lengua de corazón

I don't know if anyone will see this... Just trying to get my thoughts out now while everything is fresh in my mind. I'll probably post this one after I edit later. Today went by so fast. The last few days (I haven't written about yet) have been a whirlwind and I've had such wonderful evenings, loving the atmosphere and the blessing of being part of the group. And yet, since last night at Turi, I haven't been able to shake the feeling that these aren't my people. Maybe it's because I'm leaving in a matter of hours, really. Or maybe it's something that God's been settling in my spirit. I talked with Gina for almost three hours over a Facebook video call, and we talked about everything under the sun. (Ecuadorian dairy products, what's going on at CC, summer plans for my internship, hanging out with the crew, going to Passion soon, and hard stuff that needs worked through and prayed through.) Every day I'm more ready to go home. It's...

     Such a long day. I'm wiped out. I didn't end up teaching tonight at youth group because we got back from the outreach so late (thought I'd get back between 4 and 5... it was after 8 pm). It worked out alright though, and we really did have a great day.      Got up at 5:45 to be out the door by 6:30 to pack the cars and leave for Suscal at 7. We got to the town at about 9:15 and our caravan of vehicles stopped for a cafecito which included two giant portions of chibiles  (corn meal and cheese wrapped in a husk). The coffee was great once we put sugar in it (almost everyone drinks it that way so I'm normal here, not a pansy) but I could barely eat the other thing. I could smell the cheese coming from a mile away and it made my stomach turn when I accidentally got a mouthful of it.      Dairy products are the one thing I cannot do here (besides ice cream of course). They are made with a ton of preservatives - milk is sold in unrefr...

     Today's post should be short and sweet. I slept in and stayed home all day. It was good. I needed a "pause" day before this weekend hit. Tomorrow we'll spend the day delivering Christmas goodie bags and presents to kids in Suscal, and then I'm teaching at youth group tomorrow night. (Please pray that I get completely out of the way and there is at least a seed planted in each heart - something that's tucked away to spring up later, or is held tightly now for encouragement.) Quick photo timeline of my Friday: I decided how I want to cut my hair when I get home. I worked on the painting I brought with me. We watched A Charlie Brown Christmas with the kids. In between those things there was some lounging around, some message prep, some making PB&J, some more lounging around, and then some homemade spaghetti and garlic bread for dinner. After the kids went to bed (we have to leave the house at 6:30 am tomorrow morning...) we wat...

     Wow today was FUN. And long. I need another cup of tea if I'm going to finish this before my eyes glaze over and I start drooling on Jeremy's laptop. We were waiting and seeing if we would have an outing today because Tiffany hadn't been feeling well. Tiffany, this is my official apology for passing that along. I don't know for sure that it was me, but I figured I should cover my bases.      We all headed downtown to Unsión and I parked myself on a bench to read while Tiffany and the kids went to buy candy for the outreach we're doing on Saturday and Jeremy went to work. I picked up in Romans four, because I had ended up in Romans three somehow the other day. "It is clear, then, that God's promise to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants was not based on obedience to God's law, but on the new relationship with God that comes by faith. ...God's promise is given to us as a free gift. And we are certain to receive it... IF  ...

Okay here we go! More catching up to do! I have lots of pictures, so hopefully it'll keep things interesting. WEDNESDAY (Day 7)      Tiffany made pancakes for breakfast with cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla... SO good. Jeremy told us about the sermon series he's been working on. I think it's called "Waiting Room." While I was rinsing dishes, he asked if I'd ever been through a period of waiting on God, and what that was like. I laughed and said I've been in that kind of period since last summer began. It's a long story, but while I was on my mission trip to Ecuador in June, Jeremy prayed over me after I shared with him how direction-less I felt. I had finally decided on a major but had no idea what I was going to do with it. I felt like everything I was going through was a kind of preparation, but I had no idea for what. I told God I wanted to do what he wanted, and I didn't feel like I was receiving any guidance. Each of those things has int...

     Well hello again, world wide web. We've been without wifi at the house since Monday night, which is why I haven't posted the last two updates. Just so we're all clear - I'm alive and breathing and (almost) completely healthy. But we've got some catching up to do, so let's knock these reflections out. I've been wasting time, staring at the computer for a while, not being able to write for some reason. We'll see how this goes... MONDAY (Day 5)      When I came downstairs for breakfast, we had fried eggs and toast. So day made right there. (Fried eggs are among the things that I never ever get while living on campus.) It was a good start. I hopped on the bus with Jeremy on his way to work, and then took off down the street to stop by the church office. My friend Gaby and I planned to meet at 11 am, and I was going to grab my forgotten notebook and Bible from the office while I waited for that time to come around. But I ran into her there! So I...

     While I was trying to transfer my writing from my phone to the website, I accidentally erased half of it. So bear with me if these first few paragraphs seem terse and vague. I'm annoyed. I was going to try and keep this post short so I could go to bed at a decent hour, but let's be real... I always find something to think about and keep myself awake.       After breakfast I walked with Tiffany and the kiddos down the street to the market. We bought armfuls of produce for the week for about $13, and Kase got a brachiosaurus made out of corn husks so obviously that was the highlight of the morning. Then the whole fam rode downtown to jump in Miguel's car and head to where the church was celebrating baptisms today. We drove there Ecuadorian-style, meaning we fit 7 people in a 5 person car and I ended up on Tiffany's lap. Nobody got hurt and nobody got pulled over so I'd call it a successful trip. Quite efficient. We watched a bunch of people pro...

     Wow. What a long day. The evening went by fairly quickly because I came home and took a 2.5 hour nap, but the morning felt like it lasted all day. I got up and got myself downtown! I made it to church with only one wrong turn, and arrived only eight minutes after the "official start time" of the MPF conference sessions. But since we're in Ecuador... I was on time. (Gina, if you're reading this I know you disapprove. But these are obviously my kind of people!) (The morning view during my monumental solo excursion to MPF.) (Sweethearts Mika and Becca leading us in worship.)      I got a lot out of this morning's sessions. (I just got up to reference my notebook but realized I left it in the office at church. Along with my Bible. Boo.) Perhaps because it's the Christmas season, a lot of messages about Christ being formed in us are lining up and it is extremely timely for me. I feel like I've been waiting at this crossroads in my relationsh...