I am very happy to have plenty of time to write a blog update today. The team recently received a team from Christ Church in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. This was a crazy time due to the protests going on in Ecuador. The team arrived around 9:30 pm, but we were unable to get to the airport until around 4 am due to so many impassable roads. The protestors blocked roads with fires and by throwing flammable objects from a bridge onto the road below to keep cars from passing! Ecuadorian law enforcement were everywhere that night and used teargas as a way to deter the protestors. Some of the tear gas did get into our bus through the air vents but not enough to cause any serious harm - just enough to make our eyes water and us cough. More than anything, the usual 45-minute trip to the airport was just very long. We would try to go one way only to find the road blocked, then go another way and it would be blocked as well. In the end, the best strategy was just to wait it out. By 3:30 the protestors were either too tired or too drunk to keep protesting and the fires were put out for the night and we were able to cross.
We interns were not the only ones that had a long night; the team from Elizabeth City basically spent the whole night in the airport. They were definitely troopers through that night and displayed great perseverance. Their team had a great sense of humor and adventure, and I really enjoyed being around them. There were only three high schoolers on the team which was much different from the first team I received that was basically all high schoolers. I was able to bond with these guys through playing basketball, encouraging them, and being someone they could relate to while they were in a foreign place. This proved to be a very good thing! At the end of the trip, Daniel Cenci, the team leader and priest of Christ Church, offered me a job as a youth intern. I was ecstatic at the offer and have been praying and considering it as a next step.
The protests had some pretty big effects on the team’s ministry and activities schedule. Many events previously arranged to be held in South Quito required alternative plans since the protests were worse in that area. The team ended up going to Casa Gabriel, a boys home for males over the age of 18 designed to help them get off the streets and develop a sense of discipline, mature them as men, and disciple them. I was thrilled to be able to work with Casa Gabriel because the guys in the program are very fun and easy to get along with. I also enjoy the company of the house dad, Angel and the director, Jorge Estevez.
The team at Casa Gabriel completed projects such as cleaning out the garage, painting, and deep cleaning the kitchen, but we eventually got so invested in Casa Gabriel that we began coming up with new ideas to help. After cutting the grass with machetes, we decided to buy Casa G a weed eater and also had the idea to fill in some holes in the garage with quick concrete. It was beautiful to see the team get so invested in Casa G so quickly and to see the way that God works.
After serving at Casa G, we were eventually able to go to a church in South Quito and lead a Vacation Bible School and complete several work projects! This team was a lot of fun and they also taught me a lot. One thing that I will take away from the time I spent with this team is I learned how to see past the outer appearance of people and love a person for their heart. The funny thing is, I often notice things about people that make me feel better than them and overlook their incredible inner qualities - like their compassion for others, their heart, their intentions, and their efforts. I hope that I never forget this lesson.
Thank you for reading and please be in prayer for me going forward as I consider my options such as interning at Christ Church Elizabeth City as a youth pastor or continuing in missions. Who knows where God could lead me! Only He knows!
Thank you for reading,
Isaac
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