Last day of ministry

Today is our last day of ministry.  I apologize for the shortage of posts.  I've been busier with various responsibilities than I anticipated.  :)

I don't want to leave.  I was talking to a friend yesterday, and I understand why I love these missions trips so much.  God allows me to use nearly every gift He has given me in one day, every day, for more than two weeks.

I can use my organizational and event planning skills, my experience with high school and junior high students, my knowledge of counseling, my Spanish, my writing, my knowledge of how to work with kids, and even my knowledge of working with special needs kids.  Almost every day.  Leaving this to return to "normal" life where I am sometimes able to use my gifts and sometimes not, will be very difficult for me. 

Ecuador is my favorite country.  The landscape and the people here are so beautiful.  I could see myself living here someday.  I was smitten with it since I first saw it four years ago, and my love for Ecuador has only grown since then. 

God has done some amazing things in and through my team and others on this trip.  Hundreds of people have come to know Jesus, students have shared heavy burdens with each other, and on and on it goes. 

Please pray for energy and strength as we wrap things up here, as we deal with the logistics of returning a couple hundred people back to the U.S. and as tearful goodbyes are said.  That God would comfort us with the knowledge that we will be a family together forever someday. 

Soli Deo Gloria