I hope you enjoy my memories of the trip I took with the Proverbs 31 Speaker Team and Compassion International
Travel Time
It was a scorching 108 degrees the day we departed for Ecuador. I did not notice it though. I was so excited about the trip I was getting ready to take. The last trip I took with friends was a snow ski trip in 1991. This was a very special trip with ten of my favorite girl friends (the Proverbs 31 Speaker Team).
We all wore matching shirts , so we would be easy to spot for the Compassion International staff, but it would be a great conversation starter. It accomplished both. Ask Van Walton about her special meeting in the Atlanta Airport.
I got to sit next to LeAnn for the trip to Ecuador. We had a great time catching up and planning for the future. Once in Ecuador we were greeted by beautiful smiles and gorgeous roses.
I felt the tears beginning at the warm welcome we received. At the hotel we were served some of the most incredible juices. The hotel was fabulous. Some of us headed to the business center to send quick emails to our husbands to let them know we had arrived safely. Then it was up to our rooms. My roomie (Rachel) and I settled in, then talked for a while before we fell asleep.
Day 2
We woke up to a bright sun and a spectacular view. The city of Quito is surrounded by mountains. We headed for breakfast, where we were treated to a gourmet spread and awesome coffee. Before boarding the bus I ran back to the room to brush my teeth with bottled water of course. The local water would not be safe for us to consume.
The bus ride to the El Rancho project was like being on a roller coaster at Carowinds. We came to trust and love our bus driver over the next few days. When we arrived at our destination we were greeted by smiling faces and more roses.
As we walked into the building we received a rose and the children took our hands and led us into the very modest church building. The second the children grabbed my hands, the tears started flowing. I could not put any real emotion to the tears, except that they were falling. The children treated us to a song and dance.
We were told about one of the girls (Gabriella). She had open heart surgery for a heart valve disorder. This peeked my attention because of my background in Echocardiography. We were handed folders on the children to see how the program works. The tears came again when I received Gabriella's folder. I learned that hers was to be one of the homes we could visit. I was so excited.
At her home I was able to learn more about her surgery and explain some things to her mom. It was truly a blessing.
The camera crew that came with us pulled me for some questions. I am not sure who had more tears, Pete or me!!
I was taken aback by the genuine hospitality these people showed us. There surroundings were unbearable by our standards, yet they were excited to have us their and gladly showed us their dwellings.
We headed back to the project to meet our sponsored child and have lunch. I
was very anxious to meet David. I was overjoyed when his mom was with him. My tears poured out again when I met and hugged him. He grabbed my neck and just smiled at me. We talked about his dreams, he want to be a policeman. My son David also want to be a policeman. He likes soccer, cars, and animals. His mom said is a good student. I was impressed with his printing of letters and numbers. She said he likes to help with chores and loves his pet dogs.
When it was time to go, I hated to leave David. A piece of my heart went with him. The tears would flow on the way back.
Our bus was stuck in a crater like rut. Rain was beginning to fall. The team got to throw our weight around to help us break free. It was successful and we were on the roller coaster ride back to the hotel.
We had a little time to rest and freshen up before dinner. Dinner held another treat. We were joined by three students from Compassion International Leadership Program. These are students who have graduated from the traditional Compassion project and are in college. They shared their testimonies with us. Two of them even shared in English. The tears were flowing again.
At dinner I sat next to Veronica. She is a CI employee in Ecuador. I was blown away by her heart. She started a project near her home place, it is five years old now. She plans to go and start another project in the rain forest. More tears.
Rachel talked some more that night with more tears, then fell asleep.
I hope you enjoy my memories. I will continue in the next post.
Blessings,
Travel Time
It was a scorching 108 degrees the day we departed for Ecuador. I did not notice it though. I was so excited about the trip I was getting ready to take. The last trip I took with friends was a snow ski trip in 1991. This was a very special trip with ten of my favorite girl friends (the Proverbs 31 Speaker Team).
We all wore matching shirts , so we would be easy to spot for the Compassion International staff, but it would be a great conversation starter. It accomplished both. Ask Van Walton about her special meeting in the Atlanta Airport.
I got to sit next to LeAnn for the trip to Ecuador. We had a great time catching up and planning for the future. Once in Ecuador we were greeted by beautiful smiles and gorgeous roses.
I felt the tears beginning at the warm welcome we received. At the hotel we were served some of the most incredible juices. The hotel was fabulous. Some of us headed to the business center to send quick emails to our husbands to let them know we had arrived safely. Then it was up to our rooms. My roomie (Rachel) and I settled in, then talked for a while before we fell asleep.
Day 2
We woke up to a bright sun and a spectacular view. The city of Quito is surrounded by mountains. We headed for breakfast, where we were treated to a gourmet spread and awesome coffee. Before boarding the bus I ran back to the room to brush my teeth with bottled water of course. The local water would not be safe for us to consume.
The bus ride to the El Rancho project was like being on a roller coaster at Carowinds. We came to trust and love our bus driver over the next few days. When we arrived at our destination we were greeted by smiling faces and more roses.
As we walked into the building we received a rose and the children took our hands and led us into the very modest church building. The second the children grabbed my hands, the tears started flowing. I could not put any real emotion to the tears, except that they were falling. The children treated us to a song and dance.
We were told about one of the girls (Gabriella). She had open heart surgery for a heart valve disorder. This peeked my attention because of my background in Echocardiography. We were handed folders on the children to see how the program works. The tears came again when I received Gabriella's folder. I learned that hers was to be one of the homes we could visit. I was so excited.
At her home I was able to learn more about her surgery and explain some things to her mom. It was truly a blessing.
The camera crew that came with us pulled me for some questions. I am not sure who had more tears, Pete or me!!
I was taken aback by the genuine hospitality these people showed us. There surroundings were unbearable by our standards, yet they were excited to have us their and gladly showed us their dwellings.
We headed back to the project to meet our sponsored child and have lunch. I
was very anxious to meet David. I was overjoyed when his mom was with him. My tears poured out again when I met and hugged him. He grabbed my neck and just smiled at me. We talked about his dreams, he want to be a policeman. My son David also want to be a policeman. He likes soccer, cars, and animals. His mom said is a good student. I was impressed with his printing of letters and numbers. She said he likes to help with chores and loves his pet dogs.When it was time to go, I hated to leave David. A piece of my heart went with him. The tears would flow on the way back.
Our bus was stuck in a crater like rut. Rain was beginning to fall. The team got to throw our weight around to help us break free. It was successful and we were on the roller coaster ride back to the hotel.
We had a little time to rest and freshen up before dinner. Dinner held another treat. We were joined by three students from Compassion International Leadership Program. These are students who have graduated from the traditional Compassion project and are in college. They shared their testimonies with us. Two of them even shared in English. The tears were flowing again.
At dinner I sat next to Veronica. She is a CI employee in Ecuador. I was blown away by her heart. She started a project near her home place, it is five years old now. She plans to go and start another project in the rain forest. More tears.
Rachel talked some more that night with more tears, then fell asleep.
I hope you enjoy my memories. I will continue in the next post.
Blessings,
1 Comments:
What a beautiful post and blog! I will be back to visit again :-)
God Bless,
<>< Kelly (Kellyque)
Three Hearts For Home
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