This week in field.

(From the week of April 1-7...)

This week was a great week in field. The longer I'm there, the more the girls and the staff amaze me. In all seriousness, it would still be a dream to actually have a position in a house like that someday. 

Monday was a pretty ordinary day, although I had my first experience of really disciplining a couple girls! Thankfully my Spanish has improved a lot, so I felt confident in talking with them about how they disobeyed us staff and what should be done about it. As I reflect on what I chose to do, I feel pretty confident about it, so that felt like an accomplishment for the day. 

Tuesday was a really fun day, because another missionary group came for two hours in the afternoon. This time they brought a short-term team of young women from the U.S., England, Finland, Scotland, and Australia. When they came in the room, my first thought was, "There so tall!" (People are a little shorter around here.) These missionaries just came to hang out with the girls, sing a few songs, and encourage them, so it was a very relaxed and enjoyable time. Once they finished singing I turned to the young college student next to me and asked her a question in Spanish, and her confused look told me she really didn't speak the language. After that I noticed that most of these women didn't know Spanish, so I offered to translate for them as they prayed with the girls. At first they said no, but it didn't take long before they figured out they couldn't communicate and asked for me! The entire rest of the afternoon I was summoned from one corner of the room to the next, translating for almost everyone. It was actually a lot of fun to be an integral part of the exchanges between the missionaries and the girls, and it made me realize that I speak more Spanish than I realize! I loved understanding both cultures and languages that were mixing that day. I'm also gaining a new perspective on missions through my time here in Ecuador, and especially in field, which is super cool. It's important to understand missions from the host culture's point of view.

On Wednesday I started a new project in the office, which means working in the client database all day. Honestly, I really don't like office work too much. I hate sitting in front of a computer all day and much prefer interacting with the girls and the change in the routine every day. Thursday I had a lot of one-on-one time with the girls and got to hear some of their stories for the first time. Guys, the things these thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen year olds will tell you are unbelievable. You just can't fathom some of the suffering they have endured at the age of my little sister. Stories of being kidnapped, drugged, and sold to a brothel at age twelve; nearly dying in childbirth; losing their baby girl when she was six months old; having no family except their child who is the result of a rape; stealing pistols and escaping from guarded brothels...It's so unbelievable. And yet, the girls who will tell me these things are some of the most mature, joyful, and grateful girls in the home. It's such an honor and a privilege to be able to listen to their pain, when I know they don't share it with anyone.


So, that's field for me. The longer I'm there, the more grateful I am for such an experience.