A little behind...

So, today I am using some down time to catch everyone up on the activities of the past few weeks.  I had hoped to be a little more disciplined about updating my blog and email updates, but sometimes we can't plan how crazy our schedule will be. 

I am now in Quito, Ecuador.  The city where I will spend the majority of my time as a university student at Pontificia Universidad Catolica.  This past week I had orientation and I am ready to start classes on Monday.  One of the main lessons that the Lord has been teaching me even when just dealing with my university and the way things are run is patience.  It has been a difficult transition coming from a university where EVERYTHING is run like clock work.  Here, I had to go and sit down with someone to register for my classes, where I am used to sitting down at the computer and working my schedule out for myself.  Then, it took three days to actually get everything worked out on the financial side of things.  But the Lord is gracious to teach us when we get frustrated about things like this if we pay attention.

Here is a picture of me on my first day of school at the bus stop: =D

I have also gained an appreciation for public transportation during my time here.  Without the metro bus it would be very costly to get around the city....especially with the amount of traffic that is in this city.

I also want to update you on what has been going on the last few weeks.  One of the biggest highlights that I want to share with you was the opportunity I had a little over a week ago to spend the day with my sponsored child from Compassion, Harol.  I felt so blessed to be able to do all of the activities that we were allowed to do.  First, we went to visit Iguana Park which is a very popular place amongst tourists in Guayaquil.  Then, we spent a few hours playing on every possible playground in Malecon.  After that, we went to a mall to grab some lunch before heading to Harol's house.  I thought I loved this little boy more than imaginable before I met him, but then I realized how wrong I was.  Now I love him even more than that.  He is so precious, and I am thankful for the opportunity God has given me to invest in him.  Before leaving the house, Harol and I played soccer for a little while and then it was time for me to go visit the Compassion center with one of the pastors.  At the Compassion center, I had the opportunity to meet Harol's teacher and see his classroom.  This day has definitely been one of the major highlights of my time here so far, and I hope to go back and visit them again before I come back to the States.

Another highlight from the past few weeks was the opportunity that we had to go and work in Ventanas for a day with a church that I helped plant two years ago on another mission trip.  The original plan had been to spend a week in Ventanas, but because of me getting sick from something I ate we had to rearrange the plans.  However, I know that this circumstance was not out of the control of the Almighty....He knew the plan perfectly.  Also, I am thankful that a majority of my Guayaquil family was able to go with us to preach the Gospel.  We spent the day talking with people who lived on the same street as the church, people I had shared the Gospel with 2 years ago!  Then, we went out to the new church and we visited with some new believers there.  One of the sweetest moments in Ventanas was when I learned that one of the women who came to know Christ while I was there now can call her mother and her sister her sisters in Christ.  They were down at the river washing their clothes when we found them, and I was able to teach them about the Samaritan woman at the well and we talked about how Jesus has called us to serve all people at all times no matter what their past may be and no matter what we may feel like at the time.  It was a sweet time of fellowship.  I also hope to return here during another weekend to spend more time working the harvest fields alongside them.

So, this is just a small piece of what the Lord has been doing in my time here in Ecuador.  I will try to be more regular about updating so that you can hear more stories! 

Ways that you can intentionally pray for me: 1. Pray that I will continue to adjust to the weather here in Quito and that I will continue learning the city quickly.  2. Pray that I will be able to divide my time well between classes and ministry in order to be the most effective.  3. Pray for me as I adjust to being more alone now than I have been.  I have been blessed to have my friend, Bekah, with me this last month as well as my precious family from Guayaquil, but now I will be on my own for the majority of the days. (Please know that I am fully aware of God's presence with me always and that alone is sufficient, but this is still an adjustment that I have to make.)

Thank you for your prayers and the time you have taken to read what God is doing here. 

With love and blessings,
Amber