Beautiful, beautiful

The cool wind blows through my hair as I stare out at the mountains that seem to go on forever. The sun is shining over the distant land, but I am safely tucked away in the shadow of the balcony wall. Far below me lays the city of Quito. It is alive with cars and trucks and people. Up here in the mountains, though, it is quiet and peaceful against the faint noise of the city. 

We have been at our ministry site, Dunamis, for almost a week. When we arrived, we were met with so much hospitality and kindness. The half of our squad that is here has been so graciously allowed to live inside because it gets very, very cold at night. We are thankful for the chance to stay inside and spend time together whether that means looking out at the city lights or having a family movie night. 

Dunamis is a ministry that works with girls who have been rescued from trafficking. The majority of us who are here have been serving in the greenhouse, tending to the tomato plants. The tomatoes that are harvested will eventually be sold to help bring in money for the ministry. We have been weeding and tying up tomato plants for days on end but our hearts are so full. 

Yesterday was our first adventure day. Our whole squad got together again and we went on a bus tour of Quito. Because of covid we hadn’t had a chance to see the city yet, but Fabi figured out a way for us to do it safely and it was so fun. 

Quito is beautiful. It is home to 2.5 million people and has so many colorful buildings stacked up against the mountains. It has beautiful architecture and is wrapped up in rich history. Watching the city pass by outside the bus window had me in all kinds of feelings. I couldn’t help but think about the beauty of it as a whole, between the moving city and the peaceful mountains. 

And holding all of it together is a God who so graciously gave me the privilege of calling this city my current home. 

I weep. 

Living here at Dunamis at 11,000 feet has taught me so much. The Lord has so graciously shown me how to find beauty in His creation, whether it’s the way the sun rises over the city every morning or in the fact that almost every afternoon I find myself standing in a cloud. He made this world to display His greatness and to show us that He loves us. Sometimes we just need to take a step back and truly appreciate all of its beauty. 

*If any of you are willing to share this post on social media, that would be great! I still don’t have a lot of internet access, so getting the word out about all God is doing here is sort of diffiult. Than you!*