Saturday, March 30, 2013
The Last Night
So tonight is our very last night in Casablanca & Ecuador, especially for the senior. Everyone here is making the most of it, and it makes me realize just how much I love everyone in this house we're living in temporarily. It's so hard for me to think that there will never be the
Yo tengo #JungleFever
Greetings from Quito! We made it back yesterday from Huaticocha safely after five days in the jungle. It was such a bittersweet moment having to leave all of the friends that we met behind. Being in the same exact place as we were last year was a really amazing experience for me. When we first arrived at the mission school I was amazed at how much had already been built. When we left last year it was literally just flat piece of jungle and to come back a year later and see two full dorm buildings fully built made me so happy. Serving in the jungle again and having people recognize me from last year was so cool and I could really feel God's presence throughout the trip. It was hard saying goodbye to all of the people, both new and old, that I met on the trip, but I feel
Guess Who's Back? - William Friesen
Hello all you followers. As you probably know, we are not home quite yet, but I really hope that all the other service trips made it home safely. Also, Keep Praying for Malawi. Whew, It has been quite the week. We have definetly seen God hard at work in the jungle. I loved being able to do VBS for all the kids there. It is also nice being able to break ground for the school house at Hauticocha; lots of digging was involved. I've enjoyed so much bonding with a lot of different people I rarely talk to. I am really proud of those who stepped up to give their testimony during the church services this week. That's never an easy thing. Good for them! Not going to lie, I enjoyed the jungle, but it is nice being back in the comforts of Casa Blanca. Exploring Quito for the second time was also enjoyable. So much happening with visiting the equator and the market. Well, it has been a long enjoyable 9 days or so. Hopefully the next time I write in text will be to my parents back in the states on my phone. I hope you've gotten a taste of Ecuador in this blog, but ask anyone who went about the really thing! Anyways, it's dinner. Time to eat! Love you Mom, Dad, and other close friends. I miss you all! Adios!
El Dia Final
Hi Mom and Dad,
Just wanted to check in with you before I return home. As the last day dawns upon us, so far I have had an exhilarating time in Ecuador. It has been a blessing to be able to participate in tourist activities as well as aid God's helping hand to heal and strengthen the community in Huaticocha. I am sure you are interested in knowing the work/ministry involved and the extent of my participation. Mostly everyday, conditions permitting, we (I, inclusive) would arduously dig a meter cubed hold out of ruddy damp clay. In the afternoons, we would board a bus to traverse through the unpaved roads of the jungle to arrive at schools or other places of ministry. On location, we would entertain the village children by putting on shows for them which followed Biblical themes (a.k.a VBS). Within our groups we would perform different parts of show. I was involved in the puppet team, which I found was the most heat inducing, due to the excessive body heat we all emitted in a 8 foot by 2 foot stage. On the last day, a trial confronted us. A teacher, whose I identity shall remain unknown due to her forgetfulness and her lack of responsibility (take no offense, and give me some literary freedom). Mrs. Hahn forgot to bring her iPod, which held the success of our show. Due to this unforeseen mistake, we decided to do the puppet show live, which meant we had to speak the lines instead of lip syncing the puppets mouths to the vocals on the audio track. From this mistake, the live show revealed some hidden talents within our show. Not to be boastful at all, I received a few comments regarding my mediocre performance. In the end, it revealed some hidden qualities and Mrs. Hahn actually had her iPod in her backpack the entire time. For the tourist activities, I have enjoyed the tourist attractions and I have purchased some items for you. Wish me luck on the way back, as I am the black sheep who needs to go in international immigration line. Hopefully, I will make it back.
Sincerely,
Iain
Just wanted to check in with you before I return home. As the last day dawns upon us, so far I have had an exhilarating time in Ecuador. It has been a blessing to be able to participate in tourist activities as well as aid God's helping hand to heal and strengthen the community in Huaticocha. I am sure you are interested in knowing the work/ministry involved and the extent of my participation. Mostly everyday, conditions permitting, we (I, inclusive) would arduously dig a meter cubed hold out of ruddy damp clay. In the afternoons, we would board a bus to traverse through the unpaved roads of the jungle to arrive at schools or other places of ministry. On location, we would entertain the village children by putting on shows for them which followed Biblical themes (a.k.a VBS). Within our groups we would perform different parts of show. I was involved in the puppet team, which I found was the most heat inducing, due to the excessive body heat we all emitted in a 8 foot by 2 foot stage. On the last day, a trial confronted us. A teacher, whose I identity shall remain unknown due to her forgetfulness and her lack of responsibility (take no offense, and give me some literary freedom). Mrs. Hahn forgot to bring her iPod, which held the success of our show. Due to this unforeseen mistake, we decided to do the puppet show live, which meant we had to speak the lines instead of lip syncing the puppets mouths to the vocals on the audio track. From this mistake, the live show revealed some hidden talents within our show. Not to be boastful at all, I received a few comments regarding my mediocre performance. In the end, it revealed some hidden qualities and Mrs. Hahn actually had her iPod in her backpack the entire time. For the tourist activities, I have enjoyed the tourist attractions and I have purchased some items for you. Wish me luck on the way back, as I am the black sheep who needs to go in international immigration line. Hopefully, I will make it back.
Sincerely,
Iain
Friday, March 29, 2013
#TeamOwen
Yo sup Cali! This is Jamey Wilson, I'm a blog about a great guy that we got to meet this week that was a great blessing to ALL! His name was Owen Smith, he was part of the Peace Core and just graduated from Penn State for nursing and going to attend Johns Hopkins University to major in nursing. The first day he came he jumped right into the work and was a great help. He helped us wheel-barrel dirt from holes we had to dig for a new foundation. Matt Chen and I went super hardcore in the mud! We worked for dias! We wanted to be great and we were amazing! Owen is a boss and he will live in my heart forever. He was such a great man of God and had the love of God in his heart. He translated for us and spoke Spanish very well. He moved me and others by his amazing story and testimony he had. I'm going to miss him very much and so will all who met him! He was a great person and role model for us all. #TeamOwen #JungleFever
Priscilla Auer- Huaticocha
Hello America!
We just got back from the jungle tonight. I was blown away at the beauty of the jungle, it was unreal. The weather was perfect for me, very warm and a lot of rain. This has by far been my favorite mission trip I have been on. A couple of nights ago I volunteered to share my testimony at church, it was hard decision, but I definitely do not regret it. I am just amazed by the people on this trip. Each person on this trip has embraced every challenge and made every bad situation into a fun time. Multiple times a day, somebody will break out into a song and we will all join in worshipping God. Jim, the leader in Ecuador, has been the best leader I have ever been led by. He is so patient with us and is quick to serve us and the Lord. God is so present in the people here and I can not wait to see them all again some day. My excitement for being a missionary is rekindled by the passionate people here.
We just got back from the jungle tonight. I was blown away at the beauty of the jungle, it was unreal. The weather was perfect for me, very warm and a lot of rain. This has by far been my favorite mission trip I have been on. A couple of nights ago I volunteered to share my testimony at church, it was hard decision, but I definitely do not regret it. I am just amazed by the people on this trip. Each person on this trip has embraced every challenge and made every bad situation into a fun time. Multiple times a day, somebody will break out into a song and we will all join in worshipping God. Jim, the leader in Ecuador, has been the best leader I have ever been led by. He is so patient with us and is quick to serve us and the Lord. God is so present in the people here and I can not wait to see them all again some day. My excitement for being a missionary is rekindled by the passionate people here.
Cole Eberwein-Huaticocha
We are back from the jungle and safe in Quito. Huaticocha was a emotional roller coaster for me. it was one of the coolest service trips for me yet. I am going to share a few amazing adventures we had in huaticocha.
Last night was one of the most amazing nights in the jungle. We went to a village located on the top of a mountain. We had to hike straight up a muddy and rocky trail to get there. Our group performed our last VBS of the week to the village children. After VBS, we trekked down the mountain, (which was very tedious because it was steep), and bathed in the river below. Then at 4:00 PM, we hiked back up the mountain yet again. This time for a church service in the village. As soon as we got to the top, it started pouring. So we piled in the church and started praising the Lord. I was asked to give my testimony to the people of the church and my fellow classmates. With the help of Priscilla Auer, I threw my testimony together. I was blessed to have the opportunity to speak to the church. (It was also cool because I had a translator). I felt God spoke through me that night and it actually made me grow in my faith and be more bold. After that, the fun began. During the service while it was raining, we all had the nagging in the back of our head that we would have to sludge through the mud back down the thick mud. To add to the adventure, it was very dark. We finally got down all in one piece and praised the Lord. We assumed that was the end of our adventure. We got to the bus and found it had slid off the road and tilted 45 degrees. They had already tried to pull it out with a dump truck but the bus didn't budge. We sat down in the dark and waited for intrsuction. We began to sing worship song after worship song. An hour later, at 10:00 PM, two small dump trucks came to pick us up. We were relieved. We loaded up and began to drive back to camp. On the way back, our truck got stuck and started to slide backwards. The adventures never seemed to end. We were basically stranded in the middle of the rain forest. We unloaded off the trucks so it would be lighter and easier to get up. The trucks finally got past the steep part and we hopped back on and once again headed off. Well we drove for another five minutes until we reached another obstacle. A huge bus, coming to pick us up as well blocked the small dirt path. We ended up offroading a little bit and allowing the bus to pass. It was a crazy adventurous night in the Jungle. Praise the Lord.
-Cole Eberwein
Ps: hi mom
Last night was one of the most amazing nights in the jungle. We went to a village located on the top of a mountain. We had to hike straight up a muddy and rocky trail to get there. Our group performed our last VBS of the week to the village children. After VBS, we trekked down the mountain, (which was very tedious because it was steep), and bathed in the river below. Then at 4:00 PM, we hiked back up the mountain yet again. This time for a church service in the village. As soon as we got to the top, it started pouring. So we piled in the church and started praising the Lord. I was asked to give my testimony to the people of the church and my fellow classmates. With the help of Priscilla Auer, I threw my testimony together. I was blessed to have the opportunity to speak to the church. (It was also cool because I had a translator). I felt God spoke through me that night and it actually made me grow in my faith and be more bold. After that, the fun began. During the service while it was raining, we all had the nagging in the back of our head that we would have to sludge through the mud back down the thick mud. To add to the adventure, it was very dark. We finally got down all in one piece and praised the Lord. We assumed that was the end of our adventure. We got to the bus and found it had slid off the road and tilted 45 degrees. They had already tried to pull it out with a dump truck but the bus didn't budge. We sat down in the dark and waited for intrsuction. We began to sing worship song after worship song. An hour later, at 10:00 PM, two small dump trucks came to pick us up. We were relieved. We loaded up and began to drive back to camp. On the way back, our truck got stuck and started to slide backwards. The adventures never seemed to end. We were basically stranded in the middle of the rain forest. We unloaded off the trucks so it would be lighter and easier to get up. The trucks finally got past the steep part and we hopped back on and once again headed off. Well we drove for another five minutes until we reached another obstacle. A huge bus, coming to pick us up as well blocked the small dirt path. We ended up offroading a little bit and allowing the bus to pass. It was a crazy adventurous night in the Jungle. Praise the Lord.
-Cole Eberwein
Ps: hi mom
Alabaré
Hola from Quito, Ecuador! This is Mr. Petiti (the younger one) bringing you an update on our adventures.
I've decided to share with you probably the best part of our journey. So one part of the VBS that we performed for the different groups of students was to sing the song Alabar é. If you haven't yet had the privilege of hearing it, you definitely need to do so as soon as possible; it will change your life! After the first time hearing it, I memorized it in about 3 minutes cuz it was so awesome. I was hooked and I was singing it everywhere we went and during everything we did (you can ask the others about my beautiful singing voice; I'm sure they will tell you it was their favorite part of the trip).
The highlight of my week cam on our last night in the jungle. We climbed up a hill to a remote village to do attend a church service with the community. So when we reached the top of the hill, Alvaro (one of the IncaLink team members) and I walked into the church. He turned on the sound system, I grabbed the microphone, and he grabbed a drum. And, as you can guess, we did what anyone would do in this situation and started to sing Alabar é! It was pretty much an invitation to the whole village to come to church. After a few times through th. e song (because you can't just sing it once through), we had all of our group from TKA and many of the locals crowded in the church and singing with me. I felt very significant; I was livin' the dream! A great moment; I'll never forget it.
So, to commemorate the trip, I've decided that as soon as I reach the US, I'm going to set Alabar é as the ring tone on my phone so I can hear it all the time! So let me apoligize now if I don't answer your phone call; it's probably because I'm too busy singing along to the song!
It was an awesome trip; I'm still considering sneaking out tonight when everyone is asleep and sneaking back out the Huaticocha in the jungle. The Lord did amazing things through the students while we were there!
Thanks for reading,
Mr. Petiti
SAFE RETURN TO QUITO!!
The TKA Ecuador team has arrived safely in Quito at 5:30 pm, local time. All are present and accounted for. The team had an amazing and powerful experience serving at Ninawachi Mission School and the villages in the vicinity.
Stay tuned for posts from the students after they get washed and fed! :0)
Stay tuned for posts from the students after they get washed and fed! :0)
Sunday, March 24, 2013
NEWS FLASH!!
Puppets Rescued by IncaLink Interns!!
At 9pm last night the TKA puppets were recovered safely by IncaLink operatives. The clandestine mission was carried out within the recently completed, fortress-like Quito International Airport. The missing baggage was spotted through a window by forces on the ground. A lone member of airport personell offered no resistance amidst the ensuing verbal barrage, releasing the captives unconditionally.
The puppets seem none the worse for wear after the ordeal, except for Lars, whose hair seems to have turned blue. They will be traveling with the rest of the group to Huaticocha this morning. Pray for safe passage, as a bridge washed out last week. The group will have to transfer their luggage across a foot bridge where another bus will pick us up.
The entire team will be worshipping with members of the Huaticocha community tonight. Pray for relationships and the presence of God's spirit as we begin our ministry in the jungle!
Saturday, March 23, 2013
William Friesen - 3/23/2013
Well, it's the 2nd night, which means. Yes, We have survived and now are currently in Ecuador. Very exciting! You know, with every year I go on these service trips, i realize more and more that the world is so big. That or my world is just so small much compared to the reality of life. It's been quite the exciting day seeing views and going to an orphanage here in Quito. I just want to give a shout out to my good friend, Samuel. He's a kid I met today at the orphanage, no taller than my leg. I don't know how old he is, but I got to spend a hour or so with him doing whatever he wanted to do. He adored the swings. I probably pushed him for a good half hour or so. So he'll a have nice spot in my heart for now on. I hope rest of the you guys reading this are doing well at home or wherever you are reading this. Tomorrow, we venture into the jungle so prayer would be really nice for the next 5 days! Safety is important, but I am really hoping that we can really make an impact on them whatever we do. Well it's late, so I should be getting some rest now. Thanks for following the blog. I love you Mom, Dad, and other close friends. God bless you!
Cole Eberwein-3/23/13
We arrived after a long day of travel to beautiful Ecuadorian scene. It was exciting yet nerve racking at the same time. We stayed Casablanca after the long scenic bus ride from the airport. The next day we got to experience the city of Quito up close. We went to the top of a huge mountain overlooking Ecuador. For me, it was breathtaking. It showed me that God had called everyone of us out to do something great. Then, came the highlight of my day. We visited an orphanage in Quito for about two hours. The kids did not know any English at all and that was a challenge for me. I didn't even know how to say "My name is Cole." But nevertheless i developed a friend. Miguel, 8, stood out to me immediately. He was shy, but soon opened up to me. Erin Gates and i teamed up and played with Miguel for pretty much the entire time. Miguel realized that he could he could my body as a jungle gym and was soon climbing all over. The smile on that boys face was worth every little bruise i got on my chest and more. In that short time with Miguel, i realized how life changing this trip will be. Miguel and I rarely exchanged a word, knowing one could not understand the other. That barrier only opened my eyes more. Although i will probably never see Miguel again, the experience i had with him will alter how i view this service trip, and how i execute my service. Thank you so much for your support and your prayers. Cole Eberwein
Friday, March 22, 2013
Serving Ecuador 2013
The eagle has landed! The Ecuador team is safe and sound at Casa Blanca, Quito, Ecuador - guests of IncaLink International. We are already in full missions mode with unexpected turns, while God is showing Himself to be faithful at every one. More news to come tomorrow, but here is a quick list of prayer requests and praises:
1. Pray for Bettie Hahn's suitcase full of puppets. It did not meet us at the Quito airport. We have 24 hours to recover them in time to leave for the jungle Sunday morning. The puppet ministry is a valued part of our VBS program in the jungle. Please pray for the safe recovery of the puppets and the for the hearts of the puppetnappers...
2. A bridge on the main route to our destination in the Amazon basin was washed out in a landslide 5 days ago. Getting to Huaticocha on Sunday will be more of a challenge, but will certainly bring unexpected opportunities!
3. One of our students was handed $100 for our Ecuador ministry by a random passenger on the flight to Miami. God's generosity abounds amidst the adversity! (This money may come in handy to ransom the puppets...)
Peace!
The Ecuador Team
1. Pray for Bettie Hahn's suitcase full of puppets. It did not meet us at the Quito airport. We have 24 hours to recover them in time to leave for the jungle Sunday morning. The puppet ministry is a valued part of our VBS program in the jungle. Please pray for the safe recovery of the puppets and the for the hearts of the puppetnappers...
2. A bridge on the main route to our destination in the Amazon basin was washed out in a landslide 5 days ago. Getting to Huaticocha on Sunday will be more of a challenge, but will certainly bring unexpected opportunities!
3. One of our students was handed $100 for our Ecuador ministry by a random passenger on the flight to Miami. God's generosity abounds amidst the adversity! (This money may come in handy to ransom the puppets...)
Peace!
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)