9 years ago today (part 1)...

my team was sitting on a very hot and sweaty airplane waiting for our flight to take off. It had already been delayed twice and we had already spent the majority of our day waiting around at the airport since we were the last team to fly out. We were in Miami, Florida after 2 days of staging camp with other short-term teams. And we were on our way to Guayaquil, Ecuador. We were finally cleared for take-off and on our way for a 16 day, cross-cultural adventure that would change our lives forever. 

Over the next 2 weeks our team did a huge variety of things. We did everything from laying a church foundation in Samborondon to making house visits in El Recreo to vacation Bible schools in Babahoyo to cleaning bus stops to sharing testimonies to having baptisms. We saw GOD move in some big and little ways. We became close friends with some of the Chilean youth who were working with our group. We spent time making up songs about the 2 young men who were on our team who put up with 14 of us girls. We had meaningful conversations about how GOD was changing our lives and sweet moments of worship where we felt the Spirit move among us. We had 16 days of amazing service and blessing. 

My life has never been the same. Those 2 1/2 weeks in Ecuador were some of the best weeks of my life. I can honestly say that. And even though I have loved all of my other trips and experiences... Ecuador is the place that will always hold my heart and will always be the place that first captured my love for missions and people. I have written many times before about how my love for Ecuador and missions in general began when I heard about Nate Saint and the Waodani people who live deep in the heart of the Ecuadorian rainforest. But that love was solidified and made so very real the moment I stepped foot on Ecuadorian soil. It was late (like after midnight late) by the time our group left the airport and even later til we got to the church to sleep. But the minute my feet touched the dirt of Ecuador, my heart was taken and wholly devoted to the world of missions. And since that summer, 9 years ago, my passion has been focused on missions, the unreached and Latin America. 

While my degree is in missions, my life doesn't look the way I had imagined it would. I am married to a youth minister working in an American, suburban church. I work at a daycare and a fitness gym. But my passion hasn't changed one bit. I am doing my best to find a place of service where GOD has me now and I know that if it's a part of HIS plan, then one day I will find myself back in Ecuador. Back where my heart was captured and has been held ever since. But if it's not a part of GOD's plan, I know that I will see them in heaven and my heart will always be tied to that nation in a special way. Ecuador is my heart. I've said before that if people were to look at my heart it's probably shaped like South America... but even more probable is that it is shaped like the nation of Ecuador. 

As I have been thinking about my trip to Ecuador 9 years ago, I thought about one of the funniest stories from that trip. While we were in Florida for our staging camp (i.e. pre-trip training) our team leader, David, told us over and over again how when we got to the airport in Guayaquil men would come out from the crowd and try to take our bags for us. And that we were NOT supposed to let them because either a. they would steal our bags or b. charge us a lot of money for their service. So, we get on our flight and get through customs. As soon as we walk through the doors a group of young men (all of them about our age) come towards us offering to help us with our bags. We all say no like we were told and continue to follow David to the bus. Well, we get there and Diego (the missionary from Chile we were going to be working with for the 2 weeks) whistles and here comes that whole crowd of young men. They were the guys from the Chilean team we were going to be living and working with for 2 1/2 weeks! We were all soooo embarrassed and unsure of what to do or say. But the guys greeted us and hugged us with smiles and laughter. By the time we got to the church we were all laughing at the silliness of the "gringos" and our introduction to the team.