Day 10 (2022)

Hi All! This is Caroline Devitt! 

Today was our Sabbath day! We had a later start with breakfast at 9am and then got on the bus to visit the equator! After a lunch of empanadas and ice cream, we spent our afternoon and evening at El Refugio, a retreat center in the countryside of Quito. We had solo quiet/reflection time and ended the day with an emotional debrief around the campfire where we each expressed encouraging words to one another. It was a beautiful, restful, and emotional day. Since each of the youth have already blogged, I’ve asked each person on our team to share three words that came up for them while reflecting on their day.

Corinna - Grateful. Powerful. Love.

Emily - Reflective. Heavy. Joyful.

Chris - Culture. Llama. Love.

Ainsley - Refreshing. Comforting. Emotional.

Kate - Llama. Soothing. Emotional.

Rachel - Bittersweet. Family. Relaxing.

Tallulah - Relaxing. Memorable. Sweet.

Camille - Emotional. Educational. Inspiring.

Harrison - Equator. Tired. Relaxing.

Tyler - Refreshing. Fun. Stunning.

Eli -Exploring. Processing. Remembering.

Caroline Allen - Home. Fulfillment. Gratitude.

John - Affirming. Nourishing. Don't go!!

Willy - Family. Love. Joy.

Caroline Devitt - Reverence. Release. Thankful.

Day 9 (2022)

Today (Friday, 7/15), I woke up and we all met outside around 7 o'clock to get the bus loaded up. Since we’re switching hostels we had to get all of our stuff packed and ready to go. It was about a 20 minute bus ride to our site. Like the past three days, we walked up the half a mile hill which nearly killed me. But it was all worth it when we were served pancakes and eggs for breakfast. 

After we had breakfast we went straight into games with the kids, which started with 4 square volleyball. Surprisingly the kids we really good and it didn’t take much to get me out. After Kate and I taught some kids how to make friendship bracelets, we all went inside for chapel. We sang some songs and then the pastor talked to them. We then prayed for them and spread so much love and many, many hugs. After this I was sent back to play 4 square volleyball with our group from St. John’s while the kids were finishing up. After a bit, we were called to lunch which was, of course, amazing. Then, we walked down the hill to our bus and rode to the market. We got about an hour and a half at the market, and I think I gradually got better at bargaining! We all ate ice cream afterwards and then got back on the bus to drive to Quito. Once we got to our hostel we had a great dinner of soup, chicken, and rice. After that we did a collage project with the Freedoms! I really enjoyed this and I think it turned out really well. I hope we have an amazing last day tomorrow, I don’t wanna leave!

- Written by Rachel Hopkins

Day 8 (2022)

Today (Thursday, 7/14) we went back to the camp to spend our day with the second group of kids. We started the morning off with an amazing breakfast of fruit and eggs. After we ate we played with the kids outside, I made a couple of friends with the children which is always my favorite part. There’s nothing better than seeing them smile and run up to you, knowing you’ve made a relationship with them. 

After playing with the kids for a while we heard a testimony from one of the older girls working the Compassion. Her story was heartbreaking, but also inspiring. She discussed the hardships she faced in her teen years and how going to church saved her life. After hearing her testimony, we played with the kids some more and then ate an incredible lunch of empanadas and potato soup. I ate every bite! 

Then, I got to go to the lake with the second group of kids. The lake was absolutely beautiful and the kids were so excited to see the view and get some ice cream. After we returned for the lake we played games with the third group of kids and had a great dinner of hamburger and fries. We finished the night with singing worship songs with the kids.

- Written by Camille Resavage

Day 7 (2022)

Today (Wednesday, 7/13) we woke up and got on the bus at around 7:20 AM to head to the camp with our new friends from Carmen Bajo. There we had the BIGGEST BREAKFAST IN THE WORLD: pancakes, eggs, ham, fruit, syrup, bolones, empanadas, peanut butter, juice, coffee, and even gluten-free pancakes for Avery. It was amazing and we made sure to give lots of thanks and praise to the chef(s)! 

After we ate, our group went and danced, sang, and built relationships with the kids at the camp. We also listened to personal stories from some of the people who help run the camp. They shared experiences in which they relied heavily on God. They talked about their own upbringing, which unfortunately involved domestic violence. One person even spoke about their upbringing's negative impacts on their daughter’s mental health. All of this conversation really helped our team understand why we are here and why we build these relationships in the first place. 

Next, we made some more Ojos de Dios (God’s Eyes) crafts and helped the kids learn and make their own! As for the campers' understanding of the activity, it was hit or miss, but we had a great time! 

After these activities, the pastor prayed and asked the kids about their life at home, away from camp. The mood quickly went from happy and loving, to somewhat sad and depressing when he asked the kids if they would be willing to share if there were hurtful words they have heard at home. We were surprised when kids as young as six or seven years old answered with phrases like "worthless, useless, and a waste of time." This was extremely hard to hear, but what was most shocking is that all of the campers seemed so happy and cheerful up until this point. It really goes to show that you can’t judge a book by it’s cover and that you never really know what an individual is going through. 

We had a "brief" debrief, which doesn’t happen often (but is welcome)! Afterwards, we served lunch. It was a delicious pizza meal with the kids ... amazing, as usual!

After almuerzo (lunch), we split into two teams. One group accompanied the kids to a lake and sent the first group of campers off. The second group stayed behind at the camp and welcomed the new batch of campers! I was in the second group, where we had a great time, playing games, singing and, of course, dancing! We chopped wood, and Chris built and maintained two fires, before putting me in charge of one of them. Thank you, it's truly an honor! Ainsley, Camille, and I danced and sang with the new group of kids and introduced ourselves to them. 

We still had some time left to entertain them, so we broke out good ole’ Uno™️ as well as matching games and a pack or two (or 12) of playing cards. It took some learning and teaching, but we had lots of fun and got to know each other well! The first group got back and we served dinner to the niños and then had dinner for ourselves. Needless to say, it was delicious! 

We left the camp at around 7 PM and got back to our hostel a short while later. I look forward to tomorrow and all the opportunities it brings!! ¡Ciao!

- Written by Tyler Schnittker

Day 6 (2022)

Today (Tuesday, 7/12) we left Quito for Otavalo. We got to wake up a little later than usual before we had breakfast and picked up the kids. We picked up a big group of kids at Carmen Bajo, an evangelical church in Quito. After a three hour bus ride, we made it to the campsite which is a property owned by the pastor at Carmen Bajo. The camp is to get kids out of the city and to experience nature and creation. Once we arrived and got settled, one group went on a hike and I stayed with the group to set up tents for the kids. 

Afterwards, we got a fire started, played games, sang songs, and ate food. We had an amazing lunch and an even better dinner. After dinner we went to our hostel and everyone went to bed early because it was a long but great day!

- Written by Harrison Merrill

Day 5 (2022)

Today (Monday, 7/11) we woke up for a 7:30 AM breakfast of croissants and hard boiled eggs with fresh orange juice. Once we finished breakfast we headed to the bus to go to the church of Buen Pastor. Unfortunately today is our last day working with them before heading towards Otavalo. The ride to Buen Pastor is a moment I look forward to every day. The city of Quito is filled with beautiful colorful buildings and a stunning mountain backdrop. The streets are full of people and vendors on the corners. 

When we arrived at Buen Pastor we greeted the members and then found our seats for the devotional led by Caroline Devitt (translated by Willy for the Spanish speakers). After we prayed and ended the devotional, we were split up into groups, and met the families we would be assisting in painting for the day. While we waited for our members to buy the paint, some of the youth taught the adult members modern day slang (now that they know it it’s not very cool anymore though). 

Once we acquired the paint we boarded the bus and headed to the house of the woman we were helping. I was grouped up with Chris, Ainsley, Willy, and Rachel. When we arrived at her house we were immediately welcomed like good friends. We got right to work and started sanding the walls of the room with sand paper. After a lot of hard scrubbing and piles of paint dust on the floor, Willy brought in the paint and brushes. I used my long arms to paint high up on the walls and Ainsley and Rachel used rollers to get the rest. After doing a few coats, the painting was going great, and I barely had any paint on me. Unfortunately, Ainsley and Rachel did not like the I had kept myself paint free, so they came at with paint brushes until I looked like a member of the Blue Man Group. During the time at their house we were able to talk to the family members and learn about their life and their struggles in Quito. Hearing about the problems in their lives was heartbreaking, but the mother was very grateful that we were able to come and help in any way we could. Even though she was struggling a lot, she was able to happily welcome us into her town and home with open arms which I am forever thankful for. 

After finishing up painting it was time to head back to Buen Pastor for lunch. We played some games with the Ecuadorians as we waited for our food to be prepared, including one called ping boom (which I was a natural at). So far in Ecuador the food has been amazing, and today was no exception. We were served grilled chicken and rice with an ahi dressing which is a form of salsa that tops the rice. After eating my plate and helping someone finish theirs, we headed to the front of the church doors where we thought we would say our final goodbyes to the few that remained there. But when we opened the doors to the church we were greeted with purple streamers and a church full of people surprising us with a goodbye party. 

Walking through the church was surreal, all these people cheering around us and celebrating. Just the thought that all these people coordinated this event and all showed up just to say goodbye to our group is insane to me. We sat down at the front and watched a heartwarming compilation video of all the amazing memories we had made with the church in just a few short days, but the fun with them was not quite over yet. Just after we finished watching the videos, the dance party started. I’m horrendous at dancing so this was not a very smooth time for me, but some of the Ecuadorians gave their best attempt at trying to teach me some dance moves. Even with my terrible dancing the dance party was great, we played some of our favorite songs and they played some of their favorite songs too. By the time it was over most of us were completely out of breath. 

For a final surprise, Buen Pastor brought out gifts for all of us that included handwritten cards and some Ecuadorian candies. The church then gave us a last send off prayer and we started saying our goodbyes. Everyone was giving final hugs and taking photos together. This was an extremely bittersweet moment, many members of Buen Pastor and members of our group were crying while saying goodbye. As we rode the bus out of the area we could see them waving goodbye one last time. I am extremely grateful and happy to have been able to meet the wonderful community at Buen Pastor and make so many unforgettable memories. 

The next stop for us was dinner, which we would be served at a place called Casa G. Casa G is a house that takes care of boys who were previously living out on the streets. It is under the same group as Education = Hope and provides education, food, shelter, and much more to these boys. Just like nearly every other place we have visited here in Ecuador, we were welcomed with open arms. After meeting the man who ran the house and some of the boys who were a part of it, we were served a dinner of spaghetti, rice, meat sauce, and bread. This was a meal I was more familiar with and it tasted great.

Tyler Schnittker and I sat next to and talked to one of the members of the house. He knew a fair amount of English but occasionally we had to use Tyler’s broken Spanish and google translate to assist us. Through this process we learned much about him including what movies he liked, sports he played, his job, and more. Even though communicating was a little tough sometimes, we all learned a lot about each other and it was interesting to see how he really wasn’t very different from us. After finishing up dinner we said goodbye to the boys there and headed back to our hostel. As the tiredness crept in we had a debrief and talked about our day and the different people we met. 

Overall, today was an absolutely amazing day in Quito. Being able to help the community and give back felt great. Even though leaving Buen Pastor was very sad, the memories and relationships we built there are priceless, and I will never forget the amazing community they have.

- Written by Eli Strayer

Day 4 (2022)

Today we had an amazing day! We started off with going to Buen Pastor for church. Rachel and Tyler talked about their God story during the service and we all had lots of fun singing and learning new worship songs. After church we had a delicious traditional Ecuadorian meal with rice and chicken and sausage. 

Then a lot of the kids and adults from Buen Pastor got on the bus with us and we all went to a park to play games. The original thought was for us to play soccer but we needed up just doing relay races and learning songs and dances in English and Spanish. During that time we really got the chance to bond with everyone and we all learned something new about each other’s cultures. 

After the park we went back to Buen Pastor and had a little snack while we said our goodbyes to everyone. Everyday we have gotten the chance to build up our relationships with the people in the community and could not be more grateful.

- Written by Ainsley Yarbrough

Day 3 (2022)

 This morning we woke up for our first day of mission work! We had croissants and egg soufflé for breakfast with juice and it was delicious. Today was a very special day because it was our first time being actually immersed into the community of Buen Pastor. We left on the bus around 8:30 and drove to the community’s church. When we first arrived, it blended in to the rest of the Ecuador storefronts. However, when the gate opened and we were able to enter onto the property the church was bright and welcoming. Not only was the place a welcoming space, but the people immediately took us in and greeted us. The environment all around was very comfortable and warm, despite it being a little chilly because of the wind and clouds! We started the day off with an orientation presented by members and staff of the church. It was amazing to see all that was happening in that church and how much their programs have grown. It was also very heartwarming seeing how much our fundraising and volunteering was positively affecting them. 

After orientation we split into groups to visit homes of families from the church. Ms. Corinna, Kate and I were in a group and got to go to Marilyn’s house. I was not sure what to expect, but immediately when we got there we were welcomed by cute dogs and smiling faces of her family. Their home consisted of a courtyard in between the apartment and garage. The people we met included neighbors, godchildren, boyfriends, nephews—you name it. It was a very open space and was very communal. Marilyn played music on a large speaker in the living room that echoed out the window and down to the courtyard so we could listen to music and dance as we prepared lunch. We got to peel potatoes along side our new friends and converse about school, favorite singers, and food. 

The language barrier was definitely present, but with Google Translate and Caroline’s help we were able to understand each other. It was so awesome seeing that even though we were from completely different places and cultures, we actually have a lot in common. Once we were done preparing the meal, we got to dance and make tiktoks with the people we had just met, but felt like we’d known forever. We got to come into their home as strangers and were immediately treated like family. Lunch was chicken, French fries and salad. After eating, we went back to the church to help with a vacation bible school for the kids. We sang songs, read scripture and made crafts. I loved being able to sit with the kids and talk to them. Even though we could only communicate so much, we still understood each other. 

After crafts and snacks, we got on the bus to go to the Allen’s house. We had tacos and cinnamon rolls for dinner. I loved seeing their cute house because it showed another version of a home in Ecuador. 

We came back to the hostel after dinner and debriefed like every day. I can’t believe it is only day three, but so much is already happening in our lives and those we’re visiting. It was a good day!

- Written by Tallulah King

Day 2 (2022)

Day 2 in Ecuador went great. I started off my morning early, kudos to the roosters by my window, but luckily I am an early riser. After breakfast, we hopped on the bus to begin our first full day in this beautiful country! Our first destination was Youth World, or Mundo Juvenil. We learned about the many wonderful ministries that are around Ecuador. Something interesting that I took out of this was that 95% of trained youth ministers live in the United States. That leaves only 5% of trained youth ministers all around the world. This makes it hard for youth who want to help build a relationship with God, but do not have the good resources to do so. Which makes it so wonderful to see tons of people come together and want to help bring people closer to Him and change the percentages.

Next, we arrived at the Basílica del Voto Nacional. Which is a catholic church in the center of Quito, Ecuador. The Basílica was definitely the most detailed and stunning building I have seen. 

We got to oversee some parts of a service going on in the church. We happened to exit the church at the same time as the service ended, there was dancing, music, and many people crowded outside of the church. Some of us even got to join in on the dances! Then, we walked further into Old Town and saw the Presidents Palace, and Iglesia de San Francisco, another gorgeous church. 

Overall, today was an amazing day. I have seen God in many places around Quito, and I can not wait to continue seeing and learning more about God!

Written by Kate Rayboun

Day 1 (2022) - St. John’s Youth Missions are Back!

St. John's Youth Missions are back! Due to the pandemic, we have been unable to send youth teams to Ecuador since our last summer mission in 2019. This morning, bright and early, our enthusiastic team gathered at the Tallahassee Airport for a flight via Miami to Quito, Ecuador. We are thrilled to be putting our faith into action once again, and we're so appreciative of all of the St. John's parishioners who helped with fundraising to send us on our way. 

Below are a few photos of our travel day. But stay tuned! Members of our team will be sharing daily blog entries in this space about their adventures. Plans include helping lead a VBS for local children, running summer camp activities in the nearby city of Otavalo, and working in the community at the homes of elderly parishioners. We also encourage you to follow our St. John's Facebook page, where we'll be sharing lots of photos throughout the week!

One of the biggest perks about going to Ecuador this year, is the chance to catch up with John and Caroline Allen. The Allens left St. John's in late summer 2021, following a call to serve as missionaries in Quito, Ecuador. After a year of preparations with Youth World, a ministry of One Collective, John and Caroline are welcoming nearly a dozen short-term mission teams to Ecuador this summer. We are so appreciative of the hard work they have put in to make our St. John's Youth Mission Trip a success!

The amazing view of Quito or these photos of our church family reuniting with the Allens ... both are fabulous and were sights for sore eyes!

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Hello from Quito! A quick update from Caroline!

The kids were troopers as we navigated lost luggage (supply bags) and made it to the bus where the Allens and our Education Equals Hope (E=H) hosts Willy and Avery greeted us! Fun fact: Avery and I grew up together at our home church in Sarasota! 

We made it our beautiful hostel called Verbo, which is a retreat center in Quito where Happening is held. Avery, the Allens, and Willy ran through general info about our trip and we had dinner at a food truck park! Emily and I enjoyed our sushi while the kiddos went for burgers and fries. We ended the evening with a debrief and everyone was in bed by 10:30. 

Stay tuned, as Kate Rayboun will update you tomorrow night!