Ecuador children's programs begin...

For some of us, arriving at Iglesia Inaquito was like showing up at home, for others it was a totally new experience. For everyone... this is where our ministry in Ecuador this summer begins. The kids were super excited to see us. It was a little chaotic sorting everyone into teams the first morning, but that's to be expected. Pretty soon everything (game teams, craft teams, story team, photography classes) was running smoothly. We have some fantastic translators who make all the difference in the world with logistics and getting the message across to the kids.The afternoon kids' program was a new location for all of us. It's in a tiny little church on the edge of a super poor part of Quito. At first I really wasn't sure how it was going to work. We had two small rooms, an outdoor parking area, about 30 kids, and that was it. I was really questioning the wisdom of being there. By the time we finished 3 hrs later God had totally changed my perspective. Between creativity, flexibility, and a bunch more kids, the program ran great. When I saw the gratefulness of the kids and the church leaders I could see why God had sent us there.My personal favorite part of the day was leading singing with the kids in the afternoon. I remember in the past wishing so much that I could communicate back and forth with the kids and interact with them while leading songs, but the language barrier prevented that. Something has happened to my Spanish lately though. There's still vocabulary I don't know and times when I get completely confused, but I'm able to use the Spanish I know much faster and easier than ever before. I had so much fun teaching the kids Las Armas de Dios and calling kids up to be the parts of the armor and interacting with the audience. It was so much easier to connect with the kids than it's ever been in the past.Pray for us as we share the gospel each day this week with many kids who are not saved.Elizabeth, for the team(Thank you to the photography team for the images!)