Easter – The Pixel Campaign

The video explains it much better than I can. Jesus is powerful. God loves you completely. You are forgiven.

 

Pixel Campaign from Jordan Elmore on Vimeo.

Good and faithful servants – and a llama selfie.

Yesterday our team traveled a few hours to a small town in the country to volunteer with an orphanage for children with AIDs. Attached are some pictures of the adorable (or as we like to call them in this social-media world we are in: #ecuadorable) kids and all the fun we had together.

However, the most important take away for the team was meeting and working with the women who take care of the 27 children at the home. These women work selflessly, every day, cooking 3 meals (and cleaning up – imagine the mess of 27 toddlers!), laundry, cleaning, patching up boo-boos and loving the kids. These ladies receive little recognition besides some hugs and love from the kids (but undoubtedly they see even more tantrums, just as any mother or caretaker would). This is the kind of service that Jesus and Paul encourage us to be a part of. Not the “I’m so nice, look at my instagram photos of me playing with orphans, what a difference I am making!” kind of service that we so often engage in as a part of this generation.

So even though I’ll post photos to instagram, and here on this blog, I want to dedicate this space to the women who love and serve the hard way. The women who know these particular children of God, who wipe the tears and have little comfort for their own tears when these children, afflicted with AIDs, pass on.

Let’s take a moment and thank God for these women.

Philippians 2:3-4 ” Do nothing out of selfish ambit or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

Also, this triple llama selfie did happen yesterday and you have to see it.

Let it Go Campaign

On Friday the 21st our team went out for our usual art campaign / ministry opportunity in Plaza Foch. This week our campaign was “Let It Go.” We brought 50 brightly colored balloons out to the plaza and asked people we met what was weighing heavy on their hearts, what they wanted to let go of. We had some really great conversations with people who wrote down their worries, stresses onto our balloons. Examples included heartbreak, addictions, worries about the future, illness and more. I wrote down on the balloon “mi acento en español” because I have been stressing myself out trying to improve my spanish. I have certain plans in mind that would require me to be proficient / fluent in Spanish, and these have been causing me stress. The “Let It Go” campaign helped me remember that God’s plan is so much better, His plan has ALWAYS been better than mine. There’s so much peace and freedom in releasing the expectations and submitting to His plan.

So… what are you holding on to that you need to let go?

Vision Campaign – La campaña de visión

Last night we did our Vision Campaign for the second time. Last week we were at Parque la Carolina, which is pretty close to our house, and last night we were at Plaza Foch, one of the nightlife hot spots in Quito. Everyone in the group dresses the same way, and half stand perfectly still in formation with blindfolds over their eyes to signify life without sight and vision. The rest of the group passes out flyers and talks with people who stop to look at the living art.

“We are not limited by our abilities, but by our vision” – “Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others” – “The only thing worse than being blind, is to have sight but no vision”

The purpose of Vision Campaign is to encourage people to reflect on and consider the vision (or lack thereof) they have for their lives, what do they feel is their purpose and how do they plan to live that out? It’s an important concept to everyone in our group as this whole Submerge experience has caused us to determine, examine and flesh-out our purpose, dreams and plans. I believe that God places certain passions and desires in our hearts and that it honors Him to live those out to the fullest extent. Your purpose in life isn’t limited to being in ministry full time as a pastor, because our whole life is our ministry. For myself, I feel passionate about understanding businesses, economics, entrepreneurship and women’s rights. I am researching, praying and working to find ways to live out those passions right now and for my whole life. Part of that is an online community I’m starting for middle school girls, to encourage them to develop interest in science, technology, engineering, math and business.

So I have to ask… What’s your vision for your life?

Seeing Jesus / Ver Jesús

Coming up on a month and a half here in Quito! Tonight we have a team dinner and we were asked to reflect on our experience so far (how have we grown, what has God been showing us, favorite memories etc). One of the biggest themes of being here has been that God has continued to show me himself through almost everything and everyone! Some of the most obvious examples are:

1. The mountains – They’re beautiful, awe-inspiring and remind me of God’s power each time I look at them. I love spending time on the roof of our house – looking at the mountains and reading, praying, thinking or jamming out to Shania Twain.
2. The boys at the juvenile center – We go each Thursday afternoon to hang out with the teenaged boys at a nearby juvenile detention center. We play games and then discuss faith, God and His love for each of the young men while we are there. I see God in each young man, He has an incredible amount of love for each one of them (and each one of us) no matter what is in their past. This week when we asked for prayer requests almost half of the boys raised their hands and asked if we could pray for their families’ health, happiness and provision. I was so impressed with these guys who have plenty of worries, struggles and frustrations on their own, yet the first thing they mentioned were their parents and siblings. I saw Jesus through them.
3. My team mates and friends – Even though I’ve only known these people for about 6 weeks, I am constantly reminded of God’s love through them. These are some of the coolest people I’ve met, their passion for other people gives me a glimpse into God’s heart for His people. I’ve seen that so often, whether it’s Cole teaching 4-year old Zion to skateboard, or Stephano reminding me that I am wholly loved by God when I’d been feeling blue.
4. Plans and ideas that have been placed in my heart by the Holy Spirit – I am so energized by the mission to empower young women to be proactive agents of positive change through developing interest and knowledge in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and business via the blog/website I am starting. I know Jesus is in this.
5. Generosity of those I know – I know that I am supposed to be here in Quito and I see God working in my heart, and the hearts of others as they support the mission here with their time, through prayer and financially. I am so incredibly grateful to each and every person who has helped me in this experience! If you would like to donate you can do so here.

God is at work in each of our lives and I fully believe we can see Him through other people and a variety of things, experiences. Thank you all for your unending support, love and encouragement! Hasta luego – Carissa