Travel Journal: Cuenca, Day 8

     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 we have faith like Abraham's." (Rom. 4:13,16)

This sparked a 3.5 page journal entry on what exactly it meant for me to have "faith like Abraham's." That is a huge question. So I narrowed down a few examples off the top of my head:

• Go to unknown places when I am called
• Offer the most devoted parts of my heart when I am asked
• Lay what I want on the altar of sacrifice
• Trust that God's will is the absolute best possible alternative (actually the original best plan)
• Believe that the original best plan is not just for my benefit

Then I got really crazy and asked God to teach me how to have faith like Abraham's. I know I have no idea what I'm asking. But I think it's worth it. So I asked him for opportunities to exercise that kind of faith. Remember a few days ago when I said he's been teaching me a lot about how to keep my heart tender and how to love with the sacrificial love of Christ? Well that's what popped into my head while I was writing those prayers down. And it feels a little bit like an "easy out" to this whole "opportunities for serious faith" proposition, but I think I really do have the perfect situation blooming in my life to put these things into practice. And I'm really excited about it. Wow. Holding that situation up against each of those bullet points just made everything a lot more specific and a lot more applicable. Those are literal action steps, things that have to be decided in my heart and produced in my life if I'm going to navigate this situation faithfully and faith-FULL-y. I love it when God prompts me while I process. This is why I do this. 

     We borrowed Miguel's car and had a family outing day. First we ate at Popacucho's for lunch. I have no idea if I spelled that right. I had half of a club sandwich and a cup of Mexican chicken corn chowder soup. Apparently hearty and delicious baked goods are hard to come by here, but this place is known for creating some of the best. I am here to testify that this is, in fact, the gospel truth.

(These babies are called Caramel Clouds, and your life will be miraculously changed for the better when you eat one.)

Next we drove back up to Turi and I got to be a tourist again! We parked by the church and all the little shops and climbed up all the stairs to the advertised "Canopy Adventure." The following ensued:

(Trying to hold a GoPro camera and not fall off the zip line. There are no safety mechanisms anywhere. Sorry Mom.)

(Zooming off into Neverland on said zip line. At last I didn't slow to a crawl and get stuck like Kasen...)

Okay so I went a little out of order, but I wanted to save the best for last...

That little dark colored blob suspended by wires is me. Swinging out over a literal cliff. Swinging out over the whole city of Cuenca. This time there were plenty of safety mechanisms involved but still... sorry Dad. Hopefully I will be able to post the video on my Facebook so you can get the whole dramatic effect. When we first looked at the thing, I was like, "Nooo way am I doing that." I went on the "swing at the end of the world" over the summer when we were in Baños de Ambato, but this one is a lot worse. It looks real sketch. It got even more interesting when the guide guy pulled the swing UP ON THE ROOF of the building so Jeremy could get in the seat, and then swung him from THERE. At that point I was like, "NO WAY am I doing that!!!" But as soon as Jeremy finished he said, "You gotta do it." So I said, "Okay I'm doin' it." And I did. And it's not as bad as it looks. But boy did it look bad. The initial swoop was the worst, but I followed the guy's instructions and screamed to make it better. The rest was cake, it was a blast, and I'm so glad I did it.

     The rest of the day was spent wandering around another market (I'm so bad at presents), helping stuff goodie bags for the Christmas gift outreach we're doing with Un Buen Consejo on Saturday, spending an inordinate amount of time flagging down an available taxi, and then eating dinner at the mall and trying ceviche for the first time. I wanted to like it. I really did. But I was completely caught off guard because nobody told me that ceviche is served cold. My taste buds were not prepared for that surprise. Couldn't do it. 

     Hooray! We're finally caught up! I have no plans yet for tomorrow and I am certainly looking forward to sleeping in. As of this morning, I've officially been here for one week. And I have a whole 'nother week ahead of me. Shoutout to my sister and my mom for returning that textbook rental I forgot about. Shoutout to Chad for putting up with my complaining about how much I need to write and still wanting to talk to me about all the things when I get home. Shoutout to the CC worship team for being dedicated as all get out and eating, sleeping, and breathing Christmas until those three services are over this week. Y'all are always the real MVPs. Gonna be live streaming that Christmas Eve service from the Quito airport. But now I'm going to sleep.

Buenas noches! Dios te bendiga!

Mucho amor de Cuenca. 

PS: Here are some Christmas lights along the river.