In one week from yesterday, we will be leaving Ecuador.
I haven’t written any blogs while being here, and all the things I’ve gotten to be a part of make up what would be an extensive list.
Immediately, I felt like my soul was at peace here. I think we were all excited for the change from Colombia to here. There are so many things that I need to recount about the last few weeks we had in Colombia, and that feels like it was so recent, but we have been in Ecuador for almost 5 weeks and will be back home in the blink of an eye. As we drove from the airport to the foundation, we got closer to the hills, and realized we were really gonna be in a rural area which was so different from our time staying in the middle of the city in Colombia.
Truly, I’ll say it again, I have loved being here. The elevation is ~11,000ft, so we took the first couple of days to acclimate and hear a bit about the ministry here and their heart. Dunamis is a safe house for girls, ages 11–17, who have been rescued from human trafficking, and are now in the process of being restored. Their days are spent doing school, equestrian therapy, Bible studies, ju-jitsu, gardening, group therapy, sports, cooking, and various other things that will equip them for life outside the foundation.
Every day, our team divides between being with the girls of the program (2 of us), being in construction (the boys and 2 of us girls), and greenhouse (4 girls). In the greenhouse, there are two greenhouse boys, Jordan and Josué, and a few of us have spent a lot of time talking with them about Jesus, prayer, and what relationship with God looks like. It’s sweet to think about what God will do in their lives, and what he already is doing.
Last Friday was my favorite day of ministry here so far. Along with Kam and Amy, It was my turn to be with the girls in Casa Zoe (the house where the girls in the foundation live and do life), but they had all gone to do family visits, so Amy, Kam, and I went to the kitchen to see if Julieta (the cook) needed help with anything.
First of all, this kitchen is like dream kitchen. There are big counters, a big pantry, a big window with a nice view, and lots of space (and fun fact, it’s made of two big shipping containers). Second of all, Julieta is cooking for like 50 people, so I’m surprised we haven’t helped her more often. Anyways, we chopped vegetables for an hour and I loved that.
Two things: one, Friday morning, some guys brought a baby pig to the property, and Kevin, the grounds-boy was in charge of the pig. Two, there is a compost system here, so we save all of our food scraps for the compost.
Ok so back to Friday: On our way out the kitchen, we grabbed the compost bucket to bring the contents to the compost, but Julieta told us to meet Kevin with it so we could give it to the new pig! We walked around for a bit to find Kevin because he is always doing something important like moving the cows, raking the barn, or building a hay trough for the horses.
Amy, kam, and I had just left the chicken house looking for Kevin, when he came down the hill, looked in the chicken house frantically, and then asked us in Spanish if the door had been open or closed before we had gone in there. It’s always quite funny to see how much Spanish we can all conjure up, because, although I knew what he was saying, we all erupted in a fit of giggles trying to tell him that the door was wide open when we came to it. Apparently the pig had been in the chicken house, and was no longer. It was time for a pig chase.
There’s a giant, steep hill that goes down the hill that the foundation is on, and I hadn’t gone down there because it’s so steep and would be quite the hike up.. until we were looking for the pig. We were about to look somewhere else, when suddenly, we spotted her wayyyyy down in the bottom corner of the property, and with laugher, I ran down that hill as fast as could without falling, and caught up to it.
I’m gonna be honest, I never thought I’d be chasing a pig up a big hill in the mountains of Ecuador, and it had us laughing so much. While I was chasing the pig, Kevin had radioed Jordan to come bring the pig back to the chicken house, and all of the llamas, horses, and a dog were joining in on the chase (They actually were, Amy took a funny video and I’ll post it).
After the whole pig fiasco, we joined Kevin in cleaning out the chicken house for the pig. We ended up sawing a chicken house in half, sweeping 10 times, watching Kevin power wash, traumatizing some chickens with all of the loud noise, and cleaning more spiderwebs than I’ve ever seen (and I didn’t freak out-maybe I’m getting over my fear). I pet the pig for a bit, Kam tried to saddle a horse, Amy swept about 3 more times, and then we went to lunch.
It was a fun, yet unexpected morning, and along with lots of laughter, we were able to learn more about Julieta while chopping plantains, and help Kevin with wrangling a wild pig.
Usually in the afternoons, we drive a van into the community to either join kids&teens in soccer practice, or teach baseball, but this Friday, only the boys went to sports, and all the girls on our team team spent the afternoon with the girls in Casa Zoe, painting nails, doing face masks, eating popcorn, and having a Bible study. They have long days and work hard, so it was sweet to be able to do that with them
Being here has been very good. It truly feels like Colombia was months ago, and I’m uncertain on how to feel about going home. I’m excited for the new season God has for me this summer, but also sad to think of leaving this time behind. As far as what I’m not leaving behind- in whatever God has next for me, there are some things I want to bring with me into the next season of life.
I want to continue to be disciplined with reading more than I’m on my phone. I want to write things down consistently, I want to read my Bible daily. I want to run more, and call people on the phone more often. I want to pray for boldness in discipleship, and in speaking like Jesus. There are lots of things I don’t want to forget, but I especially don’t want to forget the big and little ways I’ve seen God be faithful through my team and through those we’ve had the privilege to partner with.
As you go into your week, join me in praying that God would place these things on your heart to pray for when he brings them to mind:
– the girls in the program. Although they’re safe, it’s heartbreaking to see them here. These girls are just kids and they want to be with their families. An 11 year old girl joined the house the other day, and the reality of these girls’ situations hit with deep sadness. We are praying that God would encounter them here and bring them so much comfort. We are also praying that their cases will be carried out fast so that they can leave the program sooner and be with safe loved-ones.
– Continued strength for the founders, workers, and caretakers here.
– That the boys in the greenhouse would be receptive to the conversations we’ve had with them. That their faith would be genuine and that their desires if the flesh won’t get in the way of them becoming closer to God.
– Our team as we go home, that we’d remember all God has done. That our hearts will be comforted in knowing that we’ll see each other again. That we would prioritize relationship with God over all other things.
I plan to write one more blog before leaving Ecuador, and one at debrief, so I’ll update soon!!
Thank you for reading this, thank you for praying, and thank you for your support financially, prayerfully, and in encouragement!
