Yesterday morning Doug and I woke up late: 7:45 am--about an hour later than we had wanted to. The night before we had spent over 3 hours sitting by a campfire on the compound singing songs, roasting marshmellows, drinking hot chocolate, and generally just enjoying the last night in the jungle. I didn't want to go in but at 11:30 pm we realized that dawn would be just around the corner and so would our driver.
So, at 7:45 am Doug and I flew out of bed and began moving suitcases outside. At 7:50 our first guests arrived to say good-bye. Not a pretty sight! Pajamas, glasses, hair every which way, funky morning breath, and the realization that this would be a final fair-well requiring lots of proximity. Yikes.
So once we said goodbye to this first group of six, I jumped into the shower so that at least I would look a little more pleasant, albeit wet, when others arrived. Brushed teeth, coaxed kids out of bed to no avail, and began to move more things out of the house.
The second group included my sweet Ecuadorian friend Nelly and her daughter who is now my goddaughter. (Three weeks ago I was asked to take Daniela's first communion with her and therefore became an important person in her family. When I realized that that meant that Doug was now a godfather, I couldn't help but smile.) Many tears, several hugs, lots of blessings spoken between us both, and handing off of my raincoat which I hope to never need again. Nelly is precious.
Our German friend who had adopted two Ashuar (a jungle tribe) children was next to arrive and she gave me a strong hug and prayed over our family. A very kind friend who we grew to appreciate greatly.
Finally, our neighbors from four different houses, our pastor, two families from outside the compound, and our driver all showed up between 8:30 and 8:45. It was a circus and I was the dancing bear! So many things in my head, sifting through shoes--which to keep, which to throw away--, what minor things to give away, what last words to share with each person, what photos would I like to take before departing. Then, I remembered that we hadn't taken our motion sickness pills an hour prior to our leaving! So, digging through packed suitcases to find my backpack which contained the necessary pills.
Seth received a cool Woarani spear and blow-dart gun from his friend, Selah did a few more jumps and runs with her fellow first grader, Darius received a warm goodbye from a mom who loved playing basketball with him, and Jacobey came out of the house looking confused by all the commotion.
Twenty-six people sending us off at 9:15 was not what we expected. They hugged....they prayed for us....they posed for pictures....they said kind words.....I cried. When we finally drove off in our van, three of the children chased us down the road till we turned the corner and were out of sight. I cried some more.
Though rushed and way more distracting than I expected, it was a send off that I appreciated more than I can express. It was just what I think we all needed and we were so grateful.
The remainder of the day was spent driving to Quito, staring out the window enjoying the countryside for the last time, genuinely missing the country of Ecuador. It is a beautiful place that now occupies a big spot in, I think, each of our hearts. I'm so glad that we still have three more days here to enjoy the people, the beauty, the language, and the culture.
Blessings, kim
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