Adjusting to the altitude was our first hurdle. Headaches, nausea, and shortness of breath are the downside of being at 10,000 feet above sea level. The answer: water, water, water. And then, drink more water.
Our hostel is a beautiful little home that used to be a dormitory. We have a gated courtyard filled with flowers, a cozy little kitchen, and a lovely living room to have our debrief meetings.
This morning after about five hours of sleep, we had a delicious breakfast: French toast casserole, cereals and yogurt, coffee, and the best fruit ever. Cameron gave us a culture and history lesson so we could learn more about South America and Ecuador.
We then walked about six blocks from the hostel to the Youth World office for an overview of the organization and its ministry sites. Then we went to Fruteria for empanadas and fruit salad. Delicious!
Our touring included a visit to the Basilica de Nacional Voto for a scary but worthwhile climb to the top of the tower.
We walked around Old Town, saw the Presidential Palace, and visited cathedrals, including the Plaza de San Francisco. It's some seriously steep walking.
We headed back to the hostel in the late afternoon and had an evening visit from Phil and Debbie from Casa Gabriel. Five Casa G boys joined us and shared a little of their stories. (See previous post for a description of Casa G.) We all had a wonderful meal together -- locro de papa (potato soup) cooked by Roberto's mother. Avocados and melon on the side. Yum!
After dinner, we had a debrief meeting with Cameron, who discussed Youth World's philosophy of mission -- in other words, how do we know if we "succeeded"?
Two factors are a measure of our success:
1. Are we bearing fruit? Is it nothing more than a mission trip, or does the experience transform our lives to lead us more fully into who God is calling us to be? (John 15: 5-8)
2. Reciprocal partnership vs. mutual using: A successful experience calls us to suspend our judgment in four areas:
A. Cultural prejudice: North Americans have a reputation of being cocky and thinking we are better than other cultures. Cameron asked us to set that prejudice aside.
B. Intellectual prejudice: Many of us may think we are better because we have more education. In reality, we are all equal in the body of Christ.
C. Spiritual prejudice: Many denominations think their ways are better. But God is much bigger than any denomination.
D. Self-seeking ambition: Our own desires start to surface. We want to give and serve to make ourselves feel good. But we are aiming this week to merge into God's traffic and the way God is working here and join in on a level playing field.
Giving and receiving is key. It's not about us swooping in and giving. It's about receiving whatever is offered: a handshake or a kiss, a hot drink or a piece of bread. If we refuse, we rob people of the blessing of giving. This reciprocal partnership is our goal, as opposed to mutual using -- just us checking it off our guilt list and the ministry site simply tolerating our presence. Mutual using is not transforming anyone; reciprocal partnerships are our goal.
So this vision trip is much different than a short-term mission experience, when we visit one site and dig in deep to build a relationship. During the next few days, we will see 11 ministry sites and visit two dozen homes. I can't wait to see what God has in store.
We ended the night by assembling 42 bags for our home visits and for the E=H scholarship coordinators.
Tomorrow, we visit Cristo Liberador, Carmen Bajo, and Casa Adalia. Stay tuned!
No comments:
Post a Comment