Day 3 in Ecuador

The beautiful field the game was played at.

This morning began with Nate coming to pick Dale and I up at the Brown's apartment around 7:40. We were headed to Cumbre Alta's game which was scheduled to start at 9:30. They were facing off against the first place team in the division. Before the game, we were able to converse with some of the Cumbre Alta players and get to know them more. According to Nate, Dale and I are living their dream of playing soccer in college so they look up to us a lot, something that I was not expecting. I have also been surprised at how many people have remembered my name. It has been encouraging to see that they care about us and that we can make a big impact because of how much they look up to us.

Cumbre Alta warming up

The game actually didn't start until 10:00 am due to many players being late, something that frustrates Nate a lot. The fact that players were late didn't help the team and they ended up losing 3-1. We found out last night that we won't be able to play in any games with the team because we don't have our Visas. So Nate had us film the game, which made it hard to enjoy watching the game, but I know it's gonna help Nate out a lot. It is probably best that we aren't going to be able to play, because the games can get very physical (there were 3 red cards in today's match). 

After the game, Nate took us to a restaurant that made Chilean empanadas. It was delicious and one of the best meals I have had so far. Nate told us how soccer is different here in Ecuador, with an emphasis put on individual skills. He said that most players view a meg (or galleta) as better than a goal. Nate has been trying to change the culture to become more team oriented and he recognizes that it might take awhile as it is very counter cultural. This can be another area where Dale and I have an impact because we know what it is like to have an awesome team culture (thanks GCC soccer).

Later, Dale and I had some free time which we used to go buy smoothies from a local store recommended by Gustavo. The smoothies were delicious, but we also got the chance to talk to the three workers there for about 30 minutes. The conversation ended up going to religion and we heard their thoughts on religion which was very interesting. Dale and I were saying that we could keep coming back to this store and hopefully build the relationships and see where our conversations get from there. It's cool to see God working in the simple things, like buying a smoothie. Keep praying for the three ladies that we talked to and that God would be working in their hearts.

Two dogs named Guapa and Guapita (at la Casablanca)

In the evening, the interns returned from the jungle with many exciting and hilarious stories. It was cool to hear everything they experienced and ways that God worked in them. After dinner, the interns debriefed about the jungle and we ended up talking about challenges we have been facing and ways we have seen God. A common challenge that people talked about was feeling unequipped for the plans God has for us this summer, which is what I have been feeling. Something awesome that the intern coordinator, Patrick, said was that God doesn't call the equipped, he equips the called. This was a huge encouragement and reminder for me.

We were told we have to get up at 6:45 tomorrow morning which means our bedtime is soon. Tomorrow Dale and I will get to spend some more time with the interns which will be nice since we haven't been able to spend much time with them.


Dios Bendiga,
Nich