Ecuador: Days 3 and 4

Ecuador Days 3 and 4

On Sunday morning we woke up to beautiful views at Rose Cottage. This awesome spot has various places for people to stay including some small cabins. It was a cloudy morning but that did not subtract from the wonderful views of a huge mountain when looking towards the front of the property and a smaller, but still pretty, mountain towards the back. It was a quiet and peaceful morning. Perfect for a little time in the word while three sheep grazed.

After our morning at the cottage we took a ride back to the camp we were the night before. We had some breakfast, played some games with the students, had a cooking and robotics workshop, and settled in for a time of worship. Ellie and Drew gave talks to the students which were translated by our wonderful hosts and we also sang some worships songs in Spanish before and after. We concluded our time with group prayer in which Pastor Fabian, who leads a church in the Carmen Bajo neighborhood of Quito, directed the men to pray for the women and then vice versa. 

Afterwards we had lunch and left the camp to take a boat ride on Cuicocha lake which is at the base of a volcano called Cotacachi. The crater was created by a massive eruption that took place 3,100 years ago and is now filled with water. 

 

After our boat ride we said goodbye to the students from Carmen Bajo and headed to a market to do some shopping where various items and gifts were purchased by the group. Personally, I (Kevin) bought an Ecuadorian national soccer team jersey. It's pretty cool if you ask me! To wrap up the day we ate some delicious pizza and took the two hour long bus ride back to Quito. 

On Monday, we started off the day at El Reypin, an alternative school for kids with special needs that is run by Martha Ibarra Ruiz! We went to the neighborhood park and were each paired with a child to play games with. We started off with a little dance party with a song about a snake in the woods!

The first game we played was a relay that helped the kids practice their motor skills and household chores like cleaning laundry! Next, the teachers pinned clothespins on the kids and the fellows helped shield the students from getting their pins stolen. We also played a fun game of musical chairs! We ended our morning by getting a tour of the school. It was incredible to see the work they are doing and heart each of the teacher has for the kids!

For lunch, we made a stop for Italian food (most of the fellows got the chicken alfredo). In the afternoon, we headed back to Youth World headquarters. We heard from Doris Estevez who is a part of the ministry End Slavery Ecuador. This group focuses on helping women coming out of prostitution. ESE also holds health clinics, bible studies and a Christmas get together. They also employ women to create jewelry, which they then sell in stores! The fellows had a chance to buy homemade bracelets and earrings to support this great cause. Then we took a break and got helado with John Allen! After ice cream, Cameron the founder of Education for Hope gave a wonderful talk on gratitude and the importance of recognizing our blessings.

That night we visited Casa G! This is a home for boys who are coming off the streets and provides them a safe and supportive place to focus on their studies or career paths. We got a tour of the home and art studio there as well as the joint coffee shop and thrift store! These provide great avenues of creativity and ways the boys can make some extra money. They made us a delicious dinner of chicken, rice, lentils, and all types of juice. It was a great time of fellowship connecting with the boys. After dinner,  Walter shared his testimony with us and his story of representing Ecuador in Olympic qualifiers for skateboarding and how God has shown up in his life. It was so inspiring to hear him share! And that’s a wrap on day 4!

Love Kevin, Eliza and Ava

Hef with John and Caroline's daughter, Carter!