Agua de Vida

So I fly back tomorrow! after a full day in Quito. I thought I would be beyond excited (which of course I am), but to be honest, I have been on the verge of tears all day. Haha I just realized as I write this I am still on the verge of tears. Geez, and I am so not a cryer. I feel so connected to these people & this place. Today was my last service & the church I have going to for four weeks. It's called Agua de Vida, Water of Life. So far I have seen a wedding, sunday school, the children's program & today they accepted two new members of the church. I feel like a memberTo be completely honest, this experience for me started because I knew there was something missing. This was something I needed to go and find. I have considered this trip my retreat with God, a time to do work for Him and focus on him and other people more than myself. Although I realize (and have judged people for saying just this) that I should/need to learn to do this in my ‘real life’ and in ‘real life situations’ I felt too far into myself to try to figure a way out. In college you spend so much time thinking about yourself, frankly it is almost exhausting. All you think about is your tests, your friends, your classes, your time, your sleep, your job, your future. You spend your time planning for your next move, your next honor, your next party. No worries I am not coming back from this trip holier than thou or really very different at all honestly. I fully expect that I will face the usual high followed quickly by the standard low that follows. I am a realist at heart. The thing that this trip has done for me is that now I know there is more. I have met people who are more, they have encouraged me with the way they have chosen to live their lives. Chosen being the key word. In this opportunity God has not only given me examples through the people of Ecuador but also through the people from the states I have met along the way. Total this summer I have met over 120 Individuals from all over and each has left a different imprint on the way I see people and the way God sees me. Alright now the dork in me is going to show because the only quote I can think of that properly fits is from Lord of the Rings when Frodo gets back from everything “How do you pick up the threads of an old life? How do you go on, when in your heart you begin to understand there is no going back. There are some things that time cannot mend. Some hurts that go too deep…that have taken hold” I don’t know the path that leads from here, but I am pretty excited about it.