Pray continually

My unofficial alarm clock!

This morning I was awake before my rooster alarm clock went off! I was reading at the front of the house and caught the rooster and a hen picking at garbage across the street. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” These verses are always important to recall and always seem to reveal new depth to me every time I read them. The Lord hears each and every plea, He is in control and faithful to answer. I have experienced His faithfulness to answer prayer and it is such a marvelous thing! I pray throughout the day, but I know there is more room for prayer in my life and it is my desire to sing God praises all day long without ceasing. I do not want my prayers to be selfish, but rather about furthering God's kingdom and giving Him glory. I was rather productive this morning with washing dishes, doing laundry, cleaning my room, and going to the market twice! After I was all done working I went for a stroll around town and ended up walking by a store on fire. The firefighters were just arriving at the scene as I was passing, but I could see the fire inside. I walked around town to get a better idea of where things are at and how to get there from where I live. I think it was a success! When I got back to the house Cheralyn and I thought it would be a good idea to bake, so we made a brownie mix and attempted to make plantain chips. Cheralyn took care of the brownies and I experimented with the plantain since it was my idea to try and make chips. They turned out really well, but the pan that I was using decided to peel off with the chips...so it didn't turn out quite as I had hoped, but I know I can make them now! Tandy, Cheralyn, and I concluded the evening with a girls night. We ordered pizza, had salad with homemade ranch, brownies, and delicious smoothies while watching movies! It was a nice and relaxing Saturday.

God's approval

I knew today would be eventful when I woke up at 3am and realized the power was out! It was still out around 7am, but was able to get ready for the day just fine. I made the trek up to school and led art time for the kids right away when I got to the orphanage. We spent the morning drawing pictures, but they liked it so much they could have spent all day coloring! After they were done I went up to the school to work for a bit before going with Jeff and the group on a jungle walk. It was fun to venture in to the

Alejo and his work of art!

Amazon Rainforest and it was very fitting that while doing so it started to rain! As we were approaching the river to turn around it began to drizzle and by the time we turned around it was pouring. There were some areas of the trail that got slippery, but it was all part of the adventure. When we got back to the orphanage I was drenched, but there was no time to think about that, becasue we were off to lunch. Some people went out to eat, but I ended walking to the house from where they were dropped off to put on dry clothes and eat. I got lost on the way back, but Shell is a nice small town so it was easy to find my way. When I was all done it was time to head back up to the school to organize some more stuff. I read one of the Spanish/English kids books from the library, since I am a visual learner I thought it would be a good idea to check out the basic vocabulary books when I have an extra minute here and there! When I was done with work for the day I went to the orphanage to hang out with the kids. It was their snack time and I got to have a homemade Guanabana popsicle. It was tasty and I couldn't stop singing “guanabana do do do do do, guanabana do do do do do”, thanks to grocery shopping with Jesse! When snack was over I got to go and play basketball with the kiddos until my ride picked me up to go home. Cheralyn and I chatted with Tandy for a while and borrowed a couple of movies from her. When we got back down to the apartment I enjoyed some chicken and rice for supper, then made some popcorn! I put some brown sugar in with the both of the batches I made and it turned out well, at the rate I'm making popcorn here I will be a pro by the time I get hoback to Fargo! We watched two movies, then I read before going to bed. Galatians 1:10, “For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.” Sometimes it is easier for me to see how the people around me respond to what I have done, but it is not my desire for others to accept me, rather to please God. Although it is nice to be approved of and appreciated by people, my purpose is to serve the Lord my God and by doing so bless those around me. When I faithfully honor the Lord with all that I am, my thoughts, words, and actions will reflect His light to the world.

New creation

"Little Evelyn" and I

As I was falling asleep last night and again this morning I have been thinking about what it means to be thankful. God has been teaching me about appreciating every experience, the ones that are good and the ones I see as bad. The Lord uses everything to draw us closer and sometimes it is those hardest moments that allow us to fully surrender to Him perfect plan. When something doesn't go how I want it to there is a choice to be made; I can choose to be upset about it or find the beauty in it. I choose to look for the beauty! Although there are times I feel like a detective having to search far and wide for the good, it is always worth it. I am thankful for what the Lord has brought me through, where He has me, and where He will continue to take me! His plan is perfect. The walk to the orphanage was bright and shiny today and I loved it, I like waking up to a sunny day. I was able to help another teacher prep for school this morning, spend time with the little kids, then help Martin practice walking with his cane. It was back to Alexander's for lunch again today, it started with soup, followed by fish with rice and beans, and a small chocolate bar for dessert. The walk there and back was pretty hot, since it was sunny all day up to this point. I went back up to the school to work for a while before it was time for an ice cream treat and singing with the kids. The volunteer group bought the snack for today and after they were done eating they sang a bunch of camp songs! It was fun to sing and many of the kids knew the songs! By this time the work day was about done, so I went up to the office to wait for the others to wrap up and talked for a while which was exactly what I needed. All I wanted to do was eat candy when I got to the house so that is what I did...by the time supper came around I wasn't hungry, but I wanted something salty after a bunch of sweet food so I made popcorn with garlic salt and I was good to go. This evening I read 2 Corinthians 5:16-17 which states, “So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” This is glorious, through Christ we are ALL a new creation. Each and every one of us is made free, pure, true, lovely, and whole.

Glorify God

Snack time at the park.

When I got up to the school, the first thing I did was gather all of the art supplies to make key chains. Once I had it ready, I was started heading down to the house, but a bunch of the kids and Tias were off to a soccer field/basketball court so I went with them. It was entertaining to see them all running around playing games on and off the court. If I would try to sit down to take a break there would be a group of kids surrounding me wanting me to stand up and join them. One little girl wanted me to walk around a tree with her and that is exactly what we did, I love how easily entertained kids are! It is truly beautiful how kids see people and the world around them, I strive to have a heart that loves as freely and forgives as quickly as children. After I was there for a while it was time to get back to work, so I hiked back up the hill to the school and spent time preparing for school. When it came close to noon, I went down to meet up with the volunteer team and ventured to Alexander's for lunch. It was off to a good start with popcorn for my soup, it really is a great combo! It was another nice time of sharing stories with the team members and getting to know them better. It started raining hard while we were eating, but Jeff brought the truck by so we got a ride back up to the orphanage. At last it was time for arts and

Tati with her key chain!

crafts with the kids. They learned very quickly and loved working with the beads! I was so impressed with how crerative they are and how unique each of the key chains turned out. The transition from crafts to coloring their bible pages was not very smooth...it was rather chaotic to be completely honest. Since the other teachers were gone the school was locked up and I didn't have any keys, I was able to track some down and get them settled in eventually though! I am relieved to say I had volunteers from the team to help me get it all sorted out. After coloring we got all the youngsters loaded in to the vehicle and were off to Bible Club. It is a great opportunity for the kids to learn about God and for me to learn more about how to communicate who Christ is in Spanish. I am officially adjusting to being in Ecuador, because when I was counting to make sure all of the kids were in the car to get back I started counting in Spanish! I was surprised and really quite excited! I was exhausted after getting them all back to the house, but  decided to walk back to my house. The mountains were marvelous off in the distance and I didn't want to miss this opportunity to soak in the scenery. It was incredibly pretty and I enjoyed

The mountains in the distance!

having time to unwind on my walk. There were times today I found myself trying to control events that I need to let God take care of, becasue I cannot do anything good big OR small without His help! James 4:14-15 says, "Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, 'If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.'" There were a couple things today that reminded me how short our time here on earth is and how quickly things around us can change. It is my prayer that we may all embrace every second we are given and use the time we're given to Glorify God. I met up with the Cheralyn, the Freeman's, and the volunteer team for supper and Johnny's tonight. I got an excellent burger with everything on it, and dessert came shortly after when I stopped at the market for some ice cream. I am grateful for my lovely family and getting to Skype with all of them tonight :)It is time for bedtime since it has been a long and busy day.

Simple joys

 

Martin with a huge smile on his face :)

When I got to the school today there were a series of random tasks for me to complete. Each one was important for planning and organization this year and year to come. I was able to finish everything on my list this morning which was a good feeling. I also got to spend time helping Martin walk with his cane. He isn't particularly fond of his cane, but when he uses it right it keeps him on his feet! He is such a tough little guy and it is a privilege to watch him work hard to achieve goals set before him. It was incredible to see how he didn't want to work at first, but his attitude totally turned around with positive reinforcement. It is seriously the cutest thing when he giggles, I told him he would have the biggest muscles here if he keeps working hard and then he showed me his strong arms! Martin's smile and laugh are priceless. I went in to town for lunch at Alexander's with the volunteer team and it was good. It's nice getting to know the team more and hear about their experience here at Casa de Fe. I enjoy getting to discover more of the town and places around too. When I got back it was time to tutor Evelyn in English, and she did awesome with the colors. I look forward to the day all of her English skills click and she understands it more fully. I didn't have much to get done for work the rest of the day, so I got to spend time hanging out with all the little ones! This included going on a walk with some of the kids with special needs, holding precious babies, and talking with the

Gilmar and I!

kiddos. When I was getting ready to leave I was asked to help organize stuff up in the storage room and I am so glad I stayed. I didn't feel like I was doing a whole lot, but I was an extra set of helping hands and I got to hang out with Stephanie and the older girls who were helping. I left pretty late, so when I went to say goodbye to the kids were out in the yard playing and Caila picked me a beautiful bouquet! It was such a sweet gesture from a kind young lady, to me her hand picked flowers were better than a dozen roses. It is the simple joys that make life beautiful! I thank God for the big and small ways I have been blessed here! I went straight from the orphanage to meet up with my friend Laura for ice cream. We walked around town and chatted, then sat at the park for a while. “Italy” was the restaurant selected for supper so Cheralyn and I went to pick up a pizza. We ate some Hawaiian pizza with delicious dipping sauce while watching another movie in Spanish. I also got to enjoy Mora yogurt that I froze, yep yep it was a great day here in Shell!



Magnificent Journey

Jeni is modeling a couple of the
bracelets she made today!

It was a very rainy walk to school today, but I enjoyed it. I find walking to school very peaceful and look forward to it every day! I was a bit soggy for most of the morning because of my walk, but it was worth it. The next two weeks will look different for me when it comes to work, because all of the students who are passed their classes have a break. If a student did not make the grades required, there are remedial classes to provide the extra help they need. I didn't really know what I would get to do at school until I arrived this morning. Although I have a general idea of tasks that need to be done over this time, there are no specific time lines, so it keeps me on my toes. Today I was planning on making bracelets with the kids, since it is a highly requested activity and after communicating with the principle and the 'Tias' (with assistance from Abigail) I got the okay! The first group I worked with were the students who had passing grades in all of there classes, and the second group was for those who had to go to tutoring during the first art session. The kids really enjoyed making bracelets and it was pleasant to see the older boys and girls interested and engaged in a task! When I was done with the art groups, I went back up to the school to help the other teachers prepare activities. Since they only teach/tutor in the mornings this week, the rest of the day was used to get their materials ready for the weeks to come. We had lunch together and once again they made me a big plate of food. They are so hospitable and inclusive which I appreciate a lot. It was an especially huge blessing, because my lunch was somehow rotten. When we were done eating the rice and potatoes, I pulled out all I had to offer...a bag of animal crackers! I felt a bit silly at first, since this was all I had to share, but they kept eating the animal crackers so they must have liked them pretty well. I got done early today since there was no library or enrichment time after school, so I did some research on athletes who have triumphed through struggles! I am looking for inspiring videos about athletes overcoming obstacles to encourage Martin, he is one of the students with a physical handicap. I found a great clip about Derek Redmond in the 1992 Olympic games and was motivated as I watched it. Life is a magnificent journey and although every race doesn't go as we planned, our Heavenly Father is always there to carry us across the finish line. When it came time for supper, I needed to get eggs so I took a short walk to the store at the end of the street! Cheralyn and I made french toast with strawberries on top and they were yummy. Since it has been such a rainy day, after supper we decided it would be a good night for a movie. We made homemade popcorn with garlic salt and watched a movie in Spanish, but it wasn't just any movie it was Titanic! I was pretty excited for good food, a great movie, and even better company!

Divine plan

I live on the bottom floor of this house!

I always enjoy getting up before my alarm goes off and I did it again today! I had a lot of time to get ready for church and was excited to go. During the service I try to find a word or phrase I can figure out and focus on. “Damos honor a Ti” (we will honor You) were the lyrics in a song we sang and was marvelous. I want all that I do to reflect the love of Christ and this short phrase sums up that desire. I can only truly love people as I ought to when when I see them as God's beautiful children. On the walk back from church, Cheralyn and I stopped at a little bakery. We had time to lounge around before heading to Casa de Fe for a group lunch. The volunteer team provided burgers for everybody and needed some assistance preparing it, so I helped get the food ready. All of us at the gathering were able to have a nice meal and spend time with the kids. On the walk yesterday I showed a girl named Genesis how to stand on my feet so I can walk her around in a circle, it is something my dad used to do with me and I loved it. I taught her how to stand on my shoes so I would walk around in a circle with her and she loved it too, she liked it so much that she came up to me today wanting to do it again! Lunch was pretty late, so after cleaning up and hanging out with the kids for a while it was time to get ready for ultimate frisbee round two! I had a great time playing last week, but was more prepared because I had some practice this time around. It is awesome getting to see familiar faces and new people coming to join in the game. There wasn't much time, but I did have a short break and time for supper in between frisbee and staff prayer. I am SO thankful for this time of prayer each week, because it is a lovely time of worship, reflection, praise, and prayer! Tonight as we were worshiping I was in awe of the Lord's good plan for our lives. I know there will be great joys as well as struggles, but He is in control of it all. It is always important for me to remember that God has a divine purpose for me, He sees the whole picture and I am excited to see where He continues to lead me!