Thursday (7/1) evening we went to a Gustavo’s church and the topic was being a good steward of your money…I think. The pastor was talking really fast. I attempted to translate for Allison who was sitting next to me but I failed miserably. After church we went to Eduardo’s Mexican restaurant for supper. Got to wear a sombrero and dance a little to the mariachi music. Check out pics on facebook.
The 7 hour bus ride that evening was a killer. The road was very windy and the driver was going muy rapido. Gustavo unfortantely got sick…we all had a lack of sleep and waited at the smelly bus terminal in Guayaquil until sunrise (you know, to make sure we didn’t run into any vampires).
We got a taxi ride from there to the Mormon temple. Apparently most of the white people in Guayaquil are Mormon and the driver assumed that’s where we were going when we told him what street. The ironic thing is, two of the interns (Sara & Allison) are sisters from Utah so they know all about Mormonism. The other Sarah just walked right through the gate because she had no idea it was a Mormon temple and thought that was the park we needed to go to, jajajaja.
Sharon from Operation Mobilization came to pick us up and brought us to the OM house to chill until we had to leave for the park/orphanage. Btw, the whole reason for this trip to Guayaquil was that I could meet my sponsor child, Michelle (see above photo) and the rest of the gang came as traveling buddies and served at an orphanage during the day.
We had tuna onion soup (encebollado) for breakfast. Any other time of day would be fine, but fish for breakfast is just not my thing. After that we joined everyone at the OM office for morning prayer. Stan and Gustavo came with me to the park to meet the Compassion International representatives. While we were waiting Gus taught me a cool trick that you could talk into one corner of the Rotonda statue and the person on the other side could hear you as if they were right next to you.
Natalie and another woman (her name escapes me) brought me to "the project" school & chapel where Michelle attends. The kids sang “Quien es el Rey de la Selva” (Who’s the King of the Jungle). They also made a placemat for me with all of their handprints and had me add my handprint as well. Michelle made beautiful maracas for me with water bottles and yarn with the colors of the Ecuadorian flag.
Unfortunately the camera that I borrowed from Sarah didn't work. Thankfully the reps had a camera and said they would be able to send them in the next letter Michelle sends to me.
After I visited her school we left to see Michelle's house. She lives in a poor and seemingly rough neighborhood. Her whole house is made of cement along with all of her neighbors on her street. She & her cousin sleep w/ their moms and her grandma lives there too. Their dog, Cookie, was chained on the roof so he wouldn’t run away. Michelle showed me the rest of her neighborhood at her back door and I saw many shacks on stilts on the polluted Guayaquil river. She had the picture that I sent her from the last time I was in Ecuador on her mirror, gave me a purse she made, and I taught her family how to play UNO.
Later we went to the Mall for Oreo ice cream & KFC for lunch. We went back to the park and played with toy boats, made a friendship bracelet, bubbles, colored, and I gave her a Spanish New Testament. Before the group came to pick me up I taught Michelle the trick at the statue and she really liked it. I was so thankful that some of the girls brought cameras with them when they came to pick me up because they were able to take a picture of las Michelitas. It was hard saying goodbye because I don’t know the next time I will see her.
Before we left we spent some more time with the OM missionaries and flew back around midnight back to Quito. Though it was very late, the flight was much better than that killer bus ride.
It was such a blessing to meet little Michelle. Please pray for her as she continues to grow and experience life’s challenges. Pray that she will grow more and more in her relationship with Christ. I am so blessed to be able to sponsor such a sweet girl. If you’re reading this and are sponsoring a child through some organization like Compassion or World Vision don’t take that for granted. Take time to write letters and if you are able, see if you can visit your child. For those of you who God is tugging at your heart convicting you to sponsor a child, please follow that call, it’s totally vale la pena (worth it)! God can use you in mighty ways and show you his heart for the children of this world.
As always thanks for your prayers and encouragement. Also a BIG thank you to those of you who have sponsored me this summer. Your sacrifice does not go unnoticed. More on this week coming soon!
Paz,
Michelle
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