A Day in December

Maybe you have heard about missionaries and subscribe to their updates, maybe you have gone on mission trips or been a missionary.  I wanted to unravel some of questions of what does a missionary do with a look at a day in the life of Tabitha.   This is not what every missionary´s life looks like and it is of course only one day, Tuesday December 6th 2011.  

8:00am  Drag myself out of bed and to the coffee maker wondering why I'm so tired yet again.  Soon the rich frangrance of only the best coffee in the world comes wafting through the house, yes that is right - ecuadorian coffee, the day is already looking better. 

9:00am  At the office for our morning prayer time. 

9:15- 10:15  Frantically answer and send messages to people asking why I have not written them and why I have not completed projects that they have asked for.  Also lets not forget about the email saying that that there is still room to send one of our ecuadorians to the OM Ships in Jan!!  YES!!  Also the summary of all the things that I do in OM for the lawyer who is preparing my visa renewal papers.  

10:15am Leave for the Children's Hospital where I go every tuesday for ministry.  This time Marcy, Mafer and Yessi went with me, it is nice to have a team.  We walked in the hot ecuadorian sun to the first bus stop to catch the #12.  There are no seats so we squash ourselves into the already overcrowded standing room.  A little grandmother gets in after us and starts her speech on why we need to give her money.   We slide between the people to get off at our next stop for the #42.  Thankfully less people.

10:45am Upon arriving to the hospital I put on my light purple smock that the volunteers use, explained to the guard that the three ladies following me were also volunteers though they didn't have the purple smock.  We waited for the only working elevator to take us to the fifth floor.  A little lady about the size of a tall gnome stared up at me the whole way, I think she was trying to figure out what a gringa was doing in the hospital.  We arrived to the newly painted wing for children with Infectious Diseases.  

Here I asked the nurses about Melissa.  I had talked with and prayed for Melissa several times before.  She was so thin and the last time was hooked up to many machines.  They told me that she passed away just a few days after we lasted visited her.  The last thing she asked me was to bring her coloring pages of butterflies the next time I visited.  

11:00 - 12:00  We divided up and began to talk with the children and their care givers.  I got to talk with Michelle.  She is 13 and was there with her uncle.  She also was very thin and her face was very swollen.  She seemed to be in pain.  Every time I visit I bring a picture children's bible to read stories to the children.  I asked her if I could read to her about the story of Christmas and she gave me a small smile and moved her head slightly on the pillow to indicate yes.  We read about Mary and the angel, Jesus' birth and the shepherds, then I asked her if she knew why it was so important and joyous that Jesus was born.  When she said she didn't know why, I read to her the story of Jesus' death and resurrection.  She told me she wanted to know God too and we prayed together, she could barely breath out the prayer after me but I assured her it is what is in her heart that counts.  After praying she had a beautiful smile and a small tear in her eye.  I hope to visit her again before I go home on the 15th.

12:00 -12:30The head doctor calls me into a surprise meeting with her and two other foreigners.  They want to do summer camps for children with illnesses in Ecuador and are looking for an organization to partner with.  They are not religiously affiliated but are not against working with groups that are.  Interesting possibilities.  The return home was uneventful in #13 bus.

1-2pm  LUNCH! only I haven't had time to go shopping lately so it was peanut butter and crackers, good thing I like peanut butter! 

2-6pm  Back in the office.  emails about the OM Ship, training, insurance, people interested in our mission school, other interested in the volunteer program, a couple of error messages from my computer, freezing screen, unfreezes, more error messages, screen freezes, stays frozen, hard shut down and go home.  

6-9pm  Turn on my laptop.  Open my email, 2 minutes later it opens. For the next 2 hours I try to respond to personal emails and catch up on current news in the world.  Got the fan on high as there is no airconditioning and the computer overheats easily.  It wouldn't be such a problem but as it is dying a slow and dramatic death, well it is only slightly frustrating after realizing what it would be like without a computer all together!  Went out to a yummy little hole-in-the-wall empanada shop two blocks away to get supper for me and my roommate, still need to get groceries.  Get frustrated with the computer, turn it off, there's more to life than internet. 


9-10:30  Draw a picture of a little boy from another orphanage where we used to work while listening to Jars of Clay Oh My God.  I wonder where he is now?  He was so little then and already so hard hearted.  Why are there so many injustices in the world?  I read three chapters in a book loaned to me by a friend called Note to Self.  It tells me to keep singing, I like that.  Look out all you who get sick of me singing the parts of Christmas songs that I know, over and over again!  Time in prayer.  Ok I think its better to go to sleep now.  Tomorrow it starts all over again. 

The song stuck in my head:  Joy to the World

Joy to the World , the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.

Joy to the World, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.

Going to Baños

19 youth, 10 leader, 4 days, 13 hours of traveling... 1 incredible trip.

We went to Baños (it means baths not toilet!!!) for the second annual Santay Youth Retreat.  This little town full of waterfalls nestled in the andes mountains approximately 6.5 hours from Guayaquil was officially the furthest that these 19 youth had ever traveled in their lives.  Thats a little hard for this Texas girl to understand considering that with 6 hours of travel you haven´t even gotten halfway across my state. 
This weekend retreat had the theme of Freedom.  They heard maybe for the first time about what it means to be free in Christ.  We also got to see some awesome waterfalls, a huge volcano and natural hot water springs.  I absolutly love nature and seeing the raw beauty that God created.

On Saturday night we went up to a lookout point, it was dark so I am still not sure of the point but it was fun!  We made a fire and cooked hot dogs while trying to stay warm, keep in mind that the coldest that Santay gets is the low 70´s and it was in the 40´s that night.  At least 10 of the youth came up to me super excited at different points saying ¨Tabita, tabita, LOOK¨  Then they exhaled very deeply, ¨Look!  SMOKE!!!!!¨  It was the first time that they had ever seen their breath visibly. 

The good news is that we arrived back to Guayaquil and Santay Island with all 19, I kept counting in the bus everytime we had a bathroom break.  Scary realizing that you are in charge of the well-being of so many, not just physically but also spiritually, a bit sobering.  I loved the time that we spent together but left the weekend with a stronger burden for these young people to truely encounter the Living God.  Though we had several good sessions, there was not much outward response from the youth.  However, we did see some pretty neat things happening with one of the girls.  She had struggled with gastritis for years, during the weekend several of the leaders prayed for her and for healing.  The next week when we went back to the island, Mafer was so excited to share with us that she was healed, she was no longer taking the medicines and had no pain at all!!  Little by little they are seeing the hand of God at work in their lives!  Keep praying for the youth of Santay!

The lame will walk!

I would like to share with you three short stories of what God is doing in one of our ministries. 

OM has been working with Santay Island for over three years now.  There has been many attempts at discipleship but little response in these years. Many on the minstry team were begining to get discouraged from the lack of response that we saw in the people, until about two weeks ago.  On the 12th of September once again the weekly ministry team went to Santay for a small bible study and program with the children and youth.  I was walking along one stretch of island together with a visitor, Deborah who was going to share with the adults that day.  We managed the trails and the creaking 2x4  raised walkways and at the very end of our route Señora Elsa called out to us from her little house.  She invited us to come up as she had a story to share with us. 

When we walked in, we saw that one of the other teams of two, Riana and Steve were already inside.  But we sat down on the few chairs that she owed as she began to share her story.  About two months ago, She was going from one side of the island to the other but because there was so much mud she went by canoe.  In this little canoe Eva (a very young mother, also a resident of the island) and her little baby girl of about 1 and a half years were also going with her.   As they were rowing, they noticed that the waves were very strong that day.  [The island of Santay is located between two rivers, as the rivers are connected to the ocean the river also has a tide and certain seasons the river is a bit rougher than others].  At the moment Elsa paused her story to explain that in her 59 years she had lived on the island for over 30 of those.  When she got married she moved to the island, but she had never during that time learned how to swim.  Because of this she had a great fear of the water, that only got worse when her husband suffered from a heart attack and they found him dead in the river about a year ago.  Back to the story, at that point a large wave hit the canoe just right and turned it over.  Señora Elsa went over one side (towards the center of the river) and Eva and the baby girl on the other side.  Elsa told me "Even though I couldn't swim, I couldn't think about me.  There was that little baby who needed help.  So I began to yell, 'save the baby' as I struggled to stay above the water."  The young mother was frozen with indecision, save her baby or save Elsa.  However, the baby was not visable as the sinking canoe trapped her under the water.  Elsa went under several time and was taking in water, though still shouting for someone to save the baby.  The nearest neighbor, Veronica, wanted to help but she had a little 2 year old clinging to her leg and for fear of her child following her into the water could not help.  At this critical moment another large wave came and pushed the canoe just enough for the baby to come loose and she popped up to the surface of the water.  Eva grabbed her baby and swam to the shore.  But Elsa had gone down and said that she wasn't going up anymore.  "I figured that it was the end for me" She said.  She had been struggling with feelings of uselessness and loneliness since her husband died.  But as she was preparing herself for her final moments, a miracle happened.  She doesn't know how but the next thing she knew she was at the surface of the water and swimming!  Her neighbor, Veronica confirmed that later saying "We were sure that she was lost for goodk, yet there she was dog-paddling to the shore."  Elsa told us when she made it to the shore there was not a doubt in her mind that God saved her, Eva and little baby.  "Tabita," she said, "I knew, I KNEW at that very moment that God had a plan for me."  She decided that going to the bible meetings and just listening was not enough for her.  She began to pray, and not just in her house but out in the community.  This is almost something completely unheard of for the Santay people.  Right then she prayed with us as well.  God has great plans for Elsa and Santay!

Just when I thought this one story was amazing enough, we went to the next house to invite Veronica to the meeting.  Veronica greeted us from her porch and asked me "Tabita, did your co-workers tell you about what has happened recently with my family?"  I didn't know what she meant, so I asked her to tell me.  She told me that her husband was working on Santay so their family moved to the island about six months ago.  She has two little girls.  But things were not going so well between the two of them and as her husband began to hang out more and more with the men from Santay he was falling into some bad influences.  They began to think about seperating.  They were sure that there was no way to work it out.  Then some guys from our team challenged the Santay men to a soccer game, and surprisingly they won!  After the game, they invited the men to come to watch a movie, the movie was Fireproof.  After watching the movie, Veronica's husband, approached one of our workers, Darren.  He told him that he needed to talk to him.  Veronica didn't tell me what they talked about, I am not even sure she knows.  But he came back a changed man.  He quit hanging out with the bad influences.  He began to work on his marriage and things rapidly improved between him and his wife.  He began to read his bible in the morning and evenings and he prayed.  Veronica was astounded by the change in her husband and grateful that God made a way to keep them together.

My heart was overflowing at this point!  There is no way that things could get better that day!  Or so I thought.  Deborah and I walked back to the place were we were going to eat lunch together and Riana came up to me extremely excited.  "Tabitha!  You will never guess what happened!!" And the third story of the day began.  Riana explained to me that she along with Steve had been visiting an elderly man for the past three weeks.  Like Veronica and her family they were new to the island because of the recient construction.  However, this man was in a wheel chair.  This situation has a greater impact when you realize that everyone lives in houses 10 feet off the ground with basically a ladder to get to the house.  The paths are in the dirt and the majority of time it is mid-calf mud because of the constantly rising tide.  The places were the mud is too deep you have to walk on narrow, rotting planks that are raised up about three feet off the ground.  It isn't exactly handicapp friendly.  The first visit that Riana and Steve made together to this man, Modesto, was exactly three weeks before.  It was in this visit that they realized that he was handicapped as before those who visited him just thought he was sitting on the porch.  Riana urged Steve to share the whole bible study with Modesto as he was not able to go to the meetings.  So Steve shared everything.  Then they both felt strongly to pray for healing for him and his legs as he had a lot of pain in his legs for the last 13 years.  He cried as they prayed for him.  Then they left him with the instructions to get up everyday thanking God for healing him even if he felt pain.  They returned the next week but they were not thinking that he would actually be healed.  When they got to Modesto's house, he was waiting for them.  He was so excited.  He shared with them that for the first time in 13 years the pain had left and he had stood up.  He was not walking yet but this was the first time he had not had pain.  They prayed with him again for complete healing.  It was here that Riana got really excited!  That day when Steve went to visit Modesto, once again he was waiting for Steve to show up.  This time he greeted Steve with "I want to know your Jesus, please tell me how!"  They prayed together and he gave his life to Christ.  He was still afraid to try to walk but was very excited to show Steve all the things that he could now do without any pain.  We are trusting that complete healing will come to Modesto!

What incredible testimonies, all in one day!  It was about a work that has been going on for years and finally we are seeing fruit.  God is so good!  It is through His awesome work that will draw the people of Santay to Him!  We serve a mighty, powerful and living God!

¿Hablas Español?

I decided that I was not busy enough so it was time to add something new.  SPANISH CLASSES!!  I have only taken one class in literature since finishing my basics in February 2009.. Most people who hear me speak spanish say that I speak well, that is until they begin to listen to the grammar!  Anyone that knows me realizes that I like to speak, and if I am quiet there is something wrong.  This has helped my language skills immensely.  But is also means that I have picked up the local accent after speaking for so long without correction.  Some might say that is it great but when I tell you that the local accent here sounds a bit like innercity slang in the states, you might change your mind.

The obvious thing to do after deciding that you want more classes is to go and take the test to see which class you will end up in.  Ok, I have to admit that the perfectionist in me was thinking, "oh great,  even after 3 years of speaking spanish they are going to put in the basic class because of my grammar.." I was on pins and needles to find out what really is my Spanish level!  Then came the email, "We are inviting you to join in the Spanish for Forigners Program in the Intermediate II class."  YAY!!  I don't speak like a kindergartener!!  This class includes a lot of studies in the subjunctive form and contiditional, which is good cause I avoid using them (we don't really have subjunctive in English).

I am taking the class every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 3:30pm to 6:30pm.  Becuase of this I have to rearrange my work schedule a bit.  For my first day, yesterday, I left my office at 3pm on the dot.  First, I took the city bus #12 and then the Metrovia.  The Metrovia is a innercity bus a bit like a subway but in bus form.  In my three year in Ecuador I have not had much reason to take the metrovia.  There are several reasons to avoid it if you can.  #1 it is always packed.  When I say packed, I mean you are touching at least five people at all times on all sides unless you are blessed and get to stand next to the wall, then it is only three people pressing into you.  #2 at 3:30pm it is hot, bright sun, and no airconditioning.... a hundred people packed in... you get the picture.  #3 it has the highest percentage of pick pocketing than any other place, as everyone is always touching someone. #4 when I get on alone, I am the only natural blonde in the whole bus..  Thankfully my stop is the second one after I get on the metrovia! 

I was greeted to the university by a little iguana on the wall.  I meet my teacher, Janett and my fellow student, Iris from the Netherlands. It feels a little strange to be back in classes, it reminds me of my time at Dallas Baptist University.  I even start to put my clothes out the night before as I did in University, as I am going in to work earlier thus getting up earlier.  And anyone who has seen me in the morning would know why I shouldnt trust my judgment directly after waking up.  In my class, we had a mini-debate in spanish.  Iris and I had to choose a profession and then debate which of two would have to jump off of the balloon so it wouldn't pop.  Instead of choosing typical profession she decided to be the Queen of Holland and I was a Helecopter Pilot bringing aid to the hungry and needing in Somalia.  We both had some good points but eventually I bit the bullet and jumped.. but only because as a pilot I had a parachute! 

I hope that this new time of studies will be a blessing to my other areas of work and that I will have opportunites to share God's love with my teacher and classmate. 

Seeds Sown & Planes Flown.

From the 30th of May until the 30th of July we held the 2011 Transcultural Communication and Mission School in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Fourteen student participated from three different countries. It was an incredible time. I was highly involved in the logistical details and the classroom side of the school. This school was such an encouragement and blessing to me as I had been praying for the students by name since March. Truly lives were changed during the school, and not just the students! There were four weeks of outreaches throughout Ecuador. They ministered to churches, schools and a children's foundation. Some of the fruit is already showing from this school as we sent out one of the fourteen this morning for the OM Ship.  There are three more scheduled to go out in January, plus several others who are still working on the details on where to go.  It is days like these that I LOVE my job!  

On the other side of the coin we have had a lot of goodbyes lately.  First we had to say goodbye to the fourteen students who are wrapped firmly around our hearts.  Next the three short-term helpers who were here in June and July: Kyndall from the USA, Niklas from Germany, and Marcel from Switzerland.  I had the privilege to lead the team of short-termers and they not only helped to fill in the gaps that were left by our staff needing to teach and mentor in the school but they also added greatly to the ministries themselves.  We were able to do a special empowerment program in the Children's hospital during those two months.  Also our dear friend and co-worker Seth Rikard, has finished his two year commitment and is heading for Oxford to study apologetics.  We are so excited for him but yet sad for the gaping hole that is left here in Ecuador.

                               Our dear friends, Seth and Wendy

May God bless you with a restless discomfort

May God bless you with a restless discomfort about easy answers, half-truths and superficial relationships, so that you may seek truth boldly and love deep within your heart.


May God bless you with holy anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people, so that you may tirelessly work for justice, freedom, and peace among all people.

May God bless you with the gift of tears to shed with those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation, or the loss of all that they cherish, so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and transform their pain into joy.

May God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you really CAN make a difference in this world, so that you are able, with God's grace, to do what others claim cannot be done.

And the blessing of God the Supreme Majesty and our Creator,
Jesus Christ the Incarnate Word who is our brother and Savior,
and the Holy Spirit, our Advocate and Guide,
be with you and remain with you, this day and forevermore.

AMEN

It has been two days since I first read the Franciscan Blessing, and I cannot get it out of my head.  Then this morning in our team devotional this scripture was read that to be honest I never recall hearing before. 

Jeremiah 22:16
"He pled the cause of the afflicted and needy;
Then it was well.
Is not that what it means to know me?"
Declares the Lord

For months, years, my heart has been crying out for those who are oppressed, for the injustices of the world, for those in poverty and the hate and bitterness that causes us to lash out blindly at anyone weaker than us.   Where we are working these atrocities pour out abundantly, in a personal way that makes it hard to ignore and forget like we might do with the stories on the news or the horror stories that are beginning to be so common in families and communities now days.  But it isn't enough.  What we are doing isn't enough, you must join in this fight.  I don't want to tell sad stories but trust me I have plenty.  It would be pointless if guilt pushed you into doing something in this fight.  I plead with you to fall on your knees and beg God to cover you and fill you with this blessing.  Only with Him will we be able to make a difference. 

Another recent reason that is adding to my burden for the oppressed is a new project that we will hopefully begin implementing in the local children's hospital where I volunteer every week.  The majority of patients are from families in extreme poverty, often needing to choose between buying food or medicines.  I have been discussing with the doctors possible opportunities and projects that we could put into place during the two months were we have short-term volunteers.  Just last week I agreed to write up a project concerning patient empowerment, but not just in relation to their situation as a patient but also in their everyday lives as well.  I have struggled in writing this project as we will be facing many challenges, such as a high turnover in the participants, varied age ranges, some participants with illiteracy, and most who are not from the area.  However, these are the desired results from our project:
- Empowerment leading to more personal responsibility for health situation thus creating less dependence on the doctors and staff leading to a more holistic health care.
- A presence of more positive attitudes and an improvement in staff/patient relationships.
- An understanding how God desires to see empowered people turning away from hopelessness and helplessness.
- A deeper understanding of the role of community in our personal struggles and how we effect our community.

Tomorrow I will present the idea to the head doctors on the wing where I volunteer.  I appreciate your prayers towards the success of this endeavor against the mindset of poverty.    

A mealybugs life...

Some of you may already know this but I love plants. I love mine so much that most have names and they get talked to in two languages. I adopt new ones as often as I can and have to be torn away from plant stores. Once when I was walking to the local pharmacy to cure a current sickness, I passed a man pushing his flower and plant cart. I resisted the temptation on the way but just couldn't help myself on the way back. The new addition was called Orphan Annie. No worries she has a home now. One of my first plants was Rosa (picture) and her sister Maria. There have been times in which my plants have died because of the heat of Guayaquil, and even the emergency treatment of being put into the fridge for the third time didn't help. Poor Meryl. Then there have been the plants that have died in my absence, I like to think that they missed me but I have a feeling that the soil got a little too dry. And there have been others that have succumbed to pests. One of these being, mealybugs. They are nasty little bugs covered in a white cottony substance and seem to multiply overnight. One of my plants, Aqua, was almost furry from the sheer abundance of mealybugs. I was sure that I was about to lose another plant when beholding the wonders of google, I found a solution that didn't involve chemicals. Dish soap and warm water. So I gave my plant a scrubbing like it has never known and now three days later it is relatively free of mealybugs. According to the instructions I will have to repeat the process in a week and then keep an eye out to see if they come back. I tell you this whole story to explain what I was thinking about. Our bad habits are a bit like mealybugs, better liked by some people than others but completely disastrous to all. I don't know about you, but I seem to have a lot of bad habits. Yes it should not surprise you to hear that a missionary has struggles too. Experiencing this situation with my plants made me realize that I tend to fall for the same patterns and listen to the same lies. I work through it with God and then for a while things are good but then I get distracted and busy not allowing God to examine me and wash off the lies. Then I turn into a fuzzy gross messy only realizing when it seem that I have caused damage what has happened. Then here comes the spray bottle and God helps me to clear out the lies again. The funny thing about mealybugs is that if you have a plant infested with these you must separate it from the others, especially the weak plants, because they will transfer and start to grow a colony there. We should be careful who we are around all the time because as much as we don't like to admit it, their attitudes, beliefs and behaviors begin to rub off on us. Now just as my plants do go moving themselves (yes that would be scary if it happened), we also should be careful about judging others, this is when we need to turn to the Gardener and let Him show us. Because how ironic would that be if we start pointing fingers at someone because they have mealybugs when you are covered with scales... Love others, clean your leaves, and listen to the Gardener.

Cease Striving

"Cease striving and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."

Psalm 46:10



2011 Zaruma Ecuador Medical Team

We had the second annual Ecuador Medical Mission trip in March 2011.  Our team was made up of approximately 40 people.  We had 8 different nationalities and a mix of different Ecuadorian cultures.  To be honest, the event seemed impossible to pull off.   Starting weeks and months in advance we began to work on the logistics.  Then the week before the trip was to start things started to go wrong.  One of the team members had to have an unexpected eye surgery and could not travel.  Two more were stopped before getting on the plane to Ecuador because of passport issues.  In the office in Ecuador, all the electronics began to quit working.  The phone and the internet only worked sporadically, my computer (the trip coordinator..) and the computer that was being used for the finances for the trip died completely.  The lights started going out randomly and the cell phone of the pastor in Zaruma quit working.  Many people got sick right before the trip and Gynecologist fell down a flight of stairs three days before we left.  With so many reasons to get discouraged and frustrated, it was an act of God that not only was everyone excited for what was to come but we were also filled with a supernatural peace.  I have the tendency to get stressed out when I am in charge of something big.  However, this trip was different.  We continually placed every part of the medical clinic in the hands of God, as Psalm 46:10 says, we ceased striving in ourselves and let God be God.  Things went very smoothly until Wednesday of the trip.  Everything started to feel a little off, plus I fell down a flight of stairs.  We began to pray over the area of the clinic as the spiritual struggle was strong.  By the end of the week we had seen about 1000 people for medicine and eyes glasses.  Over 150 people made personal commitment to Christ, for His glory.  Our faith grew as we also saw people crippled from arthritis, walking out with spring in their step after being prayed for.  One man who had a ringing in his ears for over 4 months was immediately healed when a woman placed her hands on his ears to pray.  There were so many things that happened like this.  We saw families reunited, marriages restored and a work began in each of us that continues to this day.  If you want to hear more about what happened just send me an email.

I am still in awe of the way that I was permitted to see the hand of God at work.  A hunger began in me during that week that I am still not able to quench.  Not a desire to see miracles but to put it as my friend explained: When Jesus turned the water into wine, it was a miracle.  The people closest to Jesus saw the water being changed, and the guests tasted the miracle.  They all participated in the miracle though many didn't even realize the incredible thing that happened.  I have too often been one of those in the crowd, just tasting God's miracles without seeing them.  I want to be so close to Jesus that it is only natural that I would see the miracles instead of just unknowingly experiencing them.  Each time I see and realized the amazing ways that He is working, my faith grows and I get closer to Him.  I want this to continue I want to know Him more.

Gabby, Kristen, Guillermo, and me

Radiant

Radiant.




Peace.     Joy.    



Smiling.   Singing.   Dancing.   Laughing.



"Tabitha there is something different about you" I heard this multiple times since I have arrived back in Ecuador from my almost six weeks in the USA. Yes there is. My roommate looked at me laughing "Tabitha, you are how you were when you first came to Ecuador, over two years ago." Yes I have to confess that by the time I left Ecuador in December 2010, I was stressed, insanely busy, tired, and in many ways worn down. What happened? What changed? God began to work in me starting in December concerning my prayer life. Many of you have heard me speaking about a small little book called "Power through Prayer" by E.M. Bounds. God used this book to alter the way that I live. If you get a chance read this book, don't skim it, read it. 100 pages. It took me two months. Those of you who know how I read should know that this says a lot. I have begun to learn the art and importance of taking everything to the Lord in prayer. I have been back for two weeks now, yet still no stress. Please don't think that I am saying that I have nothing to do because if anything my responsibilities have gotten bigger. Rather, I am learning to trust God, from visas to weather to a bus for 40 people. I would like to share a little story about ways that I am seeing God's faithfulness because I am bringing my worries to Him instead of trying to control them myself.

Since I have been home I have been going to the church service for young people on Saturday nights. It is very common to have services like these on Saturday nights in Ecuador. My church, however, has one of the latest starting times, 8pm. It might not seem like an issue but when you count in that all services last for at least an hour and that they never start on time.. it means we don't get out until 10:30pm. Typically the buses stop running regularly around 10pm. I need to take two buses to get from my house to church, or I can walk about a mile. At night it is not safe to walk so I normally go with friends. These last two weeks none of my friends from the area have been going. But I still wanted to go to church so I decided to go anyways. The first Saturday I took a safe taxi from my house (they are not always available) to the church. When I arrived I realized that none of the 30+ people that I knew at the church were there. So instead of worrying I just asked God to help me find a safe way home. Towards the end of the worship time, a girl appeared out of nowhere giving me a huge hug. "Cousin!" She excited cried. Not quite.. She realized her mistake very quickly and began to apologize profusely as she sat down next to me. I was not offended but found the situation a little funny as I have never before been mistaken for a latina. At the end of the service she took me to meet her boyfriend. After talking for a while he asked me "How will you return home?" I just smiled and said that I had been praying about that as it was too late to walk or take the bus. He was appalled that I would even consider either of those options as I don't really blend in here and they offered to drop me off at my house. If that wasn't enough, the following Saturday the same situation happened. So I took the bus this time, with bible in hand just in case... I prayed as I neared the bus stop "God this is a dark two blocks, please protect me" and at the stop a young man with an 'I love Jesus' bracelet on his hand, also got off the bus and began to walk the same direction as me. Once again after arriving a random friend found me and at the end of the service offered me a ride home. I told them the whole story on the way to my house and explained how they were another answer to prayer. Maybe all those things would have happened even if I had worried about them but I wouldn't have seen the faithfulness of the Lord and my faith would not have grown. I know that God will take care of me. I am not sure what that will entail but I have complete confidence that He will.

Isaiah 26:3 says

"You will keep in perfect peace

those whose minds are steadfast,

because they trust in you."

I believe that this is a constant choice, to steadfastly choose to trust God each day. So to say that I am beginning to learn to trust God is the most that I can say. I guess we will see where this leads. I do know though that a life lived in peace is so much better than the other option!