Boy have I gotten lazy at writing...

       I need to begin with an apology. I have stopped with the updates. In fact, I haven't written since November!!! Please forgive me for being so quiet for so long.
        Life in Ecuador is coming to an end soon and I am so torn about it. On one hand I am excited to get home and finish my schooling. On the other hand I have a desire to stay here and do another year of the club. I have been trying to summarize the entire Bible with the kids and as of today we have made it to Lamentations. If I stayed another year it would be the perfect amount of time to finish the Old Testament and complete the whole New Testament. As of right now I plan on coming home sometime in July. If I am supposed to be back here in September then God is going to have to work some stuff out for me. The money is all gone and school would have to be done long-distance.
        So what have I done since November? Well if you remember, I was asking for donations to be able to buy shoes for the kids for Christmas. God provided nearly $1000 which was double what I was asking for and it turned out to be perfect. The shoes ended up costing over $850 and there have been countless other expenses at the club since then.

The shoes we bought.

Some of the boys getting their shoes.

    In February we had a change over in volunteers for the Saturday club. Around this time it came to my attention that Samaritan's Purse had designated 60 shoe boxes for the club in Paquisha and that I was now in charge of planning the event. While it was certainly stressful, God provided 25 volunteers and brought about 70 people out to the event. We had games, balloons, food, gifts, and most importantly we had some quality time sharing the gospel with the kids and with their parents. God has been working in this community. I have seen it very clearly. The kids have grown a lot and no longer answer 'Jesus' to every question that I ask, which after a couple times is no longer cute.

Omar with his Samaritan's Purse shoe box.

Me (with my cool backwards hat) with my friends who came out to help with the big event!

        These days my schedule looks about the same as it has since September. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday I am busing the two hours out to the kids club and then busing back in the evening. Tuesday I also attend a Bible study for people in their 20's. Thursday and Friday I teach English classes and Thursday night I am now in a choir. Every other Saturday I am out at Paquisha again for the club, and Sundays I am at church where I help lead worship on occasion.
        I have made an amazing group of friends that I do not want to have to say good-bye to in a few short months. My social life is often so busy that I don't get the sleep I need. God has really helped me fit into community here and I have grown to love living here, despite the constant threat of being robbed.
        Speaking of which, I have not been successfully robbed since coming here. I have twice caught people trying to pickpocket me (and the result was me doing a lot of yelling in crowded public places), and a couple of months ago I had someone threaten to kill me, but I took off running. God has protected me as I go about my business in Quito. I have friends who have been robbed multiple times in a matter of months, so I am very grateful.

        Please keep praying for me. I need to finish strong!
        I need prayer for what I am going to do next year. There are days when I decide I am coming back, and there are days when I want nothing more than to go back to Canada. I need direction and wisdom in this.
        Please also pray that I will stay motivated and finish all my homework. I am way behind now, and I need to work hard to catch up.
        Thank-you to all of you who have kept in touch, written to me, and visited with me when I have had the opportunity to come home. I have managed to feel connected to the happenings in Canada, even from so far away.
        If you have any questions or comments I would LOVE to hear from you! Don't be scared to write.
See you all very soon!!! July is only just around the corner!