Beautiful

People have asked me if i have had a good week. It has been. Last Saturday i went for a walk/hike to a beautiful place called Pululahua, which is a huge crater. It is really stunning. It was so amazing to walk through it, knowing i was practically on the equator line.

Swimming

At the start of every swimming lesson we all have to do a quick warm up. Whilst stretching I noticed a couple of people looking at the tree. To me it was really strange so I went and took a look...
ANTS!
There were huge ants everywhere. It was fascinating. There was a trail of ants climbing up the trunk, to the leaves, taking a part that was double their body and then walking back down and across the path. They had set a trail that was just like a little road, an English road actually! They went to the tree on the left hand side, up the tree and came back down with their leaf, on the right hand side of their little trail.
I wonder who began their journey? Who chose the route?
It was amazing to see all the ants walking together, following each other. It was safe for them to do that. It wouldn’t make any sense to go their own way. I hope they are there next week so I can take a photo!
(Unfortunately I can’t take a photo of them because when I went back they have eaten ALL the leaves off the tree!)

Chatting

Thursday 22^nd:

Today has been a good day, in so many ways. Today I had such a nice long Skype call with a family who I really love. I felt really excited to speak to them and felt happy for the rest of the day. It was so cool to feel like I was sat with them in their living room, having a chat and catching up. I miss that; popping round someone’s house for a cup of tea and a chat or going for a walk and a chat.

It is interesting how people can have an effect on you and lift your spirits. It made me wonder how much of an effect I can have on people.

Privileged:

It is a privilege to be here:

To be learning a new language within a beautiful Spanish speaking country,

To swim outside under the night sky

To eat Ecuadorian food

To represent my country (even though most people think I am German!)

To literally get my hands dirty and work with some of the poorest people in this town

To be a small part of a life changing charity

To give hope to parents

To work with special children who make me laugh and smile on a daily basis

Patience, love and smile

Before going to Laura Flores today I wrote a few words in bright colours in my exercise book to remind me whilst I am working with the kids! I often feel very challenged there, when working with the kids. Sometimes I just don’t know what to do with the kids. So wrote the words “paciencia”, “amor” and “sonrisa”. “Patience”, “love” and “smile!” 3 things you definitely need for to give the kids in Laura Flores!

So when I know I am going to struggle there, not having the words to say, I can be patience with them, show them some love and share a smile!

Today we did some play... feeding the animals and then a trip on the "bus"

Poverty

I’ve cried for you broken heartedly but that hasn’t taken away your poverty.

I have met you, visited your school and worked with you but that hasn’t taken away your poverty.

I have thanked God for you and prayed for you but that hasn’t taken away your poverty.

I have opened up my purse and shared my money but that hasn’t taken away your poverty.

So what more can I do? Will you be poor forever?

I will shed another tear for you, visit you again, continue praying, and spending my money wisely. I will remember your smiles and you can be sure I will tell my friends about you!

Lonely

Friday afternoon:

I could write about how lonely I feel and how sad it is that as I write this I am sat on my own in a café. However, I am not lonely. I don’t feel that at all. In fact, quite the opposite. My table is full of cards and letters I have received in the post today. People sharing encouragements, thoughts and prayers. Today, on my walk into town, I didn’t feel alone. From the outside it certainly looked like it but actually I felt surrounded.  I have always known in my head that God, through his Holy Spirit, is with me wherever. And today I felt that. I really felt it was as if I walked into town with Jesus by my side, being able to talk to him throughout the journey as I would with my friend. Now I know that some of you will think this is crazy and that I have lost my marbles here in Ecuador, others may understand this a little and some of you may have had similar experiences. Today has been a day where I have learnt and experienced something new. God has taught me to rely on him and has clearly shown himself. I wonder if he has been trying to do this for a while and I have just been to busy to listen? Perhaps my life was too cluttered too full of things to do that I couldn’t see, hear or feel God very well amongst the “to do” lists. Maybe He has taken me thousands of miles from my home, friends and family to show himself?

Weakness

So today I delivered my first training session to the teachers in the special school and teachers of the PEPE classes. I agreed to do it even with my awfully limited Spanish. I wrote it and talked them through it. The content was not difficult for me. It’s what I do all the time in England. However, the words, sentences, explanations and rephrasing things if people don’t get it, were really hard for me. However, I KNEW that God was with me. He has called me to this country, brought me to this challenge and I knew he was going to see me through it. The first thing I read when I woke up this morning was the verse on my wall; “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” So, I can really boast of my confidence in God because I was certainly weak. This was a perfect demonstration of feeling weak. It is Friday, the end of a busy week and I am tired. I was explaining in a language that I do not speak or understand well and to people of a different culture to me. I was not confident in myself at all. However, I can boast in God’s strength for helping me.
"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. "2 Corinthians 12 v 9

Embarrassed

So since being here I have embarrasses myself many times. I seem not to get embarrassed by them though as I am now used to them!

For example, I am used to children staring at me on the bus, because I look different, I am not bothered by being asked to sing, on my own, at the Pastor’s birthday party (where the lady introduced me as going to sing in German!) and neither was I embarrassed by doing an Ecuadorian dance today.

I don’t blend in here. I am a lot taller and whiter than everyone, but I am glad to be here!

An Ecuadorian day:

Monday:

A day NEVER turns out the way you plan it. Time keeping is different here and you ust have to go with the flow. Writing this, I am sat in the office of the Baptist church school. It is unlikely that any of the children will turn up for their therapy sessions today as the school has a week of “fiestas” to celebrate the church’s birthday. So, I have 3 hours to wait, just in case they do turn up. This did not bother or frustrate me at all! I can always fill my time with something. I like to potter. I have lots of ideas in my head to get down on paper. Things to do. Things to make. People to speak to. I hardly ever just stop and “be”. I have been learning the importance of this. Just being. Being with people. Being with God. So on this hot and surprisingly sunny Santo Domingo afternoon, whilst I try and keep cool, I will put away my “to do” list and just be.

Mirror

Mirror:

I am a mirror. My purpose is to reflect. Who finds importance in the mirror itself?  My job is to reflect something of God, for you to see. It is not for my glory, but for his. Who talks about the greatness of the mirror that you look into? No, you talk about the reflection.  The love I have for children comes from a love from God. It is love I have seen and want to reflect that love. I am just a mirror. My aim is to reflect God for these children to see.