Changed web address

I changed the web address for this blog.

I planned on only using for my trips to Ecuador. But God had different plans. Ecuador was supposed to be the last "hoorah" of my short term missions. I never planned on going to Panama.

But all I can do is follow God. He knows where He's taking me and what He's doing in my life. I'm just here to follow after Him and live my life for Him.

So please, join me on this journey.

And if you're here to donate/purchase one of my handmade bags/aprons/headbands/potholders - thank you so much for your support! I really appreciate it!!



Simply,

Amy Lynn

Blogging Fail...and fundraising ideas

I had grand dreams of recounting the whole 3 weeks in Ecuador on here...and I got through 2 ministry days. Oops.
Life kinda happened and time got away from me.

I wanted to let you all know that God has given me one more opportunity to work with Susie Magazine and Big World Venture and I'll be heading to Panama next summer for the same trip, different location.

I have a little more advanced notice this time, and I want to be more creative in how I raise money this year. I'm out of school now and am working more and realized that God has provided these jobs for me and I want to use the opportunities He has given me to raise a portion of the money needed through work. So each paycheck, I'm setting aside a small amount that will add up over the next 9 months.

And a week ago, I was looking at different blogs and came across a tutorial to make a sweet purse.

An idea was sparked.

I discovered several other tutorials and I currently have several projects planned out in my head.

Tonight I completed my first one and I thought I'd share it with you:

Several Pockets on the inside

Update...a few more creations:

Design #2

Sneak peek of new fabrics

Fun Fall Pot Holders

Reminisce: Quito, Ministry Day 2

It's been a crazy few weeks and I haven't had nearly as much time to reminisce as I thought I would have. I'm preparing to move out of the house that my friends and I have lived in for the past year.

I've kept in touch with many people from Ecuador and I'm really missing them.

And I sent in my application for Panama next summer. I honestly did not think about going to Panama until I was actually in Ecuador. We'll see what God has planned for this next year - I was planning on heading to nursing school in May, but I think I'll now be looking at schools that start in the fall.

But, without further a-do - Ministry Day 2:


We started out the day by going to a park. It was a beautiful day and the park was close to our hotel. Our translators directed us to a central plaza and we gathered by a large cross. I know Lorena told us the story about why the cross was there, but I can't remember it.

We finished up everyone's makeup for the drama and then broke into small groups to walk around and invite people to come to our drama.

We did a little "Cha Cha Slide" to attract people.

And we also took some time to take pictures with Britt Nicole (singer/songwriter) and her friend Gabby, who had joined our team for the day.

We performed the drama twice and in between presentations, we talked with people and played with little kids. So many people were open to hearing the Gospel. 

I played with this sweet little boy, Jean Pierre, while Gabby talked to and prayed for his mom with one of our translators

Team 4 showed up at the same park just before we started our second performance and so once we were done, they took over.

We headed to an orphanage in Quito for the afternoon. On the bus, we took up a donation and stopped to buy some food for the orphanage. 

I left my camera on the bus for the afternoon - I wanted to just be able to love on the kids and not be preoccupied by taking pictures. 

When we first walked in, I found a little girl standing by a wall. I crouched down to talk to her, but she was very shy. She had a sifter toy and she would cover her face with it and we played a modified version of "peek-a-boo." She sat on my lap during the drama and stayed with me the whole afternoon until after their meal. She was getting really tired. I set her down for a little bit and I never saw her after that - I think she went up to take a nap. 

I'm so thankful that a few of my wonderful teammates got some pictures of this sweet little girl so I can always remember her :)

via Kathleen Hartsfield

It was hard to leave the orphanage. Everyone just wanted to keep loving on and holding the kids. I wished that we could go back the next day - but there were other kids in other parts of the city that needed to hear about God's love for them and that needed our attention.

More to come soon!

Amy Lynn

Reminisce: Quito, the beginning

*I'll try not to make this too long, but there's just so much to share!*

As I recount the many memories that my trip to Ecuador this summer encompasses, I figure I'll start right out with our time in Quito - I think I did an adequate job of recounting our time in Miami while we were still there (http://followinggodtoecuador.blogspot.com/2011/06/students-have-been-here-since-monday.html - if you want to read more about it)

Ministry Day 1:

We started our first ministry day without our entire team. Our team was split into 4 or 5 different flight groups and there were delays on almost all flights except the one I was on. While most groups made it to Quito for our first ministry day (one group arriving at 2 am, I think), one group dealt with more cancellations and travel changes than the rest. One student and one leader from my team were on the delayed flight. They didn't arrive in Quito until Friday evening. As frustrating as everything was for them, they made the most of it. I only heard a few of the stories, however.

We went out on our first ministry day lacking one of our mimes and had to make some adjustments so that the show could go on. It just wasn't the same without Cierra and we were quite relieved to have her back the next day!

We gathered in the hotel lobby after breakfast and team time (two separate times for everyone...except me - I grabbed breakfast on my way to team time) and headed out into the city with our 4 amazing translators. For our first day we went to a plaza at Santo Domingo, in Old Town Quito. It looked familiar to me, but I don't remember a specific time going there last summer.

We set up our sound equipment and tied all of our bags together. While everyone grouped up into "pods" and went out with the translators to invite people to the drama, I took charge of watching the bags. There were a few others who stayed close to our "base" against a gate and we talked with a few people who came to see what was going on (I'm sure we looked quite strange to them). Everyone jumped right into their part in the ministry - so much fun to watch!

After a while, we set up to perform the drama for the first time. I sat by the bags at the back of the "stage" and just loved watching the students perform the drama that they had worked so hard to learn! Here are a few of my favorite snapshots from our first drama performance:

Sin separating the Toymaker and his Son from the Toys

The Toymaker sending his son into the world

Crucifixion of the Toymaker's son

After we finished the drama, someone from the team would get up and explain the connections between the drama we had just performed and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They would then share their testimony and invite people to pray to accept Jesus as their savior.

Once we were done with the presentation, we spread out with the translators to talk to people again. I just loved seeing how eager everyone was to share God's love with the people of Quito! One of the students, Sammy, came over to me so excited because two guys who had been whistling and cat-calling girls were now sitting on the steps reading Bibles that he had just given them! There were also many prayers for healing among the people - and many answers to those prayers! At one point, I was invited along with a group to act as their "translator" and they wanted to pray for healing for a man's leg and asked me to pray for him in Spanish - definitely not my best work yet, but God knew my intent.

Praying with the Ecuadorians

That's all I have for now regarding our first ministry day. I'll continue to share more over the next few weeks - there's so much to share and I hope you enjoy hearing it all!!

Amy Lynn

And so ends my time in Ecuador again...

I'm back home in Minnesota. It's odd being back. I've only been back for a little over 24 hours but it seems like so much longer already.

I miss so much about this trip already - the people, the places, the events. There's so much that no one understands except my friends from the trip. This is one of many reasons I'm very thankful for facebook and know that despite a slight addiction to facebook, at this point, I can't willingly give it up - that would mean forfeiting many conversations with dear friends from the trip (as I do not have phone numbers yet).

It was odd saying goodbye to everyone on this trip. It wasn't as hard as when I went to Peru. Back then I really had no idea if I'd stay in touch with my friends or if I'd ever see them again. I have stayed in touch with them and I've seen several of them in the past 5 years. I know that God will bring me back together with some of my friends from this trip to Ecuador. And there's facebook to keep us connected.

What was weird about the goodbyes was how scattered my team was when it came time to say goodbye.

On the way to Quito, we were in 4 or 5 different flight groups. This was because some people were only going to be there for 2 weeks, while a select few of us would be staying an extra week. So when it came time to say goodbye, we had 4 people leave on a Saturday afternoon and we said goodbye to them while we were at the Equator...only to see the group as we were getting back to the hotel. I said goodbye to the 2 that were leaving in the middle of the night and the 6 that were heading to the Galapagos and leaving early the next morning...but then I woke up early and saw the Galapagos group off.

I also said goodbye to the majority of my team on Saturday night because I thought my group was heading out early to go to Otavalo. But it turned out that we went to a local church service and then returned to the hotel before leaving for Otavalo. So I saw people that I had already said goodbye to on Sunday morning and ate lunch with them.

At the end of the 3rd week, our Otavalo group split into two as the first group left at noon this past Saturday and my half of the group left 12 hours later. We joined up with part of the Galapagos group for our flight back to Miami. And once in Miami, there were several people from the earlier flight that we got to see as well.

I guess everything was just so mixed up and jumbled that I wasn't really sure when I was going to see someone for the last time, until I saw my last students off on the plane yesterday and boarded the plane bound for Minnesota with 5 others from the trip that I didn't know too well. It wasn't until I saw my roommate drive up at baggage claim to pick me up that I realized that it was really over.

So much time and effort and thought went into this trip, and it truly was amazing and life changing. I made some amazing friendships and I had the greatest teams ever. I will never forget the opportunities God gave me and how He stretched me outside my comfort zone, a lot. I want to share those memories with you all. I didn't have much time while we were in Ecuador, but I'm going to go back through my pictures and journals and share memories and stories from each day over the next few weeks. So please, check back often, I'd love to share everything with you!

Last Ministry Day

We just finished our last ministry day.

It's really feeling like the trip is coming to a close. When we left Quito, it was hard to say goodbye to everyone on my team because I knew that I still wasn't going home.

We had three long days of work projects (mostly painting) and we ended up cutting our day short today to have some time to relax. Today was a bit different than our other work days in Otavalo. We've been working at Compassion International sites, but the site we went to this morning was under construction. We worked hard the whole morning carrying buckets of sand up to the third floor of the building. We created a bucket brigade to bring the sand up the stairs and then also created two "pulley" type systems that our fearless leaders - Jed & Chuck - were in charge of.

Right now, part of our group is on a trip to see some waterfalls, while a group of us stayed back at the hotel for some R&R. Tomorrow, weather permitting, we will be going to a Crater Lake - I'm not sure of the name though. After the crater lake, we'll be stopping in Cotacachi - a town known for their leather. Saturday will be an early morning as we head to the large market in Otavalo for some shopping. Half of our group heads to the airport at noon on Saturday for an overnight flight into Miami while the rest of the group and I have an extra 12 hours before heading to Quito at midnight.

In the past 3 weeks, I've taken over 1700 pictures...I've narrowed it down to my 600 favorite that I'll be putting on facebook later. Here's a few, but I'll post more later - it's great to have internet, but it isn't the best for uploading pictures.

Abram helping us paint the school

We took some breaks to play with the neighborhood kids

We painted the building blue - and did as much as we could with what paint we had

Bucket Brigade!

Amy Lynn

Otavalo!

We've made it to the second phase of our trip!

Yesterday the group split up - the majority flying to Miami, with one part heading to the Galapagos early in the morning and our small group of about 30 going to a local church service and then driving to Otavalo.

Yesterday we had some time to relax, ate a delicious dinner complete with chocolate cake, had some team time by a campfire (much needed as it's cooler here, especially at night) and got some much needed sleep (our curfew was 8:30 and I was in bed by 9 - it felt so good to sleep 10 hours...the most I had been getting was between 6-7, and with all that we've been doing, I need more).

Today we woke up to a delicious breakfast and hot chocolate...and no hot water. We spent the day in Cayambe working at a Compassion International school painting the classrooms. We were prepared to have another lunch of peanut butter & jelly/honey, but much to our surprise, the wonderful ladies at the school prepared an Ecuadorian meal of llapingachos, chorizo, habas and more. It was wonderful.

We just got back about an hour ago and are looking forward to some more good team time tonight.

I'll post some more pictures from last week and his week once I get my computer up and in the dining room - where we can get internet.

Amy Lynn

Brief Update

Tomorrow (ok, technically it's today...I'm up kinda late) is our LAST day of ministry in Quito!!! I can't believe it. This time has gone by SO fast! I have not been able to post frequent updates as we had to pay to use the internet. But after spending a week in a hotel, we're bound to figure out the secrets - and we found a spot where we can get FREE wifi. So I'm finally getting around to using it :)

I'll try to give a few updates about the last few weeks in tid-bits so the posts don't get too long - there's just so much to share!!

My team is amazing, no doubt about it. I know that God brought us all together for a specific purpose and that He hand-picked each member of the team. I didn't feel like I really knew the team until we made it to Ecuador and started our ministry days. When the students were working on learning the drama and spending time together we (LITs and leaders) had other things that needed to get done.

Our ministry days have consisted of performing a drama that is the story of the Gospel - from creation to Christ's death and resurrection. It's so fun to be on other side of the drama and watch the students perform every day. After the drama, someone from the team gets up and explains it and how it relates to the Gospel and then shares their own testimony (all through a translator).

Barrier of sin between the Toymaker (God) and His Son (Jesus) & the toys

Our wonderful clown :)

The other day we were at a park, working with a local church, and during the drama, my team leader came up to me and asked if I could explain the drama and give my testimony to the many school children gathered to watch. I only had about 5 minutes before the end of the drama, but I agreed. I started out talking in Spanish, but there were a few things I didn't know how to say and so the translator told me to just talk in English and she'd translate. By the end, I had what seemed like 30-40 kids pray to accept Jesus!! It was so fun! And then we passed out presents to all the kids who came - and we attempted to keep track of who received a gift by putting a stamp on their hand, but some kids were trying to be sneaky.

The kids watching the drama after they got out of school

Britt Nicole (a Christian singer/songwriter) came down for a few days and had a concert for us on Sunday. On Saturday her and her friend, Gabby, spent the day with our team. It was fun to get to know them both - they're such sweet girls.

Britt, Mattie, Delaney & Gabby

AND...I finally got my MORA ice cream :) I've had a lot of it - although I've only found Mora ice cream bars on one of our ministry days...but I've made several trips to Crepes & Waffles

My first (of two) Mora bars on our 2nd day :)

I'll update more later and include some fun stories! We only have 2 days left in Quito, then the teams switch up and my group heads to Otavalo for a week!

Also, we have a blog for the trip: www.neverthesameec.com - there are updates from the different teams (I'm on Team 1) and more pictures. So check it out!

Amy Lynn

We're all here and ready to go!

The students have been here since Monday. It’s been so fun seeing them all get to know each other and watch them as they learn the drama. We have 25 students on my team - they’re from all over the States and between 14 and 18 years old.

As I type this, I’m sitting in the back of one of the ballrooms at the hotel watching my team practice their drama. They are doing such a great job. It was so difficult to cast our group because everyone was so good. But every part in the drama is critical and everyone is giving it their all. I can’t wait to see the finished product - it’s going to look so great. And the drama itself is so impactful. I’m hoping to get a video of it one day during the trip and maybe I’ll be able to post it on here.

Drama try-outs

Working on the drama

It’s been difficult to really get to know them all so far, as they’ve been focused on their drama training and we have other things that need to get done so we’re not always together. But I’m anticipating that our team will grow closer as we get to Ecuador and start our ministry days - we’ll be all together every day.

We have lots of team spirit - at least the leaders do, haha :) There’s been a little competition between our team and team 6. And our leader, Chris, is going all out. Yesterday we made a flag for our team. It’s all pretty crazy.

Our FUAGNEM (Fired Up And Going Nuts Every Minute) evening meetings have been really good so far. I love the worship time and the messages these last two nights have been real good. I'm looking forward to more FUAGNEMs as walls get broken down and we all come together and closer to God. I can already see God at work within our group.

It’s been interesting being on the leader side of everything rather than being a student. There’s much more freedom : ) While they’ve been in drama training we’ve been getting everything together and running to the store. One of our jobs is to pass out lunch to each room - instead of having all the students pick up their own lunch and be in long lines for a while, we’ve been taking food up to each students hotel room. It’s a pretty slick system. 

Our fearless leader, Lia

We head out for Ecuador in the morning. My team is in 5 different flight groups - I'll be leaving the hotel at 3:30 am and arriving in Ecuador at 3:30 pm, with a layover in Colombia. Please pray for safe travel and smooth transitions for everyone!!

Thanks

Amy Lynn

It's Finally Here!

I arrived in Miami, FL a little over 24 hours ago.

And I'm loving it.

I'm on Team 1 and despite what anyone else says about their team - we're the best. Hand's down :P Our leaders have such a great vision and we're all starting to connect already - I can't wait for the students to get here tomorrow too.

Yesterday everyone came in at different times. I got in around 1 from Minneapolis. There were three other LITs on my flight and as I approached the gate before boarding my flight, I introduced myself to Kathryn and Carolyn, two sisters who were on the trip (I recognized them because of the trip t-shirt they were wearing. The one I had stored in my carry-on and never ended up putting on)

courtesy of Rachel

We met up with others in the Miami airport and then drove to Ft. Lauterdale to our hotel. We had free time as everyone else was arriving and I spent time with new friends and roommates as they trickled in.

We had our first team meetings and learned lots of stuff. I'd tell you what I learned, but I can't remember. Oops.

We met with our individual teams for introductions and learned each others' strengths and visions for the trip. I am so excited to be working with these amazing people! I can't wait to get to know them even more!

Afterwards a small group of us went out in search of some late dining - a continued opportunity to get to know different people! I, however, was exhausted by the time we got back to the hotel after only having slept about 2 hours on Friday night and not much sleep on the plane.

This morning my team met bright and early and I informed them that, although I may be a "morning person" as far as being awake and alert in the morning, I have more trouble actually getting out of bed on time than a typical "morning person." Hopefully I won't be too late to activities and such.

Susie Shellenberger let our morning meeting with a lesson on Revelation. It was great :) Then we had more meetings/trainings, lunch and started preparing for the teens to come tomorrow by making team signs. My team's is pretty sweet. And pretty "me" - a.k.a. very colorful

Front of our sign

Back of our sign

Sign for my seminar: EIEIOK = Everything I Ever Intend On Knowing

I hope you enjoyed the update. Students start arriving bright and early tomorrow. I have the be at the airport at 7:30 to be helping them. I can't wait (despite the early hour).

I'll hopefully be posting more this week and once we get to Ecuador, but I'm not sure what the internet situation will be (I'm currently sitting in a Panera because I'm not willing to pay $10 to use the internet at the hotel)

I hope you're having a wonderful day!!

Amy Lynn

I scream for ice cream!

I was sitting here working on my Song of Solomon seminar and eating some frozen yogurt.

And then it hit me: In one week, I can eat all the Mora Bars that my little heart desires! Within reason, I suppose.

Eating Mora (and Coco) Bars in Shell during our lunch break

Mora is similar to (if not the same as) blackberry. Last summer everyone told me it was like a blackberry, but they weren't the same thing. So I'm not quite sure. Nevertheless - Mora is my favorite flavor of ice cream.

Last summer, we loved stopping for ice cream. There was a "Pinguino" ice cream cart right outside the hospital every day. While I always checked to see if they had Magnum Bars first (they didn't often have them), my second choice was always the Mora Bar. And it was also my rationalization that Mora Bars were "healthy" because it is frozen fruit (they're at least healthier than magnum bars).

By the end of the summer, we were all hooked on ice cream. When we spent time in the jungle there were days when we'd stop for ice cream at least twice. We sweet talked our bus driver into stopping in random towns more than once so we could have an ice cream break.

I'm hoping to have the chance to get my hands on a Mora bar in a week. And if not a Mora bar, there's a restaurant called Crepes & Waffles right across the street from our hotel. I should know - it was the first place we went out to on our own via taxi last summer. But that's a story for a different day ;)

Crepes & Waffles near the Marriott

Amy Lynn

So close

I leave in less than 48 hours. 41 1/2 hours, actually. Not that I'm counting.

I've been counting down since December - the countdown started at 176 days. I celebrated when it got to double digits. And now I'm down to counting hours.

Last night I was packing (I still can't believe I'm so ahead of my normal travel schedule). When I closed my suitcase up and weighed it for the final time (I had to do a bit of reorganizing), I turned to my roommate and told her I was ready to go and just wanted to leave in the morning - I didn't want to wait another two days.

I'm ready for another adventure. Even though I've been on a Susie Mag/Big World Ventures trip before and know what the general format of the trip, I don't really know what to expect. And part of that is I'm trying to convince myself not to expect too much. My trip to Peru in 2006 with Brio Magazine was such a life-changing experience. I want that again. I know it will happen again. But it will be completely different. I need to be prepared for it.

The problem is that I don't feel prepared. For any of it. I sometimes feel like a failure because I haven't prayed enough in preparation for the trip. I had grand plans of praying for each and every one of the students and leaders on my team (39 people, including myself). That has yet to happen. But I still have 41 hours, right? I know what I want to say in my seminar, but I don't feel qualified. But then I was reminded of the saying "God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called." He's given me the resources, and I've been trying to pray for His wisdom and leadership as I prepare.

But I have the day off from work today (it's too cold for most people to think about swimming in an outdoor pool), so I'm spending some time with God and continuing to prepare for this trip and what He has planned for everyone. And I know that even if I don't necessarily feel as though I'm prepared, I know that He has been working over the past several months to get me ready for what He has planned - even if it doesn't seem like it right now.

Within Reach

One week from today, I will be in Miami, preparing to be a "Leader-In-Training."

One month from today, I will be back in Minnesota after a life-changing 3 1/2 weeks.

I think I've had the most "time" to prepare for this trip, compared to my last few international trips. Last year, I had to focus on getting through the spring semester before I could really think about my summer trips. Once school was done, I had a few days to prepare for a 2 week trip to Scotland. It was only after I got home from Scotland that I could really think about Ecuador. And once I recovered from the jet-lag, I was left with under a week to prepare for 2 months in a different country. Even after returning from Ecuador, I only had a short time at home before moving into the house I am currently renting with my dear friends.

I have been thinking about this trip for almost a year. It was during Susie Mag's Guatemala trip last summer (while I was in Ecuador) that I found out they would be going to Ecuador. But it wasn't until December that I started seriously thinking about the trip.

And I've been counting down ever since I sent in my application.

And now the trip is less than a week away.

About two weeks ago, the reality of the trip hit me. It's the longest "short" trip I've been on. It's 3 1/2 weeks, or 24 days. Too long to bring enough clothes for the entire trip, and not long enough to ever really get settled in one place. It will be a long trip. I'm definitely looking forward to it. But God will need to sustain me. He's given me the last several weeks to recover from a semester with less sleep than I really need. But 3 1/2 weeks straight with a crazy bunch of teens and wanting to spend time with everyone and get to know them in the short time we have together will be taxing on me. I'm an introvert. I need my time alone. And it's on trips like this that I have a difficult time pulling away to take time for myself and time to spend with God when there's always something going on. Prayer for wisdom on when to pass on activities would definitely be welcome.

As far as not being able to pack enough clothes...I always over pack. I don't know if I've ever flown somewhere and not had my suitcase be just barely under 50 lbs. And I'm sure this trip will be no different. The only problem is that I don't currently own a working scale. I may need to invest in one before Saturday morning. I have a stack of clothes sitting in my suitcase right now, along with the peanut butter and jelly and other items I need to bring. I still need to go through that stack of clothes and cut it down to the minimum. And bring laundry detergent along. I'll be doing my laundry in the bathtub of my hotel room. Or maybe I'll call up one of my friends in Quito and ask if I can bring my laundry to their house. However that ends up, there's no way I can fit 3 weeks worth of clothes in ONE 50 lb suitcase...

Precious Little Children

About 2 1/2 years ago, I felt that God was finally prodding me to begin sponsoring a child through Compassion International. I was at a youth conference and they had a table in the lobby. I chose a sweet little girl named Preethi and immediately began writing letters to her. She loves coloring and would always send me pictures back with short notes written by one of the translators at her Center. Along with the opportunity to sponsor Preethi, Compassion sends out newsletters with updates about how the ministry is working around the world.

Last fall, one of the newsletters contained an article about the Waodani Indians of Ecuador. This was just a few months after I spent a week in Shell, Ecuador - near where the Waodani live and missionary station of Nate Saint in the 1950s. To read more about the five missionaries who were killed by the Waodani (Auca) Indians in the 1950s, I found another blog with the story and more links.

This article got me thinking that I would love to sponsor a child in Ecuador, specifically a child from the Waodani tribe. So I began to search Compassion's website but was unable to find anything conclusive about whether a child was from the Waodani tribe or not. I found several near Puyo, which is a few miles from Shell. But then I started looking at children near Quito. And I found a little boy who reminded me of one of the children I worked with in a Quichua community last summer.

This little boy's name is Robinson and he had been on the waiting list for over six months. I couldn't get him off my mind, but I didn't have the money available to sponsor him at the time - I needed to wait until December (it was October at the time) when I withdrew from a different sponsorship program.

But I couldn't get Robinson off my mind. I kept coming back to his picture.

He had been waiting and his birthday was coming up. I decided that I would start sponsoring him in November as a birthday surprise for him.

But I still couldn't get him off my mind. I kept checking the website, making sure he was still there.

After I compulsively checked for probably the third day in a row, I broke down. I decided to use some of my birthday money to begin sponsoring him then.

I wasn't working as many hours as I would have liked and therefore didn't have too much of an income. But God made it possible for me to sponsor two children through Compassion and a persecuted pastor through Voice of the Martyrs until I was able to withdraw from VoM in December. It meant less money for fun stuff and Christmas presents, but I knew it was worth it.

I was saddened to receive a letter in November or December about my precious little Preethi in India - her family was moving out of her Compassion project's area and would moving into an area without a Compassion project. It was hard to say goodbye after I had been sponsoring her for almost two years, but I am so thankful for the chance I had to be a part of her life and learn about life in India for a 7 year old.

They offered to send me a new child in India, but I recognized God's provision in making it possible to support Robinson with my limited resources.

And then after all of this, God led me to the decision to go to Ecuador with Big World Ventures and Susie Magazine (formerly Brio Magazine). And they have worked with Compassion International to set up a day to have some of the sponsored kids come to our hotel for a day of fun with those of us who are sponsoring kids in Ecuador.

I am so excited that I get to meet my little Robinson! I had always heard about people traveling to meet their sponsored children, but I never thought I'd get the chance to meet mine! I am so thankful for where God has been leading me over the last few months and that I have the opportunity to meet and love on Robinson and be someone real to him, rather than just someone he writes letters to (not that there's anything wrong with that!)

Please be praying for the children and their families as they travel to Quito (some are coming from outside the city) to meet those who have taken the opportunity and taken advantage of the ministry of Compassion International to "release children from poverty in Jesus' name"

3 weeks!

A good friend mentioned to me today that I hadn't written a blog in a while. I didn't think I had much to say, but now that I actually sit and think about it I have more to say than I realized.

It's been a crazy month or so with school wrapping up and graduation. I took a two week hiatus from doing anything productive and caught up on all the sleep I lost this past semester. I very much enjoyed it. Between final projects and final exams and those weeks of not doing much of anything, everything with Ecuador has started to sneak up on me.

I leave for training in Miami three weeks from today. I'm home in Wisconsin for a few days, but once I get back to the Twin Cities, I work full days all but two of the days leading up to my trip. I'm looking forward to spending my days outside at the pool and hanging out with friends. But in the meantime, I need to be focused on preparing to teach a seminar while we're in Ecuador.

In mid-April, I got an email from the kind folks at Big World Venture asking if I (or any other leaders or LITs) would be interested in teaching a 45 minute seminar/class for the students on one of the nights. My initial reaction was to dismiss the email - that I didn't have anything worth while to talk about, especially for 45 minutes. But then I got another email clarifying something from the previous email - once again, I dismissed the idea. After the third email with more clarification, I stopped and thought that maybe I should consult God about it before completely dismissing the idea. Before I even had time to sit down and pray via my prayer journal, the idea of Song of Solomon popped into my head. This made sense because I took two classes this past semester that studied Song of Solomon and my church is currently in a series on Song of Solomon. So I prayed about it and began to consider teaching a seminar on Song of Solomon, but I still didn't know what the focus of the seminar would be and what "description" I could come up with to send in for the workbook/journals all the students get. So I continued to pray about it. And as I was driving back to MN after being home for Easter, God brought an idea to mind. When I got home, I typed it up and sent it on in, but asked if there would be another adult leader who would be willing to help me prepare and/or be available for the question and answer time.

I was recently contacted by one of the leaders who is willing to help me out. Her offer to help has been a wonderful encouragement and motivation to organize my thoughts in advance and really prepare this seminar to the best of my ability.

While I'm still real nervous about teaching on Song of Solomon and Purity, I'm excited to see how it's coming along. I love how God reveals the necessity of Jesus' death on the Cross in everything. I love that I can bring a talk on purity and relationships full circle to our relationship with God and how He comes first. I love that God has given me the opportunity to attend Hope Community Church, where each week our pastors bring whatever we're talking about and point it all back to the Cross and what Christ did for us when He came to die. And I love seeing where God has brought me through this whole process and I look forward to seeing how I can bring Him glory in sharing my experiences of being a date-less, boyfriend-less college graduate - I am totally okay with that status, and I look forward to encouraging all the girls on this trip that it is okay to NOT have a boyfriend, that there's nothing wrong with them, but that God is preserving and preparing them for their futures.

Please be in prayer for me as I continue to prepare this seminar - there are some topics within the broad idea that I'm not quite sure how to address/approach/work in to everything else, but I know that this is what God wants me to be doing and that He will help me as I work through everything.

Amy Lynn

Less than two months!

I have a countdown in my planner. Well, I have several countdowns right now:

Roommate's wedding: 10 days

Graduation: 16 days

ECUADOR: 58 days

It's been a long semester looking forward to these days, and now they're getting so close. I'm praying that I can finish the semester strong - it has been difficult, but I need to power through it.

Some prayer requests:

1. Support - I am so thankful to those who have supported me so far for this trip as well as for those who have supported me on my past trips (Peru 2006, Guatemala 2007, Ecuador 2010). I could not have done it without everyone and God :) I was a little behind in sending out support letters, but I have already seen God's blessing as support comes in slowly but surely.

2. Prayer for my brother. There was a time when he was thinking of not going, but he has made the commitment to go - please pray for God to open his heart (and mine too) for what He has in store for both of us.

3. I may potentially be leading a "seminar" for some of the girls on the trip on Song of Solomon - but that's not for sure yet. Why Song of Solomon? God has given me many opportunities to study this book this semester (2 classes at school, and a sermon series at church). When I was given the opportunity to submit an idea for a seminar, I drew a blank...but as I began to pray about it, God brought Song of Solomon to my mind. I am praying that God will use my 22 years of singleness as an example to these high school girls that you can make it through high school and college without a boyfriend :)

4. For Big World Venture as they finalize plans and organize everything with the trip. It is a huge undertaking for them (several hundred students and leaders on this trip). Prayer that everything comes together well in the next two months

That's all I can think of right now.

Thank you so much!

Amy Lynn

Update and Details

I am returning to Ecuador. I am so excited for this trip and what God is going to do on it.

Let me explain a little more.

Last summer, while in Ecuador, the thought crossed my mind that I wanted to return to Ecuador the following summer. I've traveled to many places, but Ecuador has a special place in my heart (in part because I've spent time there and really gotten to know people there). But I also realized that it was my final "free" summer before the "real world." Another thought crossed my mind at that same time - the thought to go on one last mission trip with Susie Magazine (formerly Brio Magazine). Not two days later, I found out that the Susie Magazine mission trip would be going to Quito, Ecuador. I was already formulating plans in my mind about how it could work that I go on the trip.

When I talked to my mom about it when I got home, she was a bit more cautious than I was, reminding me how much I have been traveling, and that maybe it's time for me to get a job. She had a good point and I agreed, so I didn't think too much about it. A few months later, my mom informed me that my dad had given the "go ahead" for the trip, and I was caught off guard. I didn't know what my summer held for me and if I'd be able to get time off from work.

I began to think and pray about going, not really sure about what God wanted me to do. I wanted to go, but didn't want that to be the only reason I signed up for it. I also talked to Big World Ventures, the missions organization in charge of the trip, and found out that my younger brother could go on the trip and do photography, rather than the drama ministry. My parents and I talked to him about it, and I encouraged him to think about it and get his application in. When he made the decision to go on the trip, I decided that I would to go too.

We both signed up for the extended trip - an extra week of ministry in the Galapagos Islands! I was so pumped about getting to go to the Galapagos. As time has gone on, however, I have realized that the Galapagos is not where God wants me this summer. I came to this conclusion when I got an email about the other option for the extended week of ministry - a week in Otavalo and the surrounding Quichua communities. I spent a week in Otavalo with my team last year and I was hoping we'd get an opportunity to take a trip there. When I found out that this was the other extended trip, I felt my heart being pulled toward it. As much as I wanted to go to the Galapagos to say I'd been there and experience it all, I had a strong desire to go back to Otavalo (maybe even to the community I worked in!). So after much prayer and talking with others, I made the decision to go to Otavalo. So now my brother had better get me some good pictures from the Galapagos so I feel like I was there too!

So that's where I'm at right now. We just passed the 100 day mark. I will be heading down to Miami, FL for training 3 months and 1 week from today. I am stoked. I look back on so many of the experiences God has given me and see how He has been preparing me for this trip - most notably, going to Ecuador last summer as well as working with Junior High students at my church for the past 2 years. God sure knows what He's doing :)

Amy Lynn

Back to the Future...

I found out yesterday that I won’t be going to the U of M for Nursing school next year. After a friend texted me saying she got an interview and asking if I had heard anything yet, I got an email saying that they “regret to inform” me that I would not be granted an interview. I got the email after Developmental Biology. I was able to hold in the tears until everyone else had left class and I could talk to Dr. Winslow.

It reminded me of when I applied to be an RA. I had talked myself into not wanting to get the job, but still hoping for it. When I found out that I didn’t get it, I was relieved but disappointed. This time I was disappointed but somewhat relieved. While the two instances are similar for me, my reaction to the rejection shows me how much God has changed me over the past 2 years. When I didn’t get the RA position, the first thought that crossed my mind was that I wasn’t good enough for it. My first thought yesterday was, “Ok God, I guess that’s not what You had in mind, but I know You have something better for me in store.”

I can’t really even explain the tears. I know I needed to cry, but honestly, I was okay with not being accepted, even at that point. I had hoped and “planned” to go to U of M next year. My future was back to being up in the air again. But I am honestly so excited about the future right now. It doesn’t scare me, even though we’ll be out of college and really on our own for the first time. I guess it’s the joy that I find in knowing that God has a plan for my life. Ok, so I’m not going to the only nursing school I applied to. But obviously that’s not where God wants me right now. I have the potential to start working full time next fall, so unless God directs me differently, I have a general idea of where I may be. But I’m flexible. I know that God will direct my steps. He has so far (I’ll post more on that later).