Your Love

It was a beautiful drive, this is about 15 miles outside of Ambato! 

Today on my morning walk I saw Slyvia, Angel & Marcela! It was a great morning to run in to them, because it was my last chance. I ended up buying a custard filled roll with coconut on top, a cheese croissant for lunch, and a whole bunch of the chocolate swirl rolls to bring home for my family. I want them to be able to try my special creation! I went over to Patti Sue's house this morning to say goodbye to her and the girls living with her. I got to eat a traditional breakfast of rolls with jam, cheese, and hard boiled eggs with them. We talked until they left for school, it was really weird not needing to leave at the same time. I am very glad I got to say goodbye and talk with all of them for a little while. Then Jocelyn and I went up to Casa de Fe to say goodbye to everybody. I got to say goodbye to all of the kids yesterday, so I spent most of my time saying goodbye to all of the staff at Casa de Fe. I started at the school, went to the old bodega, then up to the new bodega, made a pit stop at the school to say goodbye to a couple of teachers, and finally down to the house. It was really hard to say goodbye, but God is so very faithful and I could not be more thankful for the friends I have made here! I was booking it on the way home, because imagine that I was running later than planned and I knew who we were riding with would be there soon. Along the way I hear a familiar sound and I new it was welding so I made sure to look the opposite direction. I certainly have learned an array of skills since being here, everything from averting my eyes at the sounds of welding to recognizing the cries of different kids. I am blown away when I start to think of all the different skills God has taught me during my time in Shell and look forward to continued growth every day! Our ride was running behind schedule, so we ended up making it back with plenty of time to spare. I did some last minute straightening up the house and finished getting things together. We left right around noon and the sun was peaking out. I had my window down and enjoyed seeing the streets that I have come to know so well. It was a beautiful day to be leaving Shell. As we drove along the windows were down and the wind was blowing through my hair, it was awesome! I could smell the fresh air, see farms all the way up mountains, and was listening to encouraging music. Three of the songs that stuck out the most were Hold me Together by Royal Tailor, Who You say You Are by Brit Nicole, and Your Love by Brandon Heath. The lyrics to Brandon Heath's song are; " Your love, Your love, the only the thing that matters is Your love! Your love is all I have to give. Your love is enough to light up the darkness! It's Your love, Your love, all I ever needed is Your love. You're the hope in the morning, You're the light when the night is falling, You're the song when my heart is singing. It's Your love!" God's love is constant through every change and is leading us in His perfect way, I praise Him for the continued guidance and faithfulness beyond measure in my life.We stopped at the mall in Ambato for lunch and I ran in to MegaMaxi to get some jelly for my family. I thought a Mora and Guyaba would give them a little taste of Ecuador!

We stopped on the outskirts of Quito
to look at the volcano!

Then we were back on the rode, on the way out of town Keith showed us the house the Ecuadorian national anthem was written at. It was a nice mini history lesson! I fell asleep a couple of times, but tried to take in all of the views as much as I could. Before I knew it we arrived in Quito and it turned out they were staying at the Guest House right next door to Megan. I could not have been any more excited about this, thanks God! I was worried about getting on a bus with all of our luggage, but we all made it safe and sound and had front door service. Megan and Danny had plans for the evening, so she told us to make ourselves at home. This is the second time I have had the privilege of staying with Megan while being in Quito and it is such a huge blessing! My night consisted of making supper, lounging on a comfy couch, and going to bed at 8:45!