Wrapping Up 2023

A wrap-up post from Nic Mandolini, Director of Youth and Family Ministries at St. John’s. 

The alarm goes off and the room is dark. The day has finally come to set off on an adventure that has been planned for months. As you travel to the airport, all the things you may have forgotten flood through your mind. The team all joins together, and the bags get checked in with the airline. As we walk through security and board the plane, it finally feels real. 

A few short hours later we are eating lunch in Ecuador and talking of how the week will seem long and the work will be hard but we are excited to be here in a new place with friends. After a few orientations and dinner, bedtime finally seems in sight as the excitement of the day ends.

The next day or so is spent exploring the historic basilica, wandering around a new city, and eating fantastic food. Before you know it, Saturday morning is here, and we are meeting new friends at the church of Carmon Bajo. 

As the nerves begin to set in about what may happen, you look around and see the children and volunteers that have come to play games and worship. And before you know it, dinner is being served and another bedtime is just around the corner. After church on Sunday, the team is joined by members of the church for lunch before heading to the equator for an afternoon of fun and bonding. After a short bus ride home, the afternoon is rounded out with team building, bonding, dinner, debrief, and bedtime. 

Monday morning comes and after breakfast the team loads into the bus for what seems like a long ride. Today, the team will be serving in the mountains of Otavalo at a camp planned for the kids of Carmon Bajo. As the bus comes to a stop at the end of the hill, the nerves set in again. After a short climb up the hill, you finally reach the camp. For some of the team, this was their first time to pitch a tent, take a hike, or be in a landscape where all the stars are out at night. The children arrive and you notice something is different than what you had imagined because you know these kids from visiting their church over the weekend. The next three days seem to fly by as you play, go to the pool, hike, eat great meals, and laugh with the volunteers and children who are around you. 

Thursday morning finally comes, and the weather is perfect, but something is different. As you walk up the hill to camp, the thought hits you “the team will be leaving today after lunch.” But there is still time to enjoy with friends before this happens. And after sharing stories, taking pictures, playing games, and eating lunch it’s time to say our final “Ciao” and load the bus for another long ride. 

The team then arrives at El Refugio for an afternoon of hiking, reflection, and dinner. At the fire that that night you start to process the events of the next day. Emotions start to come back as the thought of traveling home, getting back to family, and the stresses that may come along with this. 

 After checking in your bag, getting through customs, and eating lunch the time has finally come to load the plane and head home. After arriving in Miami after a long day, you finally get settled into the hotel for a short nap before rejoining the team for a flight to Tallahassee on Saturday morning. After landing in Tallahassee, the flight taxies to the terminal and you see the words “Welcome to Tallahassee International Airport!” 

But then it happens, you blink. And just like that it’s back to reality. The problems that you left behind are back. The stress that you left behind seems to be creeping back in. The post-mission field work is here and may feel scary. You start to ponder if the feelings of joy, the relationships that we built were real, and what happens next. 

But Jesus doesn’t call us to the mission field for a week at a time each summer. The Bible says, "For I was hungry, and you gave me food, I was thirsty, and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked, and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me. Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me." 

This week our missionaries learned what it means to serve our neighbors as ourselves through laughter, stories, meals, and prayer. As we move back into the routines of life and the things that pull us away from a clear vision of who Jesus is, I want to encourage you to look for Jesus the same way you did while serving. 

We are called to serve others, not just around the world but within our own community. And for our prayer partners, please know that you traveled with us this week either through the blog, in prayer, or in thought. Without your support, this team would not have been able to learn, grow, and spread the love of Jesus in Ecuador. We are looking forward to telling stories at the annual shareholders’ dinner on Sunday August 27.

Que Dios te siga bendiciendo y protegiendo

(May God continue to bless you and keep you safe)!

- Written by Nic Mandolini

 

Day 9 (2023)

Hey St. John’s, this is William Proctor writing about the supposed last day of our journey. The day started as every other day did; an early awakening and an early morning breakfast. Our breakfast was especially good today as we had eggs, banana-chocolate chip pancakes made by John Allen, and bacon (much better than the usual plain wheat toast with eggs we make at the Quito hostel). 

After breakfast we had our final debrief in which we recounted our journey using all of our senses. We closed our eyes and Willy, an Ecuadorian intern, reviewed the schedule from our week, start to finish. We were encouraged to remember sounds, sights, smells, and feelings as we thought. We discussed what we had gained from the journey and what those eight days meant to us. After our debrief we met outside the hostel to board our final bus to the airport. After arriving at the airport, we all gathered to say our goodbyes to the interns and to John and Caroline. 

We spent what felt like an eternity getting through security and customs (but this would later prove to be an insignificant amount of time). After getting through security and customs, we headed to Johnny Rockets for our first “American food” since the day of departure.  

A couple burgers and milkshakes later, we gathered at our gate. We noticed a sign saying that our flight had been delayed from 1:57 PM to 2:30 PM, but this once again seemed insignificant. We finally boarded the plane and began waiting for departure. Eventually 2:45 PM came and our captain made an announcement that our plane was 4,000 pounds too heavy to takeoff with current conditions. We hoped this would be resolved quickly but more and more time began to pass. Eventually around 3:45 PM, the pilot announced that we were going to have to deplane 24 passengers. Multiple people volunteered in exchange for a $1,000 voucher with American Airlines. Around 15-20 people got off the plane but no one else was ready to volunteer. As I write, it is 4:45 PM and we are waiting for an announcement about when/if we are going to be able to leave. 

The flight attendants are going around offering water and snacks to people trying to calm nerves but it is very apparent how annoyed everyone is. At 5:40 PM we were just about ready to take off when another delay of ten minutes was announced. At 6:05 pm, FOUR hours after our original departure time, we took off for Miami. 

We ordered four separate Ubers to a hotel (rooms quickly booked by Wayne Strayer) and collectively enjoyed about 20 Papa John’s pizzas. 

Full and exhausted, we went to bed, dreading the 5:30 AM wake up.

- Written by William Proctor

Day 8 (2023)

Hey St. John’s! This is Jack Manausa. Today was a bittersweet end to our mission. We travel home tomorrow, so this was our last full day. 

We began the day by making our final journey to Carmen Bajo camp. We played numerous fun games with the kids (11/12 year old boys and girls) and sung many songs of praise and worship. 

After all of the fun, we ate lunch and it was now time to say goodbye. The workers and kids of the camp were very grateful for our service and thanked us greatly. Many hugs and numbers were exchanged as we finally said goodbye and left the camp. 

We then headed to El Refugio where we each spent two hours alone in isolation in nature. 

Personally, walking around alone in the woods allowed me to figure out things about myself I never had recognized. It also helped me establish a much stronger connection with God. 

After this, we played some Gaga Ball, then ate dinner which consisted of hot dogs we cooked ourselves around a fire. They were extremely delicious. 

We then ended the night by passing around a talking stick and saying what we appreciated most about each other. This time was extremely heartwarming and really made us grow close together. 

We reflected on our mission and all good times we had together. Even though it’s almost over, all the moments we shared together will live with me forever and I will always remember our journey.

- Written by Jack Manausa

Note: William Proctor will blog about our journey home, and Nic Mandolini will wrap our blog up when we return to Tallahassee, so stay tuned!

Day 7 (2023)

Hey everyone! This is Tyler Schnittker and I’ll be documenting my day here in Otavalo, Ecuador! Our days here are packed full of amazing experiences and relationships, which is a great opportunity, but it can make you forget what you did 20 minutes ago! So, I’m writing this as I go to ensure you get every single detail of our day. Here goes! 

Our team left our hostel at 7:30 AM to head to the camp where we had breakfast! I’m sure you all have heard by now, but the breakfast at the camp is the BIGGEST BREAKFAST you’ll ever see. We received all kinds of fresh fruit, scrambled eggs, pineapple-filled pastries, bolognes (fried cheese and plantains in a ball), ham, and hot chocolate to go with it … because, why not? Most of us agreed that our eyes were way bigger than stomachs! 

The kids were full and energized, so round one of outdoor games was up next. We played everything from uno to my favorite, four-square volleyball, which the kids had gotten pretty good at by then. We had about an hour and a half of intense (fun!) competition before the kids headed to worship and the new group arrived. 

Our group has split time between two groups a day, and we’ve continued to help Sr. Don Pablo move and prepare tons of rocks for what will eventually become a carport. Several of our missionaries have also been helping one of the cooks (Charito) with any task she can think of. Today that included pulling weeds from the entryway and cleaning the children’s tables. We are happy to help!

The new group that arrived today is all girls, ages 11-12, and while we spent some time with them this afternoon—hiking, playing, and doing crafts—tomorrow we will get the chance to talk with them more about their stories. Introducing ourselves has gotten easier and easier, but I still have to listen very closely.

My teammates and I have been treated so wonderfully while we’ve been here, and one of our favorite (and most important) things has been the meals that we’ve been served every day. We made cards for the cooks, who have been working nonstop to keep the camp running. 

After that, the new group left on their hike and after a bit of preparation with the original group, we headed out to the pool, or piscina. While very chaotic, the pool was super fun! The kids loved splashing and wading around.

Because swimming plays such a big role in my life (I’ll be a Leon Swim and Dive captain in the fall) it’s really cool to see all the kids having fun and enjoying being in the water. There’s a slide that’s maybe five feet tall that all the kids love. Both yesterday and today, I positioned myself in the water at the bottom to catch the kids and help them to the side, because most didn’t know how to swim. For many of them, this was their first time in a pool and they probably wouldn’t be back in one for a while. 

One girl was terrified to slide down and took about 5 minutes to work up the courage to slide down, even with me waiting at the very bottom to catch her. She eventually slid down and I caught her, but she was still pretty scared, until I told her “Tengo tú” which I quickly threw together to try and tell her, “I got you.” When she heard me say that, she immediately calmed down and the biggest smile broke out on her face. It was the coolest thing to see and every time she slid down after that, she insisted that I be waiting at the bottom. I felt connected to God in that moment and that experience was an outward illustration of what it means to be faithful. I’m so happy that I was able to share that experience with her and help to make her happy. 

After that whole process, we walked up the big hill back to camp (trip #5 for me). The new group was already doing my favorite activity, 4-square volleyball, so I joined in and we played until dinner, which was an amazing rice, chicken, pork, lentils, beans, and plantain empanadas. We all got on the bus to return to our hostel and debrief at the end of an amazing day!

- Written by Tyler Schnittker