Day 47 in Ecuador

Monday began the last full week of our time here in Ecuador. I had the same usual morning routine and then Dale and I began our work at around 8:30. We spent an hour in the morning tracking the financials of interns by entering in their receipts. We then were able to Skype Joseph in the morning for about 30 minutes. He gave us some clarification and helped us out on one of the projects we were given and also gave us a couple more projects to finish out our time. The rest of the morning Dale and I worked on the financial report for ministries that Joseph had helped us out with. We felt a lot better about our work and were really enjoying it.

We then took a break for lunch to go to a local almuerzo place with Brad, Jake, and Cheng. We ate some delicious food and had a nice time. Afterwards Dale and I got back to work for about an hour and a half more, working on the same project. After finishing work, Dale and I got ready to go to U12 Academy practice with Cumbre Alta. We first had to stop and get the balls, pinnies, and cones for practice at Edgar's house because he was unable to make it to practice. 

I was glad we could help Edgar out and give him a break and also be able to lead the practice. It turned out well and the kids had a lot of fun. The theme of practice was defense, because Dale and I both notice that they are lazy and never defend well. We played a fun 1v1 game that they really enjoyed and then ended up playing a lot of 3v3 at the end which they also loved.

After practice, Dale and I were feeling very lazy and tired but we ended up going for a run anyways that went well. I have been realizing how awesome it has been to be able to have these practices at La Luz because the area around it is perfect for running. God provides in so many ways!

We then made our way back to la Casablanca having to carry a huge bag of soccer balls, pinnies, and cones on a very crowded bus, which made for a very difficult trip. But we made it back and on the way we saw two people that we knew which was crazy, one of them being a Cumbre Alta player who we may not see again, so it was awesome to get to see him. 

Once we made it back to la Casablanca, we met up with all the interns who were going to eat at a local burger place. We had a nice time of reflection of the summer and just getting to spend time with each other. The rest of the evening then consisted of watching a movie and more hanging out.

Looking back on the day, God helped me to have a much better attitude about this week and just about my remaining time here in general. I felt great about what we had planned this week and just great about the work we have been able to do. Right when we were about to start work in the morning I was feeling kind of groggy and prayed immediately that God would give me energy for the day and he answered that prayer amazingly! Later before practice with the kids, I also was feeling a lack of energy and God provided again with an awesome time with the kids. God is so faithful when we seek Him and His will for us, it is so encouraging!

Keep praying for a positive attitude and for safety tomorrow as we (the interns) travel to Mindo, which is this awesome place in the rain forest with waterfalls and cool stuff to do. Praise God for how much he provides!

Dios Bendiga,

Nico