Why We Do What We Do

June 24th

Artezon, Ecuador

Our second day at the worksite in Artezon with this second group of M-Fuge campers made me realize why we do what we do. Why do we go half crazy for an hour and a half to put on a Vacation Bible School for the kids? Why do we paint walls that have been painted before us and that will be painted probably over in a few years? Is anything we do permanent? All these questions were running through my mind as I pulled up to Artezon and then drove the ten minute drive to Gamboa to pick up the other children.

I think I figured it out though. Over the past two days, I’ve paid a lot less attention to making sure Bible School and painting ran smoothly and a lot more attention to bonding with the children at the site. And that’s not easy because of the overwhelming number of kids there. However, certain children stand out in the crowd to you. For example, today, Danny, a five year-old from Gamboa, came up to me and wanted to play ball. Nothing more. He wasn’t asking me to give him the world, just five or ten minutes of attention. It was at that moment that I was reminded of our purpose once again: to invest in the children of Ecuador. To raise up a generation that would be different than their ancestors who had some mixed up ideas about religion and God. But in order to do this, we have to spend time with them, we have to get on their level and forgot about all of our worries and in my case, play ball. That’s how we reach them. Not necessary through Bible lessons or crafts or songs in themselves, but by being there and showing them that we care.

Out of the six days I’ve been working in Gamboa so far, this one was by far the most productive. Our group accomplished so much in terms of painting and weed-eating around playgrounds that we might be able to finish all of the task we set out to do by our last day on Thursday. After today’s work, we met all of the other M-Fuge groups working in the villages for a night in Banos. Tonight was the first night I worked as a translator in the market, seeking the best deals for the gringos. Whether futbol jerseys, scarves, or sunglasses, I was a hard bargainer and got them the best deal possible. It was fun work helping both sides come to an agreement. The night ended with a worship service in the town’s square, right in front of the Catholic church. Not even the downpour of rain could dampen the service, as many tourists staying in Banos passed by and stayed to see what was going on. It was a great way to end what was an awesome day of work.

It continues to rain here in the valley. Probably the most rain I’ve seen since I’ve been here has made the landscape pretty slick. Let’s just hope it dries up before our trek back to Artezon tomorrow morning in a pickup truck.