Sunday, August 6, 2017

Breathtaking Mountains and Churches

Hello Friends and Family!
Greetings to you in the name of Jesus Christ. Thank you for your prayers and support for us as we finished our second full day here in Ecuador. It was a full day for our team. It gave us a lot of time together and a lot of time spent pondering the wonder of God through his creation and some beautiful churches.


The day began at 8:00 this morning for a great breakfast provided by Felix and Alex, two graduates of the Alliance Academy where we are staying. The food was the same fare as yesterday, consisting of eggs, a biscuit, balogna, and some unknown mystery cheese. I will try to get a confirmation on the type, and let you know. 

Upon completion of the breakfast, we met with our friend Rodrigo who took us to a cable car ride up a mountain in Quito. This cable car is the steepest in the world, and took us to an elevation of about 12,000' above sea level. We then climbed to an elevation of 13,551'. The mountain was quite literally breathtaking, both in its grandeur and in the lack of oxygen for its breathless climbers. Despite the effects, the entire team emerged unscathed (aside from Isaac Dreves who has some skinned knees from an ambitious run down the mountain). It was humbling for me because it gave perspective to the endurance and fortitude of the Everest summiteers. It was an excellent photo opportunity, and the team took advantage of every...and I mean EVERY...opportunity.  

The low part of this trek for me personally was when Rodrigo showed us these tiny blue flowers. He said that in Ecuadorian tradition, a person could pick a flower and blow on it three times, and if the flower curled its petals, it meant the person was with the correct lover. To my chagrin, my flower did not close its petals. Neither did my second, third, or fourth flowers. Megan and I will need to have a talk I guess...


After the trek, we drove to a beautiful cathedral that was reminiscent of Notre Dame gothic style. It was mixed with Ecuadorian style to produce a towering and imposing monument that could be seen almost all across the valley. I always feel a certain sense of reverence and respect when I am in a church like that, so I chose not to take any pictures of the interior. However, Rob Audia has certainly given respect to the church in every way imaginable through the quality of some of his pictures. 



This experience was very humbling for me in a similar way to the mountain - I felt very small. The beauty of the cathedral was meant to inspire wonder in its worshipers, and I was no exception. The towering spires, the vaulted ceilings, and the stained glass seemed other-worldly in their magnificence and power. There was a man who came up to me and said he could not work, and needed money for bread. I initially said no, and turned my coldest shoulder on him. A couple of seconds after I did that, I looked up and saw the church and realized where I was standing. In a moment of shame, I went back to the man and gave him a coin, but it was only after being so convicted of my own hypocrisy and cold-hearted selfishness. How can we as Christians claim to be followers of the light, but not give to the "least of these" (Mat. 25:40)? Is that not the entire reason we are down here? Even more embarrassing, I was even standing in a church as I turned away someone who was begging for money. It is a reminder of my own need for the grace of God, and that as we come as bearers of the good news, we also are recipients ourselves. 

We then feasted on a wonderful meal. For an obscenely small price, the entire team got to receive an app, an entree, a desert, and a drink. It was a blessed fellowship around a long table, and the taste of Ecuadorian food revived our spirits. For some, it was also an opportunity to catch a quick catnap before continuing our adventure. 




After lunch, we went to the historical section of Quito. This section is the first world heritage site ever founded due to its rich culture. The cobbled streets, wide sidewalks, and street-side shops were picturesque, and the entire team enjoyed getting to be among the throng of Ecuadorian people. We toured another church, this one of the Jesuit faith. It took over 160 years to build, and in looking at it, it became obvious why that was. In a typical baroque fashion, every square inch of the wall was decorated with ornate goldleaf. It stretched to the vaulted ceilings, and even to the small wood carvings on the confessionals. 

Finally, we ended our day of touring by supporting the Ecuadorian economy - we went to a marketplace. My teammates and I tried our hand at bartering, with varying success, as we walked through the open air, colorful market. I regret to inform you that certain unmentionable members of our team have sought to revive the fanny pack fad. 


The bus ride home was punctuated by a goodbye to Rodrigo, our faithful and friendly tourguide. As he waved goodbye, the team surrounded him in prayer, and it was a special moment of witnessing. It was really special to see him so blessed by coach's gift of a scarf as well. It was a quick turn around for soccer practice though. The team got to play on the same field as yesterday in another 75 minute training session. The altitudes effects were more visibly felt, compounded by our long hike up the mountain earlier in the day.

Tonight, Coach Dreves gave a Bible study on some things that God had placed on his heart during the night. It centered on the topic of "randomness," and how nothing is random in God's kingdom. Everything happens for a reason. Ephesians 2:10 ("... handiwork, which God prepared in advance for us to do.") and Psalm 139 were two texts that the team got to discuss, focusing especially on how God has plans and purposes in every situation.

To round off another excellent day, the team played a game of zoo. For those unfamiliar with this fine game, it involves each teammember picking an animal and signalling to other animals (teammates) to a certain beat. It is wildly fun, especially when Connor Roggie and Ryan King invent animal signals that are virtually impossible to perform. It was a great time of team bonding, and hopefully it shall continue tomorrow.

In conclusion, thanks for reading. God is good all the time, and His mercy endures forever! Through a couple of conversations with players, I have already felt the LORD working in hearts. I am tremendously thankful and blessed to be friends with each and everyone on this team, and I look forward to what the LORD has in store for us tomorrow.

In Him,
Blake Baer

#31 on the field, #31 in your hearts

3 comments:

  1. Praying each day for you. thank you for the informative blogs.

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  2. Praying for you guys. Enjoy the sights! Ecuador is a breathtaking place.

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  3. Praying for you guys, glad to hear things are going smoothly so far. Hope all sick are healed and others are prevented from the illnesses.

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