Saturday, May 23, 2026 We left the church on Friday, a few minutes after 10 am. Thank you, Adam and Will, for driving us. The team of 17 made it to the airport and through security with relative ease. Lunch was interesting. One guy had security called on him, and Burger King took 33 minutes to prepare 2 combos, but I digress.
Security Guy (the same one from above) was, of course, at our gate and also bound for Ecuador. A few minutes before boarding, we learned that the Captain didn’t like something about one of the engines, and we would be delayed. I learned that captains inspected engines. Anyway, it was right about then that Security Guy announced to everyone at the gate that he had tarot cards and invited anyone to join him. We eventually got bumped to another gate with a different plane and a few seating reassignments. Amie and Kate drew the short straw and got a row with Security Guy. We landed safely in Quito, albeit much later than planned, but the Holiday Day Inn left the light on for us. I didn’t need to be rocked to sleep. Oh, and Kyle got pulled aside by immigration and questioned as to why so many people were headed to Patate. They profiled him as the leader of the group. Kyle handled it beautifully with all the suave and composure of Jason Bourne.
This morning started with a hotel breakfast buffet: pancakes, waffles, scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, omelet station, yogurt, fresh fruit, coffee, juice, and…fish ceviche and a hot fish stew. The ceviche was especially good, in my humble yet totally accurate opinion. We left the hotel and headed to the Equator monument. Everyone enjoyed reading the notes from our prayer partners. I should probably mention that we are working alongside a church from Carrollton this week. We’ve shared the bus with them today and will coordinate with them for VBS and minor construction projects on campus.
We had about an hour at the monument, which is just enough time to climb to the top of the monument for pictures before securing a few souvenirs, some coffee, an ice cream, and one roasted guinea pig. This weekend is Ecuador’s independence celebration, so the Monument was busier than usual.
The next several hours were spent on the bus. We stopped for lunch, and all shared some pizza. There were two other stops where we could use the restroom and purchase snacks and drinks to prepare us for the next bathroom stop. Oh, and someone, I’m not sure who, purchased some chicharones (Ecuadorian pork rinds that beat the socks off of Mutt and Jeff’s) from a street vendor through the bus window, or maybe it was the door, I was sitting in the back.
When we finally arrived at Camp Chacauco, we staked our claim to beds either in the cabins (where most of the team ended up) or in the dorms (where the best of the team ended up). Kyle, Robby, Harold, and I are in the dorms, where we have an abundance of hot water. I’m told that the cabins may or may not have hot water.
We took a tour of the campus tonight before dinner, which was pan-fried beef, rice, potatoes, slaw, and Jell-O. I got to meet up with a former student, Rebekah, who is serving as a summer missions intern. There’s not much more rewarding than seeing former students serving the Lord! What a treasure! Tomorrow, we go to worship at Palabra Eterna. I’ll preach with a translator. Harold and Lucy will share their testimonies. Hopefully, Robby will play guitar, and we all will lead in a worship song or two. We’ll work out the details of the music in the morning.
At this point, I pray for rest and strength from the Lord. May God’s grace so overwhelm our hearts that it is obvious to everyone we meet. God is good!
Ragamuffin Warrior 