We’re coming up on the weekend. It is Friday, June 30th, and this month has flown by. This past week we had the opportunity to travel to a small town in the jungle just a few hours West of Quito. Mindo, it is called. It was a “cultural experience” and it certainly taught us a little about the culture and how to act. Or in some cases, we learned through observation how NOT to act. We got to experience some fun things, as well. We got to see the chocolate making process as we passed by a Chocolate Factory of Mindo, we experienced ziplining over the jungle canopy in the ‘superman’ style, and I found out I was a butterfly whisperer when 7 butterflies landed on me at the Mariposario (butterfly garden). This picture was just before the last one landed on my head.
Liam's Life Lesson time, folks
Do I miss home? Yes. I certainly do. I miss the smell of traffic, trust me it smells significantly better in Los Angeles. I miss going to church on Sunday and being able to fully track with the message. I miss being able to see dogs on the street and not having to wonder if they’ll come chasing after me. I miss In-N-Out burgers. Most foods, for that matter. I miss my family and my friends.
But I’m beginning to see how important it is to not let such things detract from the moment God has blessed us with.
He has brought me to this country, He has helped me find a capacity in which I could serve hundreds (if not thousands), He has surrounded me with so many possibilities to build connections to further His name. It would be foolish of me to get so caught up in yearning for a double-double, animal fries, and a vanilla shake, that I altogether miss the opportunities I have been given.
Currently, at the office, I am working on designing a water system with roughly 193 connections. First off, I’m designing it. Not the supervisor, not the other licensed engineers. I’ve been given the opportunity to learn through experience (they make themselves available for my questions) how to design these systems efficiently. Secondly, 193 connections means 193 homes. Each home with roughly 4 or 5 residents. You can do the math. But I never quite realized the extent of my work, or that it would be reaching so many people. God has given me such a gigantic blessing in both being able to serve, and with these community members teaching me and blessing me in so many other areas. How could I ignore that? Two days ago, our language school had a party to send off some students (our very own Emma Yunker included. She will be leaving on the 4th of July) and while there I had a chance to just sit and get to know a couple from Virginia and a man from Japan. All three of them are absolutely wonderful people to be around. Here’s the thing: that day, I was exhausted, I was feeling under the weather. All around, as I would think about the event during the workday, I would have an urge to simply not attend. But boy am I glad I did. And with those moments of laughter, learning, and understanding, I asked myself this question: how could I ever let myself get so caught up in myself that I miss such moments as these.
That’s about it for now, folks. I would ask that you would keep our team in your prayers for a couple things:
That we would be always anxious to see where God will lead us
That we would be able to grow in our communications with the Quichua people, building relationships that we shine Christ’s love
As I said earlier, Emma, one of the other interns, is leaving on July 4th to return home. Pray for her travels, that God’s hand would be over her. Pray for her grandmother, who will be undergoing open-heart surgery shortly after. And pray for us, that we would be able to continue strong. Speaking personally, she and I bonded very quickly and I know that when she’s gone, it’ll be a little rougher going through the ups and the downs.
That by being in our host home, we would have an impact on all those who live here.
Thank you for all of your love and your support.
With love, and a little bit of homesickness,
Liam
P.S. as I was writing this post, "We Will Rock You" was being blasted from the park a kilometer away. Not a bad way to end one's night, however unexpected. Enjoy this picture of a quinoa field.
