Wednesday in Quito
Today was a day of adapting and being flexible, as a few members of the team got sick overnight (24-hour flu bug). Shuffling around the small groups, our team demonstrated amazing teamwork to fill the missing teaching positions. Today was our third day at the church in Quito. The children are just beginning to remember names and make connections with specific members of the team. It’s so incredible to see the way the children bond with us even when we completely butcher their language and agree out of ignorance to everything they babble.Currently we are conducting two vacation Bible schools at two different churches. The morning event is significantly the larger. I have to admit the first day of the morning VBS was rough. It was hard to tell whether or not we were connecting with the kids since there were SO many of them. That changed when I arrived the next morning. Immediately I was greeted by a little boy, Mateo, who remembered my name! While this may seem to be an insignificant incident, it was incredibly encouraging to see that at the very least the kids were remember our names. Mateo has definitely become my little buddy at the morning camp. He’s always the first to greet me when we arrive and always the last to hug me goodbye. It’s always a delight to see his, as well as the other children’s, face light up when we sing the songs or practice our Bible verses. He’s almost become a little reminder of the potential impact that our team could have.The second VBS is at a church in Carapungo, a separate section of Quito. This VBS is significantly smaller so its been easier to connect with the kids. The children, as are the ones in morning church, are always so full of energy, even at the end of the day. Their energy literally infects our team as we transform from tired people coming off a bus to teachers chasing kids around in games.So far Quito has been quite the roller coaster ride. At this point the main prayer request is for physical strength for the team. Both for the sick members and the healthy (for now) members of the team. Pray that God would quickly heal those who are sick and give those who are healthy the ability to pull the slack. God has been so good to our team so far and we are definitely learning to “count it all joy.”--Nainisha Risa1 Peter 5:7 "Casting all your cares upon Him because he cares for you."