Treehouse Dedication

The Youth World team came out to El Refugio for our weekly meeting last Thursday. During that time, we held a dedication for our newly completed treehouse. For those of you who follow our blog, the treehouse was the first project Howard worked on when we arrived in Ecuador three years ago. What an amazing vision and project to see completed, unfortunately the picture's really do not do it justice. As a ministry, this will provide yet another vehicle for teams, retreats and students to use while they are on property. There are a total of four pods where people can climb up and sit and have a quiet time, then underneath there is a net you can crawl down into, which you can see with the picture on the right. There were approximately 35 people from our team who were able to be at the dedication. And for every person there, they came away with a different application. And isn't that fitting because we are all on a spiritual journey and at different points, yet God is able to meet us exactly where we are. The treehouse will provide many opportunities in the future for individuals to express their individual worship in a creative environment.

Paul Reichert, the visionary behind the project wrote these words for the dedication:

I am here

I’m in this place, waiting for you.

I’m waiting like those wise men, following a star like a fool.

I’m waiting like Jonah, covered in the slime and scale of the sea, deep in the belly of darkness hoping for a rescue.

I’m waiting like your mother, pregnant with fear and love.

I’m waiting like our first parents in the stillness of the garden, listening for your footsteps.

I’m waiting like you did on the day I was born and you spoke my name into the world and said that I was good.

What a surprise to find you already here...so quiet...waiting for me.