Departure

Hello All! We are at the gate in the airport and will be boarding in 10 minutes. We will fly into Miami and then have a brief layover before departing for Atlanta. We arrive in Atlanta on American Airlines flight 1610 at 6:15 pm.

The pilgrimage exceeded all hopes and expectations. Our young adults all engaged in spiritual reflection while they were on pilgrimage and it was very impressive to watch God work in them. It was wonderful to watch their growth and a it was privilege to hear their insights throughout their time in Ecuador.

I would like to thank the chaperons, Michael and Leslie Aiken and Keith and Kelley Mauriello. They did a fantastic job and were excellent mentors for our young adults.

Thank you all! See you soon!

The final day.....

Well, the end of our journey is here, and I must say that it has been a very fun, spiritual, rewarding, and memorable trip. It is safe to say that all of us in the group grew bonds not only with each other, but with God too. We all experienced feelings and emotions about the people and the country of Ecuador itself. We met many people with whom we grew good relationships with, and whom we really liked.

For me, I think one of the most memorable moments of the journey was finding God within me. I grew up in a life of poverty in Russia. I was practically raised as an orphan. My mother was never there, and my father was killed. When I saw the many people that were poor, and suffering, it really struck me. In that moment, I realized that God loved me, and had wanted a better life for me. Then, I knew why I had been adopted. God loved me, and wanted a better life for me than the one I had in Russia. I am so blessed to have the things that I have now, and it is all God's work. Now, I feel closer to God than I have ever felt, and that makes me feel very happy.

Like I said before, we all grew inside spiritually, and we talked about that tonight. As the night ended, we sat in our circle, and talked about the trip. Everyone said that they had found God within themselves. Then, we discussed how our lives changed, and the routine we would fall into when we get back home. So, as the time draws nearer to go home, I must say that we all had a lot of fun, and spiritual moments. We will all miss the country, the beautiful landscapes, and the people we met. However, the things that will stay in our hearts, are the memories, bonds, and love that we found on this once in a lifetime trip.

-Maxwell

Monday - Volunteer Work at the Cathedral

As the end of the pilgrimage draws nearer it seems like time is speeding up. The days feel shorter and even Compline seems to go by a little faster. (just a little) Though I'm not usually one to theorize I think that its because the group has grown closer and I realized that today when the manual labour didn't feel so... well... so much like labour.

For many of us on this trip our usual definition of “doing work” at home consists of daily chores and homework or possibly a job as a bag boy at the neighborhood Kroger. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I doubt anyone in our group paints fences or does yard work for 9 hours a day and I know that no one was excited about the actual task. What we were excited about was giving back to the people who welcomed us into their church community the night before. After a few hours of work we took a lunch break; the women of the church had prepared an excellent meal for us of which they were clearly very proud.

The enthusiasm that the members of the church have for their community is truly amazing and it is something I feel could be brought back by our group to help the development of our church community.

-Morgan

Sunday - Hot Springs & the Cathedral of the Diocese of Central Ecuador

6/14/2009

Sunday was epitomized by the building of relationships: an idea important not only because of its personal benefit, but because of how it is beneficial to the Church. Strengthening and expanding the global community of Christians is not a new idea, and its importance certainly hasn't diminished over time. Meeting new people is always exciting, and this morning was no different as we got off the bus at the Episcopal Cathedral to meet our new friends. After playing ice-breaker name games and a particularly fun (if not exhausting due to the altitude) follow the leader game, we all got on the bus to head out to hot spring about an hour out of Quito. On the bus, we learned songs such as:

Chocolata caliente
Chocalata por favor
No leche frio, no Coca-Cola
Chocolata (clap) senor!

and played Tingo, Tingo, Tango!, a game best described as a cross between duck-duck-goose and hot potato, where a bottle is passed around the bus and the person who is caught with the bottle as “Tango!” is shouted is required to undergo a usually hilarious penitencio: the true purpose of the game. The bus was probably where became closest to our Ecuadorian friends, and the assistance of Jackson and Morgan was needed by everybody as just about everyone else would classify themselves as much-less-than-fluent Spanish speakers.
Spending time relaxing in the hot springs was a fantastic way to spend time on God's Day of Rest, and our bodies certainly appreciated the rest. Afterwards, we took part in Eucharist, led by John, and the service took place outdoors, in the valley surrounded by lush, green mountains. Both Spanish and English were spoken simultaneously, and gave a special, if not totally unique, feel to the service.
In the evening we went back to the cathedral to attend a second Eucharist, spoken entirely in Spanish, where we were received with a warm welcome by everyone there. We were asked to stand in front of the congregation and introduce ourselves, and prior to our introductions we sang two songs: Amazing Grace and Sanctuary, and our music was received with warm applause. The hymns that were sung by the congregation were probably what made the service so special, as the music was defined by upbeat rhythms and clapping, something unusual to us but nonetheless very fun. After spending time with church members over coffee afterwards, we went home after a fantastic day.

-Baylor

Quito - Old Town

Hey guys, skipping the corny intro, we had an awesome time today. First we went to this massive church called the Basilica del Voto Nacional, which was a completely new experience for all of us. The ceilings were huge and when we climbed up to the towers, which were at least 300 feet, we got to see a large part of Quito. But it wasn't all shaky ladders and hiking up massive amounts of stairs. When we finally got up there, we explored the ideas of how to maintain and build relationships privately. After that, we briefly explored the other towers and then left to see the Roman Catholic cathedral. We had a lovely tour guide who showed us the beauty of the church and its history as we walked over catacombs underneath the floors. Then we had lunch at an amazing place. We had chicken, steak, or fish, which we all found delightful. Then we went to the Compania de Jesus which had painting of the Last Judgement and Hell. This sparked a interesting debate led by John about the existence of hell. After that we explored other sites such as the center of Quito and the Panecillo. When we returned to the hostel, we played cards and other bonding activities.

-Zack

The halfway point........

Another fun filled, action packed day began this morning at eight o' clock! Once again we enjoyed our lovely Ecuadorian breakfast of scrambled eggs and rolls. We were then introduced to today's theme in morning reflection. We were told to contemplate who we are as young adults and who we would like to become throughout our spiritual journey.

After journaling we piled on the bus to enjoy some Inca ruins- very fascinating! John instructed us to pick up two rocks, one to throw off the cliff and one to take home. These rocks symbolized what we wanted to leave behind and what we wanted to come out of this experience with. Then we headed off to Museo Solar Inti Nan, next to La Mitad del Mundo, also known as the middle of the Earth! We were able to see all of the wonderful advancements throughout Ecuadorian culture which led us to realize how much God has influenced our minds over time.

After eating our sack lunches, we traveled to the retreat center El Refugio. We engaged in many team building activities...some more difficult than others! The beautiful scenery made these games even better! We then had a cookout complete with Cuy (aka Guinea pig!) which almost everyone tried and found to be rather unique. To top off a perfect day we roasted s'mores and competed in a very intense soccer game.

Despite the entertaining soccer match, my favorite part of the day was tonight's reflection where we came full circle as Leslie led a wonderful discussion. We were all told that despite the struggles we face we are always loved in the eyes of God. Next everyone gathered to share the positive qualities of each pilgrim and chaperone, a very moving activity. I think we are all super excited to continue with the next half of our pilgrimage and are all loving everything Ecuador has to offer! It is so easy to feel God's presence here in this beautiful, vivacious country and I can already begin to feel my confidence in faith expanding.

-Hallie

On the third real day of our pilgrimage, the rest of our journey seems in sight. In these first three days, we have come to know the culture of the people, visiting Quito, Cayambe, and Otavalo. This morning we left the Hacienda Guachala, the serenity of its landscapes and the warmth of the fires in our rooms and rode the public bus to eat breakfast at our favorite restaurant, where we had dined for Wednesday lunch and dinner. This time, fortunately, it was not soup and meat. Also Caroline and James went across the street and bought us Biscochos and string cheese (the cheese is better than we have in the states however) per John's request because they are a specialty of Cayambe, made apparent by the fifteen or so cafes selling them along the main street.
Then we rode our bus to Otavalo for the much anticipated market experience, where we entered into a bartering experience over bags, ponchos, jewelry, and many more three dollar items. Though everything was relatively inexpensive, I for one spent more money than I had imagined I would. But with the same Christian spirit that Hallie has when she blows bubbles with little children, we recognize that a dollar of our spending money has a lot less value to us than it does to a vendor in the market.
After eating lunch at restaurants around the market we found to be variously good or bad we slept on another bus ride up the mountain to the Cochasqui pyramids. They were covered by dirt and grass because the people had hidden them from the Incan invaders, yet excavations revealed steps made of earth and sun and moon calendars on the top of one. We were wondering why the Incas did not notice the shapes of the things and mistook them for mountains. But the tour guide people had reconstructed huts, both a rectangular one of sticks and rocks like what peasants had lived in and a circular one with guinea pigs running around in it. Also there was a reconstructed bridge, highway and a museum with pottery and a skeleton in it. Unfortunately it started raining about halfway through the tour, so the alpacas became scarce and we could not even see into the valley. Apparently on a good day from the mountains you can see Quito, Cayambe, and many other important archeological sites and three volcanoes.
We rode back to Quito and ate dinner at a kabob place and ate a vegetable that looked and tasted like grilled corn yet was not... Kelley led our evening reflection about nature that we unfortunately were not able to do at the pyramids because of the rain, but it seemed like a meaningful journal for us. We contemplated the way God worked for the ancient people, who not only did not know of the news of Christ but of the monotheistic traditions of the rest of the world. Yet they seemed to be oriented around a largely peaceful and indigenous community, and I do not doubt that God worked in their lives. Though they differed from other peoples of the world, they still lived and thought similarly in many ways, they still were human, made in the image of God.

~Frances

The middle of the world and Pambamarca

6/10/09

This morning we started things off with a deliciously prepared breakfast, and then went off to our morning meditation. The meditation was in the courtyard of the Hacienda in which we were staying and broke off into separate groups to reflect on poverty and how each person and God has experienced poverty in their daily lives. After our morning meditation we went to see the Equator and the “center of the earth”(La Mitad Mundo) as this part of the Equator has been classified. After learning about the equator and the importance of the it being the center of the earth we hopped on a truck that carried us to the mountain Pambamarca where we were able to see some pre-Incan fortifications. The view from the top was unbelievable until the rain came and the entire mountain was surrounded in fog. We soon hurried back down the mountain for fear of a possible thunderstorm. On the way back to our Hacienda for dinner at the same place we stopped at for lunch, soon after we had our nightly compline lead by Max Crudder.

-George

The beginning.....

06/08/09
After six hours of a plane ride we were excited to see what Ecuador looked like. We soon arrived at the hostel where we met our youth world host for the trip. Then we sat around for the Compline which Baylor Banks led us in. And we were inspired by John's reflection on finding God with in ourselves so we can gain a better relationship with God.



06/09/09
Our first official day in Ecuador began at seven thirty! We were greeted with an Ecuadorian breakfast, scrambled eggs and rolls. After enjoying our first breakfast in Ecuador we left for Eucharist. We all enjoyed the Eucharist in Spanish. We were then told about how the priest had to come in and rebuild the church in order to restore faith in congregation much like how we are going to rebuild ourselves in Ecuador in order to obtain a stronger faith. Next we went to the Youth World office, where they informed us of all the wonderful leadership and missionary opportunities we could find here in Ecuador. They also explained the different kinds of street kids and helped us better understand the culture here. We then went to the mall where we surprisingly found the same kinds of stores as one would find in our mall. Lunch followed, which we all tried Empanada and fruit salads. Everyone seemed to enjoy them. As I am writing this, we are now we are traveling for two hours by bus to Cayembe, a volcano. We are staying here for three nights. - Virginia Kelly

Arrival

After a long day of travel we are in Quito. Our internet connection is very unreliable right now. Hopefully we will be in a better hot spot tomorrow. It has taken me 30 minutes to get a connection that has lasted more than 30 seconds.

We were given a welcome by members of Quito Quest of Youth World tonight. Basic instructions (do's and don'ts) were reviewed.

After an evening meditation, Baylor Banks led us in Compline. It is time for lights out. The plan is to get the pilgrims posting their reflections throughout the week. Keep checking in. If we have a reliable connection, you will hear from us. Plase keep us in prayer

Peace,
John

Countdown to Ecuador.....

On Sunday 11 Teenagers and 5 adults will seek God's blessing for their pilgrimage. On Monday, June 8th that group will embark on a spiritual journey to the middle of the world.

Cayembe, Otavalo, Pambamarca and Quito all await. It is time to start making the mental shift from Atlanta life to soulful travel. What do we seek at the middle of the world?

"Pilgrimage is the kind of journeying that marks just this move from mindless to mindful, soulless to soulful travel. The difference may be subtle or dramatic; by definition it is life-changing."

Phil Cousineau: The Art of Pilgrimage