Simple Prayer

So I was reading this book that a very dear friend of mine (thank you Hayley Ettelson) gave me for my birthday a couple of years ago.  I have tried and tried to get into reading it, but I guess the Lord has his timing.  Let me just convey a passage -

"[There] is a notion - almost universal among us modern high achievers - that we have to have everything 'just right' in order to pray...Our problem is that we assume prayer is something to master the way we master algebra or auto mechanics.  That puts us on the 'on-top' position, where we are competent and in control.

But when praying, we come 'underneath,' where we calmly and deliberately surrender control and become incompetent. 'To pray,' writes Emilie Griffin, 'means to be willing to be naive.'

I used to think that I needed to get all my motives straightened out before I could pray, really pray...never pray again until my motives were pure...I did not want to be a hypocrite...I knew that I must not use God for my own ends.

The truth of the matter is, we all come to prayer with a tangled mass of motives - altruistic AND selfish, merciful AND hateful, loving AND bitter.  Frankly, this side of eternity we will NEVER unravel the good from the bad, the pure from the impure.  But what I have come to see is that God is big enough to receive us with all our mixture.  We do not have to be bright, or pure or filled with faith, or anything.  That is what grace, means, and not only are we saved by grace, we live by it as well.  And we pray by it."

For those who believe in divine providence, there were snippets of this that were literally highlighted on the pages for me (even though there is no highlighter on the page), and I felt lead to share the passage.

The Kids - WOW!

Things are going very well here in Quito. Yesterday we spent the whole day at Maria Campi. In the morning, there were only 2 small children there (Sophia - cute as ever and walking - and a new little guy, Jose - he stole my heart with his beautiful smile!) The older kids were at school and the 3-5 year-olds were at a government run day care/preschool. We were put to work weeding and painting and fixing some plumbing problems. When God assembled this team, He included a handiman kind of guy who has been kept very busy!

The school kids got back around 1:00 and had lunch. Then a story was attempted but they were much too excited to really sit still. The rest of the afternoon we just played with them and finished the painting. When we left around 5:00, the preschool kids had just gotten back so we really didn't get to spend any time with them. :(

Today, however, we spent the whole morning playing with all 15 of the children and singing songs with them. It felt so good to hug on them and just have fun playing with them. They crave physical touch and attention. We left when they had to stop for lunch and it was heartbreaking to leave those precious children. We were told that 10 of them are "adoptable" but they have gotten VERY strict about giving out ANY information.

After we left Maria Campi, we went to a park that was supposed to be the middle of the earth. There is a monument there and some shops with local artists GPS has since proven that the measurements were a little off so it is technically not the center but pretty close. We then went for ice cream, stopped to buy roses at a roadside stand (they are a major export for Ecuador so a dozen roses is $1!), and bought some bread at a bakery/pastry shop.

Tomorrow we will visit a the orphanage that the kids from Jesus Divino went. I am looking forward to ministering to these kids. Thank you so much for all the prayers. Please keep praying for the team and that these children tomorrow and Monday will see God in all we do and say.

Love you all,
Jeannine

The Rainforest and Return to Quito

This has been an amazing experience. God has worked out details and guided our steps in ways we would have never imagined! The rainforest is an absolutely beautiful place and we were blessed with very little rain. In fact, the only time it actually rained was overnight and then by morning it would quit. We got misted on a couple of times but nothing to create any problems.

We arrived Sunday afternoon and after lunch, we took a walk around the property where we were staying. They have a creek and some fantastic scenery. It is so crazy to think that this other-world-like place is so close to Quito!

Monday morning we spent the day with some school children, playing and telling them the story of Ruth and how God has a plan for each of their lives as well. We asked them to write down or draw a dream they have for their lives and it was touching to see their answers. We also spent some time helping the town build a wall with cement and rocks next to the river so that they have a safe walkway to the river. We worked some more on the wall after lunch and then had an opportunity to swim in the river. Very cold but refreshing after the hard work.

Tuesday morning we headed in the other direction and spent some time with the children in another school in a different little village. Again, their answers and sweet spirits was touching. After lunch was a real adventure. The town is laying pipe to bring water from a spring in the mountains to the village below. On the way to the rainforest Sunday we stopped and bought 300 feet of flexible pipe. We spent the afternoon hauling the pipe up a mountain, down the other side and back up the next mountain! It was uncoiled so we were spread out and slipping and sliding on the mud. We calculated it was about a 2 mile hike one way! We were exhausted and very humbled when it was over but it was also very exhilerating and fun -once it was over! The townspeople then treated us to fresh squeezed sugar cane.

Yesterday we hiked (again) to a waterfall that was also amazing and then spent a little more time swimming in the river. The rest of the afternoon I spent packing and resting.

Tomorrow and Saturday we will be loving on children at Maria Campi orphanage and may make a stop at the center of the world (latitude 0 and longitude 0). Sunday and Monday, we will be at an orphanage we have never been to before. It is where the children from Jesus Divino went when that facility closed. It is quite heartbreaking to hear what happened to them. They were given a backpack, told to get on a van and then taken to the prison where their parent is and left on the street. Somehow the director at this new orphanage found out about it and agreed to take them in so that would not be on the street or in the prison with their parent.

THANK YOU for your prayers - they have been felt and greatly appreciated! Please continue to pray for our safety and health. Cindy is not feeling too well tonight so pray for her to adjust to the altitude and recover quickly. Also please pray that these precious children would see God in our actions and our attitudes and they would be drawn closer to Him. Above all, it is our prayer that He be glorified in all that we do.

I love you all!

Jeannine

Update on the Team

From Denise:

Today the team saw more of the rainforest. Getting to know the community and ministering as they were able. More details to come when they return tomorrow to Quito and they get to where they can communicate with the outside world again.

Amanda is doing fine. She has been resting in the hacienda while the team has been out in the community. Thanks for all of your prayers.

So--tonight all is well. And tomorrow I'm sure we'll be able to post pictures of all of their adventures. :) Thanks for all of your prayers.

Washer & Dryer Need

On Sunday and Monday, the team will be at a new orphanage called Fundacion Ganas. It's in pretty bad shape. We are trying to purchase a washer and dryer for them since the kids do their own laundry by hand and dry it in the sun. Lice do not get killed this way, since the water (by hand) is not hot enough. We have enough, I believe, to purchase the washing machine, but not the dryer. The total amount needed is $1200. If you feel led to contribute, you can go to the Visiting Orphans website www.visitingorphans.org . They have a donation page with a pull-down menu. There's an option for "Ecuador washer and dryer". The option will be available until Friday, since we need to buy the machines on Saturday. If you have ever wondered how to contribute in a tangible, exact sort of way, this is it. A washing machine and a dryer make a huge difference in the quality of life for these orphans.

Thanks for following along and praying with us. The team hasn't been heard from today, and if I see anything on the crazyloveecuador.blogspot.com , I'll be sure to post again.

Scott

What's Happening!

What's happening is that Jeannine and Cindy are in the rainforest, away from the internet and cell phone coverage. Oswaldo's wife, Denise (she is still in Quito), is getting updates from Oswaldo (who is the teams guide and is with them) and posting to her blog http://crazyloveecuador.blogspot.com/ . Jeannine, Cindy, and the team should be back in Quito by Thursday night and she may remember to take over this blog. Until then, check out God's work at Denise's blog.

There is a specific prayer request for Amanda, a member of the team, who has come down with a respiratory infection. Pray for quick and complete healing and also a quick recovery so she can get to do what she feels God brought her to Ecuador for.

Scott

The Beginning

Which really isn't the beginning.

It's just the beginning for most of you out there reading to "live" our experiences in our lives here on this earth.  Some of you may have heard the stories before, all of you have stories of your own.

This is our story.  It's continuous, not AT ALL perfect, but it's us.  Our family felt inclined to share how God has worked (and continues His work) in our lives, and in the lives of those we encounter.

How he shows up in the nick of time (because sometimes OUR clocks are off)
How we are His pawns (reborn as a new creation to serve His purpose)
How we don't always understand (if we ever really)
How we have to LEARN to trust in Him (even when things don't make sense)

So we named the blog Because God Told Me To because it is an all encompassing reason behind our living.  And, well, because God told me to.