Back in Quito

Well it has taken a long time to get to a computer to update. Sorry if anyone was worried and waiting to here something. Everything has been beyond great in this trip. We spent the last four days in the Lupaxi Central village in the mountains. We worked hard, played games with the kids, and learned so much about each other and God! It has been an amazing experience, and too much has happened to explain on here, but I will share some of the highlights and some pictues so you can get an idea of what's been happening here.

The Quechuan People

By far the most moving part of this trip was getting to know and build relationships with the natives of this village. They welcomed us with hand shakes and a genuine "buenos tardes" (good afternoon) as soon as we got there. We loved every minute of playing games with the children. We played soccer, basketball, volleyball and some other games with them. They smiled so much it was impossible not to have a good time.

By the second day, we started to realize how difficult it was going to be to leave the village. Once they learned the high five from us, the language barrier was hardly a problem. We got to know the kids personally and learned many of their names and we hated to leave them.

The last day was the most beautiful of the trip with the people. They made a lunch for us to express their thanks. Later, two men shared on behalf of the village their appreciation for what we did. It was truly humbling to know that we could make a difference like that. We sang "I will follow Jesus" along with them, us in English, them in Spanish, and it was truly moving. After that we spent about 45 minutes giving hugs and taking pictures (They loved to take pictues then see themselves on the digital cameras) with all of the children of the village as we said "goodbye." It was a little emotional to leave all of the kids who we had spent so much of the last three days smiling, laughing and playing games with.

Special Bond

Along with getting to know some amazing new people, this trip has built some strong new relationships within our group. We lived like we never have before. We had no showers and no plumbing. We worked very hard side by side, and together battled the altitude. We all packed into a small room with no heat to sleep with the temperature dropping below 40.

Doing everything together, and being out in nature was a great opportunity for the 15 of us to really get to know each other. We spent about four hours each morning digging a trench four feet deep for the water system they will recieve. It was hard work and we improved drastically each day. We couldn't keep up with the Quechuan people, who could dig all day long. But by the third day, we really were doing a great job. It was an accomplishment as a team to work so hard together when it was not easy to breathe.

A Beautiful Place

While we could easily feel God's presence in the love that was shared between everyone, we also got a great opportunity to see the beauty of his creation. The village where we stayed was in the Andes Mountain Range at about 11,000 feet. All around us was gorgeous views of mountains that were covered in clouds. It never got old to get up in the morning and just get lost in how vast the range was. It made us feel really small to know how far we were from home, and how huge the mountains were in this place that was mostly unknown to us until now.

All the Work of God

The motivation and guidance behind every part of this trip came from God. It felt good to humble ourselves and put out so much effort for people who do not have even close to the resources we are accustomed to. God was there to keep us all safe and, for the most part, healthy. He gave us strength to work in the high altitude and was certainly involved in the loving relationships we were able to develop with the people despite the language barrier.

Cesar Cortez is the missonary in Ecuador who had lead us in the trip. He has been tremendous to have along, and he taught us lessons about God each night at the village. We have had time to read our bibles, talk about God, and just have some great fellowship wiht other believers. For most of us this trip has been eye-opening and has given us a better idea of where we fit into God's plan.

The whole purpose of this trip was to help these less privileged people and honor God while doing so. Maggie Krick, Mark Whitaker, Garrett Gross and Erin Lindsey all shared a testimony (through a translator) of what God has done in their lives. Being able to tell the kids how great our God is was a joy for us, because we know that even if they don't have all the resources we have, we can still share the greatest one: a relationship with God.

There is so much more to say about how amazing this trip was for everyone, but there aren't even enough words to do it justice. Hopefully pictures will help. We are just so thankful that God made this trip possible, and helped it go so well so far.