It is very hard to sum up a year's worth of adventure in a few paragraphs, but here goes....
This year was incredibly refreshing to me. Those that know me well know that I crave change. When my routine stays the same for a while, I go crazy. I want to move, I want to change jobs, I want to meet new people. This year was full of change and unpredictability. I was energized by the challenge of new roles, learning spanish, of finding our way around the city, and having a flexible schedule. One thing I could never have predicted about this year is how attached I became to the kids at the soup kitchen. It was so easy to spend time with them. Forming relationships with them and their families was definitely a highlight of my time here.
But there were lonely times this year. We did not make many friends our age. The ones we did make were in a completely different life stage than we were ( living at home with parents or struggling to raise a growing family). As a result, Greg and I spent spent a lot of time with each other. Although doing ministry together was great, being together 24/7 did not create healthy spaces for us. I missed my girlfriends very much. I know he missed his guy friends. It gave me understanding and compassion for missionaries who are isolated and struggle with being away from their family and close friends.
After a year, I can't even say that I've experienced life the way it truly is here. We lived like upper class Ecuadorians- we didn't have a car but we lived in a spacious house in a safe neighborhood, we always had enough to eat, we had hot water, we had waterproof shoes, and we didn't have to work 10-12 hour days, etc... The reality is that life is really painful and hard here. Many people are just trying to survive, never mind pursue dreams. And it shows on people's faces, the way they walk, the way they smell. It's extremely humbling.
One thing that continually bothered me because we faced it everyday was child labor. Children as young as 5 years old selling candy at the pay toll while their lungs blacken from pollution. Children shining shoes on the street instead of going to school. I do not have a lot of respect for the government of a country, like Ecuador, that does not protect it's children, does not make education mandatory, does not provide funding to orphanages, and closes it's borders to international adoptions.
I also learned a lot about North Americans this year. The loud, persistent, demanding culture I come from was in stark contrast to the quiet, passive culture I found myself in. Never was this more apparent than when teams from the U.S. were here. Even during a week a serving here, people could not do without watching their favorite basketball teams play, or ice in their drinks, or their wheat bread instead of white. I pray that I go home a more flexible, patient, and humble person like my fellow Ecuadorians.
Having heard so much about the warmth and hospitality of Latin and South America, we were surprised to find most people here regard us with skepticism and curiosity. Most adults only initiated conversation because they wanted or needed something from us. But there were a handful who invited us into their home time and time again to share a meal. I was sharing these observations with an Ecuadorian friend who also happens to be a pastor. He said that most Ecuadorians assume that if you are a Christian missionary from another country, your primary reason for being here is to convert people from Catholicism to Christianity. If that is the case, I can understand people's skepticism towards us. We strove to treat people the way Jesus did-with love, compassion, humility, justice, knowing that our actions would speak much louder than our poor spanish ever would.
And so..I greet my last week here with mixed emotions. I'm so excited to see family and friends but not ready to say goodbye to many, esp the children at the soup kitchen. I feel so blessed to have been a part of their lives this year.
