life @ the equator

Hello from Quito!!

This month is already flying by. We only have 1 week left here before we head to the jungle for a couple of weeks WOW!! This month has been super fast-paced, and I can't believe that January is almost over!
Transitioning into Quito was really challenging at first -- December was just such a beautiful month with lots of deep friendships, which were not easy to leave behind. After getting into the swing of ministry though, we began formulating new relationships with the ministry leaders at our sites.

View in our neighborhood. This is the daily walk we take to get to the bus station. I have to pinch myself overtime we walk by !!!!!

>> Since my last blog post, we spent our first week serving at Casa Elizabeth (the teenage pregnancy home), with the married couple who run the home, David and Elsy.
Our tasks varied from clearing and organizing out a fire-burning area, landscaping work, cleaning out their basement workshop, and hanging pallets for flowers on the side of the house.
It was such a sweet week of building relationships and hearing stories, some beautiful and some heartbreaking, of girls who had come through the home. By the end of the week, we felt super loved and embraced by the couple. On Friday, our last work day, they invited us to stay over for lunch and prepared a lavish feast of ceviche for us!

Daily view while working at Casa Elizabeth. The white house to the left is Casa Blanca, where we live.

Picking fresh-grown fruit while working at Casa Elizabeth.

Clearing out and organizing the fire/burning area.

Linker girls + David! Our "dad" for the week! He is the sweetest guy!

Surprised Erica on her birthday with a waffle breakfast!

 >> We also just wrapped up a beautiful, much-needed week with our parents. My mom came for 6 days and it was the best one on one time we've ever had together! My only change I would have made to it was to make the trip longer! I had prayed over this week so much, just for fullness of joy, rich conversation, and quality time together, and I felt like the Lord answered and blessed my requests to the next level!! I'm so in awe of the way he answered that and worked this past week, and truly overflow with gratitude when memories of this past week come to mind.

We took a full break off of ministry for the week and just got to spend time with our parents. was so good to see her again, catch up on life back home, show her my new life here, tell her all of the different things I've seen God do, and to hear her thoughtful opinion and advice on things I'm struggling with.

On top of all of that, we got to do lots of cultural experiences together -- safe to say she got the full scoop on Ecuador! We visited the middle of the world, zip lined over a cloud rainforest, went to a massive outdoor colonial market, hiked to a waterfall, and hiked Volcano Ruccu Pichincha! Our final day together, all of the parents came with us linkers to Camp Hope, a home in the city for physically/mentally disabled individuals, from age 4-32. I loved that our parents were able o participate in serving, and receive a small glimpse of the type of ministry work that we have been doing throughout the past few months!

got to feed llamas!!!!!! yes i fell in love!!!!!

We all went out to dinner at a restaurant with a gorgeous night view of the city!

My mom also brought cfa sauce. *hallelujah chorus*

And we brought the giant bowls of cfa sauce for our fab cfa-loving hosts, Mabe & Fabi!

View of Otovalo market

My favorite moments with Mom were our 3 hour-long conversations over a cup of hot coffee <3

Otovalo waterfall hike

Thursday was spent hiking the Volcano Ruccu Pichincha with my mom! We got a late start on the day, so we weren't quite able to summit it, but we walked about 5.5 miles and reached the bottom of the final summit. I'm hoping to go again and hike it with our host, Fabi! 

The day after our parents left (Saturday) was rather depressing. So we attempted to raise our spirits with sushi, lattes, and city-exploring in Quito. It seemed to do the trick for us!! I just love Kendall!

Climbed to the top of the tower of the Basilica. The climbing the ladders was rather terrifying hahaha but the view was STUNNING!!

Kendall and I got lost exploring Old Quito, but those are some of my favorite kinds of adventures; just getting lost and exploring the culture. And I've never been to Europe before, but for some reason I just felt like I was in Europe -- the narrows streets, old fashioned architecture, etc. I loved the feel of everything.

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My mom has only been gone for 2 days but it's already pretty difficult for me. Change in general is proving to be a lingering struggle for me, but it's also a huge opportunity of growth for me while being here, since we are thrown into changing situations and locations every month! haha
I feel very split -- part of me wants my family even more now, right when I felt like I adjusted to life down here and being okay with distance. But part of me is also looking forward to beauty that our future months of service hold, and the relationships and growth I have yet to experience.
The Lord is showing me again and again of my need to commit total reliance upon Him, trusting him with the positives, the unknowns -- as well as embracing the uncomfortable things that come before me, and choosing to focus on joy amidst all of it.
A verse that has been on my heart lately is Psalm 16:11,
"You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore."

- he makes known to us the path of LIFE. he is constantly leading and guiding us down the road we ought to go. we ought not to fret about what is to come because instead, we can carry full confidence of his leading hand & provision.
- in your presence there is FULLNESS of joy. it doesn't matter what challenges Satan is throwing your way, or what trials we presently face. When we truly seek Him and rest in his presence, nothing else phases us. Nothing else matters but him; and that can't help but fill us with an overwhelming sense of joy.
- at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Walking alongside Him produces nothing but joy. In him we know only the pleasures and joy that his presence offers.

-Allison
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Final prayer requests:
- Continue praying over team as we finish up our last week of ministry in Quito (we are continuing to serve at Camp Hope this Monday-Friday)
- Continued team unity. We are still molding together as 1 new group, as our team as of now has only been together for a little over a month.
- Pray for preparation in our hearts before embarking into the jungle. We will be serving at another Seminary school, which focuses on training students to go deep into the jungle and evangelize to unreached active tribes and villages. We will be fully disconnected from wifi/any communication, and will be participating in daily practices with the students, such as devotionals and fasting. Pray that we take advantage of this time as a personal "spiritual retreat," and time to grow closer to Jesus.

Thank you!! <3