Catching Up

I'm sorry that it's been so long since I last updated this. I'll just pick up where I left off and try and catch everyone up with what's been going on here, while doing my best to not make this post monstrously long.

June & July

The summer M's finished up their time in their respective villages of El Chaupi and Tubigachi. They spent several weeks building relationships and simply pouring themselves into the villagers and because of this, the churches that have adopted this area have had wider access to

these areas. These girls glorified our God by simply living out their faith. People could not understand how these young girls would leave their family and the States just to come to their town in Ecuador. In some ways, it's similar to how we don't or didn't understand why Christ would come from heaven, make Himself nothing, just because of His love for us and His desire to save us and provide a way for us to have an intimate relationship with the Creator of the universe. It is now December, and these churches are still seeing fruit from the labor of these young women. If you're interested in being a summer missionary, or know someone who does, go check out thetask.org. Also, pray that the Lord will start raising up guys and girls to come next summer.

Remember the village of Cajahui Alto? Remember how there was 1 believer in the entire community? A few weeks after our trip to that area, the entire village voted to have a community wide Bible study. Also, they came in to see various gospel films that the Codys have shown and stayed for the whole film. To the best of my knowledge, they are still meeting as a community about once a month for these Bible studies and to learn more about Christ.

Jess and I also had the chance to go to Peru for a few weeks in June. REAP Ecuador, our

team, is under the umbrella of REAP North, which is based in Lima, Peru. Since

REAP North is older than our team, Jess and I went there to observe how to use the International World Changers students that we will have here in Ecuador next July.

This was probably my favorite trip of the summer. Most of the people that I went to language school with are now in Peru. It was a great time of simply catching up, especially with Mindy McCord, one of the closest friends I have made since coming on the field. Jess and I got to meet and be encouraged by so many wonderful believers, both students and leaders.

It was also exciting for me to be able to sing and praise the Lord in a communal setting IN MY OWN HEART LANGUAGE! After the first night's meeting, I was so filled with the joy and peace

that comes from simply being in the presence of my Savior. Now that is not to say that one cannot come before God's throne in a different language, but there is something morepersonal about praising the Lord in a language that you understand the nuances of. We journeygirls, Jess, Mindy and myself, also learned how to cook for a couple hundred students.

One afternoon, we spent a good portion of the afternoon making potato salad and helping to cook dinner, including the massive pot of green beans. And yes, it really did take all three of us to stir that pot. Once the week was over, Jess and I stayed in Lima for a few more days, doing the tourist thing, drinking Starbucks, which we don't have here, and having a hilariously fun time with the IWC leadership. They are basically amazing people and some of my favorites!

When we returned from Peru, Jess, Rick and I took the summer M's and Sarah, a girl who was an intern for the Wollets this summer, to Sucua for a week on a jungle trip. Sucua is about 9 hours south of Quito and much warmer. Jess and I joked that we were able to have our one week of summer time. We joined up with an evangelical pastor in Sucua and visited areas around there with him. In one place, we met a woman whose song had broken his leg a few weeks before.

She had no way to get him to a hospital since she had several other children and her husband had left her to start a family with another woman in a different village. We prayed for her and her son, and I hope brought some comfort as we loved on her while she mourned and grieved with us. We also met with the church there that the pastor in Sucua had started. They meet under this little hut of sorts, while waiting and praying for an American church to come build them a building.

On a different day, the pastor told us that he wanted to take us up into the mountains to a village that was an hour and a half away. He also warned us to dress warm because it was very cold. Well, Sucua is pretty hot, so we thought that this village probably wasn't that cold, just cold to him since he was adjusted to the heat. Wrong!! The higher we drove, the colder it became. And rainier. We stopped at an overlook to take some pictures and we instantly realized our mistake as most of us were in shorts and t-shirts. Oh, and the hour and a half drive turned into over 2 hours, including driving over the top of a few waterfalls, and through one where the bridge had been washed away.

We finally made it to the village and visited with a few families there while waiting for the school to let us play with the kids. We met the only 2 believers in the area, a very old, tiny man and his daughter, both of whom were advanced in age. Please pray that more people will believe in this community. We eventually were able to play with the children in the school. Duck, duck, goose is a favorite, as is teaching them Bible stories by having them act them out as we read them. Such fun! After this, we taught them a song in spanish and english, which Rick then taught them in "chinese." Rick, by the way, does not know chinese. If I can find the video, I will post it to share with you. It's pretty funny.

When we returned from Sucua, Courtney, Elizabeth and Joy left for the States. We had a prayer retreat for all the missionaries in Ecuador that ended in a celebration of the 4th of July. Katie, Brittany, Yvonne and Sarah stayed to help with VBS for the missionary kids.

It was a good time of fellowship, refreshment, a chance to worship together, and nights of acting like little

girls at a week long sleepover, since all of us chicas were able to stay in the same cabin. Plus s'mores (we had a fireplace in it), jumping on beds and movies. Good times.

After this, the girls all returned home, and the rest of our team took vacation to the States. At one point this summer, Jess and I were the only REAP Ecuador team members in the country.

August

August brought everyone back to Ecuador, including new team members and Jess's family for a visit. A journeyguy named Jonathan Jackson transfered to our team, and a masters lady named Patti Merrit also joined us. Patti and I now share the ESL responsibilities. She teaches the beginner level and I, the intermediate level students. Our ministry has changed a bit as God's direction for it became even more clearer, but I will touch on that later on.

The most exciting part of this month, I believe, was the fact that Jess and I got to move out of our old apartment into a great new one!! If you remember, it seemed like nearly everything in that old apartment that could go wrong, did. So, we are now in a 2 bedroom, 4 bathroom (yes, 4) apartment with a balcony, rooftop access, and very close proximity to the office, which is super nice for me since I teach there multiple times a week. Although it was stressful to move and there were a few speedbumps along the way (i.e., they found and had to fix black mold in the kitchen cabinets), we finally got settled. This is the first place that has truly felt like home to me. I'm very grateful for this.

In August, I also was able to take a little vacation and go to Puerto Lopez, a town on the beach, with Gary and Julie Clifton, their son Matthew and Julie's parents for a few days. We stayed in a really nice hotel, played in the very cold pool, and took a boat trip one day to go whale watching and to visit an island called La Isla de Plata (silver island). It's also known as the poor man's Galápagos. The island is covered in a dry tropical forest that appears to be dead and silver, but is in fact living and well.

During the dry season, the plants and trees shed all their leaves to protect their roots and to preserve the moisture that is caught in the dirt below the thick layer of leaves. We also saw blue footed boobie birds, whales off the coast, and frigate birds. On the other side of the island, sometimes you can see sea lions and otters as well. After we ate lunch on the boat, people had the opportunity to go snorkling. Gary jumped in, and Matthew was so fascinated that he wanted to wear the mask as well. I attempted, but was just a little too out of my element for it. But it has made me more determined that one day, I will do it!

While we were hiking around the island, I had the opportunity to share the gospel with a mother and her two daughters who were from the States. It struck me as how much easier it can be at times to explain Christ's offer of salvation when you already truly understand the culture of the person with whom you are talking. And yet I have shared my faith more with those from a latin culture than I have with people from my own culture.

On the way back from Puerto Lopez, we stopped at a KFC in Santo Domingo for a bathroom break and to get something to snack on as we headed back into Quito (we wanted to get through the mountains before it got dark since they are not the safest nor best roads). Unfortunately, when I got home that night, I woke up with altitude sickness mixed with food poisoning from the KFC french fries I had eaten. Julie's mom got sick as well, but not as badly as I did. I became dehydrated and my vacation ended with me spending a day and a night in the hospital, hooked up to an IV. But I have a great missionary family. For the entire time I was there, I was alone for maybe a total of 3 hours.

September

This month was a little bittersweet, as the Cliftons accepted a job and transfered to Spain to work with South Americans there. While we miss them greatly, we are all very excited for them and the work that they get to start doing over there.

Patti and I also started our revamped classes this month. We both teach 2 classes a week. One meets on Wednesday nights, and the other on Saturday mornings. We found and bought some ESL textbooks and now have a more structured class that lasts for 12 weeks at a time. We also started discussion groups again on Thursday nights. I have included a portion that we are calling scripture training. As this groups is aimed at helping our translators better their english skills and increase their confidence, we are also helping them to better understand the ideas that they will be talking about. For example, the more they understand what the Bible teaches about who Jesus is, and what grace means, the better they can explain it and translate the idea, not just the word. Jessica and I also began teaching an english class on Tuesday nights at the baptist association here in the city. This class was a lot of fun, and we have developed some very special friendships with national believers here.

October

We finished the association class near the end of October, and celebrated it with everyone at a banquet in a cafe in Carapungo, complete with dinner, entertainment, worship, a message, and presenting certificates to our students. It was a lot of fun for us, once we found the place. Jess and I got lost on the way there, but latin culture helped us in this, since the event that was supposed to start at 7 didn't begin until 8:30.

At the end of October, Ecuadorians celebrate el día de los difuntos, or the day of the dead. It is a quichua custom that has spread to the rest of the country over time. Everyone meets at the graveyards and cemeteries to eat and remember their loved ones who have passed away. The communities will also sometimes pay the priest to come and perform a mass, which includes the reading of some of the names of the deceased family members. The catholics believe that since passage into heaven is works based, the soul of your loved one might be in purgatory, and so, just in case they are, if their loved ones on earth lift up enough prayers, then God will bring the soul from purgatory to heaven.

Please pray that the people here will learn and understand that salvation is not based on how much you can do, or how well you do it, but simply on a relationship with Jesus and believing that He is who He says He is.

Jess and I were able to go with one of our students named Fabiola and her family to experience this day. We drank colada morada (a warm, fruit drink), and although we did not get to eat wah-wahs (breads shaped like babies that are traditionally made and eaten at this time of year), we will not forget that day. Since it is a family oriented day, one woman had her baby with her at the cemetery. God provides ways for us to tell about His love. I mentioned that we do not baptize babies. Of course, this is a very strange idea, so I was able to explain to Fabiola and her relative how baptism is a public expression of your faith in Jesus once you accept Him in your heart and believe in Him, which is all you need for salvation. Please pray for Fabiola, our student and friend, that she would keep asking questions and be thirsty for the truth.

November

This was a very fun and busy month for me. Rick asked Jonathan and me to go out with a team to El Chaupi for a week. For me, this was a real time of refreshment. I was reminded of why I am down here in the first place. It's all about sharing Christ and His love. The hostal owners, Miriam and Boanerges (bo-an-er-es), have been captivated, curious about and thirsty for more understanding of Jesus and the Bible from the first trips that this church has made. This craving only increased when the summer Ms stayed with them.

Every night during this trip, we tried to have a bible study in El Chaupi. Most nights it was only Miriam's family, and our team. One night, Drayton, the team leader, Jonathan and I met with

Miriam and Boanerges to talk with them about what it means to be saved and what baptism is. Both of them professed to have put their faith in Jesus and wanted very much to be baptized.

That weekend, the day before we left, our team and their entire family, including the dogs, rode in a taxi truck for about 15 minutes, and then hiked up and through about 2 or 3 pastures and down a trail to a stream that ran through the valley. Drayton baptized Boanerges, and then Boanerges and Drayton baptized Miriam in the very cold water. With the exception of those of my sisters, this baptism will be one of my favorites. REAP Ecuador's first baptism!

Also, that night when Drayton talked with Miriam and Boanerges, the other two team members and the translator went to speak at a church service one village over. So I translated that night. God used that situation to show me that yes, I can tell about His love in spanish. I no longer can hide behind the excuse that it's too hard to do in spanish.

While I haven't been keeping my mouth closed this whole time, I do know that I haven't been speaking out as much as I could be. Praise the Lord for the times when He takes away our security blankets until all we have is Him and Him alone. He is the best security blanket that we could ever ask for, once we trust and allow Him to be that.

2 days after we returned from this trip, I boarded the plane to go home to the States!!! I spent about 2 weeks home for the first time in a little over a year. It was wonderful to be able to see my family and friends again.

Although there was not too much culture shock, I was great entertainment to Meagan and Melissa when we went to WalMart. I am so grateful that I got to go home. God truly has blessed me with so much love from my family and the best friends a girl could ever have.

Although it was such a good time at home, there was a little heartache. I would ask that you would lift up a prayer for my home church in the states, as our pastor has resigned. Pray that God's will would be done through the whole situation and that broken and pained hearts would be healed and comforted by the Spirit.

Since things rarely go as smoothly as planned, my one day flight back to Quito turned into two fairly long days. Yet in the middle of that, I found opportunities to share the gospel with a lady on the plane next to me, and a latin woman in Miami while we were waiting for our flight to

Ecuador. Also, I got to spend the night with my Aunt Joy and Marshall, meet one of her sons and his wife (I meet a new cousin every year) and their beautiful twin daughters. Even while exhausted, I was really encouraged by them. Thank God for family, no?

While I was home, we had an early Thanksgiving, and then I had another here with my missionary family. It's always so much fun to get together, relaxing, laughing and simply enjoying each other's company. Jesus makes good on His promise in Matthew 19:29.

December

Things are beginning to wind down for Christmas time ministry-wise. This week will be the last week for my classes, although Patti's will continue for a week longer. In 2 weeks, we will have several students arriving for a trip to La Merced, led by Jess and Jonathan. Please pray for their safety, both here and returning, the work that they will do, that the Spirit will start even now working on the hearts of the people these students will come into contact with, for Jess and Jonathan as they lead them, and for my dear friend Geovi, the translator for the trip.

Thanks for praying for us. We rely on those. God bless!

Hello All

Our summer Ms have been in their respective villages for about 2 1/2 weeks.  They're almost done with their time out there!  Every time we go visit them, there are so many wonderful and encouraging reports.  They have so many open doors in their communities.  The girls in El Chaupi have even been able to continue a bible study with their host family.  Not everyone in their village is happy with this family's choice to follow what the bible says instead of traditions, so Mirian and her family have experienced a little bit of persecution and village shunning over this.  Please lift them up in prayer.  Pray that God will continue to give her strength to stand for what she believes.  She even went to the priest and told him that what was in the Bible is correct and he wasn't teaching it!  In a catholic culture, that takes a lot of guts.

The translation trip that I went on was wonderful!  We were in village called Cajahui Alto, about 2 miles away from the active Tungurahua volcano.  She talked to us all week, and spit ash and steam almost continuously.  It was gorgeous to see.  That is a picture of her to the left.  You can see the stream of ash coming from the top.  We held a medical clinic for those in that

community and others around.  There are only 3 or 4 believers in this entire area, so it was wonderful to be able to share bible stories with these people as well as physical help.  The team from Oklahoma was absolutely wonderful and a real blessing to me.

Last week, Jessica Dooley, a journeyman from REAP North in Peru, visited us.  Yes, there were 3 Jessicas in one apartment.  Needless to say, trying to get each others attention was interesting at times!  She came to take pictures and to help REAP Ecuador with our new website!  Feel free to check it out:  www.reapecuador.org

In a few hours, Jessica Franks and I will be boarding a plane for Peru.  We'll be there for 10 days to help with the International World Changers students.  After we return, we'll be taking our 6 summer Ms and driving to Sucua, a jungle village about 10 hours away from Quito.  Please pray for travel safety for all involved: us, the Summer Ms, and the 50 IWCers that will arrive in Peru tomorrow morning.  Also pray for Jess and I as Secua will be our longest road trip that we've driven here in Ecuador.  I'm excited!!

Here is Jess and I standing on Pichincha, with Quito spread out behind us.

Thank you for praying!

Summer Ms

So our 6 summer missionaries are here!!!  They arrived last Friday night.  Courtney, Brittany, Yvonne, Joy, Elizabeth, and Katie are absolutely wonderful and hilarious girls.  All this week they have been living at the Nazarene Seminary right outside of Quito.  They've had a full week of orientation, which Jessica Franks did an amazing job of putting together.  Please pray for them as they go out to their two villages, El Chaupi and Tupigachi.  We will take them out to their respective places on Saturday morning and they will live in these communities for 4 weeks.  Pray for their adjusting to these new cultures, as well as the people that they'll meet over this next month.  Also pray that God will show them persons of peace and other ministry opportunities.  Here are 4 of the 6 girls, along with Jess and I.

Here are all 6 of our girls:

Also, next week I am going out with a team to Ambato.  I will be helping another IMB missionary couple, Mark and Sherry Cody, as a translator for a medical team they are taking to the mountains around Ambato.  Please pray for us as we serve out there and for the team that is coming in to work with the Codys.  

Thank you for praying and God bless!!

April Adventures

Where to start?  April is now over, but it was a really fun month.

For starters, Karla, Matt, the Hands-On peeps and I went to Pululaua.  This is one of the few inhabitable volcanoes in the world.  And yes, I mean inhabitable.  

Technically, it is still an active volcano, but since there hasn't been any activity in a few hundred years, people now live in the crater.  It is gorgeous.  The hike down and back up is very steep, but Jason and I still managed to beat everyone else back up.  

I'll admit, he almost had to drag me up the last little bit!  A few people passed us on the trail with their horses loaded with items they were taking back to their homes.  There might be an actual road down to the inside of the crater, but if there is, we didn't see it.

Of course the month of April brings to mind two fairly important events.  The first one, of course, is Easter.  The second - my birthday!!

Easter was a lot of fun.  On Saturday, I went over to the Clifton's house to dye Easter eggs.  

Gary and Julie are a missionary family who live here with their 1 year old son, Matthew.  Julie grew up in Africa, so dying eggs with her was a ton of fun!  I got to show them the tricks with the crayons.  We used vinegar and food coloring to make the dye.  A few drops in the vinegar, and you're all set.  Well, when Gary was trying to make the blue, the top of the blue food coloring fell off, dumping about half the little bottle into the cup.  Needless to say, we could make a very blue egg in just a few seconds!  A good tip, though - don't try to make an egg look like a soccer ball.  It doesn't really turn out very well.  On Easter Sunday, the roomies and I met Matt and the Cliftons at the church by our house and then went over to the Clifton's for lunch.

Delicioso!  After that, the Brooms came over and the kids hunted Easter eggs.  However, ever since then, Matthew has evidently decided that eggs are playthings.  

He tried to 'help' his mom pick up the eggs Sunday night when we were making dinner.  If he had gotten his hands on one, the egg mixed with his favorite game of 'Oops' (yell Oops, throw the toy/keys/whatever down and laugh as someone gives it back to you.  Repeat.) could have made for an interesting situation in the kitchen.

Now, my birthday!  The weekend before, my cousins, Brett and Brenda Cargile, cooked me a wonderful birthday dinner.  Steak, mashed potatoes, green beans and rolls!  My favorite.  

Afterwards, we had a delicious cake that their boys, Quinn and Christine, said must be a pink cake.  Complete with trick candles that acted like sparklers and would not go out!  You can just imagine Brenda and Brett holding out the cake while simultaneously trying to lean back out of the range of the sparks flying off the candles.  I'm pretty sure I impressed the boys when I

 licked my fingers and put out the candles.  On my actual birthday, Karla, Matt, the Hands-On students and I all went to TGI Fridays where they made sure the waiters sang to me and surprised me with some gifts.  It was a very fun night.

One thing that I has been emphasized in my life is how God answers prayers and meets our needs.  For example, the roommates and I have been saying how we really need to exercise and be more active.  Well, the elevator broke, so we are now in the habit of taking the stairs. 

 Our elevator is temperamental at best, so the stairs seem quite a bit safer.  The other thing that we've been needing to do is meet our neighbors.  One Wednesday night after I got home from my ESL class, Karla and I were making our dinners.  I had just turned off the stove when we heard a knock on our door.  Leaving my spaghetti noodles in the water, I grabbed my key to unlock the deadbolt and answered the insistent knock.  It was one of our guards, Fredi.  "Vamos.  Hay fuego en el apartamento abajo."  "Let's go.  There's a fire in the downstairs apartment."  On the basement level of our building fridge had a short circuit and caught on fire.  So we got to meet all of our neighbors while hanging out in front of our building for a few hours.  We are the youngest residents and the only gringos.  

The fire was a mini-drama in itself.  No one was at home in the basement apartment, so the guards, Fredi and the guard from across the street, couldn't decide if they needed to break down the door or not.  I think they finally did since they went in search of a fire extinguisher.  Our guard shack didn't have one.  So the guy across the street came running over with his.  However....it didn't work.  So somewhere they found a small water hose.  About that time, the police showed up on their motorcycle.  If you call 911 in Ecuador, it goes to the police station.  They dispatch people to come check things out, and once they see that the fire is real, they call the bomberos, or firemen.  So after we've been outside for about an hour, the firetruck comes rushing down our little street.  

The sirens brought all the people out.  On the building next to ours, children were climbing onto the roof in order to get a better view, and Karla and I had a lovely conversation with an older man who lives in the apartment complex across from ours about other places that have burned down in Quito.  Well, we're pretty sure that's what he was saying since his spanish was a little difficult to understand.  Another hour passes, and we have an all-clear to go back into our building.  Our friends, Mark and Sherry Cody, come over to help us make sure that our apartment is okay.  The fire did not get past that basement apartment, thank God, but there was smoke in the air in Karla's room, 3 floors above the fire.  We packed a bag and had a slumber party in the Clifton's living room.  The Codys were also staying there, so we had a great time hanging out that night and the next morning.  Mark went over that following morning to air out our place for us, and when we got home that afternoon, the smoke smell was completely gone.  God kept us and everyone in our building safe, and we finally met our neighbors!

Time for the ministry updates:  I am teaching 2 ESL classes every week.  And I love them.  Our classes aren't very large - usually about 5 or 6 people - but we do have some new students that joined us during April.  It's wonderful seeing their English improve, and they are quickly becoming my friends as well.  On the first Saturday of April, we had a día libre, or free day.  Everyone met at Ruby and Fletcher's house (2 of our REAP team members who used to do ESL) for vegetable soup, South Carolina style, and a few rounds of taboo.  In both english and spanish.  I was excited since my team did guess a few of my cards when I had to describe them in spanish!  All in all, it was a lot of fun and I think everyone enjoyed themselves.  We had about 10 - 12 people show up.  After the majority of people left, Karla and Anna, a visiting journeygirl, came over and we played several hands of Cuarenta (40) with the office crew.  Cuarenta, or Forty, is a very popular card game down here.  Most of the nationals who work in our missions office are in my ESL classes.  Wonderful people!  

Since my job is also to work with translators, I have started what we are calling 

discussion groups.  We meet every Thursday to practice speaking English with those who are interested in translating for teams that come 

down to work with REAP.  Whereas the ESL classes focus on teaching grammar as well as speaking, these discussion groups are for those who already have a high level of English and we focus on becoming more comfortable speaking english in front of others.  This Thursday will be our 3rd meeting, and each time we gain a few more people.  It's exciting to see.

Since these activities were in the beginning of the snowball effect, I have been able to go to a town called Carapungo twice a week to play with children in the Voz Andes medical clinic waiting room.  We color, make crafts, and I read them bible stories while they wait to see a doctor, or while their parents are dealing with the medics.  It's a lot of fun and I enjoy it.  On Friday afternoons, Paula has asked me and a national woman named Janneth (Janet) to start a 

kids club in the park by Janneth's house.  So over the next few weeks I will be modeling for Janneth what it means to lead a kids club, and then eventually hand the reigns over to her to lead.  Pray that God will use our efforts and that several children in Carapungo will hear the good news, and that Janneth, a new believer, will become a wonderful leader of this ministry.  

REAP Ecuador will have 6 summer missionary girls in a few weeks.  After training, they will be split into 2 teams and go to the villages of El Chaupi and Tabacundo, where they will work in the communities for a month.  These are areas where there is very little evangelical presence, 

so these girls will have the challenge of carving out places where they can become a trusted enough part of the community to be able to share Christ's love.  

(Me, Karla, Matt and Jessica F. on Easter.  Not really sure what Matt did, but we love him still.  Jess just has a special way of showing it.)

Please pray:

• that the summer Ms have a fulfilling time down here, and are effective in their outreach in their respective villages.
  
• that more churches would be willing to commit to be REAP partners.  There are just too many lost and completely unreached people in Ecuador for us to be able to share the hope and freedom we have in Christ without you getting involved.
• for ESL classes and discussion groups.
• that we would all be bold in sharing the good news.
• that I would be able to develop close friendships with nationals here, and that I will learn to be content whatever the circumstance.
• for the kids club in Carapungo and for Janneth, as well as the outreach being done in the clinic.
• that God will pour out His spirit on Ecuador and all believers - nationals and not - will once again realize how urgent it is for the good news to be shared with all of Ecuador.

Thank you for praying!  I know that I truly could not handle everything down here without your interceding for me and the people down here.  ¡Dios les bendiga a todos!  I love you all.

As the deer...

"You, God, are my God,

earnestly I seek You;

I thirst for You,

my whole being longs for You,

in a dry and parched land

where there is no water."

~Psalm 63:1

Lately, this has become my prayer, that I would long for God like this.  Like the way someone longs for a drop of water in a dry and parched land.  Life here has settled into a routine, and I'm fighting my familiar battle of settling for the mundane.  Pray that I will crave Jesus like this once more.

As of now, REAP North now has 2 ESL (English as a Second Language) classes, one on Saturday mornings and one on Wednesday nights.  I am really enjoying them!  Teaching is pretty fun!  A typical class starts off with a review of the previous week, a lesson in grammer, break, and then bible study.  All of this is done in English.  Already I've seen some of the students improve in their grasp of English and grow in their confidence.  The number of students that come vary each week, but there are those who come no matter what.  Sandy and her husband Freddy, Daniel and Diego are quickly become good friends of mine.  Especially Sandy.  She encourages me in my spanish as much as I try to encourage her in her english.  If you would, pray for these friendships and these wonderful people as they are growing closer to Christ.

ESL is one of the ministries I am in charge of.  The other one is translator ministries.  Basically, I have the challenge of developing and maintaining a pool of translators that REAP North can use when we have churches come down on trips to their adopted people groups.  This week Kelly and I will be traveling to a few places where they teach english to see if we can find interested translators.  Please, please pray for us this week.  So many things could go wrong, and we could easily offend the wrong person and end up with doors shut in our faces.  Please pray that God will draw out several potential translators, that Kelly and I will have the words to say, and that the professors and department heads will have favor on us.  

Last Sunday, the Hands On girls, my two roommates and I got to go to a massive house church.  Actually, there were about 4 house churches combined.  They were celebrating a baptism.  It was really neat to see so many people come together, gringos and nationals, to worship God and celebrate how He's been changing their lives.

So earlier today Karla and I went to get copies made in preparation of visiting the english places this week.  Traffic was pretty heavy, so she dropped me off at the copy store, and was going to drive around the block.  I was out of minutes, but I had my phone with me so that she could call me to tell me when she was close to the store again.  However, as the copies were being printed, I realized that I had left the rest of my money in my bag in the car.  I didn't have enough on my to pay for all the copies and I wasn't sure how close Karla was at the time, since I couldn't call her.  Well, God does provide for all we need!  I glanced out the door, and happened to see Vicki and Terri Lassiter, a missionary couple living here in Quito.  Neither one of them had their cell phones, but they loaned me enough to cover the copies.  I hadn't even thought to pray about what to do, but God knew my needs and helped me out anyway.  How good is He!  

And to end on another good note, I finally feel like I'm getting the hang of driving stick shift!  It's actually quite fun.  

Thank you for your prayers.  Love you all!

Playing Catch Up!

Guatemala:

• I met some wonderful people, both national and American, and made some awesome friends who I cannot wait to go visit again. :) 
• I had a total of 3 amazing teachers while at language school.  They pushed me to get a better grasp of spanish, and I was able to talk mostly about the bible with my last teacher.  She even started going to the evangelical church some of us attended!  That alone made my time in Antigua worth it.
• Kelly, one of my fellow M's there, was able to start a bible study with some of the teachers from our school.
• Everyone there in language school with me all went to the beach, Monterrico, for our Thanksgiving break.  Technically the school did not let out for this holiday, but we took an American weekend.  It was beautiful and super relaxing.  Brittne found a house that we all rented so we could stay together.  Since it was outside of the city, we had the beach mostly to ourselves all weekend.
• I had the privilege of helping a church in town, El Camino, move buildings.  I was able to stretch my sheet rock hanging and mudding skills.  It was fun to be involved like that, and I met some wonderful people dedicated to sharing Jesus with Antigua.
• For Christmas, I spent some quality time with one of my roommates, Stephanie, and Kelly at a place called Earth Lodge.  We went for dinner, but had orders from our house mom to be home by midnight.  We were back with about 10 minutes to spare, and at midnight, the entire sky light up with fireworks that lasted for over an hour.  It was beautiful!  We ran up to the roof to better enjoy the view.  After it settled down a bit, Steph and I shared tamales with the family (traditional Christmas food), and shared some family time by opening gifts that our host family bought us.  The tradition is to stay up very late, eat tamales, and open presents after midnight.  Very fun!
• The next day, several of my M friends and I went to Keith and Penny Stamp's house.  This couple has truly opened their home and heart to us.  A lady from China who was staying in my house for the weekend came with us and had the opportunity to hear the Christmas story and the good news about why we celebrate Christ's birth.
• For the rest of the week, I hung out at Lake Panajachel with Ryan and Britt.  One of the places we stayed included key chains that were bigger than our heads!
• I rode my first moto/motorcycle/scooter.  I also learned to like coffee and now actually enjoy a cup!
• In our first month (I think), most of us climbed volcano Pacaya.  We watched lava flow about 10 feet away from us, ate dinner by lava light, and roasted marshmallows.  Delicious!
• Thanks to a couple from my church at home, one of my roommates was able to receive a bible in her own language.  As far as I know, she is still enjoying it!

Ecuador:

• I have completely moved into my new apartment!  It is nice and open, and I love living here, although it can have it's quirks.
• Speaking of quirks, our washing machine decided that it didn't want to hold all that water.  So our kitchen floor was covered with about 2 inches of water.  But it made for a hilarious and interesting afternoon.
• I have two roommates, Karla and Jessica.  Yes, another Jessica.  Our team is still trying to figure out how to separate us.  These girls are a true blessing and have quickly become my close friends.
• Added to that list of friends God has given me (which is also an answered prayer) is Matt, a fellow journeyman, and a group of Hands-On students who are here for the semester.
• I discovered that I have family here in Quito!  Yes, my 4th cousin and his family live here.  It's nice to be able to talk about places in Arkansas with them since they actually know exactly where I'm talking about!
• I recently got back from a missionary ladies' retreat.  These women here are hilarious!
• I have learned how to cook at high altitude.  Turns out I became quiet the chef when I moved down here.  Or at least that's what the roomies tell me. :)  Although Jessica and Karla are still in charge of the pressure cooker.
• I have had many opportunities to travel since arriving in Ecuador.  My second week here, I found myself in Peru for a REAP team retreat and training.  Jessica is in charge of summer missions, so we have been traveling to towns outside of Quito in preparation for students this summer, and in a few months we might have another opportunity to return to Peru for a week.
• The REAP Ecuador team is an awesome mix of people.  We have all gotten along very well, and have been helping one another with our respective ministries.  I feel like I have family here.  Well, besides the family that I do have here.
• Last Saturday, I taught my first ESL (English as a Second Language) class solo.  As far as I could tell, it went really well, and I enjoyed teaching it.  Soon I hope to start another class during the week as well as an English bible study for those who are interested.  
• 

Prayer Requests:

• Pray for the ESL/translator ministry.
• Pray for the teams we have coming down from the states.
• Pray that God will lead churches from the States to come adopt areas here in Ecuador so more people will have an opportunity to hear about true and freeing salvation.

Thank you for all your prayers and your patience with me and my updates.

Love you all!

Quick Update

So this really won't be much of an update.  I am leaving for Quito, Ecuador, on Monday morning.  My flight is at 8:30, so I should be in Ecuador by 1 or 2.  Today we had our 'graduation' from language school.  I think it was the first time that they have done this, so it was an incredibly sweet gesture from them.  I hope one day that I can come back and visit.

Anyway, once things get slightly more stable, I hope to fill everyone in with a little more detail about my time in Guatemala.  

Love y'all!