July 26th
Quito, Ecuador
Reacquainted with my church, we woke up early at the Howard Johnson Hotel in downtown Quito to a partly cloudy, sunny sky overhead. With the knowledge that it’s my last week here in Ecuador, I’m determined to soak up everything that I can and to pack as many memories into my head as possible. Catching up with those from my church was a real blessing. I had the opportunity to share with them (as did Steve) about different things that have happened this summer. Some of the stories that I shared I went into great detail on this blog and other stories I saved for when they arrived.
I’ve known for a long time that missionaries always have interesting stories. Brother Steve has so many that I continue to hear new ones each day. I guess you can say that I’ve accumulated a few of my own this summer. With a four hour long bus ride to the camp, I had the ability to share some of those memories with the group and had some time to catch up with my Dad.
Our bus ride was curtailed by the Tour de Ecuador that comes down the Pan American highway outside of Quito, so for the second straight day we were stuck in traffic. This time though, we got out and had a chance to watch the bikers draft downhill, followed by their support vehicles. When the race finally let up, we continued into Ambato where we ate at La Fornace, a nice pizza parlor that Brother Steve usually takes church groups of this size. After an Italian lunch in the capital of the Tungurahua Province, our group got to shop in Quichapincha, the leather village on the mountain near Ambato. The shopping hour quickly passed and the bus took about an hour to reach the camp at dusk.
The camp was full this weekend with a college-age retreat for students from Guayaquil. We witnessed the craziness of the camp as we unpacked in the dorms and in the kitchen, settling in for the night with a hot meal and shower.
The different sites we see are always fun and adventurous, but today I was excited to spend some quality time with those who know me most and who have seen me grow in my faith during the past few years. Today was about catching up.
Quito, Ecuador
Reacquainted with my church, we woke up early at the Howard Johnson Hotel in downtown Quito to a partly cloudy, sunny sky overhead. With the knowledge that it’s my last week here in Ecuador, I’m determined to soak up everything that I can and to pack as many memories into my head as possible. Catching up with those from my church was a real blessing. I had the opportunity to share with them (as did Steve) about different things that have happened this summer. Some of the stories that I shared I went into great detail on this blog and other stories I saved for when they arrived.
I’ve known for a long time that missionaries always have interesting stories. Brother Steve has so many that I continue to hear new ones each day. I guess you can say that I’ve accumulated a few of my own this summer. With a four hour long bus ride to the camp, I had the ability to share some of those memories with the group and had some time to catch up with my Dad.
Our bus ride was curtailed by the Tour de Ecuador that comes down the Pan American highway outside of Quito, so for the second straight day we were stuck in traffic. This time though, we got out and had a chance to watch the bikers draft downhill, followed by their support vehicles. When the race finally let up, we continued into Ambato where we ate at La Fornace, a nice pizza parlor that Brother Steve usually takes church groups of this size. After an Italian lunch in the capital of the Tungurahua Province, our group got to shop in Quichapincha, the leather village on the mountain near Ambato. The shopping hour quickly passed and the bus took about an hour to reach the camp at dusk.
The camp was full this weekend with a college-age retreat for students from Guayaquil. We witnessed the craziness of the camp as we unpacked in the dorms and in the kitchen, settling in for the night with a hot meal and shower.
The different sites we see are always fun and adventurous, but today I was excited to spend some quality time with those who know me most and who have seen me grow in my faith during the past few years. Today was about catching up.
2 comments:
Andrew - It was nice to read your blog. I know you are sad to leave. I hope to see you at church on Sunday! And yes, I cannot tell you how awesome it is to watch all of you grow and serve the Lord.
Jan
Oh... tell all of our group we are praying for them!
Jan
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