Friday, February 20, 2009

CARNIVALi

Well, the time has come when Carnival has started. It is an ancient tradition here in Ecuador that they have a four day vacation at the beginning of the rainy season to mark the time of planting. While it used to be a time when the natives would laugh and enjoy each others company while celebrating the time of a new season, now it has turned into a four day water fight for all. As my sister and I, and Grant and his sister, were walking home from work today, Grant and I surprised our sisters with a first splash of fun. The excitement isnt really in getting each other wet, the excitement comes in finding creative ways to surprise your friends! Everyone here in Ecuador is so excited about Carnival and praying for warm weather so we dont freeze when we get water thrown on us!

There has been alot of happenings in these last few days. On Wednesday Grant and I had our first planning meeting for the Discipleship ministry down here, and we are really excited about the possibilities that come with that. We are pumped to learn more about their plans and see the ministry in action. Also on Wednesday we had another meeting for S.O.S. It was definitely a small accomplishment for me because one of the girls that came was the same girl that I talked to on Friday night, so we were able to talk again and there is a relationship starting. It is really exciting to see that happening. She was really vulnerable during the small group time, and I am hoping that tonight we will be able to talk again and that a trust can form. I know that it is only a small step, but I am hoping that it can be a relationship that is encouraging and glorifying to God.

Yesterday was an encouraging day, and I felt like I got alot accomplished. After our early morning Spanish classes, I spent quite alot of time studying Spanish and working on homework for various other things. In the afternoon I had some free time so I was able to get on skype and talk to a few people. It is always really encouraging to talk to friends from home and learn about what is going there! Then, after dinner my sister and I cleaned up the kitchen and cooked lunch for today. As we were cooking my brother David was playing songs on the guitar and singing. We had a ton of fun singing, cooking and sometimes dancing. I love spending time with my family, it is so much fun and they are so kind! Everyday that I can communicate with them better is an accomplishment and exciting to get to know them better as well.

As we look forward to this Carnival Vacation, please pray for...
1. Our ministry here, that we will be glorifying to God and spreading His love wherever we go.
2. The safety of anyone traveling, they have had alot of mud slides from the mountains, and the roads are really bad around here.
3. Our emotional health, alot of people are struggling, and that makes everything so much harder to experience with an open mind.
and 4. Please pray for the people that we meet and the people of Ecuador, that they will experience God and come to know Him as their Savior.

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