And now a word from our team

Highs and lows of our first day:  {Please put name first}

Rick Palm:  The whole day was a high!  Worship with our brothers and sisters in Ecuador, seeing their devotion to our Lord, sharing their faith.  Then empanadas!  Yum!  Then the Ecuator Museum!  Facinating notes on phenomena related to the equator, facts about the indiginous people, and the history.
Low:  Not feeling 100%.  Physically tired, and a bit of an upset stomach.  Some rest and the outstanding food (and your prayers!) will deal with that.  Thanks for your thoughts and prayers--your are very much a part of this team!

Erin Braddi:  Today was an all time high for me. The worship at church today was amazing because no one was ashamed to praise God openly in their own way.  The church made our team feel comfortable dancing and praising God just like they did.  These people were strangers to us but they made us feel so welcome that by the end of the service we felt like brothers and sisters. Also the two other highs of the day were lunch and going to the equator.  Empanadas are my new favorite food.  Also while at the equator I was able to balance an egg on a nail (pretty impressive, huh?). The low point of today was getting in and out of the bunk.  Nikki and I are even having trouble getting in the bunks with a step stool (I know really pathetic, huh?) Well over all today was amazing and I'm excited about what God has in store for us the rest of the week.

Iona Brannon: Wow, today was... indescribable. Highs? I could go on forever... I guess I should just name a few. I loved the church service (besides almost falling asleep during the sermon cuz I didn't understand it. At all.). We had an amazing time jaywalking to our wonderful lunch, empanadas. Then we crossed from the southern hemisphere to the northern and went to the middle of the world (not something you do everyday, yeah?). I saw a creepy/cool shrunken century old human head. Okay, now I really know that I could go on forever, but I gotta stop. My day was mostly sweet, but there were a couple of bitter splats thrown in too. I had cramps in my shoulder but that wasn't too bad as it was only every once in a while. My sandals broke on the equator, but that's kinda cool too... So yeah, first day in Ecuador was not bad... not bad at all.

Abbey Middleton:  This whole South America business is so new to me! I've never been out of North America, and I've never flown to a different country before, so today and yesterday have been two of the most interesting days of my life! Let's see, highs and lows. Well, a high for me is the beauty of this country! Is has rolling green hills and breathtaking cliffs, and I have an amazing view of all of it from my bunk! Another high is how close this team is getting. When we had our first meeting, it was a little awkward. But now, we all feel like a big family. Also, meeting our team members who were waiting for us in Ecuador already was a great surprise! We are working with a wonderful ministry called Inca Link, and we have a few people who have joined us in our journey! A low for me was probably how much the elevation change disoriented me. I felt like I was on a rocking boat when I stepped off the plane. Another is the fact that I don't speak a lick of Spanish, since I study French in school, so it is very hard to communicate with the Ecuadorians. But I don't want to end on a bad note! I am exrememly happy that I made the decision to go on this trip, and I am so looking forward to what lies ahead!

Rebecca Wade: I have been on an emotional high since I've been in Ecuador. It reminds me of Mexico but not because the culture is different. The highs of this trip so far have been driving around Ecuador and seeing the different people and places. Another high is the food here in Ecuador. It is kind of like Mexican food but better. :)  We went to church this morning, and it was kind of hard to understand because it was all in Spanish, Spanish class helps, but I had a good translater next to me(Thanks Matt) After church we went to had lunch, than went to the Equator museum, which was very neat to see how on different sides of the equator, it is effected so much. I'm looking forward a lot to the upcoming days, and give my 110% to everything I do, and everyone I come in contact with.


Vania Tso: I am so glad that God has given us such an oppurtunity to serve Him in Ecuador. So far the highs for this trip is being able to experience going to a different church. Another high is being able to connect with all the team members and having a fun time and also going to the equator. A low for this trip is that I was really tired and I felt that I couldn't be able to experience everything to its full extent.

Emily Ha: So yesterday, April 16th was my birthday - my 17th birthday. And it was spent all day on an airplane. It was quite an interesting experience having to be at the airport at 4am and getting here in Quito at 10pm. Even though I didn't have total fun for my birthday, it's one birthday to remember!! So just celebrating my birthday with everyone on this team was a high for me. They all signed a birthday card...while I was sleeping. So that was sweet :) anyways, another high so far are going to a Spanish-speaking church. We sang worship songs in Spanish, some that we knew English, others that we didn't know, but could easily catch onto. Another high was LUNCH :D It was supppperrrrr yummy. Empanadas and Coca-Cola! Then we got to go to the equator museum. Lat 00' 00''. That was a super cool experience! We learned a lot about the culture and also a little bit of the science of the forces. Did you know that in the Northern Hemisphere, water will turn in the Counter-clock wise, and in the Southern Hemisphere, it goes in the clockwise direction. And right on the equator, it goes straight down...So cool. Anyways, my only low has been the sleepiness and tiredness. But other than that, I've had a super time, and it's only been 2 days!! I can't wait for what God has in store for us!

Grant Chang: For my highs today, a lot of factors contributed greatly. When I woke up this morning, I knew God was going to do great things. I woke up to rain and seeming cloudy day, but as we were doing our devotions in the morning, the sun peaked out and it gave us all a motivation to do the things God planned for us to do. First, I really appreciated worship and the church service. Seeing people sing and jump for joy for the Lord makes my heart shine with happiness. I liked the empanadas that we had for lunch today! They were delicious! Visiting the equator was also very exciting to me. I always think of the equator as an imaginary line, but there is so much more to do! Seeing the splits and differences between the northern and southern hemispheres really fascinate me. But what I really appreciate through this entire day, is the bond between all of us and every single thing we contribute to this team. The mingling is ineffable and makes me happy inside and out. For my low, going back to the sermon we had this morning, I was trying to understand what the speaker was saying. I knew the fundamentals and many phrases he was saying, but I kept on trying to catch up with him through his sermon. I wish I practiced more spanish so that communication would be easier and that there would be no language barrier.