I really should be reading, but...

So, I am taking an intensive this week and really should be reading for my paper that is due tomorrow at 8am. But I have to write. I have to get my thoughts sorted out. My thoughts are running at a million miles an hour, as usual. And it's starting to drive me insane a bit. Today, a friend of mine from here at school stopped me in the bookstore and gave me a beautiful little doll from Ecuador. He went on a 2 week mission trip to a children's home that I considered interning at and brought me back a gift because he knew my heart was stolen by the people of Ecuador. It was such a simple gift, a simple thought. But it is one that has stayed with me all day and one that has made me think so much about the nation of Ecuador and where my heart is. Don't get me wrong, I have loved all of the mission trips I have been on so far. And am sure I am going to love my internship in Peru. But no trip has come close to the experience I had in El Recreo, Guayaquil and Baba, Ecuador. I have written many times before about how Ecuador is the trip that changed my life, that made my purpose in life clear, that defined my calling from God. But it was a trip that did so much more for me. It showed me what it means to have joy in the midst of nothing, what it means to give everything for others, and what it means to live a life completely abandoned to God. I learned those lessons 6 years ago. But have forgotten them since then. And every now and then I get a gentle reminder. Today, that reminder came in a simple, yet beautiful gift from a friend. And now my heart and head are once again in Ecuador, thinking about the children that I loved on and that loved on me. The night that I committed my life to full-time, cross-cultural service. And the night that I was given the nickname "Fire and Ice" due to my passion and compassion. 6 years ago my life changed. And today, through a beautiful little doll, I was reminded of that change. And now, I hope it will revive and relight a great passion that has been lying inside of me. And I pray that it is one that can be seen on my floor, on my campus, in my classes, in my jobs and in my life whether I am overseas or not. Thank you, my friend for the gift you have given me today.