Happy Anniversary!

One year. It has been one year TODAY since arrived in Ecuador.

I woke up today thinking... Wow! How crazy to think that it has been a whole year since we have been here. Time flies and rests for no one.

I promptly greeted my husband with a "happy anniversary!" and the response I got? "And we still have no water!"

I want to write a blog post about how amazing this year has been, how so many things have happened, progress made, memories that will never be forgotten and relationships formed. And while all these things are true, it is not what we feel today or even lately.

As a "missionary" we feel like we have to report and present only what is good and encouraging. But, I am going to be honest with y'all in this post.
It has been hard. We are exhausted. We are stressed out to the max. We are frustrated...everyday...several times a day.  And I feel like these words aren't nearly strong enough to portray our feelings.

Sometimes it is little things, like the city turning off the water supply so our cistern is low. Which means we(our personal house and the school) either have no water or we go into drought mode and conserve everything. And yes, I consider no water as a "little thing".

Or medium things, like the fact that we purchased a lemon of a car (a 26K lemon, because cars do no depreciate in value here) and can't get it out of the shop. We (Twickenham) have/has spent thousands of dollars in repairing it just so we can get it to a point of being able to sell it. The best part about this is the fact that it was finally to a "good enough" point this last week but I got into a fender-bender that put it back into the shop. That in itself was a frustrating experience! The other guy came to a complete stop in the middle of the highway, after going 90km/h, because of a dog crossing the road. And lemme point out, that here in Ecuador, there is ALWAY a dog crossing the road. So, now we get to pay for our car repair plus his.

Then there are the big issues. Issues with school budget and school affairs.
Things like not having the monies to hire more teachers but going on faith and doing it anyway because we know we need to be legal and to provide our kids with the best education we can.
Things like being rejected by the Ministry of Education for a tuition raise (since they dictate what we can change for monthly tuition) for reasons that could have been avoided had we known.
Things like knowing we are still not completely legal on some school items and that there will always be a threat of shutting us down until we are.
...

As you read this, I don't want you to be discouraged about the work happening here in Ecuador. I wrote this so that you could get an partially understanding of the things we go through and the honest state we are currently in.

I think we all go through these times where it feels like we are just barely able to tread water. I remember seasons of our married life where it felt like the waves just kept washing over us. We would get pounded over and over by different struggles and problems and it was hard to keep our heads up. When I think back on those times, I think about how God was there with me. He wasn't the Coast Guard who came in and swept me up from the water. He allowed me to stay in but was my floatation device. And I endured and came out, better for it. Because the funny thing about struggles are, like water, they polish and refine you.

Isaiah 43:2, NIV: "Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; he flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

So, it is our one year Ecuador anniversary and we are a bit down. But we will not lose heart, for we know our God in Heaven is with us. We know He called called us here, is with us and will use these experiences to polish us and for His glory.

2 Corinthians 4:17, NIV: "For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

Pray for us.
Also being thinking about financially support the work here.
We are now at a point where our personal needs are fully funded, but as the next school year is upon us and with much needed changes occurring, we are realizing the need in our school budget. In the near future you may be seeing some opportunities where you can help further the work in Ecuador, whether by direct support of our school budget, student scholarships or technology funding, so please be prayerful and mindful of that.