Well a most wholehearted hello and welcome back to all of you. It has been a couple of weeks since I last updated everyone on my trip down south, so I thought I’d get right into talking about the pretty cool things happening right now. First, I had the opportunity to experience an Ecuadorian family reunion with the fun-loving Carrasco clan. All in all, there were about 90 people gathered at this beautiful countryside hacienda for the entirety of a Saturday afternoon, evening, and late night. Being one of only two gringitos taking part in the festivities, which consisted of the tried-and-true mix of eating, drinking, and dancing, made for a unique experience that I’ll never forget.
I also recently started shadowing some of the doctors at La Fundación, Verbo Church’s health clinic/hospital just north of the beautiful downtown. It was a little difficult to make the decision to go ahead and start spending time there since it would mean less time in ministry and serving at La Esperanza, but as with almost every other door that opens to us, we felt it best to walk through with the trust that God is leading and directing us at every step of this journey in Ecuador. Of course we were not disappointed, for with a little change comes new things that give fresh life to the old. Every morning, Ryan and I have had an uninterrupted thirty-minutes to pray and marvel at the sights of the Tomebamba river and the incredible architecture of the historic district as we walk through the streets of the just-waking-up city on our way to the foundation. Trust me, there is no substitute to starting the day with some time with the Lord and a little dose of man-made beauty.
And last but not least, we had the immense pleasure to accompany a medical brigade from the U.S. down to the Oro coastal cities of Santa Rosa and Pasaje. To our great surprise, we were tasked with translating for the providers, a responsibility I definitely felt unqualified for but one that grew me in so many ways over the course of six days that I can hardly believe I even considered another alternative. To be perfectly honest, I hardly slept the night before our first clinic day for fear of my inadequacy to pick up on the subtle details (all in Spanish, mind you) necessary for a thorough medical diagnosis. But God somehow provided understanding and a confidence in my grasp of the Spanish language that I’ve never before seen, and through Him I was able to translate for doctors, physical therapists, and nurses and share with many the unbelievably good news of a salvation through the unending generosity of a gracious God. That week of translating was without a doubt one of the most mentally taxing things I’ve ever done up to this point in my life, but I think that’s a sure sign that what I was doing was way beyond just treating sick people: it was ministry on a grand scale, and I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything.
There and Back Again 