Ecuador Update #4

Everything is well here in Quito with my studies and with my host family.I´m glad I have a host family that includes me in everything and makes me feel like part of the family.God definitely matched me up with a wonderful family.

I´m finishing up my 3rd cycle of spanish classes this next week and then I will have vacation time until Feb 18th, almost 2 months.I´m excited for this next semester because I will be taking regular classes here along with the last 2 cycles of spanish.I´m in the 5th level now and I will finish and take a spanish proficiency test after level 7 to receive a certificate.

God has blessed me thus far with a few exchange students who are also Chrsitians, and which have been a huge blessing while here.Two have them have left back to the states and I am praying that God will send a couple more Christian students next semester.Unfortunately most study abroad students are nont followers of Christ.

God has been teaching me many things from the study of His Word lately, and again it has been a tremendous blessing to be a follower of Christ here in Ecuador.There are so many people who reject God with their life and God has been putting a burden for them on my heart.

Please remember to pray for the people of Ecuador, that God will lift the blinders off their eyes so they will see their need for a Saviour.

Please continue to life me up in prayer as I continue to be a light to my host family, the exchange students around me and my teachers.Pray that God will continually give me the strength to trust in Him and not my own ability.Lastly, please pray that as I live my life differently than other students that people will want to know the reason why.

But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Isaiah 40:30-31

The Wisdom of God Applied

18 “Therefore hear the parable of the sower: 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside. 20 But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. 22 Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. 23 But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”

Matthew 13:18-23 (New King James Version)

Application 1) How do we know who to share the love of Christ with and be sure that their hearts are already softened by God?Even if we share the Word of God with a person who has not the understanding and therefore the seed is snached away by Satan . . . will not God our Father reward us in Heaven?

27 For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.

Matthew 16:27 (New King James Version)

37 He answered and said to them: “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. 39 The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. 40 Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. 41 The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, 42 and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

Matthew 13:37-43 (New King James Version)


Application 2) Let us not be the sons of the evil one who causes sin or who are stumbling blocks to fellow brethren in Christ, and who are eventually weeded out and thrown into the fiery furnace.

15 Then Peter answered and said to Him, “Explain this parable to us.” 16 So Jesus said, “Are you also still without understanding? 17 Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated? 18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. 19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. 20 These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man.”

Matthew 15:15-20 (New King James Version)

Application 3) Let us not be dull like Peter . . . instead let us be

(a) the salt of the earth :

“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.

Matthew 5:13 (New King James Version)

(b) the light of the world:

“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.

Matthew 5:14 (New King James Version)

(c) as wise as serpents but harmless like doves:

16 “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.

Matthew 10:16 (New King James Version)

(d) let us follow in the path of wisdom and understanding:

1 Does not wisdom cry out, And understanding lift up her voice? 2 She takes her stand on the top of the high hill, Beside the way, where the paths meet. 3 She cries out by the gates, at the entry of the city, At the entrance of the doors: 4 “ To you, O men, I call, And my voice is to the sons of men. 5 O you simple ones, understand prudence, And you fools, be of an understanding heart. 6 Listen, for I will speak of excellent things, And from the opening of my lips will come right things; 7 For my mouth will speak truth; Wickedness is an abomination to my lips. 8 All the words of my mouth are with righteousness; Nothing crooked or perverse is in them. 9 They are all plain to him who understands, And right to those who find knowledge. 10 Receive my instruction, and not silver, And knowledge rather than choice gold; 11 For wisdom is better than rubies, And all the things one may desire cannot be compared with her. 12 “ I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, And find out knowledge and discretion. 13 The fear of the LORD is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way And the perverse mouth I hate. 14 Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom; I am understanding, I have strength. 15 By me kings reign, And rulers decree justice. 16 By me princes rule, and nobles, All the judges of the earth. 17 I love those who love me, And those who seek me diligently will find me. 18 Riches and honor are with me, Enduring riches and righteousness. 19 My fruit is better than gold, yes, than fine gold, And my revenue than choice silver. 20 I traverse the way of righteousness, In the midst of the paths of justice, 21 That I may cause those who love me to inherit wealth, That I may fill their treasuries. 22 “ The LORD possessed me at the beginning of His way, Before His works of old. 23 I have been established from everlasting, From the beginning, before there was ever an earth. 24 When there were no depths I was brought forth, When there were no fountains abounding with water. 25 Before the mountains were settled, Before the hills, I was brought forth; 26 While as yet He had not made the earth or the fields, Or the primal dust of the world. 27 When He prepared the heavens, I was there, When He drew a circle on the face of the deep, 28 When He established the clouds above, When He strengthened the fountains of the deep, 29 When He assigned to the sea its limit, So that the waters would not transgress His command, When He marked out the foundations of the earth, 30 Then I was beside Him as a master craftsman; And I was daily His delight, Rejoicing always before Him, 31 Rejoicing in His inhabited world, And my delight was with the sons of men. 32 “ Now therefore, listen to me, my children, For blessed are those who keep my ways. 33 Hear instruction and be wise, And do not disdain it. 34 Blessed is the man who listens to me, Watching daily at my gates, Waiting at the posts of my doors. 35 For whoever finds me finds life, And obtains favor from the LORD; 36 But he who sins against me wrongs his own soul; All those who hate me love death.”

Proverbs 8 (New King James Version)

28 Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

Matthew 15:28 (New King James Version)

Application 4) Our faith should be as the Canaanite woman and the centurian:

13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.” And his servant was healed that same hour.

Matthew 8:13 (New King James Version)

the size of a mustard seed:

20 So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.

Matthew 17:20 (New King James Version)

for the Lord to do His good work in us.

24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 26 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?

Matthew 16:24-26 (New King James Version)

28 Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.”

Matthew 16:28 (New King James Version)

Application 5) Why do we live so as to gain this world? (having boyfriends/girlfriends just to have them, celebrating by getting drunk, having the best job, newest car, biggest house just for bragging rights . . . ) Let us lose our life (on this earth) for the sake of our God so we might find our life (our eternal, immortal life in Heaven)

Which is better . . . to have "the world at your fingertips" or . . . to have "the wisdom, understanding, wealth and knowledge of our Omnipotent God?"

Ecuador Update #3

Life here has been ok, bright and sunny this last week.That´s a plus!Here is a summary of what has been happening here since I wrote last:

I went to Baños, Ecuador with 2 girls from Keene State College in New Hampshire a couple weekends ago.It was fun to be in a place where they have natural hot springs due to the volcano Tungurahua.There they have an abundance of sugar cane and taffy, so these are the 2 main things that people purchase when they come to Baños.It was nice to get away from the city life in Quito for the weekend.

Fast forward about 2-3 weeks and you have me going crazy and being ready to finally finish my 4th level of spanish class.(All the spanish classes are 6 weeks long since they are advanced.)This Monday I turned in 3 photos for a photo competition for the exchange students here at PUCE.(Pontifica Universidad Católica del Ecuador)So today, I took the final for the language part and finished discussing the last article for the culture section.Tomorrow (Wednesday) I will have the last class for this cycle of spanish and look forward to having a few days off before I start the only 4-week section of spanish class.(This means 4 hr classes instead of 3.)Thursday of this week is Thanksgiving and the university is having a special dinner for all us exchange students.This is pretty exciting, since I am not at home to celebrate the holiday with family.

Two days ago, I started a new reading plan in the Bible for my daily quiet time.It´s been great so far!

Day 1: (Morning, afternoon or lunch break) Gen. 1-2, Ps. 1
(Evening) Mat. 1-2, Pro. 1

Day 2:(Morning, afternoon or lunch break) Gen. 3-4, Ps. 2
(Evening) Mat. 3-4, Pro. 2

You get the idea . . . just as long as you´re in the New Testament, Old Testament and Psalms and Proverbs every day.God will bless your socks off if you dedicate your life to Him!

I´ve been leaning on God more and more lately and praying that He would keep me in the world as a light and not just as a person trying to live the "Christian life" on their own.It´s pretty amazing what God does when you actually unoccupy your time and set yourself away from society for a bit to refocus on God.

We are always so busy in this life with things that aren´t going to mean a thing at the end of the little span of time we have here on earth.So as always I leave you with a challenge to "unoccupy" your time in your life.Step back from the things you "have to get done", listen to what God has to say, read God´s Word, meditate on God and what He did for you on the cross, and place God first in everything you do . . . decisions, thoughts, finances, family, friends, computer time etc.

As always, I remain here living the life God has gifted me.

+-unitl then-+

Just Because . . .

This is a weekly e-mail I receive from the Christian group leader at the Art Institute of Seattle.I thought this was an appropriate entry for this week.Enjoy reading the wisdom from God´s Word and the word´s of wisdom from a man who not even 10 years ago was living his life against God´s Word.This is what God can with a heart He calls to Himself in His power.

(Words in red are Jesus´words and words in blue are from my friend Fred.)

Just because...

"But the LORD shall endure for ever:
He hath prepared his throne for judgment.
And he shall judge the world in righteousness,
He shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness.
The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed,
A refuge in times of trouble.
And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee:
For thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.
Sing praises to the LORD, which dwelleth in Zion:
Declare unto the people his doings." Psalm 9;7-11

"Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that compass
yourselves about with sparks:
Walk in the light of your fire, and in the sparks ye have kindled.
This shall ye have of mine hand; Ye shall lie down in sorrow." Isaiah 50;11

"Behold, I send an angel before thee, to keep thee in the way,
and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared.
Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not;
for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is in him.
But if thou shalt indeed obey his voice, and do all that I speak;
then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies,
and an adversary unto thine adversaries." Exodus 23;20-22

"Ye shall not tempt the LORD your God, as ye tempted him in Masseh" Deuteronomy 6;16

"And the Pharisees came forth, and began to question with him,
seeking of him a sign from heaven, tempting him.
And he sighed deeply in his spirit, and saith,
Why doth this generation seek after a sign?
verily I say unto you, There shall be no sign given to this generation." Mark 8;11-12

...Meditations...

So...sow.
Can the fertile ground reject the seed lovingly planted,
and refuse it to grow?
Neither can a heart, quickened by the Father,
make unfruitful the word sown.
For the Word is his love and our Lord Jesus.
Would a farmer seek to uproot that from which
he seeketh to produce fruit?
Just so does the Father protect and nourish
those he hath given to his Son.
"For as the rain cometh down,
And the snow from heaven, And returneth not thither,
But watereth the earth, And maketh it bring forth and bud,
That it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:
So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth:
It shall not return unto me void,
But it shall accomplish what I please,
And it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
For ye shall go out with joy, And be lead forth with peace:
The mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing,
And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands." Isaiah 55;10-12
"And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit
unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth
may rejoice together.
And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth." John 4;36-37
"And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice
to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap:
for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe.
And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth;
and the earth was reaped." Revelation 14;15-16
Thus and so do we sow thy word Lord Jesus. Amen.

The gospel in Psalms;
"O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me;
Let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles." Psalm 43;3

"He shall send from heaven, and save me from the reproach
of him that would swallow me up. Selah.
God shall send forth his mercy and his truth." Psalm 57;3

To all the saints at AIS and to those in the world; now is the time to stand in our faith, even the Word which is Christ Jesus, for the wickedness of the world is closing in about all those that truly trust in the Lord. One by one the local congregations are falling to the concerns of men and falling away from the concerns of God. Worldliness has entered in the form of outreach, politics and environmentalism have begun to supplant the Word of God, gospels of covetousness have spread as leaven, leavening the true bread which was given as hope to the world. How sad this is, but did not the Lord so prophesieth?
"This know also, that in the last days perilous time shall come.
For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters,
proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent,
fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded,
lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness,
but denying the power thereof; from such turn away." 2 Timothy 3;1-4
"I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ,
who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;
Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke,
exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine." 1 Timothy 4;1-2
Even so Lord Jesus do we stand, knowing with all surety that by thy will are we strengthened. Amen.

Until then I remain,
in His Surrender, Obedience and Service always for you,
Fred

Just because...
Just because the world of men is blind to the angel of the Lord
does not mean that the enemy is not cowering in fear before him,
terrified in the rejection of righteousness, and the judgment that awaits...
...And just because we cannot see the angels which compass about
those who love the Lord, in no way denies their presence nor the comfort
derived from the knowing...
Just because the wicked seem to prosper, seemingly, unchecked by God,
in no way implies that the wrath of God doth not weigh heavily upon them...
...And just because we seek to separate ourselves from the covetous pursuit
of worldly riches, diminishes not one promise of the heaven sent riches of God's
great wisdom given to those he hath elected to salvation...
For our God is just and will judge all as a consuming fire.
Amen Lord, even so come quickly.

"And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin,
and of righteousness, and of judgment:
Of sin, because they believe not on me;
Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;
Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged." John 16;8-11

"These words spake Jesus, and lift up his eyes to heaven, and said,
Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:
As thou hast given him power over all flesh that he should give eternal life
to as many as thou hast given him.
And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God,
and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." John 17;1-3

"I and my Father are one." John 10;30

Puerto Lopez

A couple of weekends ago I traveled to Puerto Lopez on the coast of Ecuador close to the province of Manabi where my host mom is from.Since she is from the coast you would say she is "costeña".

Anyway to continue with this post, I left on a Wednesday night on an overnight bus with 2 other girls that are here from University of Idaho.(The bus that I rode was called "Reino del Camino" this translates to "Kingdom of the Way".)The bus ride was about 9-10 hours, which is a bit long on a bus and I only used the bathroom on the bus if I had to.This is an adventure because the roads are bumpy . . . you get the point.I´ll let you imagine how it would be to use a bathroom on a Greyhound Bus for example, that is if a bus like that had a bathroom.

We arrived about 6 o´clock in the morning to Puerto Lopez and as we stepped off the bus we quickly found out that the sidewalks and streets were covered in mud.So I quickly rolled up my jeans so as not to get them as well as my shoes muddy.My friend Lisa (1 of the 2 girls I went with) has a book called "The Lonely Planet" so it´s pretty much a travel guide to wherever you want to go inside of Ecuador with hotel, transportation and tourist attraction information.So we knew right away that there was a hostal really close and we did not need to take a mototaxi (a seating area for 3 people with a canopy over it in the front part of a motorcycle) despite the insistence of the taxi drivers to keep our shoes from getting too muddy.We walked about 4-5 blocks to the hostal.Oh if you don´t know what a hostal is it´s pretty much a cheaper version of a hotel, these are usually used by people ages 15-35.This particular hostal was called "Hostal Sol" (Sun Hostal).

Since it is really hard to get a good night´s sleep on a bus all night we crashed for a couple hours and woke up about 8:30am to eat breakfast at a place that was suppose to be pretty new in town with the attraction of banana pancakes.Just a fact real quick: fruit of all kinds is popular here in Ecuador but bananas are really popular on the coast.So then we finally found this place called "Whale Cafe", and the pancakes were as good as they talked them up to be.My 2 friends Lisa and Erin ate banana pancakes and I ate 2 apple pancakes.Mmmm . . . a little taste of home back in the United States.

We spent the rest of the day walking around the town, walking in the sand and playing in the dirty ocean water.Note:don´t go to a fishing town and expect to see a beautiful beach.This is because the fishermen throw what they don´t want on the beach.So you can imagine what we found . . . dead shrimp, a huge puffer fish, a couple eels, a pelican and various other fish.Gross huh?But there was something really cool on the beach also; don´t despair!I guess about 10-15 years ago a dead humpback whale (of the giant species) had washed up on shore after dying of cancer.So they have the skeleton up to show off.The bones have been preserved, and they have all the history of the whale in a ton of different languages.Oh also close by is an area with signs pointing in all directions of the world with the country names on the signs.(This is because Ecuador is on the equator line of the world.)

The second day there (Thursday) we went out to an island called "Isla de la Plata" (Silver Island).

Just a quick story here: I and my 2 friends were waiting on the shore of Puerto Lopez for the other people who were going on the boat with us to the island.Before I say anything else I will say that we were never in any real danger.Okay so while we were waiting, this 8 year old boy (from Puerto Lopez) comes walking up to my friends and I.I noticed right away that he was holding both of his hands behind his back, and in my experience with kids that only means he had something that he didn´t want us to see.I kinda stepped a foot to one side so I could get a good glimpse and sure enough he had a knife behind his back.Now mind you I wasn´t sure what was going on in his head with 3 "gringas" that are 3 times his size.Maybe he thought he was going to rob us, I don´t know.But for some reason, either they didn´t take the time to notice why he wasn´t really conversing with us or that he had something behind his back; but Erin and Lisa didn´t realize that this 8 year old had a knife.I didn´t say anything because first of all I didn´t want to scare my friends an secondly the boy wasn´t too close.So nothing ever came about with this boy.I was going to say something when he came close to the other tourists when they arrived, but he never came too horribly close.And by the time we had all climbed aboard, he took off running in the other direction.Needless to say, that was something weird.When we were safely on the boat I told my 2 friends about the knife that this boy had behind his back the whole time, and they were glad he didn´t do anything too drastic.

Back to the story . . . this island is nicknamed "mini Galapagos", because you can find all the same types of birds and sometimes sea lions on this island.Oh, to back-track a bit the island´s main attraction is humpback whales.This is due to the fact that they migrate towards the coast of Chile and lower during the months of June-September.It is really rare to see them in early October, but guess what?!We saw a group of 3 humpback whales with a group of dolphins along with them.It was so awesome!!!The whales didn´t really jump out of the water much so we just saw their fins, tails and their backs where they spurt water to breath (airholes).The dolphins were just like any movie because they came so close to our boat and they were also jumping alongside it.

Ok, back to the island.I was so excited when we arrived on the island to see a ton of frigate birds, (the ones with the red bags under their chin) albatrosses and best of all (for my excitement) blue-footed boobies.Man those creatures are so interesting looking!It was really humid as we were hiking, but well worth it.Most of the blue-footed boobies were either on top of a nest of 3 eggs or in pairs.(They just dig a hole in the ground for a nest.)It was interesting to see that they were on the path where the group was walking, not more than 2-3 inches away at times.But they are used to humans because there is a law protecting them.It was so cool to watch the dance that the guy bird does to show his affection for the girl.Fact:to tell them apart the guy is always shorter, the girl has darker pupils (part of the eyes) and the sounds they make are different.(The sounds the girls make are much louder.)

After we were back in the boat to head for an area to go snorkeling, we were eating watermelon on our break and this marine turtle comes swimming up to our boat.Mind you we weren´t that far from shore.Anyway it was so sweet to see more of God´s creation, what a sense of humor He had when He created some of these creatures! hahaha Anyway this sea turtle was big, and he definitely stayed for a bit to have a snack of watermelon with us.The turtle ate some of our rinds out of our hands.Some experience!Then it just swam off, just like that!I guess it just came for a snack and that was it!Oh another thing, I had my bread left from the sandwich they gave me.I was going to throw it in the garbage but one of the guides asked me for it and said "mire" (watch this).I went to the side of the boat and he began tossing piece after piece of my bread into the water.I watched and lo and behold, a school of topical fish began swarming around the bread to eat it.(Just like the ducks in Columbia Park.)It was very cool!

We finally pulled out to this cove area to go snorkeling, and it took me about 2 minutes to get up the gumption to jump into the cold water (almost like Touchet River cold).When I finally jumped in and put my mask and snorkel on I had totally forgotten how awesome it was to snorkel!It´s so sweet to be on the surface of the water watching what kind of creatures are swimming below you and around your legs.What an experience!I can´t even put words to it!I saw many different schools of fish, another sea turtle far below the surface of the water, a couple small sting rays and another type of long fish (kind of see-through with a long, blue stripe in the middle of it´s body).About 2 minutes before I headed back to the boat, I was just floating on top of the water and a school of tropical fish swam super close to me.But the moment I moved my hand or my foot, they got scared and swam away.Anyway, what a time I had!

The last morning we were there my friends and I went back for more delicious pancakes, yum!I went horse back riding later, just the guide and I.I spent about 3 hours galloping on the beach, trotting in the forest and back again.Riding a horse on a beach, I can now check that off my list of things to do in this lifetime on Earth.That night we headed back on another overnight bus (so as to knock off the price of another night in the hostal).We arrived back in Quito about 6-7am, and although it was Sunday I slept in my comfortable bed in my room until about 11:30am and completely missed the church service.Well, I think that is all friends.I hope you were able to make it through this whole blog without getting too bored.

+-until then-+

Ecuador Update #2

The 9th of October marked my 2 month stay here in Quito.The time is passing by so quickly I cannot believe it!I finished up my first 6 week cycle of spanish classes on October 10th and have started the next level.Though I have only been here 2 months, I feel my language skills have improved by leaps and bounds . . . now if I can just become fluent without losing my english I´ll be good to go!

The rainy season or winter (as they call it) has begun and is in full force.This just means it is sunny in the morning until about 1-2 pm then the sky pours down rain in the afternoon.(most days)It takes some getting used to as far as health goes, but I am blessed with a God that loves me and cares for my physical as well as spiritual needs.

I want to share a couple passages of Scripture that have been on my heart lately.

(Paul speaking) 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel--not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross be emptied of its power. 18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written: "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate." 20 Where is the wise man?Where is the scholar?Where is the philosopher of this age?Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.

I Corinthians 1:17-21

9 However, as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him"--

I Corinthians 2:9

18 Do not deceive yourselves.If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a "fool" so that he may become wise. 19A For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God´s sight.

I Corinthians 3:18-19A

This is what God our Heavenly Father has been teaching me these past couple weeks through His Spirit.I am here studying the spanish language in hopes of becoming fluent and maybe going into foreign missions later on.But I cannot do it in my own strength or in my own intelligence.And I cannot give God my talent of languages for Him to use.What I give God is rubbish and He alone is the One who blessed me with the capacity to study different languages.

So I will continue on this path of Godly wisdom as long as I keep my focus on my Creator.I want to encourage you as well to always keep your mind on our Abba Father the Sustainer of our lives.No matter what comes my way I will praise God!

As always I look forward to hearing from you, because it is an encouragement to me to know how God is moving in your lives.Thank you so much for your faithfulness in praying for me as I attend college here!May we remember that no matter where we are that our goal on this earth is to share the love of Christ and if necessary use words.Our family, friends, coworkers and acquaintances are wandering around lost and without the light of Christ in their lives they will perish.

Hold Me Jesus

Hold Me Jesus

Well, sometimes my life Just don't make sense at all When the mountains look so big And my faith just seems so small


CHORUS:

So hold me Jesus, 'cause I'm shaking like a leaf You have been King of my glory Won't You be my Prince of Peace
And I wake up in the night and feel the dark It's so hot inside my soul I swear there must be blisters on my heart


CHORUS


Surrender don't come natural to me I'd rather fight You for something I don't really want Than to take what You give that I need And I've beat my head against so many walls Now I'm falling down, I'm falling on my knees
And this Salvation Army band Is playing this hymn And Your grace rings out so deep It makes my resistance seem so thin


CHORUS


You have been King of my glory Won't You be my Prince of Peace



The lyrics to this song from Rich Mullins form somewhat of what I´ve been feeling lately.I have been having mixed feelings which is completely normal when traveling abroad.But I have been thinking a lot of what this year is going to hold for me.I have also been thinking about the future and what I am to do after I graduate college.There are so many decisions to make in this stage of my life, sometimes I dislike not having something concrete to hold onto.



God has been the only One who knows everything and He will continue guiding me.But He never said everything was going to be footloose and fancy-free.It is very hard to live in this world as a Christian with morals and restictions on my life.But I really enjoy the challenge and I know God knows how far He can take me on certain paths.I know in my heart that I will look back on this part of my life and just smile, but for now it is definitely a growing process.



*MARANATHA*

Ecuador Update #1

Host Family

I’m really enjoying my free time in which I can get to know my host family. They’re pretty cool or as they say it here; super chevre! My dad’s name is Ernesto and he was in the air force for 33 years but is retired now. My mom’s name is Ines and her work is with me. They’re both really good about showing me the many sites of Quito but they are usually very considerate to know when I need to take a break from speaking Spanish.

Class Rank

The host families that us University of Idaho students were placed with are mostly upper class in this society. The people here are very aware of class ranking. Signs of an upper class person are the following: what type of car is owned, the amount of jewelry women wear, in what neighborhood people live and what type of jobs are kept. The poorer people are usually the Inca Indians. They vend things on and in the streets starting from lollipops and bubblegum to banana chips, fruit, batteries or sometimes hats or gorras. When a vehicle is stopped at a light they will come to the window trying to sell their goods to anyone. They usually have darker skin than other citizens, long black hair, a black or brown hat and a different colored poncho to keep warm.

Housing

The apartment I live in is on the 8th and last floor in the building so I have a fantastic view of the city from my window. It’s pretty quiet for the most part, but sometimes I will hear a pickup truck driving through the street below selling goods with a loudspeaker attached to his pickup. I live really close to many places for example: fast food (many KFCs), stores, a panaderia ( bread store) and a cheap Internet café.

The City

The city itself is like any big city you will find in the U.S. There are many dogs here in the streets, but not as many cats due to the altitude and climate. While walking I have to take precaution because the drivers do not respect pedestrians.

Yungilla

The night I arrived I was told I had 2 days to get to know my host family then I would be off to a place called Yungilla. This countryside of a place is an hour and a half from Quito and is similar to any other farm but on the side of a mountain. This pueblo has people and volunteers come in for ecotourism to help with projects they have.I spent a week there with the other 6 University of Idaho students. We lived with families during that week to learn more about the culture. Some of my highlights from the week were learning how to milk a cow, how to eat guinea pig and working with the people of the community. Some of the projects are as follows: making cheese (pepper jack, monterey jack, colby jack and cheddar), making marmalade and working in a huerto organico or organic garden. I helped plant seeds like radishes, blackberries, cilantro, onions, beets and lettuce.

Languages

The main languages I’ve heard so far are English, Spanish and Kichwa. Kichwa is a native language that was here before Spanish.I’ve loved living here so far and look forward to sharing pictures with you soon. Until then I hope that God blesses you mightily as you seek to do His will while you are on this earth.

Abundant Life

(Verse 1) I once was fatherless,

a stranger with no hope;

Your kindness wakened me,

Awakened me, from my sleep

(Verse 2) Your love it beckons deeply,

a call to come and die.

By grace now I will come

And take this life, take your life.

(Pre-chorus) Sin has lost it's power,

death has lost it's sting.

From the grave you've risen

VICTORIOUSLY!

(Chorus) Into marvelous light I'm running,

Out of darkness, out of shame.

By the cross you are the truth,

You are the life, you are the way

(Verse 3) My dead heart now is beating,

My deepest stains now clean.

Your breath fills up my lungs.

Now I'm free. now I'm free!

(Bridge) Lift my hands and spin around,

See the light that I have found.

Oh the marvelous light

Marvelous light

Lift my hands and spin

See the light within . . .

God has challenged me this weekend to push away what the world values and to embrace His abundant life that He gives freely to me.There is so much that I had on my shoulders when I arrived at our NCM ski retreat, but Praise the Lord He has taken my burdens away!Now I'm free, now I'm free!So as I thought about this weekend and all the thing God has taught me and the people He has put in my mind; I can't help but know how Amazing our Creator is!

I love Him so much and I want to make Him the center of my life.But this weekend has shown me how far away my heart is from God and how I need the help that only God can supply me with.I want to take every decision, every cry of my heart to Him in prayer.This will be hard and a lot of work and discipline on my part, but well-worth it in the long run.

I want to start anew and turn over a fresh leaf in my life.These last 2 days have helped me get a good start on this stage of my life.Right now there are so many things I have been thinking about.The top three being my Christian walk, where I'm going and what I'm doing when I graduate, and lastly who I am going to marry in the future.If you think about it, these are questions many ponder in this age of life.So, in a sense it is normal to wonder about such things.But me I want to give these to the Author and Finisher of my life.I do not want to take them into my own hands and worry over them until I'm stressed out.So I am going into the unknown trusting God and God alone to care for my life.

I love you God and thank-you so much for creating me for your glory!

Passed From This Earth

How is it that when someone has
Passed from this earth
We miss them more then when
They were here with us
But yet we don't think about them
Unless a song, word or thought
Crosses our mind from the past

Sometimes I think I'm stuck in the past
Living nowhere in the present
Yet, not even ready for the future

When life comes rushing at me
Offering it's goods and feelings
Grasping at me with it's clutches
It overwhelmes me
With it's fleshy mortality
All I want is
To keep my head in the clouds
And my eyes focused on God
But this earth calls me
To it's gravity

Though I want so much
To be out of this body
And to be home with my dad
I press on to live in this world
To live as God calls
Until He comes for His people