Well we have made it, and can I just say it is pretty unreal. The people here are so loving and trusting and I just feel so blessed to be here and see all the awesome creations of our one incredible God! Yesterday we started on a journey to the jungle unaware if we would even make it here yet our loving God cleared the roads and other obstacles, bringing us to the jungle safe, which I think is pretty awesome in it of itself. On our long trek here we got to stop at many sweet places but the coolest to me was the waterfalls. Feeling the air on your face as we flew across on a wire hundreds of feet in the air is a big leap of faith on the people running it and the equipment and this in a lot of ways reminded me of our relationship with the Lord. It really is a leap of faith trusting in the him and I just thank him for the strength to be here spreading his good word and love.
Tonight we talked about God’s creation and how his artistic talents are looked past but when we actually take a moment to step back and look at what he has created and the beauty in this world it is kind of hard to believe that there are non-believers. We did this pretty neat river guide tour today and as we chugged along this river you look out to the sides of the river and saw people from different cultures and communities and just lifestyles and yet a simple wave is so universal and can be so heart-warming and welcoming when they don’t even know who you are.
On our river tour we ended up stopping at a refuge center for lost and hurting animals in need, and if any of y’all know anything about me you know how much I would love to do something along the lines of helping animals when I grow up so this was right up my alley. We walked around with this guy from Germany and that was just was cool seeing someone from so far away working there and throughout the walk we got to see some crazy monkeys, a huge anaconda, some cute turtles, an ocelot and an alligator (apparently not called that but that is what it looked like) and a few more exotic creatures which you don’t usually get to see on a daily basis.
From these animals though I saw a connection between today’s sermon at church and the animals in this refuge center. We read from Luke 15 which is all about the grace and love that the defiant and ungrateful son received when he returned home to his father. Our God is so loving and knowing that even when we stray and get lost or hurt he will always be there to nurture us back to health which is what they were doing at this center and I thought was pretty cool! As we start our first day of VBS and work in the jungle tomorrow I just ask that you keep our team in your prayers but also the people of this community so that they hear what we are trying to convey and that they truly feel the love of the Lord through our actions because that is why we are here! Our God is so good and I can’t wait to come back and share everything that we have experienced throughout the week! Love Em<3
AFUMC Youth in Ecuador 
Emily, thank you for sharing. So meaningful and you are doing such a great work in the name of our Lord, all of you. We back home are indeed praying for you and for the Ecuadorian people. Surely you have impacted their lives…and they yours. Truly an unforgettable experience that will stay with you always. 🙂