Lo que en el mundo?! (from Emily)

Hola everyone!

I am writing from our 5^th day in Quito!  It’s unbelievable that we will be returning  back to the United States late  tomorrow night already. This trip came and went so quickly, and I sure am going to miss everything about this place. Today, we taught our second day of lessons at the school with our assigned grades. I think it is safe to say we all felt a little more comfortable in front of the class today! As always, recess was a blast! You have never really experienced a real recess until you’re sprinting up and down steep hills and stairs, trying to avoid the super fast kids of Quito (who are faster than you, even in their school uniforms :) ). As soon as we enter the school, it’s an immediate sense of belonging and warm welcomes, by both the children and faculty. The love that we all experience with the people of Ecuador is so overwhelming, and it is clearly a gift from God. We are all recognizing and thanking our Savior every day for this wonderful opportunity to pour ourselves into the children, teachers, and also community members of Quito. Without Him, we would not have been called to attend this trip. Without Him, we would not have the unforgettable relationships with the people of Quito that we do today.

We also concluded today with our last Professional Development meeting with the teachers! As a follow up from yesterday, we showed them different strategies and interventions to use with students who may have certain disabilities or weaknesses. The time spent with the teachers is such a blessing. They may view Professional Development as learning from us, but I know all of us have learned so much more through conversation with them. We concluded our night with a Chinese dinner. The teachers attended with us, and it was so awesome to have conversations with all of them! I know many of us have never laughed so hard (we’re not sure if everything was hilarious tonight or if we were trying to avoid our sad feelings of leaving everyone- but it’s fine, it’s fine!). We exchanged emails with many of the teachers and will continue to share what God is doing in our lives and encourage them in their faith and educational journeys! It is going to be so great to keep in touch with all of these wonderful people! They will always be in our hearts. As we know, “Every good and perfect gift comes from above, coming down from the Father of Heaven…” James 1:17. The people of Ecuador, the Godly relationships we have built, and the new knowledge we are gaining, are all perfect gifts from above!

Emily Gahagan