Saying Goodbye

July 31st

Mundug, Ecuador

For the past few weeks, I’ve been saying goodbye to those leaving Ecuador. Some goodbyes were harder than others. Now, it was my time to start saying goodbye, to pack up my suitcase, and to prepare for another kind of culture shock. Today was my last full day at camp and my last full day in Ecuador and I was bound to enjoy every minute of it.

The morning time was spent doing construction on the new staff dorms being built by the camp’s pond. I have to say that I think I became quite the master at measuring and cutting boards with the table saw. Our construction team was able to finish the good part of several walls, drastically changing the appearance of the building from the first day that we started construction. We kept measuring, sawing, and nailing to about lunch time when we headed back to the kitchen for a mid-day break. A large part of our group wanted to go hiking after lunch to Mundug Falls with Ricardo, so at about 1:30pm we set off in two taxis to the small community twenty minutes above Patate. It was an incredible day for a hike, so much so that when I stepped outside of my dorm in the morning and took a look at the sky, I said to myself, “It’s going to be an awesome day!” From our vantage point on the hike, you could see all three of the large surrounding mountains, Chimborazo, Carihuayrazo, and Tungurahua. My Dad even decided to come along for the hike and I was glad that I got to share that new found place with him while he was here. The falls were tremendously gorgeous with the water glittering from the strong rays of sunlight beaming down on us. It made me happy, as did Ricardo, to share such a wild and hidden place with everyone in the group.

We returned from the hike around dinner time and that was followed by several women arriving to the camp for a women’s retreat that night. Before it started, we were able to worship one more time at the camp with David playing guitar and leading worship before dispersing back to our cabins to pack for the travel day tomorrow.

While I was packing my two suitcases and bookbags, I got a call from Ester (the rest of the staff arrived back from Tena that afternoon from the Jungle Camp) that the volcano was erupting. I stepped outside to see an incredible red and orange glow at the top of the volcano. At times, you could see the lava jump way into the sky and then cascade down the mountain side. It was a magnificent view and the only time this summer that I got to witness the lava flow from Tungurahua. In a way, it was like the volcano was saying goodbye too. Goodbyes are always tough, but I rest on the fact that this probably won’t be the last of my Ecuador trips and that even if I don’t have the chance to see some of these people again, I’ll get to fellowship with them in Heaven. But as they say down here in Ecuador, I’m going to have to learn more Spanish because it’s the language of heaven.