For those of you who followed along with my trip to Ecuador last summer, and might be reading this, I am planning on going on the Never the Same trip again next summer, this time to Panama! I am really excited to see what God has planned for us and for the people of Panama.
I have already begun a new blog for my trip. If you are interested, you can check it out at : www.ntspanama.blogspot.com
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Slideshow
We had a little shindig today so the people who sponsored me could come over and hear what happened.. I got to share some pictures and stories, and I made this slideshow as well. :)
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Quick Note...
For pictures, info and other such things, you can also check out the official trip blog, if you haven't been already. The link is:
http://www.neverthesameec.com/
I'm on Team 3!! :D
http://www.neverthesameec.com/
I'm on Team 3!! :D
I'm Home.
Well, most of you probably are wondering why I didn't update any after my last post, so I was going to apologize for that. The Internet was $4 for 1/2 an hour, so I didn't want to use it very much. Also, we were really busy and I was hanging out with all of my friends and stuff, so I didn't always even have time to use the computer. :)
Wednesday wasn't a regular ministry day, instead we were able to go to the market in the morning. I was able to get a bunch of cool souvenirs and gifts, and had a lot of fun bartering. ;D Wednesday afternoon was AWESOME! I got to meet Erika, the child I sponsor through Compassion International. I've been sponsoring her for a few months now, and I was super excited to get to meet her. They had a park set up for us with slides, swings, a bounce house... They also had a bunch of tables set up under tents where we ate lunch.
Erika recognized me right away, and ran up to me to give me a huge hug! :D She is soooooo cute. She was really excited to meet me as well, and was having a great time running to all the different things to play on. I gave her a bunny that she loved, and she carried it around with her for the rest of the day. Our lunch was delicious. We were fed a traditional Ecuadorian lunch, which consisted of some meat, rice, beans, and four or five different types of corn, including popcorn! Yes, regular popcorn. They ate it with a fork and a knife, just like you would eat peas. :) They even had dessert for us, two scoops of ice cream with a little cookie.
Erika and I got to play all afternoon before it was time to say good-bye. :'( I also got her a jump rope, a coloring book and crayons, and some stickers. She was really excited about the coloring book as well, and sat down to color as soon as I gave it to her. It was so great to meet her, though, and it makes it even more special to be able to sponsor her now. <3
Wednesday was also Wacky Hair night. That was a lot of fun... I did my hair, but not as wacky as some people. A lot of girls (and guys!) got really into it, and were very creative. I'll be posting some pictures later.
Thursday we went to a Downtown Plaza to do our drama, but we had to leave sooner than expected because there was a few dangerous things going on. Don't worry though, everyone was fine. :) We got a pretty good-sized crowd for it though, and I got to lead 2 people to the Lord there. After lunch we went to a park, where we did the drama twice more, and I got to lead 2 more people to the Lord at the park. :D Praise God for all that is doing (and did!). I also got to buy an ice-cream bar at the park, I got a Mora bar. It was really good. Ecuadorian ice cream is the BEST.
Thursday's FUAGNEM was amazing. We had a wedding ceremony where each person was able to get married to Jesus. It was really awesome. All of our FUAGNEM's have been really great, with such intense worship and powerful messages.
Friday was our last official day of ministry. We went to an orphanage, there was 15-20 kids there. We did the drama for them, had lunch, and then split into two groups. The first group took them to a park and played with all the kids, and the second group (that's where I was) stayed at the orphanage to help them in the garden area. We raked, swept, cut and moved tree branches... everyone found a job to do, and we were able to help them out. After about an hour or so, we switched. We didn't take the kids to the park again, but just played with them around the orphanage. :)
On Saturday, we walked around Quito, and our translators explained to us about the buildings, what they were and things like that. It was really fun to just see all of the beautiful buildings and get to take some pictures. After that, we went to the market again, and I got to finish up all of my shopping. Saturday afternoon we had a farewell party at the hotel. Some of our team had to leave on Saturday afternoon, so we had to be able to say good-bye. :'( It was one of our team member's birthday, so our leaders bought cake and ice cream, and we also had a Pinata. It was lots of fun (well, except for the good-byes part, that was definitely NOT fun) and we got to exchange addresses and things like that.
Saturday night I wasn't feeling well at all, so I just made sure I was packed and went to bed. I was, thankfully, feeling a lot better on Sunday, which was my travel day. We went to lunch at Crepes and Waffles, which is DELICIOUS! And I am going to miss it, and then left for the airport. We didn't get into the Miami hotel until 2 in the morning, and I didn't get to bed until 3am because I was saying more good-byes. :'( Our team got soo close in just two short weeks, I miss all of you guys already! <3
I hung out at the hotel on Monday until 4, when two of the leaders took Anna and I to the airport (we were the last two people to fly out), and I got home at 11-something on Monday night. I didn't get home and in bed until 1 or 2am, of course, but my plane actually landed around midnight.
Thank you so much for all of your prayers and support. Our total salvation count was 1,024. Remember, there may have been countless more salvations that for one reason or another, didn't make it into our count, but that's our best number. It's amazing what God can do in just two short weeks. I want to thank you guys all again, it was such an amazing trip, and I couldn't have done it without you. <3
Love you all!!!
P.S. I'll be posting some pictures on here later. I might go back and add them to my posts, and/or put them in a new post of their own. :)
Wednesday wasn't a regular ministry day, instead we were able to go to the market in the morning. I was able to get a bunch of cool souvenirs and gifts, and had a lot of fun bartering. ;D Wednesday afternoon was AWESOME! I got to meet Erika, the child I sponsor through Compassion International. I've been sponsoring her for a few months now, and I was super excited to get to meet her. They had a park set up for us with slides, swings, a bounce house... They also had a bunch of tables set up under tents where we ate lunch.
Erika recognized me right away, and ran up to me to give me a huge hug! :D She is soooooo cute. She was really excited to meet me as well, and was having a great time running to all the different things to play on. I gave her a bunny that she loved, and she carried it around with her for the rest of the day. Our lunch was delicious. We were fed a traditional Ecuadorian lunch, which consisted of some meat, rice, beans, and four or five different types of corn, including popcorn! Yes, regular popcorn. They ate it with a fork and a knife, just like you would eat peas. :) They even had dessert for us, two scoops of ice cream with a little cookie.
Erika and I got to play all afternoon before it was time to say good-bye. :'( I also got her a jump rope, a coloring book and crayons, and some stickers. She was really excited about the coloring book as well, and sat down to color as soon as I gave it to her. It was so great to meet her, though, and it makes it even more special to be able to sponsor her now. <3
Wednesday was also Wacky Hair night. That was a lot of fun... I did my hair, but not as wacky as some people. A lot of girls (and guys!) got really into it, and were very creative. I'll be posting some pictures later.
Thursday we went to a Downtown Plaza to do our drama, but we had to leave sooner than expected because there was a few dangerous things going on. Don't worry though, everyone was fine. :) We got a pretty good-sized crowd for it though, and I got to lead 2 people to the Lord there. After lunch we went to a park, where we did the drama twice more, and I got to lead 2 more people to the Lord at the park. :D Praise God for all that is doing (and did!). I also got to buy an ice-cream bar at the park, I got a Mora bar. It was really good. Ecuadorian ice cream is the BEST.
Thursday's FUAGNEM was amazing. We had a wedding ceremony where each person was able to get married to Jesus. It was really awesome. All of our FUAGNEM's have been really great, with such intense worship and powerful messages.
Friday was our last official day of ministry. We went to an orphanage, there was 15-20 kids there. We did the drama for them, had lunch, and then split into two groups. The first group took them to a park and played with all the kids, and the second group (that's where I was) stayed at the orphanage to help them in the garden area. We raked, swept, cut and moved tree branches... everyone found a job to do, and we were able to help them out. After about an hour or so, we switched. We didn't take the kids to the park again, but just played with them around the orphanage. :)
On Saturday, we walked around Quito, and our translators explained to us about the buildings, what they were and things like that. It was really fun to just see all of the beautiful buildings and get to take some pictures. After that, we went to the market again, and I got to finish up all of my shopping. Saturday afternoon we had a farewell party at the hotel. Some of our team had to leave on Saturday afternoon, so we had to be able to say good-bye. :'( It was one of our team member's birthday, so our leaders bought cake and ice cream, and we also had a Pinata. It was lots of fun (well, except for the good-byes part, that was definitely NOT fun) and we got to exchange addresses and things like that.
Saturday night I wasn't feeling well at all, so I just made sure I was packed and went to bed. I was, thankfully, feeling a lot better on Sunday, which was my travel day. We went to lunch at Crepes and Waffles, which is DELICIOUS! And I am going to miss it, and then left for the airport. We didn't get into the Miami hotel until 2 in the morning, and I didn't get to bed until 3am because I was saying more good-byes. :'( Our team got soo close in just two short weeks, I miss all of you guys already! <3
I hung out at the hotel on Monday until 4, when two of the leaders took Anna and I to the airport (we were the last two people to fly out), and I got home at 11-something on Monday night. I didn't get home and in bed until 1 or 2am, of course, but my plane actually landed around midnight.
Thank you so much for all of your prayers and support. Our total salvation count was 1,024. Remember, there may have been countless more salvations that for one reason or another, didn't make it into our count, but that's our best number. It's amazing what God can do in just two short weeks. I want to thank you guys all again, it was such an amazing trip, and I couldn't have done it without you. <3
Love you all!!!
P.S. I'll be posting some pictures on here later. I might go back and add them to my posts, and/or put them in a new post of their own. :)
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Monday and Tuesday....
So, first off, the rest of Sunday evening was FANTASTIC!!!! The seminars were awesome, as was our evening FUAGNEM (that's our worship service, in case you were wondering ;). Then we had the Britt Nicole concert. She. is. so. awesome! I loved every bit of it, she is so sweet and down-to-earth, and just has such a huge heart for the Lord. Afterwards, there was a signing table set up in the lobby for autographs, and I, luckily, was near the front of the line. I stood in line for about 30 minutes before getting up there. We were only allowed to have one thing signed (sorry Jenny!) so I had Britt and Gabby (her friend :D) sign the back of my trip notebook. I got a picture with them too. :)
Monday, we went to a low-income school. There was a ton of kids there, so we waited while they did their morning ... exercise? :) I'm not quite sure what they were doing. It was their last day of school. After they had finished their morning routine, we split into two groups because there was so many kids (maybe 200? or more?) and we had a bunch of different things to do with them. A couple of us brought out some face paints and painted a TON of faces, hands, arms, etc. I must have painted over 100 pictures (I am getting much better at asking kids what they want me to paint in Spanish ;P). Other people were playing with them, or giving them stickers, or blowing bubbles, or just giving them lots of hugs. :)
We did the drama for them, and after the prayer, about half of the kids raised their hands to say that they had accepted Jesus as their Savior. We went around to talk to the people there, and I was able to pray for one mom that had two little kids at the school. She was already a Christian, so I was able to pray for her family and job. :)
I'm really running out of time. :O Tuesday, we went to a church about an hour away, and we were able to do a work project for them. We helped them prepare this area they were leveling for a new church. We had to dig some spots, wheel dirt to the next, then I and a couple of others were leveling it out and smashing dirt clumps. It was a lot harder than it sounds. I was using my hands and feet for the leveling, and for the smashing, we were using either our hands and feet again, or this huge tool that was a long stick with this metal thing on the end, like.... hmm... like an unsharp ax. haha, I don't know how to describe it. It was hard work, but it was still a great day.
FUAGNEM was awesome, as usual. :D Tonight I got a blood transfusion. :D I'll go into more detail on that later, but everything is going great. I miss you guys back home, but I love it here so much. I'll be sad when it's time to leave. :'(
Love you all! <3 Thanks so much for all the prayers! I haven't been sick, although a lot on our team have, so please be praying for health, safety and lots of energy. And of course, be praying for God to work through us to minister to the people of Ecuador. Gracias!
Monday, we went to a low-income school. There was a ton of kids there, so we waited while they did their morning ... exercise? :) I'm not quite sure what they were doing. It was their last day of school. After they had finished their morning routine, we split into two groups because there was so many kids (maybe 200? or more?) and we had a bunch of different things to do with them. A couple of us brought out some face paints and painted a TON of faces, hands, arms, etc. I must have painted over 100 pictures (I am getting much better at asking kids what they want me to paint in Spanish ;P). Other people were playing with them, or giving them stickers, or blowing bubbles, or just giving them lots of hugs. :)
We did the drama for them, and after the prayer, about half of the kids raised their hands to say that they had accepted Jesus as their Savior. We went around to talk to the people there, and I was able to pray for one mom that had two little kids at the school. She was already a Christian, so I was able to pray for her family and job. :)
I'm really running out of time. :O Tuesday, we went to a church about an hour away, and we were able to do a work project for them. We helped them prepare this area they were leveling for a new church. We had to dig some spots, wheel dirt to the next, then I and a couple of others were leveling it out and smashing dirt clumps. It was a lot harder than it sounds. I was using my hands and feet for the leveling, and for the smashing, we were using either our hands and feet again, or this huge tool that was a long stick with this metal thing on the end, like.... hmm... like an unsharp ax. haha, I don't know how to describe it. It was hard work, but it was still a great day.
FUAGNEM was awesome, as usual. :D Tonight I got a blood transfusion. :D I'll go into more detail on that later, but everything is going great. I miss you guys back home, but I love it here so much. I'll be sad when it's time to leave. :'(
Love you all! <3 Thanks so much for all the prayers! I haven't been sick, although a lot on our team have, so please be praying for health, safety and lots of energy. And of course, be praying for God to work through us to minister to the people of Ecuador. Gracias!
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Day 4 of Ecuador!
Sorry I haven't had time to post everything, or put up any pictures, but we have all been really busy. I'm trying to post as often as I can, and I know our photographers are running around everywhere trying to capture everything. With such a big group, I know it's really hard for them, but I will have hundreds of pictures when I get home, so don't worry.
Today has been awesome. :D The total salvation count for the first two days was 253 salvations, and that's for all the teams combined. Isn't that amazing? :D God is so good, and we have seen miracles, and new Christans, rededications, and just have been seeing and experiencing God work in so many amazing ways.
Breakfast wasn't until 8am today, so I got to sleep in! Whoo-hoo! :D Breakfast was delicious as usual, all the food we've been having is a mix of what we'd normally have in the States and traditional Ecuadorian food. It's all been really yummy. This morning I tried blueberry juice and it was DELICOUS!!!!!!!!!!! I've also tryed papaya and guava juice. The fruit juice here is really good. Well, the fruit is too. The pineapple here is the BEST you'll ever have, even better than Hawaii. :D
We had a morning worship FUAGNEM that was... about 2 hours, I guess. Goodness. There is absolutely no way to describe the amazingness of FUAGNEM. It's just so amazing, and God just really comes and speaks to each individual person through the worship and the message. The message this morning was by Susie. It was about having eye surgery, and it was amazing. (It's not really what you're thinking right now. ;P)
I can't explain it all on here and I'm running out of time again. -_- It was just really amazing, and at the end everyone got to go to a leader and be prayed over. I stood up and turned around, and Britt Nicole had just gotten up and stood behind her chair (the "I'm a leader" sign) so I went over to her, and she prayed over me, and it was just so amazing. ♥
This afternoon, most of our team went to this Ecuadorian mall that is really close to our hotel to get lunch. We ended up getting pizza from Pizza Hut (and it was way better than in the States), and I got ice cream from a little Ecuadorian ice cream stand in the mall. OH.MY.WORD. You have not had ice cream until you have had ice cream for Ecuador. Their chocolate is to die for too. :D It was seriously the best ice cream I've ever had.
Now we're getting ready for this evening, which is jam packed. We have our first seminar, then dinner, then seminar #2, then FUAGNEM, then a Britt Nicole concert. :] Tomorrow is a ministry day, and I'll try to update ya'll sometime tomorrow evening. :D
Love you!! Thanks so much for the prayers everyone. <333333
Today has been awesome. :D The total salvation count for the first two days was 253 salvations, and that's for all the teams combined. Isn't that amazing? :D God is so good, and we have seen miracles, and new Christans, rededications, and just have been seeing and experiencing God work in so many amazing ways.
Breakfast wasn't until 8am today, so I got to sleep in! Whoo-hoo! :D Breakfast was delicious as usual, all the food we've been having is a mix of what we'd normally have in the States and traditional Ecuadorian food. It's all been really yummy. This morning I tried blueberry juice and it was DELICOUS!!!!!!!!!!! I've also tryed papaya and guava juice. The fruit juice here is really good. Well, the fruit is too. The pineapple here is the BEST you'll ever have, even better than Hawaii. :D
We had a morning worship FUAGNEM that was... about 2 hours, I guess. Goodness. There is absolutely no way to describe the amazingness of FUAGNEM. It's just so amazing, and God just really comes and speaks to each individual person through the worship and the message. The message this morning was by Susie. It was about having eye surgery, and it was amazing. (It's not really what you're thinking right now. ;P)
I can't explain it all on here and I'm running out of time again. -_- It was just really amazing, and at the end everyone got to go to a leader and be prayed over. I stood up and turned around, and Britt Nicole had just gotten up and stood behind her chair (the "I'm a leader" sign) so I went over to her, and she prayed over me, and it was just so amazing. ♥
This afternoon, most of our team went to this Ecuadorian mall that is really close to our hotel to get lunch. We ended up getting pizza from Pizza Hut (and it was way better than in the States), and I got ice cream from a little Ecuadorian ice cream stand in the mall. OH.MY.WORD. You have not had ice cream until you have had ice cream for Ecuador. Their chocolate is to die for too. :D It was seriously the best ice cream I've ever had.
Now we're getting ready for this evening, which is jam packed. We have our first seminar, then dinner, then seminar #2, then FUAGNEM, then a Britt Nicole concert. :] Tomorrow is a ministry day, and I'll try to update ya'll sometime tomorrow evening. :D
Love you!! Thanks so much for the prayers everyone. <333333
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Day 2 of Ministry!
Friday was our first day of ministry and it was absolutely AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have so many cool stories to share, and I won't be able to type them all out, but know that I am having the most amazing time here.
On Friday, about half of our team was missing due to late flights and such, so our LITs and a leader filled in the empty spots. We started the day with breakfast and team time, and spent about 40 minutes teaching and practicing the drama with the LITs and leader (s) before heading out. I believe we got out around 10am. One REALLY, REALLY cool thing about Friday was.....Britt Nicole actually went out for ministry day with our team! Her sweet friend Gabby came with us as well. It was sosososososososoosososo cool to have them along. She is super sweet, and really down-to-earth. I thought she was totally amazing. We got to our first ministry site (a park) in about 30 minutes or so. Before we got out of the bus, Britt Nicole led us in a worship song, and we prayed for the drama and the people we were about to impact.
We went out, and split up into groups of about 7 or so to invite people to the drama. After about 10 minutes, we had started to gather a crowd, so we started doing the Hokey Pokey with some of the kids and singing Father Abraham. :) We did the drama, and it went really well. After the drama, one of the girls on our team shared her testimony through a translator, and then one of our leaders explained the drama, in case anyone hadn't understood. When they were finished, we split up into groups again, and went to talk to the people.
I grabbed a translator, and went over to a little girl with two ladies, and a baby boy. The little girl was about 4 years old, and asked what it meant to have Jesus in your heart. I explained the best that I could, and shared a little bit of my testimony with her, and then asked if she wanted to accept Jesus as her Savior. She said yes, and so I prayed with her. After that, a couple of other people came over, and (with the translator helping this whole time) we talked a bit more with the two ladies with her. At the end, all three of them (the little girl and the two ladies) had accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Praise God! :D
We ate lunch (yummy pb&j!) and went back to the park, and did the drama again in a different spot. We gathered an even larger crowd, and again led a few people to the Lord through our drama.
FUAGNEM is awesome, I can't even begin to describe it. It's just so amazing. We had an awesome time. :D
I'm running out of time and trying to go really fast. ;) Today was just as amazing. We got to do the drama three times today, the first two were in a huge park with tons of little kids. We got to play with them and paint their faces and such to invite people to the drama. It was a lot of fun. During our 2nd drama, we had a crowd of over 200 people. :D God is so amazing. The last drama we did in a park behind a local market. I got to lead someone to Christ again through a translator. :D
For our team alone, in the two days we've been out, we've had over 35 salvations. :D Praise the Lord! I'm not sure what the total count for all the teams is, but I'll find out tonight at FUAGNEM. I'm getting ready to go to dinner now, so I need to get going.
Love you all! :D <3333
On Friday, about half of our team was missing due to late flights and such, so our LITs and a leader filled in the empty spots. We started the day with breakfast and team time, and spent about 40 minutes teaching and practicing the drama with the LITs and leader (s) before heading out. I believe we got out around 10am. One REALLY, REALLY cool thing about Friday was.....Britt Nicole actually went out for ministry day with our team! Her sweet friend Gabby came with us as well. It was sosososososososoosososo cool to have them along. She is super sweet, and really down-to-earth. I thought she was totally amazing. We got to our first ministry site (a park) in about 30 minutes or so. Before we got out of the bus, Britt Nicole led us in a worship song, and we prayed for the drama and the people we were about to impact.
We went out, and split up into groups of about 7 or so to invite people to the drama. After about 10 minutes, we had started to gather a crowd, so we started doing the Hokey Pokey with some of the kids and singing Father Abraham. :) We did the drama, and it went really well. After the drama, one of the girls on our team shared her testimony through a translator, and then one of our leaders explained the drama, in case anyone hadn't understood. When they were finished, we split up into groups again, and went to talk to the people.
I grabbed a translator, and went over to a little girl with two ladies, and a baby boy. The little girl was about 4 years old, and asked what it meant to have Jesus in your heart. I explained the best that I could, and shared a little bit of my testimony with her, and then asked if she wanted to accept Jesus as her Savior. She said yes, and so I prayed with her. After that, a couple of other people came over, and (with the translator helping this whole time) we talked a bit more with the two ladies with her. At the end, all three of them (the little girl and the two ladies) had accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Praise God! :D
We ate lunch (yummy pb&j!) and went back to the park, and did the drama again in a different spot. We gathered an even larger crowd, and again led a few people to the Lord through our drama.
FUAGNEM is awesome, I can't even begin to describe it. It's just so amazing. We had an awesome time. :D
I'm running out of time and trying to go really fast. ;) Today was just as amazing. We got to do the drama three times today, the first two were in a huge park with tons of little kids. We got to play with them and paint their faces and such to invite people to the drama. It was a lot of fun. During our 2nd drama, we had a crowd of over 200 people. :D God is so amazing. The last drama we did in a park behind a local market. I got to lead someone to Christ again through a translator. :D
For our team alone, in the two days we've been out, we've had over 35 salvations. :D Praise the Lord! I'm not sure what the total count for all the teams is, but I'll find out tonight at FUAGNEM. I'm getting ready to go to dinner now, so I need to get going.
Love you all! :D <3333
Thursday, June 30, 2011
We're in Ecuador!
Today was such an exciting day. Exciting, but long. We need a lot of prayers right now. Our flights are all messed up. A couple of flights stayed the same, but the rest have been rescheduled, delayed, or canceled all together. We were supposed to meet in the lobby at 7am this morning, but our flight got canceled. We had to get onto the flight before us, which meant our lobby time was 3:45am. I got about 2 1/2 hours of sleep last night.
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Our flights went fine, and we made it through customs without any major problems. That was a HUGE answer to prayer, so I want to thank you all for praying for us. Some teams haven't been so lucky. In fact, some teams are just leaving Miami now, and some haven't even left yet. I know there are some people, who, as of now, can't get a flight until tomorrow morning. We're hoping that that changes, but we aren't sure right now. If we don't have enough people from our team in, we won't be doing the drama tomorrow, we'll probably have a work day. We haven't been able to find out yet.
Ecuador is beautiful though, and I absolutely love it here. I have taken so many pictures, and our hotel is great! It is pretty fancy, and I'm going to take a bunch of pictures of it soon. I'm not even sure what time it is right now. ;) We had dinner here at the hotel, outside in tents by the pool. Dinner was SOOO delicious, I had two kinds of salad, a vegetable soup, bread rolls, chicken, rice, and potatoes. It was SO good. I would have gone back for more if I had not been so stuffed. :)
Gotta go, my time is up. :D Remember us in your prayers, some of us weren't feeling well, and of course, we need prayers for the flights. THANK YOU so much for all of your love and support. <3
Love you all! <3
Ecuador is beautiful though, and I absolutely love it here. I have taken so many pictures, and our hotel is great! It is pretty fancy, and I'm going to take a bunch of pictures of it soon. I'm not even sure what time it is right now. ;) We had dinner here at the hotel, outside in tents by the pool. Dinner was SOOO delicious, I had two kinds of salad, a vegetable soup, bread rolls, chicken, rice, and potatoes. It was SO good. I would have gone back for more if I had not been so stuffed. :)
Gotta go, my time is up. :D Remember us in your prayers, some of us weren't feeling well, and of course, we need prayers for the flights. THANK YOU so much for all of your love and support. <3
Love you all! <3
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Day 2
Hi everybody! I didn't get to bed until 12:20 last night because we (my roomates and I) were up late talking and doing bible studies in our devo for the trip. Everyone is great. :D I've met a lot of new people. :]
Our team is great! We ate a delicous breakfast, (early shift, 6:45), then had team time, and a bit of drama training. Because I'm a Kat (yes, with a "K"), I don't come in until mid-drama. We got a break in the morning for a while, and I hung out with a bunch of girls, talking and playing this game to get to know each other better. ;)
This afternoon we had a few hours of drama training, and got our costumes assigned to us. :) Tomorrow is supposed to be harder on the drama training. :O We also had some language and cultural training this afternoon. It has been busy, but fun! :D We actually almost done learning the drama. Pretty soon we'll be having dinner, and then we have FUAGNEM and team time again. I am so excited, last night's FUAGNEM was amazing, and I can't wait to see what tonight's will be like. :)
I'm having a lot of fun! :) Gotta go now, I need to do some other things before dinner. Thanks again for your prayers! One girl on our team wasn't feeling too great earlier, but I think she's feeling better now. Please keep praying for health, strength, energy and unity (for our team).
Love you! :D
Our team is great! We ate a delicous breakfast, (early shift, 6:45), then had team time, and a bit of drama training. Because I'm a Kat (yes, with a "K"), I don't come in until mid-drama. We got a break in the morning for a while, and I hung out with a bunch of girls, talking and playing this game to get to know each other better. ;)
This afternoon we had a few hours of drama training, and got our costumes assigned to us. :) Tomorrow is supposed to be harder on the drama training. :O We also had some language and cultural training this afternoon. It has been busy, but fun! :D We actually almost done learning the drama. Pretty soon we'll be having dinner, and then we have FUAGNEM and team time again. I am so excited, last night's FUAGNEM was amazing, and I can't wait to see what tonight's will be like. :)
I'm having a lot of fun! :) Gotta go now, I need to do some other things before dinner. Thanks again for your prayers! One girl on our team wasn't feeling too great earlier, but I think she's feeling better now. Please keep praying for health, strength, energy and unity (for our team).
Love you! :D
We're here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We're here, and it's amazing. Yesterday was long but fun. :)
I left Sacramento at 6:50am, just as scheduled. I'm soooo glad that there were no delays. When I got off my plane in Minnesota, I only had 30 minutes to get to my next flight AND turns out my gate was changed from G12 to G21. Good thing Kendall was there to find that out. :D But we made it just fine. :) The plane flight took FOREVER, it just seemed to drag on and on. But Kendall and I talked the whole time, so I guess that made it a little better. :D
Time is flying, Miami is amazing. :D I love it here. Breakfast was great, drama tryouts were actually fun. ;) I got a Kat. :D I've gotta go, there's a line already for computers. :DLove you all! <3
Sunday, June 26, 2011
I didn't put a title because I don't have any words right now. It's 10:40pm, and I should be in bed sleeping already. I need to get up at 3am to leave for my flight. I am beyond excited, and also amazed at how fast the time went. I couldn't leave without saying, "This is it", so here I am. Continue to pray for us, as we begin our trip. Thank you SOOOOOOO much for your prayers and support. Hopefully, I'll be updating here soon. I'll be leaving in less than 12 hours, and I'll be in Miami in about..... 16. Hours. I CAN'T WAIT.
Well, here we go.
I am ready to be NEVER THE SAME.
Ecuador, here we come. :D
♥
Well, here we go.
I am ready to be NEVER THE SAME.
Ecuador, here we come. :D
♥
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Two Days!
Well, I honestly didn't think it would come so fast. Everything was fine, time was moving along, and it seems that these last two, three weeks, just zoomed by in fast forward. I remember thinking back at 50 days, 100 days, even 150 days, and thinking about how close we were getting. Now, it's like, Wow. This is for real. We just have this one weekend, and then we're off. The reality of this is actually starting to set in for me now, I think. I've just been like, Wow. It's time. It's really here.
Not that I'm not excited. :) I'm am SO excited I don't really even have words for it. Every ounce of me is itching with anticipation for what God has in store for us on this trip. I just know that He's going to do amazing things, and I can't wait to see that. :D I am soooooooooo excited. :]
As for prepping, everything has been going smoothly since my last post. Our days have been busy but loads of fun. We've made a couple of last minute shopping runs, to get makeup and a few other things. Yesterday, we stopped at Target to get the last five things that I needed. :) (I finally found insect repellent, whoohoo! :P)
We also finally found a new swimsuit for me to bring. We looked at three or four places and found nothing, but we finally found one at a Sporting Goods store. :)
As for packing, I have been packing off and on since Wednesday. I have "packed", unpacked and added things, then re-packed, at least two or three times already. ;) Last night, I realized I didn't have enough clothes to pack, so I had to wait for more laundry to be done before I could finish packing. This morning, Mom and I are going to go through the checklist one more time, and pack everything up, so my suitcase will be ready. I won't have much time to pack this afternoon or tomorrow, so I need to be done with everything today. :)
As soon as I finish packing, I'll be completely ready to go. We so need all the prayers we can get and we appreciate them so so much. Right now, we still need you to pray for most of what I have been posting. :) Please, please pray for health right now, as we want everyone to be feeling their best. I know a lot of people who have been sick, and most of them are getting over it, or are all better now, and that is a huge praise. Thank you so much for praying for us, and please continue to pray for us to be healthy and energized. With long travel days, all the excitement, drama training and such, it will be easy to become tired and drained of energy. Your prayers for those two things are greatly appreciated.
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The other major prayer request we have right now is for safety during all of our travels. Many of our leaders are either already there, or flying out today, so pray for their safety this weekend. Most of us are flying out early Monday morning. Some of us that live in Canada, Alaska, England, etc, are flying out Sunday, so pray for us too, that our flights would go smoothly and everything would work according to plan.
And of course, be praying that God would use us. Pray that he opens the heart of the Ecuadorians we will be ministering to to hear the Gospel, and pray that he would use us to change lives. Pray that he would still be preparing our hearts to what he wants to show us during the trip, and pray that he would change us as well.
Thank you again so so much for all of your prayers and support. I can't wait to see what God has in store for us on the trip. I will try to update this blog when I can, and keep you up to date with what's happening, and how you can be praying for us.
Love you all! ♥
Not that I'm not excited. :) I'm am SO excited I don't really even have words for it. Every ounce of me is itching with anticipation for what God has in store for us on this trip. I just know that He's going to do amazing things, and I can't wait to see that. :D I am soooooooooo excited. :]
As for prepping, everything has been going smoothly since my last post. Our days have been busy but loads of fun. We've made a couple of last minute shopping runs, to get makeup and a few other things. Yesterday, we stopped at Target to get the last five things that I needed. :) (I finally found insect repellent, whoohoo! :P)
We also finally found a new swimsuit for me to bring. We looked at three or four places and found nothing, but we finally found one at a Sporting Goods store. :)
As for packing, I have been packing off and on since Wednesday. I have "packed", unpacked and added things, then re-packed, at least two or three times already. ;) Last night, I realized I didn't have enough clothes to pack, so I had to wait for more laundry to be done before I could finish packing. This morning, Mom and I are going to go through the checklist one more time, and pack everything up, so my suitcase will be ready. I won't have much time to pack this afternoon or tomorrow, so I need to be done with everything today. :)
As soon as I finish packing, I'll be completely ready to go. We so need all the prayers we can get and we appreciate them so so much. Right now, we still need you to pray for most of what I have been posting. :) Please, please pray for health right now, as we want everyone to be feeling their best. I know a lot of people who have been sick, and most of them are getting over it, or are all better now, and that is a huge praise. Thank you so much for praying for us, and please continue to pray for us to be healthy and energized. With long travel days, all the excitement, drama training and such, it will be easy to become tired and drained of energy. Your prayers for those two things are greatly appreciated.
And of course, be praying that God would use us. Pray that he opens the heart of the Ecuadorians we will be ministering to to hear the Gospel, and pray that he would use us to change lives. Pray that he would still be preparing our hearts to what he wants to show us during the trip, and pray that he would change us as well.
Thank you again so so much for all of your prayers and support. I can't wait to see what God has in store for us on the trip. I will try to update this blog when I can, and keep you up to date with what's happening, and how you can be praying for us.
Love you all! ♥
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Less than a week!
We only have six days to go. :) We are getting SUPER close!!!! :D
Yesterday, Mom picked up a few more things that I need. The only thing that I need left is the makeup. We are going to a costume store either today or tomorrow to get it. On Wednesday, I'm going to start properly packing my suitcase, with everything where it should be, and the clothes that I'm bringing all packed up in there.
I seriously can't believe that it's really so close. It feels totally surreal, and all of a sudden, everythings going so fast! :) I've been able to talk to a bunch of people from my team, and they've all been really nice. I'm really excited to meet them, as well as some other girls I know from other teams.
We need a lot of prayer right now. A lot of us are getting over being sick, or are sick. Please be praying for health and energy, both now, and throughout the trip. Also, please be praying for the preperation of this trip. As we're packing and doing our final, last-minute store runs, and also for our leaders. The LIT's (leaders-in-training) are going to Miami on Saturday to get ready. Some leaders are going down a little earliar than that. As always, continue to pray for God to work in us and through us, and for the people of Ecuador.
Thank you all so much for your support! <3
Yesterday, Mom picked up a few more things that I need. The only thing that I need left is the makeup. We are going to a costume store either today or tomorrow to get it. On Wednesday, I'm going to start properly packing my suitcase, with everything where it should be, and the clothes that I'm bringing all packed up in there.
I seriously can't believe that it's really so close. It feels totally surreal, and all of a sudden, everythings going so fast! :) I've been able to talk to a bunch of people from my team, and they've all been really nice. I'm really excited to meet them, as well as some other girls I know from other teams.
We need a lot of prayer right now. A lot of us are getting over being sick, or are sick. Please be praying for health and energy, both now, and throughout the trip. Also, please be praying for the preperation of this trip. As we're packing and doing our final, last-minute store runs, and also for our leaders. The LIT's (leaders-in-training) are going to Miami on Saturday to get ready. Some leaders are going down a little earliar than that. As always, continue to pray for God to work in us and through us, and for the people of Ecuador.
Thank you all so much for your support! <3
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Wow.
With less than ten days to go, things are getting tight. I think it's safe to say we're in crunch time. :D haha...
I still have a ton of stuff to do before I leave, including packing up all of my clothes, finishing shopping and picking up everything I need, memorizing my testimony, etc. I have until next Friday to be all packed up because the weekend before I leave I'm attending a gymnastics clinic/camp at our gym. So that will take out about half of each of those days. I also have gymnastics practice every morning (except Wednesdays ;) so I need to be a quick and efficient packer.
Yesterday, we were out shopping for a couple of hours in the afternoon, and we finally found black sweatpants in the right size for the mime costume I was assigned to bring. We checked three or four stores, Target, Kohl's, etc. and they either a.) didn't have black sweatpants (gee, I wonder why? ;P), b.) had them, but they were waaaay too expensive, or c.) they were the wrong size. *sigh* Finally, we went to a discount store and they had a pair. :]
Today, we are going to go out to a couple of places we know of that sell t-shirts for a couple of dollars and pick up some t-shirts there for my mime costume. Hopefully they will have them.
Other than that, I only need a few more things for my trip. :) Insect repellent, a few medications, and some clothes I can ruin.
Your prayers are so important to us on the trip. Right now, you can especially be praying for our health and safety as we are getting ready to leave for our trip. Also, please be praying for energy for us, as most of us will be quite busy in this next week leading up to our trip. Be praying for God to continue to prepare us, spiritually, emotionally, and physically, as well as preparing the people there. Pray that God would open their hearts and minds to the Good News we are about to bring them.
Thanks again for all of your support. :]
I still have a ton of stuff to do before I leave, including packing up all of my clothes, finishing shopping and picking up everything I need, memorizing my testimony, etc. I have until next Friday to be all packed up because the weekend before I leave I'm attending a gymnastics clinic/camp at our gym. So that will take out about half of each of those days. I also have gymnastics practice every morning (except Wednesdays ;) so I need to be a quick and efficient packer.
Yesterday, we were out shopping for a couple of hours in the afternoon, and we finally found black sweatpants in the right size for the mime costume I was assigned to bring. We checked three or four stores, Target, Kohl's, etc. and they either a.) didn't have black sweatpants (gee, I wonder why? ;P), b.) had them, but they were waaaay too expensive, or c.) they were the wrong size. *sigh* Finally, we went to a discount store and they had a pair. :]
Today, we are going to go out to a couple of places we know of that sell t-shirts for a couple of dollars and pick up some t-shirts there for my mime costume. Hopefully they will have them.
Other than that, I only need a few more things for my trip. :) Insect repellent, a few medications, and some clothes I can ruin.
Your prayers are so important to us on the trip. Right now, you can especially be praying for our health and safety as we are getting ready to leave for our trip. Also, please be praying for energy for us, as most of us will be quite busy in this next week leading up to our trip. Be praying for God to continue to prepare us, spiritually, emotionally, and physically, as well as preparing the people there. Pray that God would open their hearts and minds to the Good News we are about to bring them.
Thanks again for all of your support. :]
Monday, June 13, 2011
Exactly 2 weeks....
I'm officially finished fundraising, although a few people have still given me support and donations, which is WONDERFUL because I can use it for food, luggage, stuff I have to buy for the trip... etc. All those little things can really add up!
Also, I've been collecting friendship bracelets and Silly Bands for the kids we witness to at the schools, orphanages and such. So far, I have over 300! :] I'm soo excited for these (and I know I'm getting some more soon!).
As of today, we have exactly two weeks to go, which is so so so so soooo exciting! We received our team lists about a week or so ago now, and I'm on Team 3. And we got our roommate lists as well. I am so excited to meet all my teammates and roommates, I have already started to get to know a bunch of them, as well as girls from other teams too. :]
Yesterday, we went to the store and got some more things for my trip. :) We got a new pair of tennis shoes,
so now I will have one good pair, and one old, get-it-dirty, working pair. :)
We also got a pair of gloves (which I really like!) and some paintbrushes and things. My suitcase is getting fuller!
Please keep praying for all of us, as we prepare during the last few weeks leading up to our trip. Pray for safety and health for all of us as well. :) Also, please, please, please pray for the people we will be ministering to, that God would be preparing their hearts and minds to the Gospel.
Thank you all so so much for all of your support! ♥
Also, I've been collecting friendship bracelets and Silly Bands for the kids we witness to at the schools, orphanages and such. So far, I have over 300! :] I'm soo excited for these (and I know I'm getting some more soon!).
As of today, we have exactly two weeks to go, which is so so so so soooo exciting! We received our team lists about a week or so ago now, and I'm on Team 3. And we got our roommate lists as well. I am so excited to meet all my teammates and roommates, I have already started to get to know a bunch of them, as well as girls from other teams too. :]
Yesterday, we went to the store and got some more things for my trip. :) We got a new pair of tennis shoes,
We also got a pair of gloves (which I really like!) and some paintbrushes and things. My suitcase is getting fuller!
Please keep praying for all of us, as we prepare during the last few weeks leading up to our trip. Pray for safety and health for all of us as well. :) Also, please, please, please pray for the people we will be ministering to, that God would be preparing their hearts and minds to the Gospel.
Thank you all so so much for all of your support! ♥
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Packing!!
Last night, I picked up my suitcase from my lovely Aunt and Uncle, who are letting me borrow one of theirs for the trip. <3 This afternoon, I filled it up with all the stuff I've collected so far from our four-page packing list. I don't have a ton of stuff left to get... I have to get a new pair of good tennis shoes, gloves, paint brushes, insect repellant, my costume, a bunch of makeup stuff (for the drama), some medications that are left on the list, and a few other random things. And of course, I have to stuff two weeks worth of clothes into my suitcase as well. :)
So excited!!! :D Only 16 days left! :]
Luggage, luggage, everywhere! :]
I already put a ton of stuff in my suitcase.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
T-shirts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D
I just went out to check the mail, and what was awaiting me in the mailbox? A large, yellow package/envelope... as soon as I pulled it out, I saw the Big World Venture logo, and my name on it... and I shouted "My T-shirt!!!! I just got my t-shirt!!! " And ran/skipped/hopped up to the house to open it.
It makes it seem so much closer!!! <333 I'm sooo excited!
*25 days left*
*25 days left*
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
???
I don't know if it's just me, but take a look at these two photos.
The one on the left is from Quito, Ecuador. How about the one on the right?
It was taken in California!! :O
Now, like I said, maybe it's just me, but I find a striking resemblance in these two pictures. I had the one from Ecuador saved in my computer since I had used it for a project... but this past weekend, I was walking down the street (the one on the right) and thought "Oh my goodness! This reminds me of that picture I have!"
So I just thought I'd post it, and see what you guys thought. I'm probably just really excited. :D
26 days! :D
Saturday, May 28, 2011
In 30 Days....
In 30 days....
~it will be June 27th, 2011, the day I travel to Miami.
~ I will wake up at 3am.
~I will take off before 7 in the morning.
~ I will spend over 7 hours traveling.
~ I will arrive in Miami around 5:30pm (Miami-time, which will be around 2:30 our time)
~I will be meeting my teammates and roommates for the first time.
~I will be participating in my first ever FUAGNEM.
~I will find out which part I get to play in our drama.
~I will be giggling, laughing, learning, talking, traveling, worshipping and growing with over 300 other teens. :)
I cannot wait to be Never the Same!!!!!
~it will be June 27th, 2011, the day I travel to Miami.
~ I will wake up at 3am.
~I will take off before 7 in the morning.
~ I will spend over 7 hours traveling.
~ I will arrive in Miami around 5:30pm (Miami-time, which will be around 2:30 our time)
~I will be meeting my teammates and roommates for the first time.
~I will be participating in my first ever FUAGNEM.
~I will find out which part I get to play in our drama.
~I will be giggling, laughing, learning, talking, traveling, worshipping and growing with over 300 other teens. :)
I cannot wait to be Never the Same!!!!!
Saturday, May 14, 2011
I'm Done!!!!!!!!!!! :D
Exciting news... in case you didn't notice on my little fundraising tracking bar.... I'M DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! God is sooo good, and it was totally amazing to see how he provided each little bit that I needed. I still might have a few small expenses pop up that I'll need to get money for, but the trip itself... trip costs, plane ticket, luggage, passport.. .even food in the airport! It's all ready. I'm sending in the final payment check on Monday.
I'm so so happy to be done. Even before the trip, I have been learning so much. God is amazing.
Thank you, thank you, thank you so so much for all of your prayers and support. I couldn't have done it without you. It means a lot to me. Thank you! <3
I'm so so happy to be done. Even before the trip, I have been learning so much. God is amazing.
Thank you, thank you, thank you so so much for all of your prayers and support. I couldn't have done it without you. It means a lot to me. Thank you! <3
Saturday, May 7, 2011
50 Days left!!!
Looking back, it seems like the last 50 days passed by so quickly! About a month and a half now, and we're off! :D
Friday, May 6, 2011
Shopping!
Since we have gotten the packing list, we've decided we need to make a couple shopping trips.. :P On Wednesday, we went to Target and picked up a bunch of random stuff on the list... personal sized peanut butter and nutella, sunscreen, bobby pins, makeup removal wipes,medicines we're supposed to bring... :)
Lots of good stuff... I was surprised how many things come in travel sized containers! hehe, I love it! I was looking at our cart and thinking "Ok, this is probably a quarter of the stuff that I am going to need to fit in my bags... how is this all going to fit?"
We still need to make trips to a few more stores... Dollar Tree, Thrift Stores, here we come! haha...and I still need to get my suitcase. :P But I have time.
Also, team lists and t-shirts are supposed to be coming out soon. Team lists are basically a list of everyone going, but just broken down into leaders and teens on each team. It's going to be so exciting to find out who I'll be in a team with, and be able to get in touch with them before the trip. :) T-shirts are going to be mailed out soon, and we are all wearing them when we travel to Miami for drama training at the start of the trip.
Please be praying! A lot of girls are still having trouble with fundraising, and I still have $300 to go. :) We are less than two months away! Also, please keep praying for the people of Ecuador, that God would prepare them for His message. :)
Thank you soo much for all of your support everybody!! <3
Lots of good stuff... I was surprised how many things come in travel sized containers! hehe, I love it! I was looking at our cart and thinking "Ok, this is probably a quarter of the stuff that I am going to need to fit in my bags... how is this all going to fit?"
We still need to make trips to a few more stores... Dollar Tree, Thrift Stores, here we come! haha...and I still need to get my suitcase. :P But I have time.
Also, team lists and t-shirts are supposed to be coming out soon. Team lists are basically a list of everyone going, but just broken down into leaders and teens on each team. It's going to be so exciting to find out who I'll be in a team with, and be able to get in touch with them before the trip. :) T-shirts are going to be mailed out soon, and we are all wearing them when we travel to Miami for drama training at the start of the trip.
Please be praying! A lot of girls are still having trouble with fundraising, and I still have $300 to go. :) We are less than two months away! Also, please keep praying for the people of Ecuador, that God would prepare them for His message. :)
Thank you soo much for all of your support everybody!! <3
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Please be praying!
This isn't exactly good news.
Yesterday, a volcano erupted in Ecuador, in Banos, a city 81 miles southeast of Quito. This volcano, Tungurahua Volcano, is one of eight active volcanoes in Ecuador. This will not stop us. We are still going. God has a plan.
Please be praying for all of the people that had to evacuate because of this, and please be praying for my sponsored child Erika.
http://www.digtriad.com/news/national/article/173374/175/Tungurahua-Volcano-Erupted-Today
Yesterday, a volcano erupted in Ecuador, in Banos, a city 81 miles southeast of Quito. This volcano, Tungurahua Volcano, is one of eight active volcanoes in Ecuador. This will not stop us. We are still going. God has a plan.
Please be praying for all of the people that had to evacuate because of this, and please be praying for my sponsored child Erika.
http://www.digtriad.com/news/national/article/173374/175/Tungurahua-Volcano-Erupted-Today
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Updates...
I haven't updated in a bit... I've just been trying to get some stuff finalized..... fundraising, meeting my child, passport info, flight schedules... the list goes on. I am getting super excited, not like I wasn't already. :]
I'm all signed up to meet my sponsored child while I'm in Ecuador. I am so so so happy and excited that I get to meet Erika!!!
I (think) that I finished getting shots to go..... might have to go back and get one more. :\ *sigh*
Everything has been going pretty well.
We found out what hotel we'll be staying in. :] I'll post more about that later.
Also today, we got our packing list!!! Yes, it was quite long (4 pages!) and I sat there thinking, "Hmm, I wonder how I'm gonna fit all that in my suitcase?" :D haha...
Please keep praying for the people of Ecuador; for everyones fundraising; for us, as we prepare our hearts, minds and bodies to go on this trip. Keep Erika (my sponsored child) in your prayers too, if you would. :] Pray that we'll get everything finalized and finished smoothly and without too much trouble. :)
Thank you for all your support! <3
Love you all!!
I'm all signed up to meet my sponsored child while I'm in Ecuador. I am so so so happy and excited that I get to meet Erika!!!
I (think) that I finished getting shots to go..... might have to go back and get one more. :\ *sigh*
Everything has been going pretty well.
We found out what hotel we'll be staying in. :] I'll post more about that later.
Also today, we got our packing list!!! Yes, it was quite long (4 pages!) and I sat there thinking, "Hmm, I wonder how I'm gonna fit all that in my suitcase?" :D haha...
Please keep praying for the people of Ecuador; for everyones fundraising; for us, as we prepare our hearts, minds and bodies to go on this trip. Keep Erika (my sponsored child) in your prayers too, if you would. :] Pray that we'll get everything finalized and finished smoothly and without too much trouble. :)
Thank you for all your support! <3
Love you all!!
Friday, April 1, 2011
Some facts about Ecuador!!!!!
The weather in Quito is mild, having a spring-like climate all year long. :] We'll be there in July which is part of it's dry season. The temperatures in July are usually between 50 and 70 degrees.
Ecuadorian cuisine sounds delicious! :D It varies depending on where you are, but most regions follow their typical 3-course meal, consisting of soup as the first dish, some sort of rice and a protein (e.g. meat,fish,poultry) as the second dish, and dessert and coffee as the third dish. In the Highland Region (which is where Quito is located) pork, chicken, beef and cuy (guinea pig) are very popular and are often served with a variety of grains (e.g. rice, corn, potatoes).
I will post more stuff, and some pictures later.
86 days to go!!!! :]
Ecuadorian cuisine sounds delicious! :D It varies depending on where you are, but most regions follow their typical 3-course meal, consisting of soup as the first dish, some sort of rice and a protein (e.g. meat,fish,poultry) as the second dish, and dessert and coffee as the third dish. In the Highland Region (which is where Quito is located) pork, chicken, beef and cuy (guinea pig) are very popular and are often served with a variety of grains (e.g. rice, corn, potatoes).
I will post more stuff, and some pictures later.
86 days to go!!!! :]
Monday, March 28, 2011
I finally got my passport!!!!
Sunday, March 27, 2011
It's been awhile.....
I've been wanting to post some updates on here for a few days, but I feel like not much is going on. :] I am as excited as ever, getting more so each day. My fundraising is going great, I'm nearly done. :D That is such an huge answer to prayer, thank you all for praying for me. I am still waiting to get my passport in the mail.... it should be arriving any day now.
I will be posting some more prayer requests in a few days. :) I love you all! <3
Rachel
P.S. If you haven't yet, check out our countdown blog, http://www.countdowntoecuador.blogspot.com/
I will be posting some more prayer requests in a few days. :) I love you all! <3
Rachel
P.S. If you haven't yet, check out our countdown blog, http://www.countdowntoecuador.blogspot.com/
Saturday, March 19, 2011
99 Days!
Yesterday was 100 days until we leave for Miami. If you are following our super awesome countdown blog, you will see our super awesome 100-days-left-to-go pictures! :] haha.
So here ya go. 99 more days. :D
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
News!
Hello everybody! :] Well, as of today I need only $640 left to go until I am finished with fundraising! Wow. God is soooo good. We are still planning on having a yard sale soon, so hopefully that will help. :)
Also,me and a few other girls who are going on the trip have started a countdown blog.... we have brainstormed some pretty awesome ideas on how to countdown to the trip. :P So you should check it out.
http://www.countdowntoecuador.blogspot.com/
Please keep praying! <3 Thank you all so much.
Rachel <3
Also,me and a few other girls who are going on the trip have started a countdown blog.... we have brainstormed some pretty awesome ideas on how to countdown to the trip. :P So you should check it out.
http://www.countdowntoecuador.blogspot.com/
Please keep praying! <3 Thank you all so much.
Rachel <3
Sunday, March 13, 2011
My Sponsored Child!
I have been praying about this for awhile, and I finally decided to go for it! I am sponsoring a child! :D So what this means is each month, I donate $38 and it gives my child the opportunity to go to school, attend church classes and learn about Jesus, get proper health care, and other things that a poor child would otherwise never have to the opportunity to receive. I chose a little girl whose name is Erika.
She is four years old. When I go to Ecuador this summer, I will be able to meet her. I am so excited and I love her so much already! <3
Friday, March 11, 2011
From last year....
I found this video from last years trip and I really thought it was cool. Maybe you guys will want to check it out too. :)
http://www.neverthesamemissions.blogspot.com/
It should be right at the top of the page. :D
107 days to go!!!
http://www.neverthesamemissions.blogspot.com/
It should be right at the top of the page. :D
107 days to go!!!
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Friday, March 4, 2011
Yes!
On Wednesday, we went down to the post office to submit my passport application and get my photos taken. Of course, it's not a very good photo of me, but oh well.... :)
I also bought my plane tickets! I am flying out at 6:45am, and not landing in Miami until 5:24 that night. So it'll be a long day, but I am so excited so I'm sure it'll be fine. :) I'm actually not flying back until the 11th now, change of plans.
Please pray for the rest of the money to come in, and for my passport to arrive (hopefully quickly) in the mail. Also, please keep praying for the people of Ecuador, and the other people going on the trip. I know some girls are having some trouble with their fundraising, so if you could be praying for them too, that would be great.
We were going to have a yard sale tomorrow (Saturday) morning, but we had to cancel it because the chance of rain was too great. :( Pray that we'll be able to find another weekend (soon!) to do it.
3 months, 3 weeks, and 2 days left! (or 115 days :P )
I also bought my plane tickets! I am flying out at 6:45am, and not landing in Miami until 5:24 that night. So it'll be a long day, but I am so excited so I'm sure it'll be fine. :) I'm actually not flying back until the 11th now, change of plans.
Please pray for the rest of the money to come in, and for my passport to arrive (hopefully quickly) in the mail. Also, please keep praying for the people of Ecuador, and the other people going on the trip. I know some girls are having some trouble with their fundraising, so if you could be praying for them too, that would be great.
We were going to have a yard sale tomorrow (Saturday) morning, but we had to cancel it because the chance of rain was too great. :( Pray that we'll be able to find another weekend (soon!) to do it.
3 months, 3 weeks, and 2 days left! (or 115 days :P )
Monday, February 28, 2011
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Saturday, February 5, 2011
THANK YOU!
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I am so excited for this trip, and I really appreciate everyone's generosity. :) A big huge thank you goes out to my awesome church who donated $1000 for my trip! <3 I am looking for plane tickets now. :) I've been talking to a couple of girls who are going on the trip and I'm hoping to be able to find a plane buddy. We'll see what happens. Please continue to pray for my fundraising, for my passport (which we are still trying to get) and for everyone going on this trip. :) Thanks again for all your support!
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Happy New Year!
I hope everyone had a good Christmas and New Year. I am getting more and more excited about this trip every day. :)
My fundraising is going well. Thank you all for being so generous! As you can see, I am up to $636, which is about 1/5 of the total trip cost.
I am working on getting my passport now, which is going smoothly... so far.
Please continue to pray for funds, for my passport to come in smoothly and without too much hassle :) and for the minds and hearts of everybody going on this trip, as well as the people of Ecuador we will be ministering to.
Thank you for all of your support.
176 days left!
Rachel
My fundraising is going well. Thank you all for being so generous! As you can see, I am up to $636, which is about 1/5 of the total trip cost.
I am working on getting my passport now, which is going smoothly... so far.
Please continue to pray for funds, for my passport to come in smoothly and without too much hassle :) and for the minds and hearts of everybody going on this trip, as well as the people of Ecuador we will be ministering to.
Thank you for all of your support.
176 days left!
Rachel
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