Back in Cali

Bittersweet. Now we can drink $7 coffees and flush toilet paper and eat Krispy Kreme. And most of all bear fruit.

Some pics from our adventures

Leaving Quito

We are at the airport waiting to board our plane for Miami. It's been a great trip and we have experienced many emotions and challenges. We look forward to seeing you all soon and to share our experiences with you!

Easter Sunday

Today is our last day in Ecuador. It has been such an transforming trip. The jungle was not as hot as a expected I expected, though it did rain nearly every day. I managed to escape without a single bug bite, which is an accomplishment I am personally proud of. The people at Ninawachi are really godly and all have a true heart for service. They really love Jesus and being at Ninawachi. One day me and a handful of other kids went out to cut down some trees with a machete. To describe it as fun would be a understatement. I feel bitter sweet about leaving Ecuador. I will never forget this experience or the people I have been blessed to share it with.
-Daniel O'Neill

¡Felices Pascuas!

Happy Easter to all of you back at home. I have had an interesting week here in Ecuador, to put in the most vague way. I remember staying up packing util leaving for the airport as just yesterday. Now you are likely asking, "How was your experience different this year?" It's new. Upon arriving in the Huaticocha, we met Mark and Cheryl Shaffer which were not present for the main part of our time in the jungle. They have blessed us with their newly open school, their open hearts, and their love for missions. But adjusting to their schedule was hard as it followed the strict Instituto de Ninawachi timetable the students were on for their school. Yet, I am dumbfounded by my ability to be a morning person on this trip, consistently waking up at 6:12 each morning. The work was different this year and more effectively delegated. I attempted to mix cement, tried to dig ditches for electrical wire, and made it convincing enough that I was cutting down enough foliage with my machete. I would consider it a job well done. The food was mostly the same, except for that delightful Good Friday Fish Soup con Tail, which was graciously left off the menu (shout out to Cole). I also feel so blessed to be fed a varied diet (thanks mom), or I might have ended up eating mucho arroz, like a special character we were lucky to have. In addition, I was disappointed there were showers installed which only worked half of the time due to ratio of city water pressure and the amount of rain collected. I just prefer river showers, and one did occur on the last day. So, I apologize in advance for any scandalous pictures appearing in the interwebs or on fundraising material. On the same track, I feel I have broken a lot of social barriers on this trip. I abstained from my wallflower-ish social attitude, and my zombie-like hunger for technology. It's amazing what you talk about in a room full of 8 guys, or in a car filled well above its maximum occupancy limit, or a room full of poisonous spiders, or in game of UNO that may have lasted for an eternity, or a jam session with pre-amateur guitar players. It has been an amazing experience of which some, I have put into words.

Sincerely,
Iain Bromley (Ignacio)

So Grateful

As I look back on this entire week and all the fun times that were had with our amazing team, the children from each of the villages, and the Ninawachi students, I have a hard time trying to pick out something that stood out to me the most. One of the highlights of my trip was the adventure into the Amazon Basin and the fact that we were able to play with and love on the kids of each of our villages. It was truly a blessing for me to be able to spend time with the kids during VBS and learn more about God through the love they showed for us even though they didn't know us at all in the beginning. Passing by the houses, built from mere planks of wood and blocks of cement, broke my heart and gave me joy at the same time. Not joy because these families live hard lives in extreme poverty, but joy because of the opportunity that God blessed our team with to be able to go into these communities and minister to them. One thing that will never leave my mind is the sight the adorable children in 24 de Mayo (my ministry site) surrounding each of my team members and climbing on every one of their limbs. It was great to see that even though all of us had a hard time communicating with the kids, we didn't let that stop us from building strong relationships with the little ones and showing them love. After a hard day of work with construction in the morning and VBS in the afternoon, we would come back to Ninawachi Mission School and hang out with all of the students from the school. We built even stronger relationships with them and learned so much from them, even though there was a little bit of a language barrier. We communicated through, not only choppy Spanish, but through crazy loud games of Egyptian War, jam sessions down in the prayer hut, and a mutual love of God. They showed me what it was like to truly live out a Christian life and to follow God with their entire heart. They were so sincere about their faith and didn't try to hide anything from us, but clearly laid out their lives in front of us with absolute honesty. Oh, and they were like the craziest, funnest people ever. It was super hard for me to say goodbye to them because they are our brothers and sisters in Christ and it feels like we were leaving family back in Ninawachi. Through the massive rain storms, gigantic bugs, trips down to bathe in the stream, VBS with some of the sweetest kids ever, devotions in the prayer hut, slashing through the forest with machetes, pouring concrete, stomping through the jungle to find the sweetest sugar cane and cacao beans, exploring caves, swimming under waterfalls, and experiencing God's incredible creation, I feel closer to the Lord and my family in Christ than I ever have before.   

- Christina

Cleanliness

     The joy of Christmas morning cannot compare to the pure elation experienced when I returned to Casablanca, opened up my suitcase, and saw a clean, dry tshirt. Life in the jungle was characterized by moisture and dirt, producing a constant and unshakable sense of "yuck." The ultimate gesture of kindness was letting someone else borrow a shirt that had only been worn once, or perhaps twice. Getting to dunk our hair in the local creek quickly became a high point of each day...until our feet sunk into the thick mud on the way back to our rooms, and all was lost. In short, we were thrust far out of the comfortable lifestyle we are all accustomed to. Our appearances disintegrated and we were left with the most raw forms of ourselves.
     As high schoolers, insecurity tends to run rampant wherever we go. We put thought into every aspect of how we look, how we act, and the things we say. In our minds, our peers are constant critics, and we never seem to measure up, although we are continually giving maximum effort. There in the Amazon Basin, however, all that normally enabled us to feel secure in ourselves was stripped away. We abandoned presentable clothing, makeup, and styled hair. We discovered our physical limits, low tolerance for bugs, and that we are not all morning people. Frustration was never far, we grew irritated at one another, and complaints slipped out more often than not. We were soiled on all levels. However, exposing our base realities led to something new: the ability to evaluate a person on a more sincere level than is common.
     As our individual bodies broke down, we slowly were able to set aside our self-centered discomfort and look around at each other. Slowly, we discovered that bug bites and sunburns

Huataraco

Afternoons were spent doing Vacation Bible School activities in four different towns. 

Here are some pics from my site, Huataraco...

On Wednesday night, we also went to a church service in the town.  Reilly gave her testimony

And Alex preached

More coming soon 

-Mr. Petiti

Back in Quito!

Hey everyone!
We drove back from the jungle this afternoon, and it felt really good to take a shower after a week of being covered in sweat and insect repellent. I went to Ecuador last year, and I'm glad I came back this year because it was a totally different and fulfilling experience. Last year we dug holes and painted in preparation for the Ninawachi missions school, and this year we got to meet and work with the first group of Ninawachi students. Despite my Spanish being no mucho bien, I was able to communicate with the students through worship, serving together in the communities, playing intense card games, and having the same mission of sharing God's love to people who desperately need it.  One of my favorite memories of this week was getting to go to a daycare on Wednesday morning. I wasn't sure what I was expecting, but it was definitely a lot nicer than the image I had in my mind of a daycare in the middle of the jungle. Since the kids were around 2-3 years old, I conveniently didn't need to use too much Spanish to play with and spend time with those kids. I loved seeing that there are resources for those kids and that they were willing to let us take part in it. Leaving Ninawachi this year didn't seem as hard as I thought it would be, because I know all the students there are in great hands and have incredible leaders. We had an amazing Good Friday service in Ninawachi, and I'm excited to celebrate Christ's resurrection tomorrow with this team!

-Joanna

Hard work!

We spent our mornings in the jungle working at the Ninawachi Missions School in Huaticocha.

We helped make a cement walk way on the property.

We brought electrical wiring to the prayer hut

Worked rain or shine

Some of us forgot we were supposed to paint the walls rather than our friends

These two were on cleaning duty

These ladies were in the stream cleaning the cement off of the wood frames

Mr. Hardy took a break while everyone else worked

Back safely in Quito!

We just arrived safely in Quito! More blog updated and pics to come as soon as we get settled!

Liga vs Emelec and the Henry David Foundation

We had a great day in Quito! The soccer game was exciting; it ended in a draw, 0-0.

Mason was very excited to arrive at the stadium.

After a late lunch, we visited an orphanage, the Henry David Foundation. We spent some time playing with the children and we concluded the evening with a session of Vacation Bible School. It was great to see the joy on the faces of both the children and on our team as we showed love to the children of the orphanage.  The puppet crew made everyone smile, the singers sang beautifully, the drama team put on a great show, and Team Craft presented an engaging activity.

Here are some pics from our time at the orphanage

Tomorrow morning we will be off to the town of Huaticocha in the jungle.  Pray for safe travel to the jungle and that The Lord will open the hearts of the people in the jungle communities we visit. The internet connection in the jungle isn't the greatest so it may be difficult to keep you all updated as often as I have done here in Quito, but I will do my best!