Enjoy the good, the bad, & the ugly of the simple tweets of my mission trips. I recorded these in my journal day by day.
ECUADOR 2014
ECUADOR 2014
-Sitting in the airplane before take off is just like the alchohol swab before the shot. #apprehensionstinks
-Jkz. Flying is horrible & I'm anticipating being in South America. #soon&verysoon
-When you sit next to strangers (even if they're an answer to prayer) you have to act brave; which leads to silent screaming.
So I mainly tweeted about flying for most of my trips. But, trust me, it was simply because I didn't have time to write down tweets about everything I wanted to when I was working on the most important thing day after day - relationships.
-JUST DON'T LOOK DOWN. K?
Approaching supper time with no food in my stomach but a strip of beef jerky & total exhaustion from running through airports with rude staff...
-I really should've taken Mom up on that offer for a nut roll before I left.
-Remember when I said I hated flying? They just brought me a Dr. Pepper. #temporarilyhappy #anditwasthelastone #score
On one particular flight, the only flight all summer I sat by 'myself', I got my very first view of the ocean! I was in awe. For the beginning of that flight, I kept the window closed, due to the fact that I wasn't going to look down. But when I opened that window to take a peek, to see if the sights had changed, I saw this. My first view of the ocean. I couldn't stop smiling for a half an hour as I gazed at the clear water below.
-That gahhgeous ocean, though.
...& apparently I was lost for intelligent words as well.
-Oh, just listening to Spanish radio with Ranson & interpreting the song based on tone of voice. Lizzie McQuire & HSM belting was also a highlight. #internationalmemories
That flight mentioned above was one of my favorites. Singing, dancing, giggling, & landing in Guayaquil was so much fun. The lights of the city were beautiful & I was traveling with a slap happy, clever group. Not every mission trip member can say they landed in a brand new country singing the 'Fresh Prince of Bel-Air's theme song, now can they?
This was the next day, after we'd settled into our host's home at 2AM & gotten a nice-considering-the-circumstances nights sleep.
-Walking through cocoa fields on the way to lunch... #wegottotasteittoo
-Some people need to accept the ten second rule. Right, Evan? #necessary
You may have had to been there.....
-Sitting in the middle of Ecuador, under a palm tree. #thebeautifulsweatylife
There were many plants surrounding our family's house (including COFFEE)! It was beautiful.
Also, sweaty is an understatement. Believe me when I say that it was unbelievably hot.
-SUNS OUT; BUNS OUT.
-So, um, I just asked an American girl here how she & her husband met during our second conversation. #ilovelovestories
As this picture portrays, our standing-in-line-for-the-bathroom conversations sprung into a sweet friendship by the end of the week.
-Shout out to SheaSmith for not pushing me off our bed while I was hogging it.
Our living room converted bedroom was full, to say the least.
-Two churches, two languages, one God.
-What we do to entertain ourselves... #waterbottlebalancing
This is what a late night among traveling teenagers with no WiFi looks like.
-It's easier to public speak when you have a translator beside you, surprisingly.
-Oh, to finally be used to the beautiful mix of English & Spanish.
-It rained this morning & the mist under these fruit trees is blissful. #thethingsthatbringjoyinEcuador
-@chloejane73 "I read it on Pinterest is has to be true!"
One day, we piled 17 people on the back of a pick-up truck & headed to a banana plantation. I know, it's not something you get to do everyday. On our slightly-bumpy ride that was an absolute blast this was requested to make my list of tweets:
-Jesus is bae.
The day declined. I was in pain from Saturday afternoon to Tuesday night due to my surgery in May. It brought a lot of tears & messiness to my personal trip, because I wasn't able to do several important activities or be fully useful at the activities I was already at. But, for some reasons I'm still not sure of, God worked through all the pain (literally & figuratively), like He always does.
-I'm so thankful that there's a doctor on board. #graciousDrPenner
-That's Entertainment in Ecuador, folks. #MrAladdinSir #goEvan
-Late night conversations with my favorite couple in the kitchen make me laugh deep.
-Oh, the joys of seeing Ricardo after being in a house by myself with only Spanish speaking people.
^for what seemed like hours. It was one of the hardest things I made myself do - not go door to door to evangelize in the community. I was completely alone in South America, besides a kind-hearted woman & a few young girls that only spoke Spanish. I was able to read a tiny bit, but mainly rest & listen to nature outside our windows. I cried as the sky got darker & darker outside our window, because I wanted to be with my team. Looking back, it was one of the most stretching & beautiful afternoons in Ecuador - maybe because it made me appreciate Ricardo's familiar face & my team's loud banter like never before.
-Bo & Paige win at life because they've seen me leaving-a-foreign-country-ugly-cry twice.
It's not pretty. Just sayin'.
-So bitter & bueno.
Wrote this on our bus ride back to the city of Guayaquil. I sat by myself, enjoyed me first air conditioning in seven days, & wrote about the the sadness of leaving our wonderful host church.
-The man that admitted me to the U.S. again called Michael Bublé bad names & this is not okay with me.
THUS CONCLUDES ECUADOR TWEETS.
UGANDA 2014
-You know you're not in Kansas when a single KSTATE shirt is not available to purchase at the airport gift shop.
-Keep speaking to me, British people. #DallasToLondon
-I'm basically the happiest person on the planet. I'm back! #theresreddirt #andmybelovedfamily
-Ugandan people speaking my name will not grow old.
-When it says to not grumble & complain, that doesn't include to your journal, does it? #imisscertainpeople #icouldusesomesnugglingblackbabytime
-Home sweet guesthouse. #iloveuganda #oursafehaven
-First a whale, now an elephant... #youdontwannaknow #latenightgiggles @Dana @Diane @MommaV
-Slashing grass, cooling pooridge, car washing, & counting... #allinadaysUgandanwork
-Just scarfed a whole bag of beef jerky. #unashamed
-"I imagine Jesus cut loose a couple of times..." #lolz
-Not very many people can wake up in a banda in Uganda with one of their best friends saying, "I brought you coffee!" #blissfulmornings
-Carpetball with Lake Victoria in the background is a much different experience.
-Count it all as gifts... #PreachGospelToMyself
-Being reminded of a God that stoops on our behalf.
-Sometimes when you're in Uganda & you take a morning off for sanity, you need to lay in your tent, listen to the rain, & have some TSwift therapy.
-I've met or reunited with so many beautiful people this summer. #thelistgoesonandon
-I'm at that emotionally-unstable-because-I-don't-want-to-leave-but-these-people-are-driving-me-crazy phase.
I love my team y'all, but after being with any group of people you don't usually live with for two weeks straight...The Lord gives you many character-building opportunities. I may not have accepted them too well after a full summer.
-If they only knew... #finishthatsentence
-Apparently security chooses the girl that is sobbing to randomly inspect her whole bag. #leavingUganda #itwasme
-Knowing how to get around at the London airport... #thelittlethings
-I'm going to miss these British passengers & flight attendants. #BritishAirways #classypeopleallaround
-Update on Emilee's life: I still hate flying. #justsayin #twomore
There it is, folks. A simple glimpse into the not-so-glamorous side of mission trips. Don't let this be the only blog you read about Ecuador & Uganda. ;) I'm so glad I wrote these, because it was a way for me to jot down quick memories if I didn't have time to journal about them. Thanks for reading.
Have a beautiful rest of your week, mi amigos!
Much love,
Emilia
P.S. I miss introducing myself as Emilia. Tear.
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