Lean Back

Two weeks ago, I went to the beach with my directors and their family. It was a much-needed break from the city and COVID. Over the past several months, I had really started to miss the ocean. I longed to take in a breath of salt air, walk the beach and watch the sun sink into the sea.

The beach has always been a special place for me. Maybe it's because I grew up on the North Coast, and depending on where you were, you could drive 20 minutes and be at a remote beach with very few people in sight. As I got older, I would often take drives out to the beach to spend some alone time with Jesus. I know the Holy Spirit is everywhere I go, but there is something special about having quiet time with my Abba Father at the beach.

June and July were a spiritual struggle for me. Maybe you can relate. Perhaps you have felt that way throughout this entire pandemic or, perhaps, it hasn't even phased you, but during these past two months, I felt as though I had hit a wall.

Just as I was getting plugged into a church and joining a small group, COVID hit, and Ecuador went into martial law. I am grateful for the virtual services I have attended (and am still attending), but a sense of isolation can set in with a lack of fellowship. It is in our DNA to be in communion with one another, not to be secluded. If this pandemic has taught us anything, I hope it has reinforced the fact that we were not created to go at this life alone.

In April and May, I was a part of two virtual Bible studies that would not have been possible if it wasn't for COVID because they were state-based. I met some amazing ladies in those studies, and we now stay connected via social media. But as those ended and June crept around the corner, I couldn't shake the wall I was walking into. I knew I needed to getaway.

On my first full day at the beach, I took off after lunch with my iPhone, earbuds, and coffee in hand. As I walked the beach, asking the Father to meet me where I was, the song "Lean Back" started to play.

"And I will lean back in the loving arms

Of a beautiful Father

Breathe deep and know that He is good

He's a love like no other.

And now I can see Your love is better

Then all the others that I've seen

I'm breathing deep, of all Your goodness

Your loving-kindness to me."

I found a spot to sit down because I knew I needed to take in the words. While staring out at the ocean, I felt the Holy Spirit's sweet presence saturate me and sensed a shift in my spirit.

Since returning from the beach, I have enjoyed my slow mornings, where I can sit on my couch curled up with a coffee, my Bible, and a journal. A part of me is loathing a schedule change as things will pick up next week with our virtual opening of the Dream Center. But I know I need to be intentional with this time and not give it to other things.

If these past couple of months have been a spiritual struggle for you, I want to encourage you to go to that place where you feel close to the Father. Maybe it's driving back roads or taking a walk through the woods. Perhaps it's sitting in a coffee shop and journaling. Wherever it may be, carve out the time to seek the Father because He will meet you where you are at.

Praises, Blessings & Updates:

• Last week the teachers and I re-enrolled all 40 of our kids! This was an answer to prayer as we thought some parents would withdraw their children as we can only be "open" virtually.

• Our Quito Program currently has the funds to continue to provide bi-weekly food bags to our families. This would not be possible without your generous donations, so thank you!

• We will be "opening" the Dream Center virtually on September 9th. Please keep our teachers in your prayers. It will be challenging as the teachers will only have an hour block with each child instead of our usual four-hour time frame. Our priorities will be to reinforce key concepts as students automatically passed to the next grade level (thank you, COVID) and Bible.

• Within three weeks of ER Intl launching our tech campaign, we were fully funded! To everyone who gave, thank you!! This is a tremendous blessing as we will update our computer lab, buy software, purchase a new printer, and have money for computer maintenance. Stay tuned for updates as we revamp the computer lab at the DC!

• This is the perfect time to consider providing a child at the Dream Center with a scholarship! A scholarship is how we keep our Center funded and provide our kids with a hot meal, school supplies, a safe and loving environment, and so much more! Over the next two weeks, we will be promoting Dream Center scholarships on Facebook. Would you consider sharing a post or two or pray about sponsoring a child yourself? To do so, visit Quito Dream Center Scholarships.

Prayer Requests:

• Please continue to keep the families we serve in your prayers. The lockdown was rough, but times are now more challenging. Many are still without jobs, and the transfer station remains closed. Within the recycling community, 70 people have contracted COVID. This heightens the fear that is already present.

• Pray for our kids! Abuse has increased in homes, and some have struggled with depression and an increase in fear. Pray that they can find joy in the little things as our teachers pour into them.

• Pray for our teachers as they start working virtually. Emotions are high as they know they cannot address every single need. Pray for healthy boundaries to stay in place and for rest. We will be going through a training covering sexual abuse, domestic violence, and what trafficking looks like in Ecuador. It is not a lighthearted topic, but the teachers and I feel it is necessary to cover to serve our kids better.