Que la cruz sea mi gloria

September was insanely busy. We traveled every weekend and had some really amazing experiences. Like I said in my previous post, I hope to get caught up on these soon. The reason I am prefacing this post with this however is to say that I hadn't been home to go to church at all until this Sunday. As I was explaining to my mom, it's interesting because I miss my family very much, but google+ helps a lot...and so the times that I have felt the most lonely are when I am craving to be with the church. I missed fellowship and felt very alone. I want to share two "experiences" I have had since arriving that have showed me just how amazing the God I serve is.

September 17th- A group of 8 of the international students had the opportunity to go with one of our professors to live in bamboo huts in a traditional community for the night and to go whale watching and snorkeling the next day. There are lots of stories from the trip that I'm not going to share now but that Saturday night was when I had what I now affectionately call my "Christmas morning" experience. The three hour van ride to get to the community had been passed with pretty deep conversation. A lot of the people in our group enjoy talking about what they believe and trying to understand what other people believe and why. In the process of this conversation, Taylor (a girl from California who I knew but hadn't had the opportunity to spend a lot of time with) really caught my attention. The little I knew about her was from our big international group events...she seemed super sweet, always reaching out to others, asking how they were doing...but on this trip and during this conversation it became evident to me that this wasn't just a character trait of hers (although it does come naturally to her) but it was her radiating the love of Christ. She showed no reserve in sharing His Name and His goodness. Even when people questioned her she didn't back down. She shared the truth in love and I was completely in awe. I would love to say that I did the same, but I was pretty quiet during this conversation...a lot of it had to do with the fact that everyone was very opinionated so it was hard to get a word in lol but I don't want to make excuses...I was a little intimidated. Later that night though we were assigned to our houses. In this community there isn't a hotel. The families in the community build "guest houses" next to theirs and when tourists come, they are divided up amongst the families. Taylor and I were put in the same bamboo house and after spending some time with the locals after dinner we headed to bed. It had been an exhausting day. We climbed into our beds and got our mosquito nets (!! exciting haha) in position...then we started talking. I told her how encouraging she had been to me on the van ride there and then she started sharing with me the same sentiments I had been feeling...lonely and missing the community of the Body of Christ. It became evident though that we were no longer alone (and really never were although it's very easy to feel that way)...this is my favorite part. Realizing that God had given us each other, sisters in Christ, we both just started giggling. We were soo happy. Like two little girls on Christmas morning. He knew before we even came to Ecuador that we would meet and that we would share this moment. We talked about what we had been struggling with and what was exciting to us about what God was doing. To be able to share with someone like that, freely and knowing that she understood, made my heart so happy. We prayed together, cried together and then laughed together some more...Jesus never fails. He gives exactly what we need, exactly when we need it. Words are so inadequate for how great my God is.

Oct 2nd- If you would have told me before I left that it would be a month into my exchange before I had the opportunity to go to church I would have laughed at you. No way...but September flew by...I literally have no idea where it went. So here we are...the company that I used to come to Ecuador provides what they call an "on-site coordinator" for the students who use them. Our OSC's name is Claudia, she lives 3 mins from campus and we meet with her every week to talk about things that are bothering us, things we've learned and anything we need she helps with. She has been wonderful. During one of our meetings I told her about my struggles with finding a church here but I actually forgot I had mentioned this to her so when she called and said her neighbor wanted to take me to church it was definitely unexpected. Unexpected but welcomed...Claudia said her friend would pick me up for church Sunday morning at....7:15. I was a little confused about why it was so early, but mostly just grateful for the opportunity to go. Sunday morning came and I got up, made myself scrambled eggs and headed out to meet them. They were waiting outside my gated community and "they"were Claudia's neighbor, her two sons, what I would later discover was her neice and her mother. I asked if we could pick up Taylor too which they said was no problem. After picking her up, we drove into Guayaquil and then headed a little north of the city. I'm not sure what I expected the church to look like, but the megachurch campus that we pulled into was not even something I had considered. It actually reminded me a lot of Grove City Church of the Nazarene in its appearance. (which will only mean something to the people from Columbus) Outside of the huge building there was a circus-ish looking tent set up for the children's ministries. How cool is that...We walked inside, past the bookstore and information desk and into the sanctuary. It was a little bigger than the chapel at Cedarville (again, sorry for the references if you aren't familiar) but gave me a very similar vibe. The praise team's instruments were set up on stage (drums, acoustic guitar, keyboard, sax, something else I can't remember) and there were announcements playing on the three screens. We arrived at about 7:40 for the 8 am service and it wasn't crowded but it wasn't empty either. I sat next to the grandmother and she got gum out of her purse and offered me some. Actually thinking about this now, it's almost comical. I was sitting in a megachurch in Ecuador, being offered gum from an abuelita. What? lol...anyways, at exactly 8 (there was a countdown timer) the praise team walked onto the stage and everyone stood. As soon as the first word was sung (in Spanish) I started crying. This is where I had longed to be for the last month. With the people of God in His house. The words were on the screen and I understood about 80% of them. The worship of the people around me took me back. Hands in the air, and full of spirit. I don't remember exactly what the first two songs were about because I was so emotional. The third song though I recognized. I soon realized it was ¨Let it be said of us". The title of this post is the beginning of the chorus. "Let the cross be my glory..." If you don't know this song, go look it up...it's great. I felt a little silly crying so much and had tried to be very discreet about it but I stole a glance at Taylor standing next to me, only to see that she was crying as well. We are very similar in that aspect...it doesn't take much haha. After the worship, the pastor came out and if he hadn't started speaking spanish I would have promised you it was Dave Warren...his mannerisms, the way he looked...the resemblance was almost eery. He spoke on Daniel and had an outline to fill in. Another heart-happy moment. :) I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of the message I was able to understand. He talked about 7 things Daniel did that we should also strive to do. Right before we closed they showed a little clip advertising the men's retreat that is coming up this weekend. I don't know if you have seen on facebook but there is a scene from a movie about Hitler where he is sitting in a room with a bunch of generals and then blows up at them, gets really angry...it has been used by many people who add different subtitles to it to make it funny...well, they used this clip to and the idea was that one general told Hitler that he wasn't invited to this retreat and that's why Hitler got angry. Idk, it was really funny I'm just not describing it well. lol After he closed, we were served communion, because it was the first Sunday of the month. (!) Not that this matters, but they even had the same serving plates as we do at Immanuel. I mean really? I laughed. I left refreshed, filled up, excited and renewed as I left. I know God has been with me every step of the way here, but it was soo wonderful to be with other believers. I am very much looking forward to returning next Sunday. I also want to thank those who have been praying that I would find a church...your prayers have been felt and much appreciated!!

A Fresh Start...

First of all...umm hello October? When did you get here? Craziness.
Second of all, I'm an aunt again!!!!!! Deacon James Shimer is beautiful and perfect and healthy and wonderful. More on him later ;)

My brilliant plan was less than successful eh? My dad suggested that instead of doing little sections that I use this as kind of a journal and try to say a little something interesting each day. I feel like I have missed so much already that I want to share with everyone, but staying frustrated with myself isn't going to get us anywhere so I'm going to try and just start from this weekend. And hopefully at some point I'll go back and get caught up a little bit with September, but I want to start with what is freshest in my mind.

Saturday, October 1st, the group of international students that I came with had the opportunity to build houses with an organization called Hogar de Cristo (Christ's Home) The provide low cost bamboo homes to families that don't have housing. I had been anticipating this day since before I arrived in Ecuador. My friend Jenna, who came here last year with the same program told me about this experience and I was really excited about it. I would say about 25 or 30 of us went. We drove through Duran, another suburb of Guayaquil and just outside the city we turned onto the land where the community of Hogar de Cristo houses was. They are built very close to one another and in the same area there are also things like a church, hair salon and little shops. We stopped at a little plot of land where we were going to build our two houses. We divided up into teams (two construction and one cooking team) and got to work. Each construction team had a professional builder employed by Hogar de Cristo to help. We started by digging holes about 1.5 or 2 meters apart to put the support beams in. These houses do not have true foundations because they are built off the ground to protect against bugs, flood, etc. After the poles were in we connected them and laid base boards that were about 6-7 feet off the ground.  Then those of us who were on the ground passed the walls which are pre-made at a factory up to the people standing on the platform and they mounted them along with the roof. The whole process took around 4-5 hours. That's the short, uneventful version. The truth is...the experience was very different from what I was expecting. I envisioned myself pounding hammers and sawing wood and being so tired afterwards that I could barely move and feeling really good about myself. In reality, we had two shovels and three hammers for about 12 volunteers. So while we all wanted to help, very few of us could at a time so there was a lot of standing around and feeling useless. The man who was helping us was very good...he obviously had built hundreds of these houses before and I felt like most of the time I was "helping" I was either getting in his way or slowing him down. Once the "platform" went up (the floor of the house) not all of the volunteers could be up on it so the rest of us sat and waited to be needed. It was just different for me to be sitting while others were working. I didn't like that feeling. Don't get me wrong...I'm very glad I was able to have this experience and help out as much as I could but it really got me thinking. Why do I volunteer? I feel like a lot of it has to do with the satisfaction that I have done something good and that I am a good person. How selfish. I couldn't help but realize that the reason I was feeling bad was because I wasn't getting the self-gratification I thought I would. Realizing this kind of made me sick to my stomach. I had missed the point. To selflessly be serving others, like Jesus did. This is a huge lesson and I have a feeling I am just seeing the tip of the iceburg with it, but it is something that I desire to work on in the future.

That afternoon I arrived home at about 4 pm. My parents were having a barbecue with about 10-15 other couples on our back patio. I knew this would be going on and was sad that I would be late to it but when I arrived (and after I showered...I was pretty gross. haha) I went out and was introduced. The custom here when greeting someone is to kiss them on the left cheek...it's actually more of cheek graze while kissing the air...but anyways, I knew that the polite thing to do was to go around and greet each person individually, but I felt really awkward about it. There were about 5 different tables set up and I felt like I would look dumb going around to every single person...so I just did a general way and sat down. My two host sisters who had been at work arrived about an hour later and of course...went around and greeted every single person. Why couldn't we have shown up together?? Ahh I was so embarrassed...but everyone seemed to be pretty forgiving of the gringa...I sat with my mom's sister and her husband, so my host aunt and uncle, who I had met before. They lived in the States for many years and speak very good English. They know that I have come to learn Spanish though so only use English if I don't understand something. They are very interesting characters, but very loving. I was served a plate of food (although my host mom had done all the cooking she had hired two men to help serve it) and it consisted of the following...no joking...salad, a baked potato, a pork chop, a chicken breast, a steak and a sausage. The meat was not divided into smaller portions either. There was a FULL serving of four different meats....it was delicious. It would have taken me six hours to finish it...but it was delicious. Needless to say I had leftovers, which were just as delicious for lunch on Sunday :) After their friends left, my aunt and uncle stayed and we played a card game that they had taught me the last time they were here. I almost won. It's really fun...definitely something I will be bringing back to the States. I headed to bed soon after that because I knew I would have to be up bright and early for church the next morning...which is another story I hope to share very soon, but I feel like this post is long enough as it is. So stay tuned!!

First impressions of my house and city

After my family took me out for pan de yuca, which we've already established is definitely amazing...we came back to the house. It was hard to really tell what my neighborhood looked like when we first pulled in because it was dark but I got the feeling I was driving into some kind of resort or something. I live in a gated community of houses with guards who are there 24/7 and make me feel very safe. Our house is gorgeous. My room is the only bedroom on the first floor and I have my own bathroom with shower and cable tv in my room. Huh? It's only ironic because we didn't grow up with cable TV and I am used to sharing a bathroom with at LEAST three other people. It is just not at all what I expected...although I'm not really sure what I expected. Did I mention I have my own bathroom? As it turns out I live in a very affluent suburb of the city I told everyone I would be living in. Samborondon (where I live) is an island but a bridge and a ten minute car ride will put you right in the middle of downtown Guayaquil. All of the houses here are in gated communities like mine and it is much safer in this area than living downtown. We still can not take public buses at night (and are cautioned to avoid them as much as possible during the day) and yellow taxis here are never safe. To me it feels like a beach town though. It's hot during the day, breezy in the evenings and there are palm trees and iguanas everywhere. I am so blessed to be living where I am.

Meeting Mi Familia

We got to the university about 6 pm on Saturday (Aug 27) and there we met our families. It was kind of funny because all of the families were sitting in this room and they kind of paraded us into the front. One of our program directors said a brief welcome and then started calling our names followed by the family names one by one. We stepped forward and then our families walked down to meet us. Everyone clapped after each name. I felt like we were being adopted and I guess in a sense we kind of were. I was one of the last names to be called but I had recognized my family from the moment we all walked into the room. My mom, Narcisa, came forward to meet me and I gave her a big hug...she hugs exactly like my mom and they are around the same height so it felt like home. It almost made me cry. Happy tears of course. I was so excited. I then met the rest of my family...my dad, Salvador...my two sisters Wendy and Sussy ( pronounced Susie) who are about Jesse and Beth's ages respectively lol...and my brother Shelby (short for Salvador) who is my age. Sussy's boyfriend Mauricio was also there. My mind was focused and ready to start speaking and hearing spanish so when Wendy asked "Are you hungry? Do you want to go get some pan de yuca?" in English it took me a second to respond because I wasn't sure what language to use. All of my siblings have very good English and my dad is pretty good as well. My mom on the other hand knows very little. They took me out to a shopping center where there is a yogurt smoothie and pan de yuca shop. Pan de yuca is basically bread made from yuca. I asked what yuca was in English and nobody really knows....but it's really yummy. The bread kind of reminded me of sourdough...mmmm delicious. They spoke to me in English but to each other in Spanish. I was trying really hard to concentrate on understanding them and after about five minutes my head started hurting from trying to concentrate so much. I praise God for all of the prayers I know were offered on my behalf for when I met my family. I could definitely feel them...I fell in love with my family instantly. They are loud and talk a lot and love each other and love having foreign students (I think I am their 7th or 8th) I am so thankful for them and have more stories to share but here I just wanted to share my first impressions.

Orientation Week

For the first week I was here I wasn't actually in my city (Guayaquil) but in the capital city of Quito and the surrounding area. I already talked about a couple of the places we went in my first post and that was just the first DAY. Week 1 was packed with amazing places. We went to Mitad del Mundo which is where the "equator" is. It's an interesting story though because long after a group of scientists claimed this place as the equator, and they built a monument, and created a big tourist attraction, they realized that in fact the line they drew on the land is NOT where the real equator is. So if you want all of the cool "experiences" like flushing a toilet with no swirl or balancing an egg on a nail you have to go about 100 meters away...just more proof that humans are not perfect. So don't oooh or aaah at the pictures of me standing with one foot in each hemisphere. It's a lie. I'm still kind of bitter about it. :) 

Our next stop was Otavalo which is where the biggest crafts market in Ecuador is...and where I got most of my souvenirs. :) Otavalans are definitely a distinct group of Ecuadorians. They carry on the traditions of their indigenous ancestors and still speak their native language and have a very unique culture. It was fun to barter in the market, it reminded me a lot of being in Zambia. We also watched a demonstration of typical Ecuadorian music and the making of a set of handpipes which was amazing...I got a video of it which I hope to post at some point, but the most interesting thing that happened in Otavalo was during our visit to a local shaman. She is a holy woman who will "cleanse" you for a small fee. One of the guys from our group volunteered to have the process done to him. He stood  there as she chanted prayers, and blew fire at him....yes, I said blew fire at him...and rubbed whole eggs against him, and hit him with leaves. It took about 20ish minutes for the whole process and afterwards she told him that he had some very bad energy and that it almost made her sick to cleanse him because he was so "dirty". I felt ill during the ceremony too, actually I don't know if I would say ill, but it was definitely a weird, weird feeling. The experience was a little bit overwhelming...and all I can really say is that I am so glad that I don't have to have fire blown at me to know that I am "clean". How great is the love and mercy of Jesus Christ. The gospel is such amazing news and I was reminded of this as I sat and watched this woman work. I praise God for my salvation and pray that I would have the boldness to share my good news with those I come into contact with here. 

The last thing I will write about from orientation week is hiking on Mount Chimborazo. This is the tallest mountain in Ecuador. It's beautiful and awful at the same time. We hiked from one refuge to the second reaching an altitude of 5000 m (its around 6300 at the top) It only took about 45 mins but the lack of oxygen in the air is unlike anything I have ever experienced. It literally hurt to breathe. It was horrible and exhilarating at the same time. During our whole first week we were pretty high up (Quito is in the mountains and so walking up a flight of stairs would leave me breathless) but this hike was another beast altogether. It was a weird feeling, taking a breath and feeling like nothing was coming in even though you KNEW you were breathing. Making it to the second refuge was a pretty cool feeling. As I caught my breath (which took about 15 minutes to do) I couldn't help but notice this Ecuadorian woman sitting on a rock off a little ways. I started to wonder what she was thinking. Some of the girls in my group decided to get a "skins" picture (no shirts on) and she just sat there watching....I couldn't help but feel like the bad reputation Americans have here is probably well deserved in some ways. I wanted to go up to her and apologize.

I don't want to end this post on a bad note though because over all the week was AMAZING. It was really good to get to know the other people in the group. There are about 40 students in my program and we during our first week I feel like we created a really good group dynamic that makes me excited for the rest of the semester with them. 

Wait....three weeks??? Already??

Even writing those words I can hardly believe it...
Three weeks.
The time is flying, and the only regret I have so far has been not blogging more. There are so many small stories to tell but I know if I wrote them all in one post it would become a novel and that you would probably stop reading before the end, so I think I will create a new post for each category so if something one looks more interesting than another you can jump right to it...yikes I have a lot to say. haha...here goes...

And so it begins...

First of all, I need to say that not only am I new to Ecuador, but blogging as well. I feel like I am entering the game in the second half to say the least, but better late than never right? 


So here I am... 


Pretty much done with my first full day in Ecuador. It still doesn't feel real to be here. After at least four months of praying and working and applying and packing and it's all finally here. God is so good. Every little detail that He worked out...that's what is the most amazing. 


I was so proud of myself for packing "early" (Saturday night for my Monday morning flight) which if you know me, really is a feat. But pride cometh before the fall which in my case meant being toothbrushless, HAIRBRUSHless and without one of my visa documents. Great. Who forgets their TOOTHBRUSH?!?! Hotel Quito has been very accommodating though and I am not too worried about my visa document because I only need it for the trip back. 


Today we did a city tour of Quito...I think the architecture in the colonial district was probably my favorite. We saw la Compania de Jesus which is a church that took 160 years to build. If you could see it you would know why. I was kinda bummed we couldn't take pictures because this place was insane.  We also went to the gallery of Guayasamin, Ecuador's most famous artist. Our tour guide was great but I only caught about every third word even though he was speaking English. So while I wish I could say that I am now an expert on all things Quito alas I cannot. 


The altitude and lack of oxygen in the air is unlike anything I have experienced before. I feel like when I breathe it's just empty. Walking up a flight of stairs makes me pant. Literally. Pant. It's kinda funny really. 


Looking forward to tomorrow....but also reeeally looking forward to bed tonight.