On Friday, March 6 the only all-girls mission trip traveled to Quito, Ecuador to lead VBS and small service projects at a local K-12 school. Director of fine arts Meg Foster, lead teacher Juliette Ball, science teacher Kaala Guess, sophomore girls grade chair and English teacher Emily Zavitz, assistant head of school for external affairs Jennifer Copeland, and assistant director of college advising Erica Engsberg led the group while in Ecuador. This group of six teachers and 21 students spent eight days serving this community before returning to Georgia on Saturday, March 14. Almost every year, Wesleyan has sent an all-girl mission group to serve in a different country. Foster said the importance of having an all-girl group is “a chance to bond without having to worry about other external forces and without certain pressures.” The Ecuador mission trip marked Foster’s third time serving on a mission trip, but on this mission trip Foster was able to serve alongside her daughter, junior Audrey Foster. While in Ecuador, the group slept at the school they were serving in and spent time teaching the students subjects like English and math.
Journal from sophomore Katy Waldhauser: Sunday March 8 – day three
Today was absolutely beautiful, and I am so unbelievably blessed to be able to be on this trip with these people. I had the opportunity to start the morning with leading a devotional from Romans 8. It was such a rewarding and comforting way to start the morning. I opened and ended with a prayer, and I was shocked at how perfectly it set up my day. Why don’t I begin every day with prayer? It was such a neat thing to share what God had revealed to me on the plane. I want to find Him and take advantage of all the small moments of reflection throughout the day. Today we traveled to the market and later to the lake in the crater of a volcano. The drive was absolutely indescribable and incredible. God’s beauty and creativity was sprinkled all throughout the large and green mountains – it was truly breathtaking. I felt a kind of peace that could have only come from God. I slowly let my mind drift and fell asleep. As I was in and out of consciousness, praise music was playing the entire time and matched so perfectly with the beauty of God’s hand that I saw outside on the drive. As I was thinking about worship songs and how grateful I was to be in Ecuador, I desperately wanted to hear “Gratitude” and right as I began to wake up from another doze – I heard “Gratitude.” GOD.
I am desperate to maintain the peace and comfort that I experienced during the service last night. It was incredible and God’s presence filled the room! It was so beautiful and I am desperate to not return back to my old ways but instead to turn to God consistently in prater and actively rely on Him and search for Him. He provides the only peace that can combat my anxiety.
I want to be fully focused and prepared to work with the kids and share the love of Jesus. We had a student-led worship experience tonight and it was amazing! I got to sing along with Anna Claire and Rhiyan, and it was beautiful to hear everyone singing and praising the same God. He is so beautiful and I am in awe of the ways that He has connected and worked through this way of journaling and doing Bible study late at night under the white noise of falling rain. My life is so blessed, and I can’t forget it!
