Summer Tour 2008 "Geneva Youth"

"VBS with kids from local barrios"

The next work team for the summer arrived 3 days later. This was our largest group of the summer. Geneva Youth arrived with 48 Juniors and staff. Combined with our staff we fed approximately 70 for every meal. Housing was fun. El Refugio has 3 dorms that can sleep 10 each. We then put 4 girls in what we call Casita Juanita, 4 guys in the boy's intern house and the remainder in Casa Grande, where we set up bunk beds. One of the challenges with a group who comes each year is to offer something new. This year we held our first annual pig roast. When all was said and done we fed over 100 people. Fun.

"The first annual Pig Roast"

Geneva Youth has been coming every summer for the past six years. One of the amazing things about this group is how we could see their time investment and the benefit of coming every year. The Youth Pastor had prepared the kids before they arrived and while they were here participated in a devotional each day from James. Each night ended with time by the camp fire debriefing the day, what each of the students had learned and what God was teaching them.
While Geneva Youth was here they completed several work projects, held a VBS on property, and for some of the kids the trip culminated in the jungle, where a baptism was held.

"Baptism in the Jungle"

One thing we learned is you can not out give, serve, or love the Geneva Youth Team!

Summer Tour 2008 "Family Team"

Geneva Family Team

Zip Line in the Jungle

Waiting for a turn on the Ropes Courses

Here at El Refugio, we basically have two types of groups, those who come for a retreat La Red would be an example of a retreat group, and then those churches who come specifically as a work team. Now under the definition of a work team they come in all sorts of shapes and sizes.

Our second group of the summer was a “Family Work Team” from Geneva Church outside of Chicago. How our dorms are set up we can “host 5 maybe 6 family units. The family team is always fun and always a little more lively as we learn to accommodate the different ages to fit the work project. The team scoured and cleaned our pond and worked at pouring the foundation for our future shop. During their stay here, they hosted a VBS, held babies at the orphanage, enjoyed campfires each night with a devotional, hiked and of course worked. What I remember most about the family team is their complete generosity.

Summer Tour 2008

Receiving instructions for the Ropes Courses

Ivet Castro, Director of La Red

For some reason, we have found since serving in Ecuador it feels as if time has simply sped up. Really, it seems like a heartbeat since we started the summer of 2008. For those active readers of our blog, you’ll remember we closed the kitchen down for the month of May to clean and organize.

Our first “official” group of the summer was a retreat held at the end of May, for one of the ministries connected with Youth World called La Red Juvenil (The Youth Network). To learn more about this ministry you can go to: http://www.youthworld.org.ec/lared.htm

Mr. and Mrs. Jay Morgan Kimbler

Before I start recapping our summer here in Ecuador, some of you have been asking about the wedding and to see some pictures. On the day of the wedding I told the kids to not worry about taking any pictures with their cameras. The photographer said she would take plenty of pictures and then we could just relax and enjoy the day. She did an incredible job, however we arrived back here in Ecuador without a single picture. So I had to wait until the photographer released the CD to Nicole, and then wait for someone to carry them down to us, so I could share them with you. Enjoy!






All photographs by Natasha Burnett of Human Nature Photography

Summer Wrap Up

To be honest...I was absolutely floored when I checked our blog and realized it had been a full two months since I last posted. When I look back, as I wrote the blog for June, I had no idea how the craziness of summer would hit. From that point until now, El Refugio hosted 7 groups who were as varied in size as they were in ministry. The good news is just last week we were able to purchase a modem which increased our internet speed to about 236 k bps from 44. I have no idea what that means, only that in just making the few minor changes I posted today took me a fraction of the time it would have in the past.

So over the next few weeks, lets sit down and catch up.
As God is our Refuge (and surely has been the last eight weeks)
Mary for the Scholl family