo with some Ecuadorian friends where we played basketball in 100 degree heat and then went swimming to cool down, it was cool to see how the Ecuadorian’s like to spend their holidays, just relaxing and enjoying the presence of family and friends, laughter is for sure a huge part of it as well! That night we were back at the property helping the team teach the kids how to make pizza! Sunday after church we were back up at Casa de Fe with the team who had brought new shoes for all the kids and staff! It was such a blessing to see all the kids get their feet washed and be so excited about a new pair of shoes. I was also in need of a new pair of running shoes since I am training for a marathon and mine were getting destroyed and somehow the team found out I was a runner and not only did I get a new pair of running shoes but I was blessed to have received my favorite kind of running shoes.. God knew what I needed but He went above and beyond and I got what I wanted.. God is cool like that J

Thalia and her awesome crowns and flowers to bring to the cemetery!

Visiting the cemetery

Making Colada Morada!

Maribel and Greis

ROOMIES!

Taking a break from our studies :)

I have been reading the Old Testament a lot lately and I can’t help but be drawn into the stories about the testing of Yahweh. Luckily all the major characters in the OT who we look up to as pioneers of the faith were tested and screwed up at one point or another.  God tested Abraham, Moses, and even Jesus. Jesus was the only person in history to withstand every test that was thrown his way. I feel like I am in a season of testing and being sanctified. Lately, I have been failing a lot, but I am reminded by the stories in the Old Testament where God was big enough to get glory out of our failures..if He is the same yesterday, today and forever I guess that means He is big enough to get glory out of my failures as well. His grace is sufficient for me. The hardest part of the whole grace thing is that even though God forgives me and extends grace, I can’t help but dwell on how quickly I will act in my sin nature and I have a hard time forgiving myself. I guess it’s a good reminder that without God I am nothing, my worship is like filthy rags before Him. Sometimes I just sit in my self-loathe and I wonder how Moses or Abraham dealt with this feeling, because I am sure they experienced similar feelings. So I read on in their stories and come to realize that God’s testing is not just to humble us, but also used for purification and strengthening of faith. God knows we are going to screw up but He stands there waiting for us ready to extend His grace. He tests us so that our faith will be strengthened and our hearts will be purified. I stand humbled and in awe of God's unfailing love.

Otro Color

"He is no fool to lose what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose."- Jim Elliot

It’s been way too long since I last updated! Sorry for the hold up! Just in case you hadn’t heard I arrived safely in Ecuador. After about 28 hours of hanging in airports and flying I arrived in Quito and spent the day exploring the city. We took off early the next morning to begin our 5-hour journey to my new home in Shell but about an hour into the drive our van broke down. We spent around 3 hours on the side of the road while waiting for a tow truck and a taxi to drive us the rest of the way. Good thing I love adventures! After arriving in Shell, my roommate Melissa and I spent the next couple days getting settled into our new home and exploring the town. We started meetings at the foundation (Casa de Fe) that following Monday where we met with all the new staff to go over what we wanted the school year to look like and to decorate our classrooms. We started classes on September 7^th and all the kids were excited to be back in school and start learning! I get the privilege of teaching two different grades. I teach English, Science and Computer classes for 2^nd and 6^th grade and so far it has been great! We are now 3 weeks into our school year and I think everyone is finally getting settled into a routine. Even though it’s been quite an adjustment from being the student to the teacher it is definitely a learning experience! I know I will come away from this school year having learned a lot from the students and the other teachers.. there is so much to learn! Coming to Ecuador was a huge culture shock, I didn’t think there would be because I had been to Latin America many times before but visiting another culture is very different than moving and trying to adjust to a whole new way of life. At first I was homesick and missed all my friends back home. And I was questioning whether or not God had really asked me to move here. But as I asked God these questions, He assured me I was where He wanted me and that He had a huge plan for me here. The first two weeks were really hard but they made me rely on God for strength and reassurance of His promises. God has been so faithful in keeping His promises. Little by little He is revealing to me areas of my life that He wants me to surrender to Him and even though it’s been hard, it’s been a really good time of healing and growth in my walk with the Lord. Very freeing! God is also showing me who He wants me to invest in, at CDF and in the community and how He wants me to serve Him while I am here. I am so excited about this year, about the time I get to spend with all the great people I am meeting and the work God is going to do in my life and in the lives of those around me!

“My life is worth nothing unless I use it for doing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus – the work of telling others the good news about God’s wonderful kindness and love.” (Acts 20:24)