Day 3 (2023)

Hello St. John’s blog readers, I am Bella Cayer. Today in our Ecuadorian adventures we started the day at Carmen Bajo, a church in Quito, helping with a VBS camp! I was able to work with children between the ages of three to six. Today was filled with growth of language knowledge for both parties. We talked about the colors of the rainbow and the connection it has to our spiritual lives in God’s creations. We also played duck duck goose (aka pato, pato, ganso), parachute, and we taught the kids the hokey pokey. 

I was able to truly connect with two little girls and form a relationship with them throughout the morning. Our connection grew through curiosity about each other’s languages, when they asked what something was in English, I tried my best to decipher what they told me in Spanish. Overall, the morning truly exemplified that laughter and happiness break through barriers.

Hey St. John’s, my name is Emmie Klekamp. When our group went to our host church, Carmen Bajo, in the morning, we split into two different groups. My group was kids that ranged from seven to twelve years old. Everyone had an amazing time playing different games such as tag, rock-paper-scissors, and my personal favorite, “Little Sally Walker.” 

Even though I started my morning a bit nervous about the language barrier, the other St. John’s team members and I quickly felt welcome and ready to learn! I had so much fun dancing, singing, and running with all the kids and I made many friends that will stick with me for the rest of my life.

After games and Bible lessons, we ate lunch at Carmen Bajo and it was absolutely delicious. It consisted of cooked vegetables, rice, salad, chicken, and watermelon. Throughout this lovely lunch, we were able to debrief about our morning with our fellow youth and were joined by some people involved with the ministry at Carmen Bajo. After lunch, we were given a tour of the church, when suddenly it felt as if the church was being shaken like a snow globe. It was a category 3.3 earthquake, but no person was hurt or infrastructure damaged. Then after recovering from the shock of the earthquake, we were able to visit some of the homes of the children involved in the programs at Carmen Bajo. 

Our group got the opportunity to meet three boys, Alexis, David, and Miller, their mother, Nancy, and their grandmother. The other groups were able to visit other families that were generous enough to open their homes and share their experiences with us. Their stories are truly inspiring, and I will continue to pray for their families forever.

After our home visits, we returned to Carmen Bajo to work with the older children, who were around thirteen to seventeen years old. After playing some fun games in the courtyard, we retired down to one of the rooms in the church and both our St. John’s group and the people of Carmen Bajo shared time together. We had the privilege of listening to a young adult named Christopher and his little sister share their love and devotion to God through their talent of singing Christian rap music. After, we listened to a moving sermon by one of the leaders of Carmen Bajo about letting God into your heart and rejecting sin. Then, we got the chance to share an activity with the church by making collages.

I had so much fun sitting with some of the kids and bonding over our individual projects. We had some confusion talking to each other, but still shared so many laughs and smiles.

At the end of the day, we were able to have dinner with members of Carmen Bajo at a local restaurant. Not only was the food incredible, but the company was even better. I had the wonderful challenge and opportunity to speak to a young woman who sat across from me. At my end of the very long and bustling table, I was the only person who was able to speak a little bit of Spanish. So, through a lot of repeating, stumbling, and Google Translate, Margold and I had a wonderful conversation. I learned a bit about her life, including her job as a schoolteacher for young kids. She was so wonderful and patient and even asked me questions about the United States and my life as a student. This conversation, however hindered, has been my favorite experience in Ecuador so far (which says a lot because this entire mission has been fantastic) and will stay with me for many years to come.

- Written by Bella Cayer and Emmie Klekamp