Hello again!

Hey guys!

It's been awhile since I've last written. Probably since November. Yikes. So glad that Kim's doing this blog with me or it'd be really empty. :-/

However, despite my lack of communication, I have often thought of all you reading this blog from time to time. I was reminded today of how thankful I am for our supporters, our friends and family who are praying for us through this new experience. Your prayers are so precious to me (us). Prayers of protection, provision, wisdom, growth, friendship, faith. We have been so covered by them down here! The Lord is truly faithful, amen? :-)

So here are some ramblings of recent-ish events:

Some of those amazing single ladies.
The teachers of Casa de Fe orphanage
with the girls I help mentor in a Bible study.

Yesterday a group of 27 people (mostly college students) from Minnesota came to Shell to work in the orphanage and various other locations. Their very first service to the community was to hold a brunch today for all the missionary ladies in the area. Such a blessing! As we enjoyed our meal and being served, we shared about how the Lord called us to the mission field and answered general questions. During the brunch I finally noticed how many single missionary women there are in Shell. Like, 15! As I discussed this with a friend, she pointed out that there's only one single missionary male here. One? I guess I never noticed before. But as I think of it, almost all of my friends who have gone off to foreign countries to serve have been single women (with the exception three amazing men serving in Haiti, Rome, and Geneva, of course). Why is that? 

Kimmy scaling the waterfall

Me coming down after her.

In other news, Kim, our friend Maria, and I repelled down some waterfalls in Banos two weekends ago. Besides bridge jumping, it's probably one of the more adventurous things I've ever done. Plus, it's actually much less scary than I expected, but the scenery is worth more than the rush. We hiked up a mountain (by far the most difficult part. I am so out of shape!) until we got to the top of a waterfall then traveled down it as it wound through the forested mountainside. There were coves with hanging vines, purple flowers drifting down the stream, and the exotic birds hovering in the canopy. Amazing!  Chalk that up to another adventure liable to increase my mother's stress level. :-)

We had to wear wetsuits because the water was so cold!

School keeps me fairly busy during the week. My 6th and 7th graders are loving the pen-pal program my friend and I set up. Her middle school Spanish kids in the States and mine exchange letters, pictures, and videos in English and Spanish. I love that my kids are still kinda disappointed if their pen-pal is of the opposite gender. No excessive hormone issues yet! Although, my girls loooove Camp Rock and Justin Beiber. Is that even how you spell his name? I have no idea. But regardless, my 7th graders starting to ask me in the beginning of every class a new word or phrase they've heard. We've defined "flirt" "player" "love you forever" "hello kitty" (which they're convinced means devil worshiping in Chinese -- isn't Hello Kitty Japanese anyway?) and "thriller" (the boys are obviously listening to Michael Jackson). Meanwhile, at the other end, my third graders get so excited to come to class with their new "My Little Pony" or "Spiderman" action figures and say the names or catch phrases in English. I love these kids. They make my day so much more interesting.

Lately, I have taken up giving English lessons every Wednesday to an Ecuadorian English teacher named Cathy (yep, English lessons for an English teacher). She's a sweet 25-year old woman with an adorable 4-year old son. To be fair, she knows quite a bit of English, but like many people, doesn't have a chance to practice it. She doesn't have time to come to Spotlight (the English practice meeting once a week) so most of the time we just talk. I'm really praying that through our friendship the Lord will reveal Himself to her and speak truth into her life. She's a single mom, struggling with the life-changing effects of having a child. She's having trouble balancing the responsibilities of being a mother with the desire to party every weekend with her friends. In all honesty, she's lonely and searching for something to make her happy. Please pray for her and me during our time together that she'll be able to find what she's looking for in the Lord.

So besides all of that, I've been passing my time here with good friends, food (so much food!), and laughter. So thankful for this time! So until next time, please keep praying for us and know that you're in our hearts and minds.

Much love,
Kristin