Apart from a slight breeze, I find the wind to be at peace; causing goose bumps to appear every so often, and only as if to remind me of its existence. It's not enough to keep my swing in motion so I continually pump my legs back and forth allowing my eyes to gaze beyond the buildings and towards the hazy mountains of Quito. I notice the shadows of the trees looking their longest and I'm forced to accept my departure in just a few hours. These would be my last minutes spent in the country of Ecuador, a place I had come to feel a sense of love and devotion for. As I ponder all that was accomplished during our stay here, I feel that the team's greatest impact was on the hearts of the Ecuadorians. It wasn't the exhausting construction work or the overwhelming task of feeding seniors that showed God's love, but it was the attitudes with which we worked that reflected it. By viewing our work as a privilege and not a chore, perhaps the people of the Quito were able to understand a side to servant hood that they had never seen before. I know they would beg to differ, but I think that our team, or at least me personally, gained more from the Ecuadorians than they did from us. How incredible it is to witness an authentic joy from the church after planting just a small garden with less variety than a low carb diet. Being reminded of their appreciation is almost enough to keep the swing moving and give my legs a rest. This is the true beauty of creation; God's people. I mean, how boring would it be if we all spoke English and ate KFC every night for dinner. It's because of our cultural differences that we are able to learn and value one another, or more importantly, value God's masterpiece. I feel so blessed to have been exposed to the Spanish culture; even something as little as their schedule or lack there of, has affected my life greatly. This is what it's all about. When Jesus said, "Go and make disciples of all nations" (Matt 28:19) he meant do just that. Spread his love to your next door neighbor, to your coworker who dreads going home at the end of the day, to the child in Germany who has never been truly loved by his parents. We are to share the thrill of knowing the Lord to everyone and ensure that the body of Christ is fully equipped. When obeying the great commission we are not only training others to be disciples, but we ourselves are being educated in what it means to be a stronger disciple and soldier in Christ's army. As God reveals these revelations to me in this moment I make a promise to myself to forever change the way I look at outreach and savor every opportunity that he places in my path.

That's me reliving my last moments in Quito just under 4 months ago. This being the first time I've written the experience down and with each detail still in place I know that it's not something the Lord is going to let me easily forget. He is keeping me accountable to that promise I made and I am so grateful for that.

So what do I believe? I believe that we have the power to change the world as long as we let Jesus mould our hearts. I owe my thanks to the people of Ecuador for allowing this to be a bigger reality for me. I can only imagine what the people of Africa will teach me.

Do You Feel?

I'm thinking about other things I heard about today
All this week and tomorrow

And how these hands can create some better things a better ring
but you see for now I got my own things
I can't help it
I got too many issues I own
So I cannot help I'm afraid, yeah
But keep on preaching, preaching and heal the world
Lip service makes us look great
Do you feel
The weight of the world singing sorrow
Or do you is it just not real
Cause you got your things
Yeah we all have our things I guess
I guess my mind wanders off
from time to time
Sometimes I convince myself
that all is fine in the world
It's not mine
Why should I
have to try
to fix things I didn't create or contrive
Do you feel
The weight of the world singing sorrow
Or do you is it just not real
Cause you got your own things
Yeah we all so many things
Have the habits
Had you
Has it been for long
Can you feel the souls behind what's going on
Do you feel
The weight of the world singing sorrow
Or do you is it just not real
Cause you got your own things
Yeah we all our own things
[x2]
Do you feel
The weight of the world singing sorrow
Or do you is it just not real
Cause you got your things
Yeah we all so many things
And I can get past these things

-Bryce Avary