Day 55 in Ecuador

God surely provided a great last day. This morning I was able to help again with breakfast and making lunches for the teams here. We got done in the kitchen around 9:30 this morning. Anna needed someone who could speak some Spanish to go with her team to Camp Hope in order to help them know what they should do because no one her team spoke any Spanish. I decided to go help because Dale and I didn't have much else to do in the morning and Dale wasn't able to go so they needed someone to help them. I was kind of nervous that I wasn't going to be able to understand but I was just going to trust that God would help me do whatever needed to be done.

Our walk to Camp Hope was nice because I got to talk with some people from the team and just hear about their lives. Once we got there, the lady at the front desk said that the kids from Camp Hope already went to the pool and that she would guide us there as well. So far I was able to understand and translate to the team what was happening. We got to the pool and the team needed some more direction which I once again was able to help with. It was an awesome morning to be able to help out the team and also see the joy in the kids faces when they were in the pool. I was hesitant at wanting to help at first but God definitely provided a sweet morning.

I got back at around 11:30. I ended up taking a taxi back and got to talk with my taxi driver a bit which I always enjoy doing. Once, back Dale and I finished up some things with Joseph and then took a break for lunch. After lunch we cleaned the bathrooms one last time. We then attempted to create a 60-90 second video summarizing our time here in Ecuador for a professor at school. Dale and I had written a script so that our thoughts would flow better. Many of you know that I am not the greatest actor, so this turned into a very difficult task. Once one of us messed up, we laughed and had to start all over. We probable tried about 50 times and were never able to go through the whole way. It was a fun time though and we had a lot of laughs doing it and watching the videos afterwards.

Once we finished with that, we packed up all of our stuff and then went to the tienda to get some snacks for our trip tomorrow. We also went to our favorite smoothie lady for one last smoothie. We actually found out the other day that she is having to sell her business because her daughter is sick with migraines and she needs time to take care of her. Once we got our smoothies Dale had the idea to pray for her, so we did and she seemed to really appreciate it. Once again another moment that God provided for us to further his Kingdom. He is so good!

Mabe and Fabi! Two amazing people

We then went back to la Casablanca and cooked some dinner for ourselves. Practice was at 7:30 so we had to eat earlier than Fabi and Mabe's dinner for everyone. We left for our final Cumbre Alta practice which was a lot of fun. We just played 4v4 for the whole time, about 1 hour and a half. The hard part about practice was having to say goodbye at the end. We were grateful that most of the guys we had grown close to, such as Meji, Dani, and Rolando were able to come to practice, but it was still hard having to say goodbye to all of them. A lot of them were asking when we were going to return which means a lot to me personally that they are wondering that. I am just so thankful for the opportunity we had this summer to get to play with them and get to know them better.

Meji was able to drive us home tonight along with his brother Alejo, which it was awesome to get to see him again. On the way home Meji thanked us a lot for what we did and shared a bible verse for us also. It was an awesome ride home with him and his brother. We are going to miss him and our friendship with him a lot, but we are also so thankful for the opportunity we had this summer to build a relationship with him.

We said goodbye to Meji and Alejo and went into la Casablanca to do our final debrief with Anna, while Mabe and Fabi were still in the kitchen. We were able to reflect on our trip with Anna which was nice to do and eventually we had to say goodbye to Mabe and Fabi too, which was super difficult. We then finished our debrief, said goodbye to Anna, and got ready for bed.

Today was such an amazing last day here in Ecuador. I feel so blessed to have this opportunity this summer. God has worked in so many ways and I have learned so much. I have built lifelong friendships that I never foresaw coming.

As I write this blog, I am filled with mixed feelings. I am super excited to come home, see my family and friends, and get to be apart of Zach and Rachel's wedding. But the sadness of leaving has really hit me. I have grown to love Ecuador and the people here more than I could have ever imagined. This place will always have a special place in my heart and I can't wait to come back someday and be reunited with the amazing people.

Praise God for giving me this life-changing experience this summer. Words are unable to describe how much this trip has done for me and how much it has impacted me. Thank you all so much for your support throughout this entire trip! Your financial support and encouragement and prayers have meant so much to me and have helped me tremendously.



Dios Bendiga,
Nico

Day 54 in Ecuador

And then there was one...one day left of this amazing, life-changing experience. God provided another great day today. The morning started out the same. I got up around 7:00 and after reading a bit, went to help Fabi prepare breakfast and packed lunches for the day. It wasn't until around 10:00 that we were finished in the kitchen. 

Once done, Dale and I got to work on one final project for Joseph. He wanted us to create a projection of the administrative balance of Inca Link for the upcoming months and for the rest of the year. We were able to get a good amount of work done for this in the morning before taking a break for lunch. We had some empanadas for lunch, relaxed a bit and got back to work at around 1:00 on the project. We were able to finish it at 2:00 which gave us some time to rest and take a nap, which was much needed for energy for the rest of the day. We then ate some snacks and made our way to our last U12 Cumbre Alta practice. 

Practice went well today. Edgar had them do some exercises and running for most of the practice which Dale and I took part in also. We then finished playing 4v4, which wasn't the greatest soccer because most of the guys were really tired. Once practice was over, we said goodbye to the kids and went for about a 30 minute run. It has been awesome getting to play with these kids and teach them some soccer. Please be praying for them that they would come to know Christ if they don't already and that Cumbre Alta would be an avenue for them to worship God with their skills.

I'm gonna miss this view

Dale and I then made our way back to la Casablanca on a very crowded bus, which we have gotten used to over our time here. We ate some delicious food from Fabi and Mabe and spent the rest of the night cleaning up and hanging out in the kitchen with World Racers, Anna, and Mabe. I had a great time getting to hang out with them and I also was able to have a great talk with Mabe. I once again find myself so blessed to be surrounded by such an amazing community. Praise God again and again for that!

I'm starting to have very mixed feelings about leaving. I'm super excited to come back but at the same time I know I am going to miss these people a lot. Be praying that God would just provide anothet awesome day tomorrow and that we would be able to leave Ecaudor on a high note.

Dios Bendiga,

Nico

Day 53 in Ecuador

As I'm writing this blog post, it is 1:00 am in the morning. As much as the lack of sleep will probably affect me tomorrow, it was all worth it. Anyways back to the beginning of the day. Dale and I got up and made ourselves some breakfast and then helped Fabi set out the breakfast for the teams. We then showered, got ready for church, and left to go meet up with Edgar at his house. 

Once at his house, Edgar took us to his church. It was definitely a good service, but I struggled paying attention to the sermon (which I already struggle with when the message is in English). They started the service by having these kids sing some songs and recite bible verses they memorized. After that was the message and then a brief baby dedication. The total service lasted about 2.5 hours, from 10:30 to 1:00. So it was a really long service but it was cool to see where Edgar works and attends church. 

At church we also got to meet Edgar's grandmother. She ended up going out to eat with us after church which was a lot of fun. We ate at a place called Rancho Viejo and I got something called Menestras con pollos which was lentils, rice, chicken, french fries, and plantains. The food was delicious but we also had a great time hanging out with Edgar and his grandmother. We left the restaurant and headed back to la Casablanca.

We got back around 4:00 and spent the next couple hours resting and rejuvenating ourselves for what would be a long night. At 6:30, we left to go back to Edgar's house to play some Fifa with Dani, Rolando, and Meji. We got there and ended up getting some burgers at a local fast food place to eat at Edgar's house. We then started our Fifa tournament which ended up lasting until around 12:00. I was in the finals against Dani and was up 3-1 and ended up losing 4-3 in overtime. Despite this horrific loss, Dale and I had so much fun with the guys. I'm so grateful that we got another chance to hang out with them before we have to head back to the States. God has really blessed these friendships and caused them to grow faster than I would have ever realized possible. Praise God for that! 

So despite the fact that it is really late and I will not be getting much sleep tonight, I am so happy at how today turned out. We weren't even sure if this was going to happen tonight because we couldn't get in contact with the guys. Eventually it all worked out and God provided an awesome night to get to hang out with the guys. 

It's hard to believe there are only two more days left in Ecuador. Nights like tonight make me realize how much I am going to miss it down here. Keep sending your prayers for these last two days that we would just surrender them to God and that we would make the most out of them!

Dios Bendiga,

Nico

Day 52 in Ecuador

Today was another early morning, having to wake up at 6:00 again for breakfast. We helped out and hung out for what felt like a long time in the morning. After all the teams had eaten, Dale and I made some pancakes for Mabe, Fabi, Gustavo, Jake and ourselves to eat. We didn't end up leaving the kitchen until around 10:30, so it was a long morning, but it was definitely fun to get to hang out and help out a lot.

Once we were done in the kitchen, Dale and I took some time to rest and digest the delicious pancakes we just ate. At around 11:30, we made our way to Carolina park to go for a run. I was, once again, struggling with some homesickness this morning and just struggling with checking out already even though we still have 3 more days. I was praying about it a lot and trying to change my attitude but nothing really was changing. What was really nice was that Dale and I had an awesome talk on the bus on the way to Carolina. It was nice to just get how I was feeling off my chest and to have someone to be vulnerable with. I am so thankful to God for having Dale throughout this trip, it would have been very hard to do it without him.

We got to the park and went for about a little over a 3 mile run. Both Dale and I felt good and had a fun time running throughout the park. After we worked hard, we had to treat ourselves to some Shwarma and some more delicious gelato. We then made our way to the market for a final time to make sure we had gotten everything we wanted before leaving. At the market we got to talk with this lady that Dale was buying some stuff from. She wanted to learn English and I told her how La Luz offers English lessons for free on Thursdays. Hopefully she will consider going and maybe even get connected to the church! Anyway she was really sweet and awesome to talk too. That has been something that I have loved about Ecuador. The "gente", or people, are so welcoming and friendly and really easy to talk to.

After buying all of the stuff we wanted, we then made our way to a mall close by where I was able to get a really cheap haircut, only for 4 bucks. The lady was really nice and did a great job. We then made our way back to la Casablanca via bus and had some more good talks just getting to know each other more.

The rest of the night was spent just relaxing, playing some Euchre, and eating some dinner. Dinner tonight was made by one of the short term teams down here who are all Mong. They made some of the most delicious egg rolls I have ever had. They also cleaned up everything also. It was really nice of them and something that Mabe and Fabi needed because they were dealing with a lack of sleep. God is so good in providing rest when needed!

I had a blast with Dale today. Praise God for the amazing friendships He gives us that help build us up in our faith! You can keep praying that for these last 3 days, I would remain checked in and not make my focus on getting to see my family and friends again. I will definitely
need those prayers!

Dios Bendiga,
Nico

Day 51 in Ecuador

Today was the perfect follow up day to yesterday's very hectic day. We did get up kinda early, around 6:00, to help make and get breakfast ready for all the people that are in Casablanca. I don't think I mentioned this yet but there have been about 50 people in Casablanca the yesterday, today and tomorrow. These people consist of about 4 different short term teams. Dale and I aren't leading any of them because we are having to leave wednesday. So each team is lead by one interns as opposed to three so they have needed help with cooking and cleaning so Dale and I wanted to make it a priority to help them out since it has been very crazy in the house. So that's why we got up early to help out.

After helping out with breakfast, packing lunches for the teams, and doing some dishes, Dale and I got started on some more work. The morning was spent, yet again, working on the ministry report. We got a decent amount of work done and ended up taking a break for lunch around 12:00. We ate, relaxed a bit, and then got back to work and finally finished the report we had been working on for awhile. This is the last big project that Joseph had wanted us to do so we were very happy to finish it, and we think we did a good job with it.

More pics from Mindo

Once we finished that project, Dale and I needed to help out with some cleaning that needed to be done. So we went ahead and took on the guys' bathroom. It felt good to do some physical work after working on finances most of the day. Once we finished with that, we went outside and played some guitar, while looking at the beautiful view that Casablanca has. Then we went to the local Tienda to buy some eggs and bread for our last days here and noticed that our favorite smoothie place, Mucho Fruto was being sold. We asked the lady about it who said that her daughter is having migraines and that she doesn't have time to work because she needs to take care of her. This was obviously sad to here so be praying for her and this situation!

We then headed back to la Casablanca and hung out in the kitchen the rest of the night, helping out Mabe and Fabi with having to feed 50 people. It was a fun night getting to relax a bit and also help out where needed. Right before I was getting ready for bed I bumped into the World Race team that is staying here and had a nice chat with them. I am just amazed at all the wonderful people God has introduced me to this summer. He has given and built such a strong community in la Casablanca that has really blessed and encourgaed me throughout the summer. Praise God for that!

As I said before, God provided a very nice day today after being super busy the past couple of days. It was nice to feel like we were able to slow down a bit and relax. Praise God!

Shout out to MMC softball, way to notch that playoff win last night. Can't wait to come back and join the team in the Championship run!

Dios Bendiga,

Nico

Day 50 in Ecuador

Day 50 was one of the most tiring days Dale and I have had so far. The day started out very frustrating as well. I did my usual routine in the morning and decided to go to the ATM in the morning because I pretty much had no money left. I took a taxi there for $1.50 and then found out the place where the ATM was didn't open until 9:30 (this was at about 8:45). So I decided to wait and eventually asked someone for help who told me there was another machine close by. I then went to get money from that one but my card, for some reason, would not work at this one (I tried about 50 times and probably looked like a very stupid gringo). I then decided to wait until 9:30 for the other ATM. Once the place opened, I went to get money out only to find out that the machine was broken. I only had another $1.50 to go home so I was hoping I would get another taxi driver who would drive me home for the same and I did. So I spent pretty much an hour of my morning not doing anything. 

Anyways I got to work around 10:00 with a bad attitude (which I had already had before my trip this morning) and worked for about an hour on the ministry report project. We then left Casablanca at around 11:30 to go help out with the soccer camp that Pan de Vida was running this week (this was the same one our team helped out with last year). On the way there, the song/psalm "This is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it" popped into my head randomly (which I now see as God's work). It made me realize how blessed Dale and I are here to be in Ecuador and that we should be happy and serve God with a joyful heart today. Again, just another amazing example of how God is always with us and faithful in answering prayers, despite when we screw up. 

Pepe! He's alive and well

Before we went to Pan de Vida, I was able to successfully get money out of an ATM. We then got to Pan de Vida and saw some of the same kids that we hung out with last year. A lot of them even remembered us which was awesome. We hung out with them while they ate lunch and then played a fun game of UNO with some of them. Dale then lead some worship songs (I have the joy in my heart, Ain't no rock, With Christ as my Vessel) and another guy lead a devotional. We then made our way to the field and had a fun time leading some drills and eventually finishing in 3 small sided games. The kids seemed to have a lot of fun and I was surprised how much they enjoyed us being there and were sad that we couldn't come back tomorrow. After the camp was over we headed back, said our goodbyes, and then made our way to U12 Cumbre Alta practice. Edgar lead today's practice, which went well. 

These two events with the kids wiped me out. Working with kids is a tiring experience for me and something I enjoy, but also struggle with. I was telling Dale about how I love seeing the fruit of my work or that my work is really making an impact. When I work with kids, it's harder for me to know that what I am doing is making a difference which makes it more difficult for me. Nevertheless, I know and trust that God put us here today for a reason and that His work was being done.

Pan de Vida soccer camp

After the U12 Cumbre practice, Dale and I did some sprints and the a good abs/pushup workout afterwards. We then went to eat at Que Pincho with Edgar (we were happy to see this was open because it had been close for the past week). Then was Cumbre Alta practice which 10 guys came to, which was perfect for 5v5. We had a good time playing and ended up getting some soda to drink together afterwards. We then made our way home where we were able to hang out a little with some of the interns that were still up. It was a very nice way to end a very long day.

U12 Cumbre Practice

When looking back on today, I recognize and see the many ways that God was at work. I knew my attitude was struggling in the morning and I was praying for God to help me work through it and he proved Himself faithful by putting that Psalm in my head and making me realize His goodness. I also just recognize how God is at work despite my weaknesses such as my lack of energy or my anger and frustration. Praise God for His ending grace and love and praise Him for all the work that He did today. 

Something I am realizing as I write this blog for today is that this trip is all about God and what He is doing in Ecuador. God has blessed me with the ability to join Him and serve Him but ultimately it's all about Him. Praise God for all that He and for all the lessons He is teaching me!

Dios Bendiga,

Nico


 

Day 49 in Ecuador

Today was another whirlwind of a day. Jam packed full of stuff and I'm left feeling very exhausted. The morning began as usual, with Dale and I starting our work around 9:00 after a short meeting with interns. We worked more on the ministry report in the morning until around 11:00. I then did a hill workout close by la Casablanca (because it's pretty much all hills) and ate some lunch afterwards.

I did some more work in the afternoon for about an hour. At 1:30, Edwards came to la Casablanca to learn some more English. Dale and I have a good system of giving him a quizlet full of English words for him to study while we do work. Once he's ready we then quiz him on what he has studied. It's awesome seeing how dedicated he is to learning English and I hope that he can keep it up when we leave.

At around 3:30, I left with Edwards to go to the bus station (Dale had gone to the doctor to figure out why he keeps getting sick)
Once there we parted and I went to go take a bus to La Luz only to remember that I forgot the bag of soccer balls I was supposed to bring for practice with the kids. So after going back to get them I ended up being around 10 minutes late, but the kids had their own ball to play with so they were entertained. I ended up leading the practice by myself and I thought it went really well. Today I taught them passing and then we finished with some fun games. 

Gustavo and Alex then picked me up to go out to eat at a delicious Italian restaraunt with all the other interns. This was our farewell dinner for a lot of the interns since 5 of us are leaving within the next week. We had a time where everyone that was leaving (Me, Dale, Jake, Alex, and Merrick) was affirmed but everyone else at the table. It was definitely a special time to hear lots of words of affirmation from the people that I have grown close too. After dinner we went to a gelato place where I had some delicious mint gelato. We then left and Dale and I had to say goodbye to Merrick, who was leaving that night for the airport.

We ended up getting to practice tonight about 30 minutes late. Practice tonight was hard since I was fairly tired and stuffed from dinner, but it was still fun to get to see the guys. Mejia was then able to drive Dale and I home which was awesome to get to hang out and talk with him more. We then hung out some more and went to bed after a long day.

It felt good to get a good amount of work done today and to also get to do a lot as well. God provided me with the energy I needed to lead the practice for the kids which went well! I could be using some prayer for energy tomorrow as well as it will be another busy day.

Today was a glimpse into how it is going to be when Dale and I leave and have to start saying our goodbyes. The sadness hasn't really hit me yet, due to my excitement to come home, but I think God is starting to show me how much I am going to miss this place and the people I met here. Be praying that I would really take advantage of my last days here and that I would recognize the amazing work God has done here this summer and the amazing work He will continue to do when we leave.

Dios Bendiga,

Nico