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
We were so happy to see the pictures and the new updates to the blog. And then to see an entry by Cole - just made our day! I have spent time with Cole in orphanages in Africa, and I know how quickly he can build rapport with kids - no matter what the language barrier might be. So we could just see Cole and Miguel getting to know one another. So moving to read that you see this in terms of God's big heart for the whole world. We will be praying for you as you go into the jungles to follow Christ's call to "Go ye, into all the world." We love you,
ReplyDeleteDad and Mom (and Bounder)