2008 - 2009

Back in the U.S.

2009-05-07T11:32:00.002-04:00

Hi all,

Haven't written here in quite a while! I moved back to the U.S. in February and am learning how to live in the States again :)

My committed time in Ecuador was completed in February and I made the choice to come back. With much time apart from friends and family - and Jeff :) I wanted to start my life in Michigan again.

I am currently in Grand Rapids and living in a duplex that was offered to me rent free for 3 months. That will end this month and I will most likely return to my parents house until I am able to find a job. That is the other big thing on the agenda...finding a job. I am applying and looking at a lot of places, mainly in the world of marketing, advertising, public relations and event planning. I have experience in all of those areas and now it is just about finding the place to put that experience to work!

I have seen a lot of you since I got back from Ecuador, but I know there are some of you I haven't seen either. If you are around the GR area, I would love to get together sometime!

jenny.luth@gmail.com

Thank you for your support and care. Your kindness and generosity has opened new doors all over the world. God has done great things!

Blessings!

Jenny Luth

Coming to a close

2009-01-15T15:56:00.003-05:00

Happy Thursday!

So it has been a while since I have written, too long! I pray that your holidays were restful and a fun filled time of reflection on this past year and the coming. I was thinking of all of you during the season of remembrance upon Christ's birth. What a blessing to celebrate his coming every year! I spent the holidays here in Quito, and was surrounded by so much love and friendship (friendships that have grown to feel just like family). Yet, it was tough being away from home, family, and snow! Christmas just wasn't the same without it.

Currently I am going through the wrap up with my job and the beginning of wrapping up my life here too. It seems like my time here has flown by in so many ways, but on the other hand, I miss so many back home. Can you tell I feel bittersweet? :)

I leave 3 weeks from Saturday and only have two more weeks of work left. I return February 7 in the late afternoon and anticipate resting for a bit once I get back, catching up with family and friends and of course, finding a job, house, car and phone.

I want to take this opportunity to say "THANK YOU" to all who support me in so many ways. I was reflecting today on the importance of recognizing blessing that God gives us everyday, even the small ones. Your support has been a HUGE blessing in my life. It seems like yesterday I was tossing around the idea of going back to Ecuador, just a mere thought and today I am getting ready to leave. God is truly faithful in so many ways and called you to be a blessing to me and my work here. I would not have been able to be here without you.

If you can feel reassured about one thing today, please feel the blessing that you are in my life. Thank you again!

Love,

Jenny Luth

P.S. Please feel free to contact me even after I have returned to Grand Rapids, I would love to hear from you! I will continue to use this blog, as well as facebook, Twitter and my email: jenny.luth@gmail.com

The Galapagos Islands

2008-10-28T11:36:00.003-04:00

I am currently working on the next story for our quarterly newsletter. It is about the K-12 Christian school in Quito called, Alliance Academy. That will be coming out mid-November, so stay tuned.

I was on their website this morning and came across an interesting story. A group of art students were invited by a church to paint a large scale version of the creation story on walls of the birthplace of evolution - the Galapagos Islands!

Here is the link to the their website, then click on link for the story: http://www.alliance.k12.ec/

You are a missionary and you have a maid?

2008-10-27T14:35:00.003-04:00

A common question I get from friends, family and supporters when discussing my life here in Ecuador is, "You have a maid? Some of your support money goes to having a maid?" Proudly, the answer is yes.

The change in culture here is different. As an American living in Ecuador, I am seen as wealthy solely because the color of my skin. For example, if I was riding in a bus and it was robbed, I would automatically be a priority target (even if I am not carrying anything of value with me). I usually carry only $20 on me during the day, but because of my skin color they would demand more of me.

With that in mind, there is a big population of people here in Ecuador that provide services like street vending, furniture making, neighborhood stores (tiendas) etc. You can buy gum out of your car window at almost any major street light. People (usually lower class) are always trying to make a buck. With much respect to that population of people, it is natural to give a quarter to a 7-year-old boy juggling in front of my taxi, just trying to earn some money as he lives on the streets everyday.

With that also in mind, my roommate Christy and I, just like every other American or wealthy Ecuadorian I know has a maid, also known as an "empleada" in Spanish. Do we need to live up to their cultural expectations as a wealthy person? Well no, we don't. We choose to. With the massive amounts of poverty in the country and even in Quito the capital city, having an "empleada" is providing a job for a woman who is trying to support her family, sometimes with a husband but usually on her own.

Our empleada, Gladys comes every Monday morning from an hour south of town to make $11. She comes at 8:30am and works till around 2pm for a mere $11 to us, but a solid wage for her. She has been cleaning for Christy for over a year now. This morning, like every Monday morning, Christy asked how she was doing this week. With just that simple question, Gladys began to tell her all about what has been happening in her life with her husband and family (it is common to have conversations, lunch and tea or coffee with your empleada. I have an Ecuadorian friend who's family empleada helped raise him and is now seen as a part of their family).

Gladys has 6 children and a husband who was recently injured and in need of a surgery. She began to cry as she told Christy that ever since she began leading the women's discipleship program in her church, life has been one thing after another for her family. And now, with her husband's condition, her family is looking to her to provide not only money but the spiritual leadership in her family (a gift that God has given her). Gladys is a strong Christian who has dedicated her life to the Lord and seems to be quite the prayer warrior for many.

This particular morning, Gladys and Christy were standing in the kitchen crying together at the pain that she is experiencing. With multiple hugs and encouraging words from Christy, they talked for almost an hour about God, family, work and life. The part that struck Christy was Gladys' overwhelming amount of thanks for the job that she has at our house. A few months ago, Christy went from having her clean twice a month to once a week. Gladys said that that change has helped her family immensley in these hard times.

It is natural for Christy and I as American's to want to hand her an extra $20 each week, but that would be like someone handing me an extra $100 every week. And even though that can be thoughtful from time to time, their is a level of pride that lives in every human being where thoughtfulness can lead to feelings of pity.

The amazing part of this story happens in the relationship. Gladys expressed so much thankfulness to Christy for not only giving her a job, but also for being her friend. For her to have a good and healthy work enviornment with another Christian makes her job so much more enjoyable and worthwhile. Just like we want to have good work relationships with co-workers or bosses around the water cooler or on lunch breaks, it is only natural for anyone in any work situation to want to have those benefits of a job.

So, yes, we proudly have a maid at our house and look forward to her arrival every week. We thank God for the amazing work she does here, but also for the opportunity that we are able to be a part of - providing a job, being a friend, and a living as sisters in Christ.

Wrong Date...

2008-10-06T15:25:00.002-04:00

The date below is wrong...please note that I posted it on October 6, 2008.

Also, HAPPY ANNIVERSARY today to my parents Randy and Sheryl on the 30TH wedding anniversary! Wow!

and

Sara Westerhof and Jason Stout on their wedding anniversary today as well.

Love you guys.

Jenny

Working my way into Autumn...well not so much on the Equator.

2008-09-08T14:33:00.008-04:00

Good Afternoon!

I hope your summer went well and that you found much relaxation! As we move into our wet season here (one of two seasons in Ecuador, the other being dry) things are also slowing down around the office. All of our teams and interns have left for the summer to resume life in the States. I am still working at the office Tuesdays and Thursdays and out of my home Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Speaking of home, I moved into a new house and now am living with my friend Christy. It has been great getting to know her more too. My previous roommate Ashley who I have spoke of in the past is now in CA raising money to return to Quito for two more years.

Part of living in Christy's place is taking care of a yellow lab named "Cooper" for the next 4 months. His brother "Dakota" is with us for a little while too which makes for fun times (Their picture is to the right).

Some other great things happened in August...my parents came to visit in mid-August and Justin arrived just before they went home. All four of us spent a weekend (just happened to be the weekend of my birthday ;) in a small town called, "Banos." It has the reputation of being an adventure town which we took full advantage of. Saturday the 23rd was my birthday and we started the day with a horseback riding trip up to a beautiful waterfall near Tungurahua, an active volcano that just blew this past February - making international news. At the end we were all racing our horses at full speed down the city streets. It was quite the family adventure!

In the afternoon we went "canyoning," an adventure that involves repelling down large scale waterfalls on the side of a mountain. With all our gear in place, and pure exhaustion from hiking up the mountain first we began the decent down 5 waterfalls. I was the first to start and I made it to the bottom of the first fall with no big issues, until I dropped the metal thing that held our ropes in place into a pool of water at the base of the waterfall. So feeling like a failure already I motioned to the guide who found it underwater right away...which I was really thankful for...not being sure how I was going to get down the rest of the waterfalls without it.

We made it to the last waterfall and found out it was over 150ft high! For you experienced climbers and repelers that probably sounds like nothing, but we were scared! Turned out we were all naturals and loved every minute of it, even my mom! When we got to the bottom we were all ready to go again, especially mom! Little did we know that 3.5 hours of repelling would kill our bodies later that day after the adrenaline wore off!

We celebrated my birthday at a Brazilian-style steak house that night. It was a great way to refuel after a long adventurous day.

In September I was able to partake in a recruiting trip in Chicago, IL with my roommate Christy. Christy is the Dean of Students for Youth World's semester abroad program and we recruited students and schools to join our program. An amazing trip with interest from mulitple colleges and universities.

I also was able to return to Grand Rapids for the weekend to see some friends and family which was truly a blessing. Jeff was a huge help in driving me back and forth to Chicago and hosting a party! It was also really great to see him for almost a whole week.

I returned to Ecuador on a Wednesday and that Friday morning I hopped on a bus to the jungle. I visited 6 jungle towns from Friday - Tuesday with my co-worker Dario. We were reconnecting with our jungle partnerships, people that we send short term mission groups to in the summer. I was in charge of capturing stories and taking lots of pictures. What an adventure - at one point we hitch-hiked from just south of Tena to Puyo (it is about an hour and a half drive straight through). It is very common to jump in the back of people's pick-ups and hitch a ride. There are only a few buses that pass through in the day and all of them were full. Hithing rides was our only option...besides walking...which was not an option for me. :) That would have been almost 5 hours of walking with all our heavy gear in crazy heat! We made it to Puyo safely and continued our trip.

I made it back to Quito last Tuesday and have been playing catch-up with my life since I left for the states two weeks prior.

I am back into work and normal life, working on the next Youth World newsletter. I hope you received that newsletter I wrote in September. If you didn't receive it and would like a copy sent to you, let me know! My email is jenny.luth@gmail.com.

Miss you all!
Jenny Luth

Thank You!

2008-08-06T23:36:00.002-04:00

Just want to express my love, thanks and appreciation for your support of me here in Ecuador. You mean a lot to me and I am excited for what God has in store for the future. Hope you are having a pleasant summer, even though I hear it is really hot in the states right now!

As summer comes to a close for us here at Youth World and many summer interns are leaving, we are getting back to a more "normal" schedule for the year. I am also very excited for the arrival of my parents on Aug. 15 and for my brother Justin's arrival on the 21st! All three of them will be here to help me celebrate my birthday on the 23rd as well. It will be such a joy to share my experiences first hand with them!

Please pray for safe travels as they make their way down here.

As for projects that I am working on, please be expecting a Youth World Newsletter coming your way by early September. This will be a quarterly piece and it really gets into some stories that have happened over the summer.

Thanks again and much love!

Jenny

July Update from the Website - God Things

2008-07-22T17:29:00.001-04:00

The month of July has many Quito Quest teams passing through the door of Youth World and the country of Ecuador. Interns are a large part of Quito Quest and this summer 13 interns have dedicated their summers to leading teams. The interns help create an environment for teams that is conducive to learning about a new culture and way of life. God has been working hard in the lives of many Quito Quest teams already!

One of the first Quito Quest teams of the summer was a group of high school students from Fort Mills, South Carolina. One of the students came here with no intention of changing his atheist beliefs - yet in four days God was stirring a new view in him. During a gathering at a work site, he stood up in the middle of friends and strangers and proclaimed that through his mission experience in Ecuador, he understands Jesus and His vision through watching people acting out their faith everyday.

By Jennifer Luth

Rocio's Book Release Party

2008-07-09T14:09:00.004-04:00

A few weeks ago I was privileged to be a part of Rocio Yepez's book release party. Rocio is my Spanish teacher here in Quito and I spent 4 weeks with her in classes everyday. She recently wrote a book of short stories and asked me to take her picture for the back of the book. She was thrilled that I helped her with her book and had me sit at the front table at the party with her, Jean Colvin (American author) and the Russian Ambassador of Ecuador.

It was an amazing cultural experience that I was able to partake in. I met some really interesting people from all over the world and had a great time mingling in a new crowd of people outside of Youth World.

Rocio is a role model Christian single mom who works hard in life and has taught me many valuable lessons during our time together. I start more Spanish with her in August.

July

2008-07-09T12:07:00.003-04:00

Due to some blogger difficulties I was having with posting messages, it has been a month since I have last posted! Sorry!

The team came from Nashville for 10-days and it was an amazing blessing to have them here. The team did almost all the same things, work-wise that I did in high school. It was like I was looking in on my past from the outside.

Since then, I have started my job at Youth World officially! I work in the office 2 days a week and out of my apartment 3 days a week. I work at home because I have to carry my laptop with my every time I work at the office which is quite unsafe, even during the day. So we are trying to minimize my chances of getting robbed. Work is going great and I love writing and getting articles on the website. My first article about Babahoyo, Ecuador is on the youth world website www.youthworld.org.ec and the second article (F.C. United) should be up today or tomorrow.

Last Wednesday all the Youth World Interns (over 30 of us) went to the coast to a small area called Same. It is in the northern part of Ecuador, on the Pacific Ocean. What an amazing time of relaxation and one-on-one time with God. We arrived home on Sunday a little burned, exhausted from jumping waves in the ocean (not to mention the jelly fish) and playing all kinds of sports. The highlight however was whale watching for me, we saw a humpback whale jump all the way out of the water - and my American self said, "That looked exactly like a Pacific Life commercial!"

Last night the Short Term Team department of Youth World (which I am a part of) gathered together for some amazing cheeseburgers made on the grill (this is a rare treat, it was like my substitute 4th of July) and discussed the summer so far and shared stories where we have seen God working. Amazing stories that I wasn't even aware of were spilling from everyone's lips all night. I was shocked to hear how God really is doing amazing things, here in Ecuador and all over the world!

I was really challenged by our team leader, Phil Payne who encouraged us to keep looking for God working in our lives and the lives around us. It is really easy to forget that he is a part of our lives everyday, we just need to pay some attention in order to see it!

Ciao for now!

Jenny Luth

Quito Quest

2008-06-07T13:03:00.002-04:00

Good Afternoon!

So interestingly enough, tomorrow I will be one of three leaders hosting a Short Term Quito Quest Team. The team is from First Presbyterian Church of Nashville and we will be working with one of Youth World's main partnerships - Carmen Bajo. A church in Carmen Bajo (north of Quito) hosts a soccer ministry, a Compassion International center and opportunities for VBS with kids.

This will be the first time I revisit Quito Quest since I was a senior in high school in 2002. It will be interesting to be on the other side of the fence as a leader instead of a student.

God is doing some awesome things here and it is great to be a part of it all. As the summer winds up for multiple teams on the ground for short term missions, everything is getting a little more fast-paced. Over 20 interns have arrived here to help with the summer and everything starts this coming week.

The greatest thing about short term missions here is that Youth World is very deliberate in teaching that a team cannot change the world in a week in a half by doing VBS, working in the dump or building a church; but that spiritual growth is the focus for the teams visiting, but also for the people receiving the help. I recall them giving the same instructions when I was here in 2001 and 2002 and I took that seriously. My spiritual growth was huge while I was here and after I had returned home to tell others.

I think that is one of the reasons I am back here again today. A missions trip to Ecuador was not to prove how much manual labor could get down or how many kids we could feed, it was about relationships and spiritual growth.

So as teams come here this summer, I ask that you pray for spiritual growth (eyes opened) for the teams, for those being served and for us as hosts. There are a great many things happening here!

I also pray for my friends and family back home, wherever home is for you now, that you will have a safe and loved filled summer. I really do want to know your prayer requests and needs or praises! So please email me @ jenny.luth@gmail.com. My life with you all is still very close in my heart, so please don't hesitate.

Much love,

Jenny

2008-05-31T17:12:00.002-04:00

1 month already!

2008-05-31T17:00:00.002-04:00

Sorry it has been a while since I last updated my blog!
I have been here for just over a month already and am doing well. I am wrapping up my intensive Spanish classes and jumping into my new job here.

I will be writing a lot of stories and most of those will be on the www.youthworld.org.ec website.
I have met some really great people and having a blast with my new roommate. Ashley and I clicked in the first week here, that has been such a blessing for the both of us.

I just spent the day with a new Youth World ministry called FC United. Today was there first soccer tournament. I helped with logistics and got a few interviews from players and the ministry leaders, Josh and Joey Swenson and friend Chris Sylva.

Last weekend I was part of a vision group to a small city in Ecuador called, Babahoyo. It was a great time to gather stories for a Youth World potential short term missions site. A team from Holland, MI will be going to Babahoyo for two weeks this summer to work in a local church.

I am looking forward to a busy summer with a lot of events that need stories written. I am also doing some photography and am trying to figure out how to put the pics on this blog!

Please email me or find me on facebook, I would love to hear from you!!

Jenny Luth (as they call me here...not just Jen or Jenny, but always, "Jenny Luth." It has become a joke now too. :)

A new land

2008-05-01T13:55:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone!

Thanks for checking this out, sorry it has been a while since I updated. I arrived in Quito, Ecuador late Monday night with no delays or cancellations! I am living with one other girl named Ashley who is also an intern. We share an apartment near Youth World and have a great view of the city. Just settling in right now, and learning the lay of the land.

This weekend all the Youth World interns (that includes me) are going to Tena, a jungle town a few hours from Quito. It will be a chance to bond with other interns, a time to worship. It will also be a great opportunity to see some sweet caves with waterfalls. We will be visiting a local church and spending time getting to know some of the locals as well.

Next week I will most likely begin Spanish immersion. That consists of about 3 hours a day, 4 days a week in Spanish. It has been hard not knowing the language. It makes for some embarrassing situations already. For instance, yesterday I was trying to figure out where to take the trash out and I asked the guard on duty (kind of like a super) in broken Spanish. He just laughed politely and gave me a big smile. He showed me where to put it and I thanked him profusely and went back to my apartment with a red face.

Even with all the embarrassment, the Ecuadorians have been very forgiving with my Spanish. Many locals have been helping me get through it with polite corrections.

Thanks for reading!

God Bless!

Jen

Monday, April 28

2008-04-23T18:35:00.000-04:00

Hello!

Just an update - my flight date to Quito is set for this coming Monday, April 28. I leave from Chicago at 12noon and arrive in Quito at 11:09pm!

Thank you for all your prayers and support leading up to this day and I will be thinking and praying for everyone back home as well.

Please feel free to email me anytime and keep in touch while I am gone. I would love to hear about the hometown news over the next several months.

Jenny

It is all coming together.

2008-04-15T09:58:00.000-04:00

I got my Visa yesterday with no problems! It was a huge miracle that it went so fast, but it also helped that my Spanish speaking friend Josh was there to help too.

I also booked my flight to Quito for Monday, April 28 from Chicago. It is final!

Some Changes...

2008-04-02T11:15:00.000-04:00

I was not able to go to my appointment this past Monday due to some paperwork issues, but I am in the process of getting another appointment before I leave. I am still trying to set a flight date around April 26 or April 27. Thanks for the prayers.

Pray for the Visa process

2008-03-25T13:20:00.000-04:00

Just wanted to throw a prayer request out there...I am going to Chicago on Monday to try and get my Visa on the same day instead of going through the 6-8 week process by mail. I need some prayers for it to go smoothly and that I can leave the same day with my Visa.

A fellow intern of Youth World will be going with me to get his Visa as well and he is in the same boat. Thank God he speaks Spanish, which I am told is a huge benefit. Please pray for him as well.

Thanks for your prayers!

Jen

March 2008

2008-03-11T14:49:00.000-04:00

While in training, I really felt like God was telling me to change my time in Ecuador. I was enrolled as a long term missionary (minimum of 2 years) and went into training expecting to continue on my journey of 2 years. God gave me sort of a restless and uneasy heart about going for 2 years right away.

Through a lot of prayer, alone time with God at the training center, and counsel/ prayer from others, I decided to change my status to "Intern." The only change is that I have committed 1 year initially with the option for more time instead of jumping into 2 years.

This decision has brought me great peace since I have been wrestling with it in my heart for a couple of months now. Thank God for bringing the training when he did, I needed to spend some time away and gather my thoughts and really listen for what God was telling me to do. Obeying God is one of the greatest feelings out there.

This change means that I will be leaving for Ecuador in April or May. This has been moved up a bit from the previous August date.

Thank you for all your prayers and support!

Love,
Jen