First day of work complete!

Posted on June 22, 2009 by Rachel

It’s the end of the first work day, and we survived! The construction team is working to dig several holes that will act as footing for a new building. The holes are 8 feet deep and about 7 feet wide. They finished the largest hole today and got a few others started. Here are a few pics from the work site:

The construction team is in south Quito, and the VBS team is in north Quito at a daycare. I don’t have a lot of pictures from VBS, but I promise Karen has taken tons of beautiful photos. We had about 40 kids this morning and 40 after lunch, all between 6-11 years old. We also had the help of two translators – Pamela and Margarita. Continue reading →

Hola from the middle of the world!

Posted on June 21, 2009 by Rachel

We made it to Ecuador! I don’t have a lot of time to write, so here are a few highlights. We landed safely last night around midnight. Earlier today I saw the airport and runway, and now I’m really happy we landed at night. Small runway, huge plane, and surrounding volcanoes – sounds like a good action movie.

Continue reading →

What do crawfish, BBQ, auctions, and Jesus’ love have in common?

Posted on April 30, 2009 by Rachel

They’re all helping to send a mission team to Ecuador! This weekend, the Wilmer UMC Ecuador Mission Team is holding a crawfish boil and silent auction to raise money for the trip. I was tasked with making the flyer:

Doesn’t the crawfish with a chef’s hat just crack you up? Last weekend Roger and I hauled all of our auction items down to my parents’. Then Mom and I put together baskets for each item. We learned that working with cellophane is NOT FUN. Sure, we laughed plenty, but a lot of it was out of frustration over what we dubbed the cello-PAIN.

However, we managed to finish a few baskets. This one is full of fancy hair products donated by Rick and Leslie (thanks guys!). I almost kept the Green Tea shampoo for myself, because it smells so good.

Mom bought shrink wrap this week and reported that it was much easier to deal with. So the rest of the baskets won’t cause the drama we experienced late Saturday night.

If you’ll be in town May 2, check out the auction and food. It’s for a good cause, and the company will be great. If you won’t be in town, but you still want to help out, you can send donations directly to the church:

Wilmer UMC
P.O. Box 156
Wilmer, AL 36587

Be sure to write “Ecuador Mission” on the check. Or you can give donations to me and Roger, and we’ll get it to the right place. Thanks for everyone’s support!

Golfing for Ecuador

Posted on March 30, 2009 by Rachel

This weekend Roger and I worked at a golf tournament hosted by my parents’ church, Wilmer United Methodist. The tournament was organized to raise money for the Ecuador mission team, of which Roger, my mom, and I are all a part. My dad organized the event, and the team gathered sponsors and teams. We worked for about 2 months sweet talking restaurant owners, store workers, friends, and family into sponsoring. We set a goal to get 50 sponsors, and we ended up with 46 – not too shabby!

But then the weather struck. Continue reading →

A good change of pace

Posted on February 12, 2009 by Rachel

In July Roger and I are going on a mission trip to Ecuador with my parents’ church in Wilmer. To help raise money for the trip, the church is hosting a golf tournament in Mobile. I was tasked with designing the sponsor signs.