Schedule

I have VERY exciting news for you all. Remember the creepy clown music I hear every night blasting out of the garbage trucks? Helen found a video of it! Now you can appreciate the absurdity:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAFMLFyD23M

I've decided that the garbage men are actually elves that skip down the sidewalks collecting the trash and whistling. That makes it seem much more normal.
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I'm still having a fantastic time and growing every moment in my relationship with Christ. After finishing the book of Hosea about a week ago, I decided I needed to balance Israel's condemnation and utter sinfulness (likened to my own sinful state) with all the amazing events that took place after Jesus saved us from our sins and rose to Heaven. Naturally, I'm reading through Acts. I find it inspiring during my time on summer project, because it's all about the disciples proclaiming in the name of Jesus against all negativity and hate and the amazing power of the Holy Spirit. Those two themes are essential for the Christ-centered life I'm living. 


I can't think of much else to talk about--although there are so many exciting things happening! In case anyone is wondering what a day here is like, read the following:

7: Wake up, shower, go to breakfast
9: Whole team meets in the hotel lobby and walk toward destinations
9:15: Catch ESPOL bus
10:10ish: Arrive at ESPOL and split in groups to share/have follow-up meetings/have discipleship
12ish: Have lunch on campus (only $1.50 for soup, meat, rice, and jugo)
1: Catch bus home
2ish: Arrive home
2-5: Free time (blog/nap/quiet time/laundry/grocery shopping/games)
5-7: Dinner (Mon-Whoever, Tues-All girls, Wed-Small group, Thurs-Team, Weekend-Whoever)
7-9: Mon-Training, Tues-BSTUD, Wed-Extended time with God, Thurs-Fun night

I really like the freedom of our schedule. I never feel like I have to rush through anything, which has allowed me to feel very peaceful and productive everyday. Praise the Lord!

The weekends are all different. Tomorrow morning we're driving four and a half hours to Puerto Lopez (a beach) and staying there until Sunday afternoon. Can't wait!

Au revoir!

Ashley

Daily Blessings

I feel as if the past few posts have been quite reflective on the big ways I'm growing in my relationship with the Lord, so I think I'd like to point out the small, daily blessings I'm experiencing.

1. JUGO: (eng: juice) We do not have jugo in the states like the jugo here. Not only is it fresh squeezed, but you can pretty much get any kind of fruit you want. My favorite is piña (pineapple). It literally tastes like liquid pineapple. Jugo is widely available: at ESPOL, on the way home from U.G., and in many restaurants. The best part is it's super cheap. A regular cup at ESPOL is 80¢. "Wonderful things in this world are that cheap," you ask? Yes indeed. Ecuador is a beautiful place.


2. The bus ride to and from ESPOL: (Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral) It's about 40 minutes from the center of the city to FEN, which is the main part of campus we're ministering to. We pass through the city, the "suburbs" as we like to call it, and into the mountainous region. I notice new things everyday, like all the tall bamboo and the beautiful architecture. It's also a really nice time to center myself on Christ with a bit of prayer or conversation with the team or a new friend before reaching campus, or time to reflect and discuss the day on the way home. In addition, it's a fantastic place to meet other students. The bus only goes to ESPOL so it's all students. All students who are conveniently trapped for a decent amount of time. They pretty much have to talk to us. In all seriousness, we've met many new friends on the bus (just ask Megan). 


Sidenote story: On the way home from ESPOL today, Megan was impersonating a woman who sells ice cream by the bus line at ESPOL. She repeats "helado" over and over again really quickly (sounds like ladoladoladolado). Really, she wanted to see if anyone around us thought she was funny (she's really creative at conversation starters). The guy standing in the aisle looked at her and said, "are you saying 'ice cream' over and over again?" Most of the time we assume that no one around us speaks English, which probably isn't the best mindset, but it makes for great moments when they understand the ridiculous things we're doing. Well, Megan and him are now best friends. 


3. Butt Cheek Park: Every morning, the whole team walks together toward our separate destinations of UG and the ESPOL bus stop. About half way there there is a park that opens with a giant statue of a man with a clenched backside who is taming a wild horse. Fortunately, we all get to experience CJ's daily welcoming to the park he fondly deems as butt cheek park/clenched butt park/naked butt park/more to come in the next days. 


4. Baby water: On the first day we moved into the hotel, I opened the fridge to retrieve water to find a bottle with a graphic featuring a practically new born baby lying on his back holding a full bottle of water up to his mouth and drinking it. On. His. Own. I immediately proclaimed, "this can't be real!" Upon research this may be true. Despite the fact that it seems to be the most popular water brand in Guayaquil I can't find anything about it online. Sketchy, right? Well, it's my favorite either way. I enjoy the idea of a water so good that a baby can overcome its inability to support any weight, let alone have figured out how not to drown under the pressure of all the water streaming out of the bottle straight onto its face. I can't help but scream out, "baby water!" whenever I see a bottle, which is somewhat too often.


5. Laundry Service: Every week I am able to walk my laundry a couple blocks, drop it off to two kind ladies, pay anywhere from $2-$5, get on with my day, and pick it up either at the end of the day or the next day. Did I mention it's all folded? It's all folded. What a blessing. 


6. Roommates: I could not have asked for better ones in room seven-'o'-crooked six. We have bonded over extreme shower temperatures, scented toilet paper and trash bags, daily naps, "Call Me Maybe", "Waka Waka", finding each others' laundry in our own bags after getting them back from the laundromat, random outbursts of song and dance, constantly failing internet, and, of course, our mutual love for Christ. I'm prepared for all the madness that's sure to come in the next two and a half weeks together. 


7. Per Diem: Part of the support we raised before coming on summer project goes to a daily allowance for food. We get $15 a day to get lunch and dinner (breakfast is free in the hotel). Anything leftover can be saved and spent on desserts, souvenirs, bus/taxi fare, and, of course, jugo. Considering lunch at ESPOL is about $1.50, I usually have left over money. This is a shout out of thanks to all my supporters and especially to the Lord who answered my prayers and provided the means to come to Ecuador and live comfortably.


8. All the people who unashamedly stare at us. Oh wait...NOT. 


9. Internet in the hotel: While it isn't all that reliable, and you have to be in certain spots to connect, it's a great blessing to be able to connect with people back home and with people we meet on campus. Setting up follow-up meetings would be incredible difficult without the internet, so I'll take what I can get. Plus, how else would we get our daily dose of "Call Me Maybe"?

10. Mealtimes: I can't remember the last meal I ate alone. Three times a day I am able to sit down with my roommates (at breakfast), various members of the ESPOL team and any students we meet on campus (at lunch), and the whole team/the girls/a small group (at dinner). I have found it to be a great time of bonding. Quite often, we discuss the conversations we had on campus that day, talk about what we're excited for, or reflect on our growth in the Lord. We sit down and enjoy every meal and that time together.

These are just some wonderful things I am able to enjoy throughout everyday. I constantly feel so blessed and humbled to be here. God is in Guayaquil and He's doing amazing works! Nothing is too small or big for Him to specifically plan. It's all out of His love for the world! I am at peace in His arms.

Good night!

Ashley

Faith

Faith is such a seemingly easy concept. When I first started walking with the Lord my Freshman year of college it seemed so obvious that I have faith in God. DUH. That's the whole point of being Christian. Doubts soon sunk in, though, and I became very concerned that I somehow was not able to have enough faith to be truly saved. I felt like God was distant and that through going to bible studies, living for spiritual emotional experiences, and saying all the "right" things I could somehow bridge the gap I felt between me and God. Did I ever mention that I'm totally an external processor? This may be a long ride.

The Lord has been revealing to me that, as the lead singer of Tenth Avenue North says, "it's not about how much faith we have, but who we put our faith in." It's encouraging to be reminded that my sins were all paid for the moment I accepted Christ as my savior. There's literally NOTHING I can do to deserve God's love. All I can do with the knowledge of the Gospel is live to glorify Him and have faith in all that He has promised us. I won't even pretend to have even close to everything figured out or that I'm going to suddenly be able to live the life God originally intended, but this week I have been assured that faith alone can break down barriers previously left unhindered.

Coming on summer project in the first place was a huge step of faith. I had to give up being a camp counselor for another summer at a place I consider my second home. Along with that, I had to give up making money in the summer. In fact, I had to raise money just to come to Ecuador. Upon arriving in Ecuador, I was faced with a giant language barrier. I am met with person after person who I desire so deeply to talk with, but cannot without a translator. Then, initiating conversations on campus is difficult. It takes courage only the Lord can provide to approach people and ask them if they would be willing to share what they believe and hear what I believe.

A few posts ago, I talked about not being able to see the outcomes of working by faith and being satisfied no matter the results. While many things are left unknown to me, I have already seen beautiful results of God's work through our team. Just today, Helen, Megan, and I waited for a follow-up appointment that didn't show. We decided to walk the opposite way across campus than normal and approached a group of girls. They were absolutely not interested in hearing us out. So we kept walking. We were nearing the edge of campus and decided to talk to the last group of girls we saw.

They were so intent on hearing what we had to say. It was a missionary's dream conversation. They were so thirsty for understanding and a relationship with Christ. After they prayed to receive Christ, we spent the rest of our time talking with them. One of the girls told us that they had been talking about their struggles when we approached. She felt as if we brought light to them and their situations. Hallelujah!

Let me just stop there. The follow-up appointment could have showed up and we could have spent all day with her. We could have gone the way we normally go. That group of girls could have let us share the Gospel. We could have turned around because there weren't a lot of people that way.


So many other things could have happened.

I will never be convinced that it was a coincidence that we conversed with those two women. I will have faith until God confirms it personally that He planned that appointment divinely. The rewards--two new sisters in Christ--far outreaches the fear and worry I feel when I fail to have faith.

I'm feeling humbled and amazed by God. As I learn about faith and the power of the Holy Spirit more and more, I desire closeness with Him. I want Him to be the one who decides my path. I want to never go another moment without remembering His grace.

Amen!

Ashley

The Seventh Day

On the sixth day, we met at the wee hour of 8am to take a short road trip to Milagro (courtesy of the wonderful Daniel and his family) to play some soccer (futbol), swim, and relax. We had some great bonding time between the morning and the not-so-morning people who were all squished in the back of a van. Thankfully, I'm a morning person and therefore did not have to endure my own annoying hyperactivity. 

The day was just flat out fun. There was monkey in the middle, plenty of laughs, tanning under a cloudy overcast (someone please remind me everyday that you can--and will--get burnt even under clouds), and who can forget synchronized diving. It was so much fun that we were all exhausted during the seafood lunch, ride back (once again squished together between exhausted-hyper people and exhausted-exhausted people), and once we arrived home. 

We had the rest of the evening free, so a group of us walked to the Malecón (boardwalk). The highlight of the evening was the very end. We were hanging out around this cool statue when a pretty bird landed right next to us. After a few pictures, Jeremy reached out to touch it.

IT DIDN'T MOVE.

Guys, it let us pet it. We actually got bored with it and walked away before it flew off. 

"WHAT," you're asking, "was it rabid? was it dead? was it a robot?"

NO!

It was just a really friendly bird, and that's the explanation I'm sticking with. 

I will now skip ahead about 10 hours to the seventh day. We walked the now familiar route to church. Once again, it was all in Spanish, but our kind translator was not around so we were left on our own. The Spanish speaking folk on our team sat toward the front again, while we pretended to know what was going on in the back. I didn't doubt that God was still speaking to me during the service, no matter how little I understood. Something I'm still thinking about is how long and intentionally they prayed. As someone on our team said, "I'm pretty sure they prayed through the whole New Testament." While funny, I was amazed at the faith shown during those times of direct communication to God. 

My prayer life has always lagged. I didn't grow up praying and so it's really hard to stay in the habit of intentionally communicating to God. It's weird because I sometimes feel like I'm talking to myself. But then, when my prayers are answered (which is always--just not necessarily in the way that I originally plan for), I'm amazed my God's power and grace. What I witnessed at that church has definitely inspired me and given me a great example to follow. 

The afternoon was, in a word, lazy. We all napped (listening to a two-hour service in all Spanish along with the 20 or so minute walks there and back is tiring), and I took care of a minor toe issue (now you're all so curious...). Trust me, it's entirely unexciting and not worth any more detail. 

We ended the day with praise and prayer time. Thanks to our personal worship leader, Jason, we are able to worship through song, which is something we are all quite passionate about. It's so awesome to center ourselves on Christ before we go into another week of sharing his love and mercy. 

I'm excited about this week and seeing how follow-up sessions go (and of course getting jugo at ESPOL). I'm praying specifically that the Lord will use us to raise up new disciples and leaders at ESPOL and U.G. who will continue the movement. 

Tired but alive in Christ, 

Ashley

Porcupine Caterpillar Attack

On Monday of this week I had my first traumatic experience in Ecuador. It was our first day on campus so Helen, Megan, and I decided to walk around for awhile and get to know ESPOL better. We ended up at the library--which is built like a mini-town of sorts with a "street" as the hallway and cute benches. The scenery there is gorgeous--forested mountains and these cool old stone stairs everywhere. 

Anyways, we were heading back down to the main part of campus when I felt a really sharp pain on the inner part of my right forearm. It felt as if all the hairs on that spot were being pulled as hard as possible at once. It kept getting worse and soon red bumps appeared. I was quite concerned at this point, so we decided to ask two girls if they knew what caused it (sidenote: a great way of starting conversations). Obviously everyone knows everything about every insect found in the place they live. Well, they had no clue, "because there are so many bugs in Ecuador." Helen kept talking to them about other things while I continued to look like a lunatic trying to figure out what was going on.

SUDDENLY (can you feel the tension) my OTHER arm started to sting really bad and red bumps appeared in four different places on my inner arm. 

What is happening?! I thought outloud.

Finally, I had the bright idea to look down at my shirt and, lo and behold, what looked like a porcupine caterpillar was crawling along minding his own business. Obviously, I freaked out and tried to flick him off, but he wouldn't go away. AH. While Helen was at this point about a mile away and still running (love her), Megan grabbed a leaf and pulled the bugger (ha) off. It looked like the picture, but had black prickly things, making it much more terrifying.

It's been a few days now, and I still have bumps on my arm that itched really bad for about two days after. I'm sure you all are very concerned. We're still trying to figure out exactly what it was, but the internet has failed us on this front. No bueno. That's really all I have to talk about. 

Buenas noches!

Ashley

God bless you!

I really love mornings on summer project. Everyday I'm up between seven and eight after about seven to eight hours of sleep, and I feel incredibly refreshed and excited about the day. We meet in the lobby around nine, so I take my time getting ready. I can attribute much of the pleasant feelings in the morning to the three amazing women I'm rooming with--Megan, Helen, and Courtney. We get up around the same time, and somehow our schedules work out perfectly so we're never waiting to use the bathroom or running into each other. We also all love listening to music. I can't complain about preparing for the day to some Jesus music.

We eat the complementary breakfast on the first floor every morning, which is served by our good friend Jose the waiter. We get some kind of fresh fruit juice (pina, guayaba, mango, blackberry, etc), biscuits with butter and jam, and either hard-boiled eggs or scrambled eggs with vegetables. It's such a blessing to be served breakfast every morning for free. I don't think I would be as joyful and energetic during the day if I were hungry and lacking energy.

My other favorite part of the day is the bus ride to and from ESPOL. We walk to a bus stop about 15 minutes from our hotel and then ride for about 45 minutes. It only costs 25 cents and only goes to ESPOL, so we don't have to worry about talking to strangers. I'm pretty sure that during all of the rides, at least a few people from the ESPOL group have engaged students in conversation about everything from futbol to student life. I even spoke with a guy in French a bit! A very little bit. Neither of us knew much French beyond saying our names and what we're studying. The bus tends to be really loud, too, so it was really difficult to hear him. My FAVORITE bus experience so far, though, was yesterday's ride home from ESPOL.

I was already feeling really great, because it had been an awesome day on campus. I witnessed three girls pray to accept Christ and our group met a lot of people who were interested in hanging out more. Even though my spirits were through the roof I was tired on the ride home, so I wasn't planning on trying to talk much.

When all the sudden...the girl across the aisle started listening to Adele.

I LOVE ADELE, I thought. I quietly sang along while trying to decide how to tell her, because we were obviously destined to meet and become very good friends.

I turned to Jeremy and asked, "how do I say, 'I love Adele' in Spanish?"


"Me encanta Adele," he replied, to which I immediately became way too nervous that she would continue to try to talk to me in Spanish. I mean, my accent is obviously so good that she would have no idea I don't really speak Spanish. Right? 

Fortunately, no. After a minute of internal debate I blurted, "me encanta Adele!"

She ignored me.

Now I was committed to sharing our mutual love for Adele, so I pulled out my favorite (and most useful) Spanish word I know.

"Adele! Bueno!!"

She turned to me, giggled, and replied in English. Upon reflection, she probably heard the entire conversation I had about wanting to talk to her. Nevertheless, I was so thrilled to finally meet someone who speaks English that I proclaimed, "you speak English?! God bless you!!" We proceeded to have a great conversation for the remainder of the bus ride, and I'm hoping to meet up with her again.

God continues to baffle me in the ways He works. I've been praying for Him to work through me on campus, and only when I'm the most off my guard, He uses me! I feel encouraged and comforted going into the rest of this week. My prayers are for growth in relationships being established with Ecuadorian students and between people on the team...and more Adele-loving Ecuadorians!

Ashley

Habakkuk 3:17-18

Today was my first day sharing at ESPOL--a beautiful college in the mountains of Ecuador. After much prayer, practice, and training, evangelism remains a struggle for me. 

Going into college, I was against the idea of forcing my beliefs on someone else. However, God has changed my heart through Spirit-filled conversations, messages, and Cru events (retreats, conferences, spring break trip, and now summer project), and I've learned the absolute importance and need for God in this world. Telling people about God's love for us is not, I've come to learn, pushing my beliefs on them, but rather presenting them with a choice they may not have been faced with before. If I truly believe that God saved us by sending His son to the cross, then telling others is an absolute act of love. 

Every time I go out to share my faith, I am humbled. My abilities and knowledge are reduced to nothing no matter how equipped and learned I feel going into a conversation. The Lord has been pulling on my heart for so long to give up any sense of control I think I have of my life, so that He can "take the wheel" (as Carrie would say) and steer me down a glorifying path. I've seen people respond well to the Gospel and not so well. However, I still find myself waiting to have my own awesome story of God using me to lead someone to the point of accepting Christ into his/her life.

It is this waiting that continually leaves me feeling disappointed and useless when I don't see great responses or I feel left out of the equation. I experienced these thoughts all throughout the past week as I faced person after person that I could not communicate with, no matter how much I wanted to, because of the language barrier (I don't speak any Spanish). In this time I have been experiencing spiritual warfare and have found myself discounting not only my abilities, but God's. If I say I believe that God is greater than all things, then how do I have any right to claim that He is not working through me right now?

Today has involved much needed humbling and wisdom at our team's weekly training. This week's topic was about living filled with the Holy Spirit. God comforted me through His Word:

"Though the fig tree does not bud 

and there are no grapes on the vines,

though the olive crop fails

and the fields produce no food,

though there are no sheep in the pen

and no cattle in the stalls,

yet I will rejoice in the Lord, 

I will be joyful in God my Savior."

Habakkuk 3:17-18

I should not expect to see results, because all joy will be experienced in Heaven. I should not expect growth from my labor. I must praise Him because He works for the good of those who love Him and seeks relationships with us all. God does not work according to what I can do, but by His grace--which is so much larger and greater than I can even fathom in my life. He has brought me on this journey for a purpose, and I pray that He gives me the courage and wisdom to fulfill that purpose without expectations of reward. I am ending this day and going back to ESPOL tomorrow encouraged and excited for whatever the Lord has planned for me next. I pray that He will use me and that I will glorify Him, no matter what that looks like. 

Continued prayers are welcomed and needed! Thanks for holding tight during this one. I needed some reflection time, and perhaps this verse will encourage someone out there experiencing the same conflict. 

Ashley

A Week of Learning

Well, I gave in to the blogging pressure. I mean, I guess no one really told me to, but my thought process is that if I have a public following--as in, my mom and possibly select other faithful friends--that I need to report to at least every other day, then I would be more reflective about my time here. I have a hard time realizing how God is working in my life until after the fact, so maybe this will help realize my immediate potential through the grace of God.

I have been in Guayaquil--the biggest city in Ecuador--since Tuesday with a team of eight other college students, two student-staff, and three Cru staff. These past few days have mostly involved exploration and time spent getting to know the team better. It's kind of loco how well we all get along. The past week has included hilarious games of French charades involving acting out everything from giving birth to hot dog fingers, a museum visit reminiscent of reading a history textbook (not the kind with fun pictures), a walk in the park with iguanas, and many stumbling conversations with Ecuadorians in Spanish. In order to quickly represent this week, I've compiled a list of things one should know about Ecuador:

1. Don't throw toilet paper in the toilet: the pipes can't handle that kind of pressure.
2. It is, in fact, in the southern hemisphere. You'd never know, though, because it's always too cloudy to see the stars and the toilets flush the normal way. 
3. DO NOT DRINK THE TAP WATER. That includes firmly holding your mouth shut in the shower and using bottled water for teeth brushing. 
4. Five liters of water costs less than $2 (U.S. moolah), so long hair don't care to #3!
5. Running into the street with a Sacagawea $1 coin expecting an ice cream truck to accompany the creepy clown-like music around 8-9pm will leave one much disappointed. It's actually garbage trucks doing their nightly rounds blasting the same song. 
6. Ecuadorians will stare at you if you're in a big group of white people...and sometimes shamelessly take pictures. 
7. Upon seeing other white people, you will stare even more intensely than the Ecuadorians.
8. There aren't any tourists in Guayaquil, as indicated by #6 & #7
9. There are no street lanes or rules. It's every car/truck/bus for itself. May the odds be ever in your favor. 
10. Rice and beans: all day e'ryday.
11. The sidewalks look very nice tiled, but are quite slippery. Jeremy's back can relate.

Tomorrow we start our first full week on the campuses (ESPOL and Universidad de Guayaquil) reaching out to students. I'll be at ESPOL along with four other students and a varying number of staff/student-staff. Tonight my prayers are for opportunity and courage to approach and engage students  in spiritual conversations. 

Chao for tonight! 

Ashley