JUNGLE time in Misahualli

As I finished off my last day at my internship, which was quite sad, the Semester Abroaders and staff were headed to the jungle for a mission experience for the week. I had no idea to what expect, but I knew that regardless of hard times and good times, God was going to be there with us. We were in a more touristy area called Misahualli, so it wasn't like we were in the wild or anything. It was cool though because at the local park in the middle of town, monkeys would just hangout most of the day looking for food, snatching things off people, or fight with local dogs.

We worked and partnered with a organization called It's About Jungle Kids in Misahualli (http://itsaboutjunglekids.org/) . It's a organization a missionary couple runs helping at-risk youth and started a school. They have three kids of their own, but has adopted many other children into their family. It's been really encouraging to be involved in this ministry because it kind of gave me an idea of what I wanted to do in my life. The children are from the area that have either been abused or abandoned, but under this organization, they are learning English, about God, and getting a chance to live life successfully by receiving an education. The kids are so precious and were such a blessing during the trip.

Throughout the week, we worked with cement, dug holes, hammered, and created some things with rebarb. It was helping the organization make a gate in the front of their property for the safety of their family. During the later times of the day, we led VBS at a school in the village. Many times we just ran around playing soccer, frisbee, or anything else we could find with the kids.

I was able to see the beauty of God's creation as we went tubing down the Napo River, the smiles on the children's faces, visiting the village of Pusano, the monkeys using their opposable thumbs, and seeing the unity within the group producing fruit during the week. Hearing honest stories from the missionaries at the jungle was even a blessing. All in all, despite the terrible bug bites and humidity, everything was a blessing for me.

We leave for the beach for debriefing in about 20 minutes, and when we are back, we will be saying our final goodbyes to leave for the Estados Unidos.