... also known as "the recap blog post."
I realize that it's been weeks since I've written. I could offer a variety of spiritual excuses (such as, "I've been so busy talking about my relationship with God with Ecuadorians"... which is true), or practical excuses (such as, "I don't have a computer here, and I have to bum it off my sweet roommate"... also true). But the long and short of it is... I still spend ALL of my afternoon free time napping. I figured that by week 4 the shock to the brain of a new culture and language would wear off. Wrong. I still take naps and fall into bed exhausted every night.
Last weekend we traveled to a beach, and spent 3 days reading in hammocks in the sunshine and tropical breezes. Whaaat. It was so quiet and restful, and definitely the most gorgeous place I've ever visited! Last week so many conversations, meetings, follow-ups, etc. took place, and I wish that I had time to explain them all to you. What it really comes down to though is that God is moving in Guayaquil. Some days, even when I have a bad attitude and an inability to speak Spanish, God still uses me at the Universidad de Guayaquil. Seeing how hard everyone works to start a Cru movement down here is SO motivating! I no longer take our group at Bowling Green for granted... I'm so blessed by the staff and students there and I can't wait to go back. Please be praying that Ecuadorian students will be able to experience this great blessing as well :)
This afternoon we got home from a weekend in Cuenca, an absolutely GORGEOUS city in the mountains. Although we stayed in a loud party hostal (bumping music until 3am! ... good thing I can literally sleep through anything!), it was still restful and the mountains were so breathtaking. Check out my roommate Jenna's blog for more details about our trip.
However, the most EXCITING part about our trip was ... drumroll please... our project gifts... LLAMA SWEATERS. We have been talking about llama sweaters since day #1 of our trip, when we barely knew each other. I honestly don't have words to explain how much we love llamas, and how much we anticipated these sweaters. As we strolled through the art market in Cuenca, it was determined that the process of choosing a llama sweater was similar to the wand-choosing process in Harry Potter. The sweater chooses the person. It's true. The minute my rainbow alpaca sweater (with a hood and llamas on it) was pulled out from the stand, I knew it was mine. It called to me. I heard the hallelujah chorus. Needless to say, there were 14 gringos strolling around the cool, breezy streets of Cuenca clad in a variety of llama sweaters--some bright colors, some natural tones. Some have zippers, some are pull overs. Some are made of llama and some of alpaca. But all fit the wearer's personality and all are equally AWESOME.
So, now that I explained the title, it's now time for the sad part of the blog... :(. We only have ONE week left in Ecuador! I'm not really sure where the time went, but it's a bittersweet thought. Our team is trusting God for the final week to connect even more students to the movement.
Tonight, we sang this, at the top of our lungs (all wearing llama sweaters, of course):
"You are more, You are more, than my words can ever say.
You are Lord, You are Lord, all creation will proclaim.
You are here, You are here, in your presence I'm made whole.
You are God, You are God, of all else I'm letting go."
Buenas noches, sweet readers :)
Ann
