Ecuador Trip 2016 Thursday - Friday

Thursday - This was our last day teaching at the school. We taught our baseball lessons to 7th-9th grade. These grades enjoyed learning new baseball words in English, some symmetry concepts, and a craft which involved the students using their handprint to create a baseball. These students also really enjoyed learning to play the game of baseball. They understood many of the rules that were taught and had fun playing outside. After teaching two classes, we had a break before lunch. We walked down the street and bought some drinks to try. For lunch, we enjoyed a traditional Ecuadorian meal and some conversation with the staff. The staff had a surprise for us as well - they prepared presentations for us in English. They have been learning from the English teachers at the school and decided to teach us how to prepare two foods. We also exchanged gifts we had brought and made for them as well. This was bittersweet knowing it was our last full day at the school. In the evening, we had our final debrief which was a culmination of the entire week and we began to process our trip. We also prepared lunches for the fifth graders and our translator came to spend the evening with us.

Friday - Today was a very bittersweet day as it was our last day in Quito. We had an early morning and got to the school early for their worship and a program for us. It was beautiful to watch what the students and teachers had prepared. They sang a few songs in English. This was heart warming because it is clear how hard they have worked to do this for us. After the program each student hugged each of us goodbye. Needless to say, there were tears involved. Then, we had a few minutes to get ready for our field trip. We took the fifth graders to the water museum, where they learned about water conservation and had some fun. This was a fun experience for us too, as we got to interact with the students in a more individualized way. After the field trip, our team headed to downtown Quito to do some sightseeing. We saw some beautiful historic churches and some unique landmarks. We also went to see the Virgin Mary statue. We went up inside the statue for a beautiful view of the entire city. Our last stop was at the market where we bought some handmade souvenirs.

After finishing packing and cleaning up at Extreme, we headed off to the airport. Currently, we are waiting for our flight. By noon tomorrow we should be back home.

What an amazing week it has been. We have seen God working in extraordinary ways and our lives have been changed. May we take all that we have learned this week and allow God to continue to work in our lives

Until next time, Ecuador!

-Krista Leonard