coast thanksgiving

well..i have returned from my ecuadorian adventure to the coast to visit my friend, and former spanish tutor at her home in portoviejo ecuador. it was truly a great time! her parents are amazing and her house is great! it was just good to get away from shell and experience another part of ecuador with some locals. it was also very relaxing to visit a couple beaches and just sit and watch the waves come up on shore. i experienced a lot...and have some pictures to share...which just arent working properly right now! i am tired...but today is a new day :)
1 john 2:17 "the world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever."

taste of home

ever since i was little, i grew up with tasting the best ice cream ever...my grandpa bill's special homemade ice cream...i remember it wasnt a true visit to grandmas and grandpas house without a taste of great ice cream, in the little yellow container. It just doenst taste the same if it is not in the little yellow container...my grandpa did not know how important that little yellow container was to me...until he served it to us in ANOTHER container! i almost didnt eat it...but couldnt resist :)

i have the fondest memories sitting in the kitchen of grandma and grandpa jackie's old house with all the cousins sitting on chairs with phone books eating our ice cream and me and jessica would dig tunnels in our little yellow containers...and we still do it till this day....at least i do :)

anyways..all this came to mind, when i started eating my ice cream after church..and the top layer tasted just like grandpas home made ice cream! i was so excited...i took a picture :) this is the typical ice cream of ecuador..its in layers! there is even a special town, known for this type of ice cream! enjoy your day!

im trying to think of anything interesting that has happened these last 10 days...not really :) Im just still trying to get into the swing of things with teaching..just when I think i have something figured out...i realize i dont...teaching is definately a process!

the radio station thing hasnt worked out...which is kinda weird...well see what happens..the connections just didnt connect...and it adds another stress when i cant just hop over there to talk about it...

one neat thing that we did was the Nate Saint version of the pinewood derby..it was fun bc it was like a part of home..in the old indy days..bc will and dad always did it with boy scouts :) it was neat because everyone's cars were really good...even though the dads mostly did them...all girls were in the top 3 :)

i am excited...and nervous to spend thanksgiving with my former spanish tutor in chicago...maria...it was neat how we met in the first place...i was just looking online for spanish lessons..emailed a few people...and she emailed me back and said that i was going to her country! so it was neat how the lord provided an ecuadorian tutor!! and now, i am going to here house in a few days, she lives in a place called Portoviejo..on the coast of Ecuador..i will take a bus to quito. and then get on a plane to Manta and she will pick me up there! then...it will be almost time for me to go home for Christmas! im looking forward to it! it will be nice to get away for a little bit..and look back at my time here so far...which has been great...and i wake up every morning and have to remind myself that i am in ecuador..and i am a teacher...which still amazes me every day...since its been a dream since 4th grade!! god really knows the desires of our hearts...keep dreaming........

this past saturday, i went with the youth group on a day trip to Banos, (a town about an hour and a half away from Shell) and a few stops along the way...1. to a waterfall called Pailon del Diablo (pictured above) 2. to a tarabita..which is like a gondola..very "ghetto" like..but the view is breathtaking 3. bungee jumping/swinging from a bridge 4. eating in Banos...more of a tourist town... the whole day was fun..but exhausting. we left at 6 a.m. and didnt return until 7:30 pm...i was mentally frusterated because throughout the whole day, I really couldn't express my true feelings or thoughts to ANYONE! excpet for saying that I was good, I wanted Ice Cream...or i was tired...that's pretty much the extent of what I can say..which is difficult...yet...I still enjoy hanging out with everyone. It was also good because I was able to take the girl, Isabel and her brother, Rodrigo (I give Isabel English lessons) on the trip with me...so it will be nice if they start coming to youth group with me!

the picture above is a photo of 90% of the missionary families here...some of the kids are missing..it was from Karol Hardin's 40th birthday party, notice the black :) it was a fun time together...if you can spy me...Im standing in the middle row, about 4th from the left :)
above is me and Isabel on the tarabita...it was fun :) well, I am getting tired...looking forward to coming home in a little more than a month~school is continuing to go well...I really like teaching and I like my class also. It will be interesting not being with my family for Thanksgiving...I might take a trip to the coast of Ecuador, in Manta, to visit my tutor from the states, Maria...she is Ecuadorian and is going to be in Ecuador for awhile! It also will be nice to get away from Shell for a little bit...well see! Im sorry if this is so random..Im tired :) I hope you all are well! Oh, I am reading the book, "The Cross and the Switchblade" by David Wilkerson..it is really good if you havent read it!