Saying Goodbyes

Burke Lipscomb- 7/17/16

Oh there were tears today, some of my own included. For me leaving Cristo today was just a moment I will never forget. Along with the sadness of leaving, I had a huge appreciation for all of the relationships built this week. It was especially sad for me to see these little 8-11 year old boys crying and hugging onto my legs saying "Te vas a salir?" which is more or less "are you leaving?"
It hurts to watch them go the opposite way down the street. I know though they are surrounded by a loving community through Cristo.
It didn't really hit me that this mission is almost over until we were told, on the bus ride back from Cristo, that we were to start backing when we arrive at the hostel. This is an amazing group and great things have been done at that Church and even greater were the relationships forged there.

Day Five: Ministry Sites and Solo Time

Today, we are visiting Casa Gabriel, a ministry site and home for former street boys, and learning about Casa Adalia, a home for young women who have been rescued from the sex trade. 

Then, we head to the equator for touring and lunch. 

El Refugio will be next: a beautiful retreat center where we will have a couple hours of solo time and then a cookout with cuy (Guinea pig), hotdogs and s'mores.  

We won't be back at the hostel until about 11 pm. 

Day Four: Hello!

By Emma Kate Potter

Hello!! Emma Kate Potter here! Had a wonderful first day of work! Full of sweat, dirt, paint, laughter, joy and music.

We started the day we devotion and had a quick breakfast full of shared memories and happy faces. We then filled up our water bottles and were off to our work sites. I am part of a team where we are rebuilding a roof!! So far so good!! When we started we faced a few problems that we pushed through and found the best possible solution. After a few hours of work we went to go get lunch and play with some children. After a couple more hours we went back to our work sites. We brainstormed and got our plan for the next few days.

Overall it was a really great first work day! We did tons and made great strides in new relationships and work progress!

Good night! 

Day Four: It's All About Community

by Gordon Schell

"For where two or three gather in my name, there I am with them." ~ Matthew 18.20

Before we left our homes to embark on this mission we began building our community, knowing that we would be working closely together while in Ecuador. And we knew that we were not gathering together on our own, we were gathering and going forth in the name of Christ. We joined our larger community in Ecuador just a few days ago and today we began our physical work together at Cristo Liberador with that church family. Encouraging each other, using the skills that each of us brought to the days work and learning new skills created an exciting and fulfilling day. It was a day of joy, a day of mistakes, a day of laughter and a day of frustration. In the end, it was day of many blessings as we grew closer together with our Cristo family and with each other. We have more days of work ahead of us and we will accomplish many things, with each other and with God's grace. Knowing that it is He who has sent us on this journey keeps us focused and thankful.

We close each day with a group debrief. Tonight's debrief was an opportunity for each of us to show thanks and appreciation to the other members of our community. As we sat in the circle tonight, the love we have for each other and for God our Father was shared with much joy. Our community is strong. Our community is love. Our community is hope.

With love from Quito,
Gordon Schell
St. John's - Columbia

Day Four: Our First Day of Work

By Carly Campbell

"For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted." Matthew 23:12

We could not have asked for a better scripture to reflect on during our first day of work. It was a perfect reminder of how we should approach our time here in Quito. Back home, humility is a quality that few people truly understand. We tend to "exalt" ourselves with material goods and forget that none of that "stuff" matters when we leave earth. It is important to remember that what does matter is how we serve Christ and live according to his teaching to love and serve others.

We had a great day today working on our projects at Cristo. We accomplished a lot of painting, a lot of construction, and had a lot of fun in the process. I can't wait for the rest of our time here in Quito, living humbly, serving greatly, and loving unconditionally. 

With love from Ecuador,

Carly Campbell

Grace Episcopal Church

Day Four: You are no longer foreigners and strangers

by Sharon Putman

We headed back to the church today to begin our work projects: kitchen remodeling, painting classrooms and the sanctuary, and installing a new roof at a parishioner's home a few blocks away. 

We began the day with the Daily Office led by Mother Lourdes. For me, the psalm was especially powerful as we are surrounded by beautiful mountains on every side.

Psalm 95:1-7

"O come, let us sing to the Lord;
 let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!

Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
 let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! For the Lord is a great God,
 and a great King above all gods.

In his hand are the depths of the earth;
 the heights of the mountains are his also.

The sea is his, for he made it,
 and the dry land, which his hands have formed.

O come, let us worship and bow down,
 let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!

For he is our God,
 and we are the people of his pasture,
 and the sheep of his hand."

Each day, we have lunch at a parishioner's home. Delicious every time!

We ended the day with a devotional led by our team. Peyton and Nathan read scripture for us, Maria shared a powerful part of her faith story, and Gordon led us in song. 

For me, the most memorable bible passage was Ephesians 2:19-22: 

"You are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit."

Christina closed with a prayer from the Book of Common Prayer:

And just when I thought the day had come to a close ...

Mother Lourdes began to speak to the group -- our team of 26 plus about a dozen people from Cristo Liberador. She said sometimes God speaks to her and tells her she needs to pray for someone. Today, she said God was calling her to pray for me. She and I first met in 2014 and again in 2015. She said I have alway been filled with such light and joy but that now my light was dimmer and that I seemed sad. And she said she needed to pray for me. Here and now. She called me to the center of the group, and everyone gathered around and laid hands on me. She placed her hands on my head and prayed (in Spanish) for a long time. It was a profound experience for me -- and for my daughters and everyone else, if I had to guess. Lourdes had no way of knowing how much of a struggle the past four months have been for me and my family, and in a way, it didn't matter that I didn't understand what she was saying. I trust her intuition and her prophetic gift, and God understands her words. But later when our host Thomas told me what she said, I was blown away by the accuracy and power of her words and most especially by her love and care for me. I cherish her love and prayers as well as that of the family that immediately surrounded me. It was a powerful moment I will never forget. 

Day Three: Worship with Cristo Liberador and Youth leadership training celebration at La Red

by Anne Smith and Jennifer Storch

Our day started bright and early with a beautiful worship service at Cristo Liberador. Members of our team participated in the service, two as acolytes and three as lay readers. Mother Lourdes asked Mother Susan to preach the sermon with translations provided. Mother Susan's sermon was based on the Gospel of Luke's Good Samaritan parable. The Good Samaritan story was timely as the message received focused on the qualities of compassion needed to be a good neighbor while acknowledging the barriers of servanthood in our own lives.

One of the more moving moments in the service for all of our team members was the presentation  of a beautiful banner to be hung in the sanctuary for the rest of the week  This banner will then be sent back to the Upstate to be shared with the churches represented on this team. The banner represents our growing relationship and shared ministries. 

Following the service, we were lucky enough to help prepare for and participate in the Sunday School graduation. Our afternoon was filled with excitement and joy as we helped prepare for and run "A Minute to Win It" team challenges. The teams represented seven local churches from Quito.

We are exhausted but so excited for our work projects to start tomorrow.

Day Three: A Message from Youth World

Ecuador's coast had two more earthquakes tonight. We felt a mild tremor in Quito while at the hostel, but everything is fine. Here is the official email from Youth World:

"Dear Friends and Family,

We pray that this message finds you well. We want to let you know that here in Quito we recently felt a couple of tremors that were centered on the coast of Ecuador. We want to let you know that all teams, team members, and Youth World staff are safe and healthy. We ask your continued prayers for those on the coast. 

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Amanda at youthworldshortterm@gmail.com."

Day Two: Dia Uno a Cristo

by Savannah Putman

Hello All,

Today we began our 11-day journey working with Cristo Liberador. We met the congregation and began making crafts, singing and bonding with the community of Cristo.

For me, this wasn't a new beginning but a refresher from my trip to Cristo two years ago. I was able to see my Cristo family again, and it was like I just saw them yesterday. We picked right back up where we left off two years ago. All of our friends remembered our names and were just as excited to see us as we were to see them. They have learned English very well. As for my Spanish, well - it's not any better than it was two years ago. (They were happy to point that out for me.)
There were many happy tears shed and many many smiles between us all.

Now we are all very very tired but overjoyed with the day we've had.

I can't think of a better place for me to be in this moment then here with my best friends and family from the states and here  in Ecuador .


by Maria Williamson

Hola!
I believe that God blesses us with gifts.  Today we didn't use the gift of construction, of the gift of painting. Today God blessed us with the gift of fellowship.  I was able to witness the group that has previously visited Ecuador reconnect with the amazing people that attend Cristo de Liberador. I also witnessed the newcomers connect with the beautiful people of this church.

Seeing these connections happen taught me that the Ecuadorean people and our team aren't very different.  We all get excited over glitter glue, and singing songs in both languages, and the only difference we have is simply a few words. Becoming one shows us that we all have the same love in our hearts and we are all here for the reason, to serve the Lord.

The past two days have been amazing and I can't wait to see what our amazing Lord has in store for us tomorrow and the rest of our time here in the beautiful city of Ecuador!

Day One: Feet On the Ground

(Note: Although this may look like not much more than tourism, it's actually a whole lot more. Our first day is focused on immersing ourselves in the environment of Ecuador. While we are adjusting to being almost two miles above sea level, we learned about the history and culture of this beautiful country.) 

Leaving Atlanta on July 7

Arriving in Quito

By Powell Hickman
Grace Church Anderson

Greeting from high in the Andes! Your South Carolina mission team has completed
their first-day orientation and are now well-versed in all things Ecuador. The day began with the Youth World team (our hosts Thomas and Brenda) providing the group with critical information to ensure that we all understand and appreciate the local culture and heritage.

Next, we visited Youth World headquarters for a session led by Cameron on the important work she and Roberto are involved in on behalf of local youth. Good work is being done on many fronts.

Lunch in the city center was followed by an inspiring trip to the Basilica Church. The one hundred year old structure not only hosts the best view of the city from its spires, but also inspires the soul with its towers, arches and icons.

A walk down the hill to the National Palace treated the group to special collection of churches, including the 1540s-era San Francisco Church and Convent. Cameras were clicking, so watch for the images on our Journey of the Heart Facebook page.

From Quito (68 degrees),

Powell