Travel Update

The past week I have been overwhelmed by the support of many people I know (and some that I don't know) reaching out with words of encouragment and prayerful intercessions on my behalf. I feel so incredibly blessed to know I have a community of faith surrounding me. Thank you for that.

I wanted to let you know that Friday morning (Dec 13) I reached out to my taxi driver after receiving news that the protests seemed to be intensifying. He said he felt confident he could get me and a friend through. So, we packed what we could carry, and 30 minutes later we were off.

In order to avoid 2 major roadblocks, we took backroads I had no knowledge of, and what would normally be a 20-minute drive down the road to cross the river became a 2-hour drive.

We made it to the other side of the river and began the 6-hour trip to Quito, arriving in Quito around 7:30pm.

We ate tacos at a Mexican restaurant (yay!), were received by a lovely missionary family and our taxi driver turned around and began his drive back to his own family. He, by God's grace, made it back at 4am with the help of his friends to navigate the extra roadblocks that had popped up while we drove.

Saturday morning, my friend and I woke up in disbelief, realizing we had made it.

We praised God.

We also changed our flights to leave earlier, getting us to the US on Monday instead of Thursday.

I am currently sitting in my parents' house by the fireplace, marveling at the goodness of God.

As we were reflecting on our last-minute journey in Quito, my friend looked in her journal and saw where I had interrupted her the day before to discuss leaving. She had been copying down Psalm 18, but only made it to verse 15. That morning, she finished what she started, beginning with verse 16:

"He reached down from on high and took hold of me; He drew me out of deep waters.

He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me.

They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the Lord was my support.

He brought me out into a spacious place; He rescued me because He delighted in me." (Psalm 18:16-19)

How beautiful that He leaves us with no doubt of His hand at work. This was not by my own planning or control of the situation, but by His grace and the prayers of many over this. Thank you.

What strikes me the most about that passage is the last line:

He rescued me because He delighted in me.

Not because I earned it.

Not because this was all a test for me to pass or fail and receive the reward or consequence accordingly.

Not because He owed me anything.

Nor because He needed something good now to obligate me into future work.

There are no strings attached.

There is no manipulation of any kind in this.

He is too good for that to be His motive.

I am too small to make that work on Him.

He is Love.

Love that sent His Son to earth, in a beautiful, helpless baby.

"For God so loved the world..."

So, now I mark this ebenezer, a time when I can say, "Thus far, the Lord has been faithful," a sign for future me to look back upon when the way is dark ahead.

For a time when things don't go my way, I can look back upon this to see how the Lord is kind in the gifts He gives, even if it's not what I imagined being best.

Please join me in praising the Lord for His provision in this time and the unmerited mercy He lavishes on those He loves, even though they do nothing to deserve it.

Thank you for your prayers.

I pray the Lord would bless you and your family this Christmas, reminding you that this season, while it can be full of many wonderful things, is about Love incarnate.

May you experience the love He freely gives, with no strings attached.

And may you be filled so completely by His love that it overflows to those who are around you.

¡Feliz Navidad!

-Katie

P.S. Surprising my family was the best :)