Abbey Middleton: This Ecuador experience has been like none other! There are so many things I could write, but it would take a few hours! Today, we headed to see some kids whose parents were in prison. The ride up there was quite interesting, because we were in the heart of downtown Quito. We had a lot of fun playing games with the kids in the outside basketball court. Then we went inside and did some music, drama, and puppets. We drove back to Casa Blanca to eat lunch. And a hot shower really helped, too! We were all excited to go site seeing, even though it was raining. It took a while by bus, but we finally got to downtown Quito again. Oh man! We saw some GORGEOUS cathedrals. One had taken 40 years to build and had been there since the year 1500! The last one we went to was super tall, and we went up to the top. The view was absolutely incredible! We could see all of Quito, which went for miles and miles and miles. It was the same layout as San Fransico, but so much bigger! We then went up to the top of a huge hill to see an enourmous statue, and the view there was amazing, as well. Then we drove back to Casa Blanca for a wonderful dinner. I'm so sad that we have to leave in four days!
Wesley Friesen: Many people from the United States when they see Ecuador would probably talk about how much poverty there is and how dirty it is compared to the United States. But the more time I spend here, the more I realize just how much beauty there is in this country. Several days ago, we went to an orphanage and hung out with all of the kids there, and they were just a blast to be around. I met a girl named Estephania, and the entire evening she would not let me leave her side. At first I was concerned that my poor spanish would make things very difficult to communicate, but I quickly learned that there was a far more effective way to talk to her. Actions and smiles go so far with all of these kids, that it doesn't really matter what you actually are saying with your mouth. The hardest part for me this entire trip, was having to say goodbye. I spent yesterday working with kids with disabilities, and it's incredible to see just how much they are able to do here despite their handicap. They are able to attend school with non-handicapped kids, and they are able to really enjoy their lives here. Finally, today we got to see some of the churches in Quito that were built 500 years ago. They are absolutely stunning! They remind me of something that might be in Indiana Jones are something, but it was really cool to think that 500 years ago, in these same buildings, people were worshipping the very same God that we worship today! Mom and Dad, I miss you tons! I can't wait to see you, but that also means that I have to leave Quito... something I am not looking forward to.
Nicki Vereschagin: Hola mis amigos en las Estados Unidos! This experience has been completely life changing, and every day I see how God is working in me and all the other kids here. The first few days were a little bumpy, not gonna lie. Just with every activity we do, the start is always the hardest. For instance, walking into the camp Hope special needs home was a little awkward, just because the sight of kids and young adults randomly screaming, walking with seemingly dislocated body parts, and rocking uncontrollably in wheel chairs was something new. But 15 minutes into it, everyone was loving the kids with special needs. We danced with them, played hide and seek (their favorite), fed them dinner, and the girls helped put them to bed. Today though, we visited kids whose parents are in jail, and they were SO CUTE! They automatically loved us, and we found so many ways to play with them. When we go to visit orphanages, we do the following: lead them all in a dance ("na na na" and "Christo es mi superhero"), do a puppet show about a story from the bible, do a skit, and then arts and crafts. I'm in the drama group, and today we acted out the "road to Emmaus" story. I was the narrator, and unfortunately one of the words in the script wasn't translated into spanish, so i had to make a funny face, look at Grant, and say it in english, which thankfully all the kids thought was hilarious! God sure has a way of making your efforts work out in the end. As you can probably tell, my focus on this trip is the kids, but there are so many other great things about it! We visited downtown today, and I am convinced that Quito is THE most gorgeous place ever. Plus, the people on our team are terrific, and I'm getting to know a lot of TKA people on a whole new level. :) Alrighty, time to get some sleep and get ready for zip-lining tomorrow! Buenas noches!
Joanne Yeh: Hi to everyone in the States (thats how they refer to the US here)! This experience has been absolutely amazing so far and I am so glad that God gave me this opportunity to come serve. I came here expecting to change the lives of these children, but instead the children I have encountered left a great impact on me as well. Today we visited another orphanage, but this one was different from the others. These children were in a sense orphans since thier parents were in jail, yet they also had the experience of family before and you could see the happiness in their eyes. When we first arrived, it was a bit awkward, which was expected. However a couple minutes later this girl skips up to me and says, "We have the same name! :)" and from then on the uneasiness was gone. These children also responded well to any conversation we made with them, and even though I could understand less than half of what they said, it was nice to hear a response. It was disappointing that we only got to spend two hours with them, but we made new friends and had lots of fun in those two hours. After spending a great morning with the kids, we also spent a relaxing afternoon sightseeing in the center of Quito. We visited a government building and three beautiful cathedrals. The last cathedral was absolutely amazing and we climbed the towers so we could look down and see the whole city. The people here in Ecuador are also very nice and friendly, and our TKA team has bonded really well even though we all came in barely knowing each other :) I've been having so much fun experiencing new things, but I still miss you everyone! I love you Mommy, Daddy, Janice, and Jessica!
Eugenia Phan: Wussssssssssssssssssssssup y'all. Well, it is 21:02 right now and I am sitting comfortably in my basketball shorts on a brown couch. Today, we visited a place for kids whose parentals are in prison. Right as we arrived there & entered the room with all the muchachos, this one kid started tickling me, so unlike most people, I definitely felt that connection with everyone right away. Also, this one kid named Steven beat me in a game of duck duck goose (tingo tingo tango? not paco paco ganzo). It was pretty embarassing. "Embarasado" means "pregnant" in Spanish, by the way. My friend Chancho told me. Anyway, this place was one of my favorite places on the entire planet. All of the kids were super duper friendly. Like even if I met them five minutes before we had to departure, we still left with ='(s. I miss all of them dearly. Okay bye <3
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