A MUST MUST MUST MUST MUST MUST READ!!!!!

Long Time, No Blog

Okay, A lot of time has passed since my last blog. I know. I am not sure where I left off on the business front but this blog is way too exciting to start with how my internship savings groups are not working out. Instead, I would like to recount for you all the story of how I became and engaged woman last week.

It all started, at least on my end of things, last Wednesday. I went to MTW team leader Craig and Stacy Pohl’s house for dinner b/c they had invited me for that night the week before. Stacy said I could come early and talk on their phone and use the internet if I wanted. So, while dinner was being prepared I went upstairs to call my mom on Skype. While talking with her, the little daughters came upstairs and told me they had a present for me. They then gave me a tiny origami bunny. I immediately wanted to know where they got it b/c Andrew, my boyfriend, used to make little origami things for me all the time. I asked them over and over who gave it to them but they kept telling me they didn’t know until finally they went back downstairs. All the while I was still on the phone with my mom. Then Stacy came up and told me dinner was ready and to come downstairs. I told my mom bye and she told me to call her back that night if I could. I don’t usually talk to her twice in the same day but I thought nothing more of it. I also asked Stacy where the girls got the bunny and told her how Andrew makes them for me. I jokingly said “Ok, Andrew, you can come out now”. But when I came downstairs and turned around, there he was, IN THE FLESH! IN ECUADOR! HANDSOME AS EVER! I was shocked beyond belief and covered my mouth, hugged him, and began to cry, cry, cry. Mike and Robin where there watching and Craig was capturing all the tears with his camera. Robin then informed me that we were not eating dinner in the house but going out, and I was to stay at the neighbor’s house while Andrew stayed at their house.

Andrew had contacted Robin six weeks earlier and told her that he wanted to surprise me in Ecuador. She helped him organize things to make the surprise successful and worked really hard to keep everything a secret from me, even though I bet 25 or other people knew he was coming before I did.

That first night we went to a Greek restaurant called El Mosaico. It sits up on a hill/ridge that looks over the historical district that has all the old churches and a view of the Panacillo, a huge statue of an angel on a hill that looks over Quito. We sat out on the covered deck/patio place.

The next morning we planned how we would spend his three full days in Quito. We decided to go to Pululaua, the only inhabited volcanic crater. We would hike down and have lunch at the hacienda that’s at the bottom. So that’s what we did. When we got to the hacienda, I was tired from to walk and wanted to sit down and have a rest. I saw this tiny yellow little children’s play house that we could barely stand up in. I really wanted to go inside, so we did. I was sitting in a little bench inside and Andrew told me he wanted to look outside at a pavilion that was near. I stayed inside and watched out the little window. Then he popped up in the window and startled me even though I knew he was gonna try to do it, still scared me. He told me to wait inside the house for a second while he got something. I thought he was getting me a piece a candy from his backpack b/c he brought chocolate hugs (like kisses but with white chocolate swirl) and fruit snacks, but he came inside with three more origami bunnies. He told me he was going to juggle them and I had to grab one. So I did. When I grabbed the first one he told me to look inside. I did and pulled out a chocolate hug with a message written on the little flag. (secret message, I’m not telling) Then he juggled the other two bunnies in one hand and told me to grab one. I looked inside the second bunny and another secret messaged hug was inside. Finally, he told me to grab the third bunny. When I looked inside I saw the back of a ring. When I looked up a saw my future fiancé on one knee and he asked me to marry him! I nodded energetically but apparently responded with “No. no, no! I have not seen the pretty part of the ring yet. You have to put it on my finger!” So I gave the bunny back and he took it out and put the most beautiful pearl engagement ring on my finger that I have ever seen or could ever imagine. Nine months ago we decided to use the engagement band of his great grandmother. It is a white gold band with four tiny diamonds on each side of the band. It was lacking the diamond since now it is in his aunt’s ring, which was perfect b/c we wanted a pearl anyway. So nine months later the ring is on my finger.

We had lunch at the hacienda, wonderful chicken with mushroom sauce and higos con queso for dessert. Andrew loves the fact that Ecuadorians give you cheese with a lot of stuff. Higos con queso is a dessert from Quito which is sweetened figs in syrup with a thick slice of mozzarella. We stayed and the man who runs the hacienda as well as the only other soul down there took our picture for us. He was soooo nice. Then we started our hike back up.

The next day we went to Salva Una Vida for the ladies there to meet him and then we spent the rest of the day in the historical district. We brought back dessert for Mike and Robin as well as their two dinner guests and visited with them for a while.

Saturday we spent the day with two of my little friends, Patti who I worked with at SUV, her daughters Debi 12, and Sara 15. I told Sara that Andrew had a younger brother and she is dying to meet him! Saturday night we were able to go out with my group of friends from my Bible study from San Marcos church. We went to this street that is filled with cafes and shops called La Ronda. We watched some Ecuadorian dancers do a South American culture fest show and then ate and listened to music at another restaurant.

Anj went back home on Sunday morning.

One of my reflections from this dream is that I really thought it was a dream. No Joke. When we were at the Greek restaurant the first night I really, really thought I was dreaming. We had discussed so many times that Andrew would not be able to come to Ecuador that I could not believe that he was indeed here. I also could not believe how God had blessed me so with this surprise visit and proposal, not to mention, this awesome Christian guy that actually loves me enough actually want to spend the rest of his life with ME! I am still working on accepting that last part, but I have a lifetime to let the reality of Andrew’s love sink in and an eternity for God’s love to sink in.

Please pray for my last two weeks in Ecuador. I currently do not have an active savings group. The church members, though were told otherwise very clearly for months even before my coming to Ecuador, thought that I was going to supply a loan capital for them. When they really realized that these groups were run by the generation of their own savings, they decided that they didn’t want to do that because it was not instant. I had a really hard time with that because of how clear we were from the beginning, but I have been told that this misconception of what we do happens a lot by people all over the world. So, the only real interest in the church is the youth. The youth have plans to start a savings group, which is soooo cool. One or two other ladies may join in with them as well.

This Sunday I have a community wide meeting to inform those who are interested about the different group options. We have given out 200 fliers and talked with others. Saturday we will do more last minute reminding and publicizing for the meeting.

PRAYER:

I thank and praise God for all those who helped surprise me with Andrew’s visit. It was the best time of my whole life.

I would like continued prayer for these last weeks for safety and for my goodbyes

Also, please pray for my Spanish as I talk for the meeting on Sunday afternoon, for clarity and my nerves.