During my first days here, as they turned into weeks and then into months, I often thought to myself; will I ever return home? Although there were many times when I was around Americans from the United States, I have to say that I did not feel at home. I'm sure many of you will agree that when one travels outside the confines of their country and the circle of family and friends that surrounds them; they are ultimately in a foreign place estranged from everything they hold dear. Well, this was my story, and although I decided to study abroad to improve my spanish skills; I wasn't quite sure what all this year would entail for me. I then decided that I would have to learn to cope in this place I found myself and that since I had chosen to live here for a year, there was going to be some changes in my outlook of life. So needless to say I began listening to music, watching movies and television and trying to speak only in Spanish so that I might become somewhat fluent by the time I return to my beloved homeland. Afterall a year is an awful long time to be away from one's culture and I thought I would try to gain Spanish fluency if I ever wanted to return in the future.
Weeks passed and months moved along, at times at a snail's pace as I travelled this small but beautiful country learning all I could wrap my mind around about it's people, culture, political situation and problems which I tried to understand. As our two month vacation after the first semester came and went and the second semester arrived, I enrolled in a Kichwa class so that I might learn the first language of a large amount of the population here in Ecuador. That way when I spoke to them they would feel more at home around me and maybe even accept me as more than just a “gringa”. When I learned that there were many different people groups here, it made me feel more at home in the sense that I as well came from a different culture and people group.
These last few months of my life I have grown as I learned to live in the world around me and what it means to be a stranger in a foreign country. It has been a time of change in my short lifespan of twenty-two years that I will never forget; nor do I want to. As my time draws to a close in this wonderful and different country called Ecuador I find myself with mixed feelings as I will miss this place when I leave, so I thought I would put together some snapshots of images from the last ten months of my life of the people and faces that will forever be in my memory. Now as I begin the process to finish out my studies here and return to my hometown in Washington State, I will always remember Ecuador as I saw it through the lens of my camera and hopefully have the chance to look again on it's beauty as the hope of coming back is never too far from my mind.
Monday, June 02, 2008
Monday, March 31, 2008
My Reality
This is what I see in the reality I live today
People walking around contaminated with filth and grime
Too materialistic and philosophically cold-hearted to take notice; to the Life, the Truth, the Way
Like a world without color the way they live this life
They fill their daily walk with "important" things to do
But in their hearts they harbor their emptiness, pain and strife
This is what I see in the world I live today
Believers who are afraid to step on toes
A lot of time wasted in what we should do, think and say
We pray and ask for wisdom without us having read
the Bible, our manuscript, the precious Word of God
But we forget inside it says: "faith without works is dead"
This is what I see in the world I live today
A future hopeless and desolate without true meaning
The world's inhabitants ambuling about following every sway
You see we are their messengers of truth; speaking against the lies
No matter the circumstance we need to overcome
With God as our forfront we'll continue marching; as the spiritually wise
This is what I see in the world I live in today
The earthly beings that they are looking for "something new"
But searching and searching though they've done; the Truth they still push away
Alas surge on we will, following closely the footsteps of our Lord
Though laugh at us they must; still blinded by their deceitful prince
There is yet a war at hand and we shall vanquish with the Sword
Friday, March 28, 2008
13 It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.” With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak, 14 because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence. 15 All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.
2 Corinthians 4:13-15
Do you ever feel that no matter where you are at any given moment you do not feel “at home”?I have felt this way many times throughout my life and although I have travelled to many different places; this feeling is because we as believers in Christ do not belong on this earth. Though we try hard as we might to make this our dwelling by blending in with our coworkers, classmates, family and neighbors; alas there is no faking it . . . it doesn't work.
16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18
You see? As the following passage of Scripture states, this should be our goal:
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2a Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith
Hebrews 12:1-2a
God has big plans for us according to His will, but we must shake off our human selves and act as what we have been made for . . . servants of Christ. I want to encourage you to not let your guard down no matter how easy or difficult you may have it in this world remember that we are always in an unseen battle with God's main enemy; Satan. Allow me to share a paragraph or two from C.S. Lewis one of my favorite authors from his book “The Screwtape Letters”.
MY DEAR WORMWOOD,
The real trouble about the set your patient is living in is that it is merely Christian. They all have individual interests, of course, bu the bond remains mere Christianity. What we want, if men become Christians at all, is to keep them in the state of mind I call 'Christianity And'. You know---Christianity and the Crisis, Christianity and the New Psychology, Christianity and the New Order, Christianity and Faith Healing, Christianity and Psychical Research, Christianity and Vegetarianism, Christianity and Spelling Reform. If they must be Christians let them at least be Christians with a dfference. Substitute for the faith itself some Fashion with Christian colouring. Work on their horror of the Same Old Thing.
“The Screwtape Letters ch. 25 pp.1”
This is what has happens to our world when we as believers get swayed from our Rock and Fortress Jesus Christ. Below is a passage of Scripture that I turn to when my mind drifts from the real situation I am in on earth.
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Ephesians 6:10-12
“ . . . but the greatest triumph of all is to elevate this horror of the Same Old Thing into a philosophy so that nonsense in the intellect may reinforce corruption in the will. It is here that the general Evolutionary or Historical character of modern European thought (partly our work) comes in so useful. The Enemy [speaking of God here] loves platitudes. Of a proposed course of action He wants men, so far as I can see, to ask very simple questions; is it righteous? is it prudent? is it possible? Now if we keep men asking 'Is it in accordance with the general movement of our time? Is it progressive or reactionary? Is this the way that History is going?' they will neglect the relevant questions, And the questions they do ask are, of course, unanswerable; for they do not know the future, and what the future will be depends very largelyy on just those choices which they now invoke the future to help them to make. As a result, while their minds are buzzing in this vacuum, we ahve the better chance to slip in and bend them to the action we have decided on. And great work has already been done. Once they know that some changes were for the better, and others for the worse, and others again indifferent. We have largley removed this knowledge. For the descriptive adjective 'unchanged' we have substituted the emotionl adjective 'stagnant'. We have trained them to think of the Future as a promised land which favoured heroes attain---not as something which everyone reaces at the rate of sixty minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is,”
“The Screwtape Letters ch. 25 pp.6”
Let me leave you with one final Scripture passage for the week. May God truly bless you with His truth and grace as you adhere to His word and therefore attain His wisdom so as to combat the flaming arrows of our enemy; because he never rests from his work of deception.
1 Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. 2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. 3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not whither. Whatever he does prospers. 4 Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. 6 For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
Psalm ch. 1
Forever a daughter of the Most High and His servant while I pass through my time on earth towards my permanent home . . . Heaven.
~until then~
2 Corinthians 4:13-15
Do you ever feel that no matter where you are at any given moment you do not feel “at home”?I have felt this way many times throughout my life and although I have travelled to many different places; this feeling is because we as believers in Christ do not belong on this earth. Though we try hard as we might to make this our dwelling by blending in with our coworkers, classmates, family and neighbors; alas there is no faking it . . . it doesn't work.
16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18
You see? As the following passage of Scripture states, this should be our goal:
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2a Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith
Hebrews 12:1-2a
God has big plans for us according to His will, but we must shake off our human selves and act as what we have been made for . . . servants of Christ. I want to encourage you to not let your guard down no matter how easy or difficult you may have it in this world remember that we are always in an unseen battle with God's main enemy; Satan. Allow me to share a paragraph or two from C.S. Lewis one of my favorite authors from his book “The Screwtape Letters”.
MY DEAR WORMWOOD,
The real trouble about the set your patient is living in is that it is merely Christian. They all have individual interests, of course, bu the bond remains mere Christianity. What we want, if men become Christians at all, is to keep them in the state of mind I call 'Christianity And'. You know---Christianity and the Crisis, Christianity and the New Psychology, Christianity and the New Order, Christianity and Faith Healing, Christianity and Psychical Research, Christianity and Vegetarianism, Christianity and Spelling Reform. If they must be Christians let them at least be Christians with a dfference. Substitute for the faith itself some Fashion with Christian colouring. Work on their horror of the Same Old Thing.
“The Screwtape Letters ch. 25 pp.1”
This is what has happens to our world when we as believers get swayed from our Rock and Fortress Jesus Christ. Below is a passage of Scripture that I turn to when my mind drifts from the real situation I am in on earth.
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Ephesians 6:10-12
“ . . . but the greatest triumph of all is to elevate this horror of the Same Old Thing into a philosophy so that nonsense in the intellect may reinforce corruption in the will. It is here that the general Evolutionary or Historical character of modern European thought (partly our work) comes in so useful. The Enemy [speaking of God here] loves platitudes. Of a proposed course of action He wants men, so far as I can see, to ask very simple questions; is it righteous? is it prudent? is it possible? Now if we keep men asking 'Is it in accordance with the general movement of our time? Is it progressive or reactionary? Is this the way that History is going?' they will neglect the relevant questions, And the questions they do ask are, of course, unanswerable; for they do not know the future, and what the future will be depends very largelyy on just those choices which they now invoke the future to help them to make. As a result, while their minds are buzzing in this vacuum, we ahve the better chance to slip in and bend them to the action we have decided on. And great work has already been done. Once they know that some changes were for the better, and others for the worse, and others again indifferent. We have largley removed this knowledge. For the descriptive adjective 'unchanged' we have substituted the emotionl adjective 'stagnant'. We have trained them to think of the Future as a promised land which favoured heroes attain---not as something which everyone reaces at the rate of sixty minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is,”
“The Screwtape Letters ch. 25 pp.6”
Let me leave you with one final Scripture passage for the week. May God truly bless you with His truth and grace as you adhere to His word and therefore attain His wisdom so as to combat the flaming arrows of our enemy; because he never rests from his work of deception.
1 Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. 2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. 3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not whither. Whatever he does prospers. 4 Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. 6 For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
Psalm ch. 1
Forever a daughter of the Most High and His servant while I pass through my time on earth towards my permanent home . . . Heaven.
~until then~
Friday, January 25, 2008
Ecuador Project: Las Casas Altas
I am currently asking people to gather a few school supplies for the kids I volunteered with this last semester.Or even if you know of kids that have too many school supplies that they are not going to use and you would like to donate to help kids that do not have money to purchase these items.
My mom is coming to visit me the first week in March and will bring everything that has been gathered with her to help me deliver them to the kiddos.
If you live in the Tri-Cities and would like to help or know someone that would like to help, the list of supplies is below.Feel free to send me a message if this is feasible for you and your budget.
100 of each of the following:
Number 2 pencils
Blue, Red and Black BIC pens (the clear ones with colored lids)
pencil sharpeners (dollar store ones are fine)
erasers
8 pack of Crayola crayons
Pictures of the kids I volunteered with are below, just follow the link. ;D
Las Casas Altas - http://uidaho.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2051540&l=9fc32&id=40308828
My mom is coming to visit me the first week in March and will bring everything that has been gathered with her to help me deliver them to the kiddos.
If you live in the Tri-Cities and would like to help or know someone that would like to help, the list of supplies is below.Feel free to send me a message if this is feasible for you and your budget.
100 of each of the following:
Number 2 pencils
Blue, Red and Black BIC pens (the clear ones with colored lids)
pencil sharpeners (dollar store ones are fine)
erasers
8 pack of Crayola crayons
Pictures of the kids I volunteered with are below, just follow the link. ;D
Las Casas Altas - http://uidaho.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2051540&l=9fc32&id=40308828
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Ecuador Update 5
This month so far has had its ups and downs.It was fantastic celebrating the coming of the new year or should I say the farewell to the old year (año viejo) 2007.They celebrate by making año viejos. These are life-sized made with old clothes stuffed with newspaper, stuffing or other material . . . kindof like scarecrows.They put masks on them usually of political figures like presidents of the different countries or children characters like the Simpson family, Spiderman or like this year Shrek was popular.And in the main street in town they set up big stages with even bigger people figures.These likenesses ranged from different soccer teams, stages with ecological demonstrations, more political figures and also some well-known characters.Each stage has statements and political promises that weren´t kept in 2007 and new statements which they hope to fulfill in the new year.
Another tradition they have is for guys to dress up as widows.They put on dresses (usually black), wear wigs and do other things to look like women.The reason behind this is that the old year is the husband that has died.So there are groups of guys dressed as widows stopping cars on the eve of Dec 31st asking for money to support them (as widows who don´t have husbands) but in reality the money goes to purchase gasoline and matches to burn their año viejo at the strike of 12.
At the strike of midnight the figures on the stages and each stuffed figure representing the old year are burned.In every neighborhood people gather together in the streets to celebrate the burning of the old year and the new hopes of the coming year.
Later on in the month I took a 11-day trip around different parts of Ecuador.I travelled with a friend I met a few months ago who is from Finland.We travelled first to a beach town called Salinas.This is 10-11 hrs on a bus so we took a night bus.We stayed for 4 days and spent 2 of those at a beautiful beach nearby (an hour and a half) called Montañita.The second stop in our travels was a city bigger than Quito called Guayaquil.It is also near the coast and had humid climate.
It was enjoyable but the insects definitely came with it.And although I used insect repellent I´m still recovering from my more than 75 bug bites. ;D Ok, on to the next city which was Cuenca.This city is famous for it´s churches . . . and they were beautiful!We sat atop the upper half of a tour bus so we could take better pictures of the city.I couldn´t think of a better deal than $5 per person for a tour of a beautiful city.Our last stop on the trip was some magnificent Inca ruins that are now protected under law in a place called Ingapirca.Since this was just a day trip we headed back to Cuenca to buy bus tickets for the night bus to Quito.(Another 8-9 hrs)But before we headed back we made one last stop at a famous Panama hat place in Cuenca to take some souvenir photos.At every stop we took pictures so I hope you enjoy my trip as you browse through the photos.All the links are below.
Salinas, Ecuador - http://uidaho.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2055957&l=adcbd&id=40308828
Montañita, Ecuador - http://uidaho.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2055956&l=e0253&id=40308828
Cuenca, Ecuador Part 1 - http://uidaho.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2055570&l=ea32d&id=40308828
Cuenca, Ecuador Part 2 - http://uidaho.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2055618&l=30f9e&id=40308828
Ingapirca, Ecuador - http://uidaho.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2055694&l=ee9d8&id=40308828
Guayaquil, Ecuador Part 1 - http://uidaho.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2055693&l=336d1&id=40308828
Guayaquil, Ecuador Part 2 - http://uidaho.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2055697&l=67460&id=40308828
Lastly I am here in Quito waiting for the next couple weeks to pass until I join up with the other University of Idaho students.We are heading to the Pastaza Province in the Amazon rainforest for a week long trip.If you can´t tell by now, I´m not back in classes yet from my Christmas break.We had 2 months to do all the travelling we wanted.After we return back to Quito from the Amazon we´ll be back at the university.
Let me close with a few verses that have been alive in my life this month.May God bless all your friends and family this week, and may you reflect God´s light and love into the lives of the people around you.
The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.
Proverbs 11:30
Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.
Proverbs 13:12
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
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. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God's sight.
I Corinthians 3:18-19A
And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.
Ephesians 1:22-23
Another tradition they have is for guys to dress up as widows.They put on dresses (usually black), wear wigs and do other things to look like women.The reason behind this is that the old year is the husband that has died.So there are groups of guys dressed as widows stopping cars on the eve of Dec 31st asking for money to support them (as widows who don´t have husbands) but in reality the money goes to purchase gasoline and matches to burn their año viejo at the strike of 12.
At the strike of midnight the figures on the stages and each stuffed figure representing the old year are burned.In every neighborhood people gather together in the streets to celebrate the burning of the old year and the new hopes of the coming year.
Later on in the month I took a 11-day trip around different parts of Ecuador.I travelled with a friend I met a few months ago who is from Finland.We travelled first to a beach town called Salinas.This is 10-11 hrs on a bus so we took a night bus.We stayed for 4 days and spent 2 of those at a beautiful beach nearby (an hour and a half) called Montañita.The second stop in our travels was a city bigger than Quito called Guayaquil.It is also near the coast and had humid climate.
It was enjoyable but the insects definitely came with it.And although I used insect repellent I´m still recovering from my more than 75 bug bites. ;D Ok, on to the next city which was Cuenca.This city is famous for it´s churches . . . and they were beautiful!We sat atop the upper half of a tour bus so we could take better pictures of the city.I couldn´t think of a better deal than $5 per person for a tour of a beautiful city.Our last stop on the trip was some magnificent Inca ruins that are now protected under law in a place called Ingapirca.Since this was just a day trip we headed back to Cuenca to buy bus tickets for the night bus to Quito.(Another 8-9 hrs)But before we headed back we made one last stop at a famous Panama hat place in Cuenca to take some souvenir photos.At every stop we took pictures so I hope you enjoy my trip as you browse through the photos.All the links are below.
Salinas, Ecuador - http://uidaho.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2055957&l=adcbd&id=40308828
Montañita, Ecuador - http://uidaho.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2055956&l=e0253&id=40308828
Cuenca, Ecuador Part 1 - http://uidaho.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2055570&l=ea32d&id=40308828
Cuenca, Ecuador Part 2 - http://uidaho.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2055618&l=30f9e&id=40308828
Ingapirca, Ecuador - http://uidaho.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2055694&l=ee9d8&id=40308828
Guayaquil, Ecuador Part 1 - http://uidaho.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2055693&l=336d1&id=40308828
Guayaquil, Ecuador Part 2 - http://uidaho.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2055697&l=67460&id=40308828
Lastly I am here in Quito waiting for the next couple weeks to pass until I join up with the other University of Idaho students.We are heading to the Pastaza Province in the Amazon rainforest for a week long trip.If you can´t tell by now, I´m not back in classes yet from my Christmas break.We had 2 months to do all the travelling we wanted.After we return back to Quito from the Amazon we´ll be back at the university.
Let me close with a few verses that have been alive in my life this month.May God bless all your friends and family this week, and may you reflect God´s light and love into the lives of the people around you.
The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.
Proverbs 11:30
Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.
Proverbs 13:12
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
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. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God's sight.
I Corinthians 3:18-19A
And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.
Ephesians 1:22-23
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