ECUADOR MISSION TRIP

Quito from the Airplane

Our first Tuesday Travel Edition takes us South of the Equator for my first (of many hopefully!) trips. In the summer of 2004, I joined two dozen other singles from my church at Camp Chacauco near Ambato, Ecuador. If you've never been on a mission trip or a volunteer vacation, I encourage you to do it- it WILL change your life. I can look back at my 10 days in Ecuador and clearly see that short span as a turning point for my Faith.

On our way to and from the Patate Valley, we were lucky enough to see some of the great sights around Ecuador. Near the city of Banos, we drove through the breath-taking valleys and saw numerous waterfalls, including this one nick-named Devil's Falls. We were able to visit a traditional catholic church, where an interesting mix of Catholicism mixed with indigenous folklore was being practiced.

There is a great monument and area marking the equator. This was our entire group and the yellow line is the equator. We also hit up the thermal hot springs at Papallacta, which were amazing! The drive to the springs alone was worth it, before jumping from the volcano-heated water into the frigid River.

Another highlight was visiting Crater lake- a nearly 2 mile wide lake formed when a caldera (volcano) collapsed. The villagers that lived at over 10,000 feet were an amazing people, and we learned so much as drove by numerous goat farms and self-sustaining areas.

The camp was located in the Patate River Valley, a few short miles from the Tungurahua Volcano. It was rumbling and periodically spewing ash our entire trip. At night, you could sometimes see a faint red glow of the lava or hear the low rumble. Absolutely amazing. There are no words to describe what it was like to be that near an active volcano for a week.

During our week at the camp, our group worked on various building projects in the morning and taught VBS (Vacation Bible School) at a local village in the afternoon. I helped put up a fence, while others built an outhouse, constructed bathrooms, worked in the garden and hung paneling in the closet.

Here I am surround by some of the amazing children at VBS. They loved all the attention. We would sing songs in Spanish, do skits, play games, create a craft and share a Bible story. They were *fascinated* by things like bubbles or sidewalk chalk. These children have so little, but yet they are happy and so appreciative of anything we did for them.

I was overwhelmed with the sheer beauty of the landscape and the incredibly tenacious people who lived in Ecuador. If you ever get a chance to go to Ecuador- don't miss this fabulous opportunity to see all these thing and more, including the Galapagos Islands, the Andes Mountains and the Amazon Rainforest. For more on volunteering on vacation, check out the International Missions Board, Global Volunteers, or Habitat for Humanity.

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: YOU CAN make a difference by volunteering your time, energy and love in so many ways.