Ecuador: Days 5 and 6
Day 5! Started off the day by taking our friends from El Reypin to the park for a field trip. After a delightful drive, we hopped off the bus and circled up in the sunshine to play some games.
There were smiles all around as we laughed, ran, jumped, sang, and danced with our buddies! This was truly one of our favorite days playing with our new friends.
Kevin was the star in one of our games. He was asked to test his athletic abilities by running around with a bucket tied to his back while being chased by 10 children. He was no match, and every single one of them threw a ball in the bucket. Next time, Kevin!
We finished off our park day with a yummy hotdog topped with mayo, onions, tomatoes, and potato chips.
Afterwards, we journeyed to the center of the Earth. That's right! The Equator.
Zero degrees latitude didn't hold anything on this peculiar group of individuals. The Fellows not only survived but looked fly doing it. And that is really all this particular writer can ask for.
Eliza and Madison H. had big shoes to fill, and would you look at that with the power of friendship, they filled 'em. ' We learned about the mysterious prowess of Cocoa and the lucrative company that harvests such chocolaty gems: Pacari. It's a shame this dashing duo above can't handle the richness.
We also learned about the Amazon. For more details, we can share in person.
And you can't stop Hef. Look at her go, balance pose, and grace. Can one person do it all? Just watch Heather Turner do it then ask for more. Sensational.
Steve became our group's first and eldest egg master. Generational run for the ole' timer. Took on Ecuador with swagger.
After conquering the tough challenges of the Equator Museum and learning about all the interesting artifacts, we set our sights on El Refugio. Arriving at El Refugio, we met up with Jason, a staff member. He gave us a quick tour of the camp and then took us through a camp orientation in the afternoon.
Moving into the second day of camp, we woke up at 4AM to go on the perimeter hike to see the an incredible view and experience what it feels be humbled by elevation. Shout to the gang that trooped up all the way to the top!
The next half of our day was spent serving by doing different projects to improve the camp's overall look. We had half of the crew painting up the roof and some on the steps putting in work, and last but not least, we had the grass/wood pick-up crew. Shout out to Ellie for being a dawg with that rake.
To conclude our time at El Refugio and Ecuador, we ended our mission experience in the only way we knew how: with worship/fellowship and a nice dinner served and prepared by the camp staff. As you can see, some of us enjoyed a "cuy" (guinea pig) with potatoes, steak, and veggies. What a wonderful night! Ending to our mission experience like that was truly something special.
-Antonio, Jed, Madison H.