I am back in Ohio, United States of America, planet earth.
Adjusting has been easier than I thought in some ways and completely complicated in other ways.
My Christmas has been nice, and I am preparing myself for the new year and going back to my other home at Messiah College.
God is Good, and his faithfulness was clearly evident in my time in Ecuador, especially during the last few days.
Thanks for reading these blogs, I'm sorry that there weren't more.
HAPPY DAY TO YOU!!!
signing off,
kimbo
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Beautiful Quito
I love Quito.
I never imagined I would say that when I arrived and realized what a big ¨filthy¨ city I would have to be living in for the next 5 months, but now it is almost 5 months later, and I think it is beautiful.
Yesterday, I just couldn´t stop seeing BEAUTY!!! (sorry for the redundancy but its the word of the day today)
I woke up and while running around that park that I have run around so many times this semester, I looked up and the SUN was just beaming through the city buildings and illuminating everything in this very angelic way. Then I looked at the mountain, at Pichincha.
I know that there are many beautiful sights in the world, but that mountain on that morning (and numerous other mornings) will always remain in my brain as one of the grandest sights. The sunlight was shining so brightly that the mountain was defined like never before. Every hill every shadow, BRILLIANT!
Then I went to school and the whole valley on the bus ride was shining and I could see mountains and hills that i didn{t even know existed because usually they are covered in clouds (I AM up 10000 feet). and it was just like WOW.... I didn´t even know that was there.
The rest of the day was beautiful and even when the clouds rolled in it was still incredible. On my way back from the orphanage I could see for MILES!!! the hills were just accented with perfection and oh my goodness.
Then last night, I saw stars. Now I know most of you live where you can see stars whenever you please, but in the city it{s rare. But they were there last night and they were beautiful.
And so dirty, polluted, city of Quito.
In you I have found my home.
My beautiful home.
And I am going to enjoy you in the next 10 days I have with you.
the end
I never imagined I would say that when I arrived and realized what a big ¨filthy¨ city I would have to be living in for the next 5 months, but now it is almost 5 months later, and I think it is beautiful.
Yesterday, I just couldn´t stop seeing BEAUTY!!! (sorry for the redundancy but its the word of the day today)
I woke up and while running around that park that I have run around so many times this semester, I looked up and the SUN was just beaming through the city buildings and illuminating everything in this very angelic way. Then I looked at the mountain, at Pichincha.
I know that there are many beautiful sights in the world, but that mountain on that morning (and numerous other mornings) will always remain in my brain as one of the grandest sights. The sunlight was shining so brightly that the mountain was defined like never before. Every hill every shadow, BRILLIANT!
Then I went to school and the whole valley on the bus ride was shining and I could see mountains and hills that i didn{t even know existed because usually they are covered in clouds (I AM up 10000 feet). and it was just like WOW.... I didn´t even know that was there.
The rest of the day was beautiful and even when the clouds rolled in it was still incredible. On my way back from the orphanage I could see for MILES!!! the hills were just accented with perfection and oh my goodness.
Then last night, I saw stars. Now I know most of you live where you can see stars whenever you please, but in the city it{s rare. But they were there last night and they were beautiful.
And so dirty, polluted, city of Quito.
In you I have found my home.
My beautiful home.
And I am going to enjoy you in the next 10 days I have with you.
the end
Thursday, November 20, 2008
In Awe
This is my first November post.
It´s likely that it will be my only.
Time just goes by sometimes, I´m sorry.
Today I want to talk about something I´ve been thinking about lately.
I went to this wonderful small city of Baños last weekend and during the 4 hour bus ride, I was looking out the window. We passed all sorts of beautiful mountains, scenery, etc., but it was the people that I was watching.
I looked out of my big charter bus and saw an indigenous women sitting on the curb, eating something from a small plastic bag.
I saw a mother with her baby strapped to her back. The baby just bouncing along as the mother walked holding the hand of her other toddler.
And then there were people just standing by the side of the street waiting or watching for I´m not sure what.
And I realized...
God knows EVERY thing about EVERY person. As I questioned myself about why I had been given the chance to have a very great education and ¨know¨the world and experience different cultures and therefor learn more about my own, I realized that even though I may feel so blessed to ¨know¨more than these people that have lived their entire lives in one small community selling the same bottled drinks to bus passengers, God knows them, knows me, more than I can fathom.
I guess I just realized how big the world is, yet how small. 6+ billion people, and he will listen and fully know all of their past, present, and future!! And I thought of how it´s hard to keep ties with you all in the states and trying to maintain lasting relationships there, while meeting and getting to know people here and I just thought...wow.
I feel undeserved to have a God that loves me and wants to know me and wants me to know in his timing all the great things he´s got in mind. And then he desires that for every person on this planet we call earth. That´s incredible, isn´t it?
So maybe just take a minute to think about that today.
When I struggle with knowing how to solve a problem that´s risen, or feel that this decision I have to make is SO hard, I have a God that is so much more powerful than any notion KIMBERLY could ever feel. I should just give it to him.
so I guess I´ll keep trying.
Amazed and humbled,
kimbo
It´s likely that it will be my only.
Time just goes by sometimes, I´m sorry.
Today I want to talk about something I´ve been thinking about lately.
I went to this wonderful small city of Baños last weekend and during the 4 hour bus ride, I was looking out the window. We passed all sorts of beautiful mountains, scenery, etc., but it was the people that I was watching.
I looked out of my big charter bus and saw an indigenous women sitting on the curb, eating something from a small plastic bag.
I saw a mother with her baby strapped to her back. The baby just bouncing along as the mother walked holding the hand of her other toddler.
And then there were people just standing by the side of the street waiting or watching for I´m not sure what.
And I realized...
God knows EVERY thing about EVERY person. As I questioned myself about why I had been given the chance to have a very great education and ¨know¨the world and experience different cultures and therefor learn more about my own, I realized that even though I may feel so blessed to ¨know¨more than these people that have lived their entire lives in one small community selling the same bottled drinks to bus passengers, God knows them, knows me, more than I can fathom.
I guess I just realized how big the world is, yet how small. 6+ billion people, and he will listen and fully know all of their past, present, and future!! And I thought of how it´s hard to keep ties with you all in the states and trying to maintain lasting relationships there, while meeting and getting to know people here and I just thought...wow.
I feel undeserved to have a God that loves me and wants to know me and wants me to know in his timing all the great things he´s got in mind. And then he desires that for every person on this planet we call earth. That´s incredible, isn´t it?
So maybe just take a minute to think about that today.
When I struggle with knowing how to solve a problem that´s risen, or feel that this decision I have to make is SO hard, I have a God that is so much more powerful than any notion KIMBERLY could ever feel. I should just give it to him.
so I guess I´ll keep trying.
Amazed and humbled,
kimbo
Monday, October 27, 2008
From a Thunderstorm in S. America:
Hello.
Right now looking out the window from this 4th ¨home¨ of mine in the computer lab, the mountains I usually see are covered by clouds and the main sound I hear is that of the pouring rain. After a beautiful sunny morning this thunderstorm just rolled in.
About 3 car alarms just went off, due to the powerful lightening. It´s pretty funny actually. All the car alarms are basically the same here. You know that really annoying and obnoxious car alarm that changes rhythms and pitches every 5 seconds but in total is like 2 minutes long... yep, that´s the one. every day. I can´t escape it!
Do you know that I´m living in another country?
Do I know that I´m living in another country?
Yesterday I watched a movie and you know the umm, I think it´s Universal Studios intro. that comes up with the big golden globe? Well as I watched that I realized that N. America was kind of covered up, but I could plainly see south america and I realized that I could plainly see the part of the world were I was sitting. Wow.
On Friday as I was walking back from the internet cafe, 10 horses/ponies crossed the main street in the midst of many cars. Guiding them along on horseback were like 3 14 year olds. Random Quiteñen cowboys?? I don´t think I´d see that in NYC or Chicago. (but maybe Grantham!)
I love thunderstorms.
There´s just this awesome peace about them. And then at the same time excitement. It´s like I want to get so close but know that I could get zapped at any minute but it´s exhilarating.
People have Halloween decorations up. It´s weird. It doesn´t seem like fall, and since they don´t really celebrate Halloween the way the USA does, it´s just like they´re trying to I don´t know commercialize and americanize. bummer.
It also doesn´t seem right to have Halloween decorations up, because in the store right next to them there´s a christmas tree display!!!! I´m not kidding. Outside of the one mall they already have lighted reindeer and christmas trees!! WHAT THE HECK!! I let out somewhat of a yelp on the bus when I saw them for the first time last week (yes, as in the middle of October!) and think I made some folks turn and look. It´s not even NOVEMBER yet!
And so, that´s a bit of Kimbo rambling for today. I realized I hadn´t written much this month and now that this weekend is the next month (hard to believe) I figured I should fix that.
Entonces, nos vemos pronto (less than two months till I come ¨home¨)
From a not wet (yet) Kimbo.
Right now looking out the window from this 4th ¨home¨ of mine in the computer lab, the mountains I usually see are covered by clouds and the main sound I hear is that of the pouring rain. After a beautiful sunny morning this thunderstorm just rolled in.
About 3 car alarms just went off, due to the powerful lightening. It´s pretty funny actually. All the car alarms are basically the same here. You know that really annoying and obnoxious car alarm that changes rhythms and pitches every 5 seconds but in total is like 2 minutes long... yep, that´s the one. every day. I can´t escape it!
Do you know that I´m living in another country?
Do I know that I´m living in another country?
Yesterday I watched a movie and you know the umm, I think it´s Universal Studios intro. that comes up with the big golden globe? Well as I watched that I realized that N. America was kind of covered up, but I could plainly see south america and I realized that I could plainly see the part of the world were I was sitting. Wow.
On Friday as I was walking back from the internet cafe, 10 horses/ponies crossed the main street in the midst of many cars. Guiding them along on horseback were like 3 14 year olds. Random Quiteñen cowboys?? I don´t think I´d see that in NYC or Chicago. (but maybe Grantham!)
I love thunderstorms.
There´s just this awesome peace about them. And then at the same time excitement. It´s like I want to get so close but know that I could get zapped at any minute but it´s exhilarating.
People have Halloween decorations up. It´s weird. It doesn´t seem like fall, and since they don´t really celebrate Halloween the way the USA does, it´s just like they´re trying to I don´t know commercialize and americanize. bummer.
It also doesn´t seem right to have Halloween decorations up, because in the store right next to them there´s a christmas tree display!!!! I´m not kidding. Outside of the one mall they already have lighted reindeer and christmas trees!! WHAT THE HECK!! I let out somewhat of a yelp on the bus when I saw them for the first time last week (yes, as in the middle of October!) and think I made some folks turn and look. It´s not even NOVEMBER yet!
And so, that´s a bit of Kimbo rambling for today. I realized I hadn´t written much this month and now that this weekend is the next month (hard to believe) I figured I should fix that.
Entonces, nos vemos pronto (less than two months till I come ¨home¨)
From a not wet (yet) Kimbo.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
There´s a llama running ´round the yard!!!
Hello everyone.
Sometimes I think I can be a teacher for exceptional children.
Sometimes I don´t.
yesterday´s volunteering experience was quite up and down and all around.
It went a little something like this:
I got to la Casa de Fe and when I walked in the ¨tias¨ (the amazing women that work with these kids every day and are superheroes) that usually work in that house weren´t there and so there were three other ladies that I didn´t know. So Rosita (a little girl, well... she´s probably 11) came over to me grabbed my hand and wanted to go play. So she lugged me outside to the swingset and I strapped her in to her swing and we started playing. Then Tatiana showed up too and she wanted to go so I strapped her into the other swing and we did that for awhile. As I was looking around the yard I realized there was something there that hadn´t been there the weeks before... at least I hadn´t noticed it. About 30ft away tied to some pole in the ground stood a shaggy brown LLAMA.
After smiling to myself for a moment with the complete randomness that was before me, Rosita quickly brought me back to reality and insisted that we keep playing. She called me Mami once or twice and sometimes this hurts the heart, but anyway on to another scene:
Jessica and Marina were doing there homework but neither wanted to do it, and I couldn´t even understand what the assignment was so I felt helpless, so i went into the other room. Marina followed, sat on the bed where ??Whilma?? (it sounds like Firma when the say it) was lying on the bed as she does most of her life I think because she has a physical disability and does not speak or walk, but SMILES when I walk in the room. She´s like my little sunshine. Anyway, marina was lying on the same bed as Firma and accidently Firma´s leg kicked Marinas mouth... crying started... it was bad and didn´t stop. And I couldn´t figure out how to try and tell her that Firma didn´t mean to. And then the tia came in and thought she was crying because she didn´t want to do her homework. jeesh... language barriers with exceptional kids can be difficult anyways... but when you throw in those barriers in a different language... you just feel stuck.
next scene:
kairo, my little 4or5 year old buddy was playing with me on the floor. He was on my lap, turns up his face to look at me and says ¨Hace me los cosquillas¨. I didn´t know what a cosquilla was. So I tried figuring it out... and then he kind of showed me and then I got it. He was asking me to tickle him.
Do you get it?
This little boy, without mommy or daddy or aunt or uncle just wanted to be tickled. I can not think of a time where I would have asked my daddy to tickle me, but I sure remember the times that he did. This simple request just really hit my whole being. All that Kairo wanted was to be tickled.
and so it was.
He was so cute. He´d just sit there on my lap and get ready to be tickled and then call out for Tia Nancy to come save him... but then he´d come right back and plunk his little body down and ask again ¨Hace me los cosquillas¨.
wow. the little things.
Next scene:
TANTRUMS EVERYWHERE!! Everyone was crying, people were hitting, people were saying that such and such was theirs and that it wasn´t fair and Kimberly Leininger felt VERY overwhelmed. Maybe I don´t want so many kids... tantrums are no fun.
Next Scene:
The tias are trying to work with certain kids, I´m looking for who to be with next and as I walk into the living room ish place, I look out the window and see Tatiana, who I had just been swinging in the swingset 20 min. before holding on to the rope of the llama that was tied down 20 min. ago and leading it pretty quickly across the yard! I didn´t even know what was going on. The zoo feeling of that day became a crystal reality and all i could do was turn to one of the tias and say ¨Tatiana tiene la llama...está bien? (Tatiana´s got the llama. Is that ok?)
The tia looked up at me as if saying ¨do you know what you just said gringa?...¨and then looked out the window and was like...No! and went out to free the llama from Tatiana´s leadership.
And this was all before supper started. I actually didn´t get to stay for supper last night because they didn´t start it at the time the other aunties start it.
So yes...
I was exhausted, perplexed, helpless, and was wondering if I could really be a Special Educator after these scenes, but as always I was also blessed by those two Tuesday hours with that very unique community of people.
Oh Ecuador...
Sometimes I think I can be a teacher for exceptional children.
Sometimes I don´t.
yesterday´s volunteering experience was quite up and down and all around.
It went a little something like this:
I got to la Casa de Fe and when I walked in the ¨tias¨ (the amazing women that work with these kids every day and are superheroes) that usually work in that house weren´t there and so there were three other ladies that I didn´t know. So Rosita (a little girl, well... she´s probably 11) came over to me grabbed my hand and wanted to go play. So she lugged me outside to the swingset and I strapped her in to her swing and we started playing. Then Tatiana showed up too and she wanted to go so I strapped her into the other swing and we did that for awhile. As I was looking around the yard I realized there was something there that hadn´t been there the weeks before... at least I hadn´t noticed it. About 30ft away tied to some pole in the ground stood a shaggy brown LLAMA.
After smiling to myself for a moment with the complete randomness that was before me, Rosita quickly brought me back to reality and insisted that we keep playing. She called me Mami once or twice and sometimes this hurts the heart, but anyway on to another scene:
Jessica and Marina were doing there homework but neither wanted to do it, and I couldn´t even understand what the assignment was so I felt helpless, so i went into the other room. Marina followed, sat on the bed where ??Whilma?? (it sounds like Firma when the say it) was lying on the bed as she does most of her life I think because she has a physical disability and does not speak or walk, but SMILES when I walk in the room. She´s like my little sunshine. Anyway, marina was lying on the same bed as Firma and accidently Firma´s leg kicked Marinas mouth... crying started... it was bad and didn´t stop. And I couldn´t figure out how to try and tell her that Firma didn´t mean to. And then the tia came in and thought she was crying because she didn´t want to do her homework. jeesh... language barriers with exceptional kids can be difficult anyways... but when you throw in those barriers in a different language... you just feel stuck.
next scene:
kairo, my little 4or5 year old buddy was playing with me on the floor. He was on my lap, turns up his face to look at me and says ¨Hace me los cosquillas¨. I didn´t know what a cosquilla was. So I tried figuring it out... and then he kind of showed me and then I got it. He was asking me to tickle him.
Do you get it?
This little boy, without mommy or daddy or aunt or uncle just wanted to be tickled. I can not think of a time where I would have asked my daddy to tickle me, but I sure remember the times that he did. This simple request just really hit my whole being. All that Kairo wanted was to be tickled.
and so it was.
He was so cute. He´d just sit there on my lap and get ready to be tickled and then call out for Tia Nancy to come save him... but then he´d come right back and plunk his little body down and ask again ¨Hace me los cosquillas¨.
wow. the little things.
Next scene:
TANTRUMS EVERYWHERE!! Everyone was crying, people were hitting, people were saying that such and such was theirs and that it wasn´t fair and Kimberly Leininger felt VERY overwhelmed. Maybe I don´t want so many kids... tantrums are no fun.
Next Scene:
The tias are trying to work with certain kids, I´m looking for who to be with next and as I walk into the living room ish place, I look out the window and see Tatiana, who I had just been swinging in the swingset 20 min. before holding on to the rope of the llama that was tied down 20 min. ago and leading it pretty quickly across the yard! I didn´t even know what was going on. The zoo feeling of that day became a crystal reality and all i could do was turn to one of the tias and say ¨Tatiana tiene la llama...está bien? (Tatiana´s got the llama. Is that ok?)
The tia looked up at me as if saying ¨do you know what you just said gringa?...¨and then looked out the window and was like...No! and went out to free the llama from Tatiana´s leadership.
And this was all before supper started. I actually didn´t get to stay for supper last night because they didn´t start it at the time the other aunties start it.
So yes...
I was exhausted, perplexed, helpless, and was wondering if I could really be a Special Educator after these scenes, but as always I was also blessed by those two Tuesday hours with that very unique community of people.
Oh Ecuador...
Monday, September 22, 2008
John 15:18 and so on
I hurt.
But I know it´s for good.
Today I was in my Spanish class and we were supposed to raise up controversial points and I was one vs. the rest. One girls point was homosexuals being allowed to adopt.
So I said I didn´t agree. I think that they should be able to love children, but it´s just not the parents God wanted.
And then... after I almost got our of sharing my opinion/topic... my prof says...¨y Kimberly..cual es tu punto?¨
So I just said it
Creo que el sexo debe ser solo por el matrimonio
Translation: Sex should be in the context of marriage.
Now, in the other peoples points there were folks that agreed and disagreed with each one, but almost my entire class verbally spoke against me and I could just feel this like tension and it was really tough. I just pray that someone in the 13 others well, 14 if you include the prof. of my class at least thought about something I said (which wasn´t much... I got flustered and I was trying this all in spanish and it was just... agahgsd!!!)
So, I felt some persecution today.
and that was one of my goals for coming here= sharing my beliefs with those that don´t think the same. So now I know how sheltered we are at Messiah.
Thanks for reading.
But I know it´s for good.
Today I was in my Spanish class and we were supposed to raise up controversial points and I was one vs. the rest. One girls point was homosexuals being allowed to adopt.
So I said I didn´t agree. I think that they should be able to love children, but it´s just not the parents God wanted.
And then... after I almost got our of sharing my opinion/topic... my prof says...¨y Kimberly..cual es tu punto?¨
So I just said it
Creo que el sexo debe ser solo por el matrimonio
Translation: Sex should be in the context of marriage.
Now, in the other peoples points there were folks that agreed and disagreed with each one, but almost my entire class verbally spoke against me and I could just feel this like tension and it was really tough. I just pray that someone in the 13 others well, 14 if you include the prof. of my class at least thought about something I said (which wasn´t much... I got flustered and I was trying this all in spanish and it was just... agahgsd!!!)
So, I felt some persecution today.
and that was one of my goals for coming here= sharing my beliefs with those that don´t think the same. So now I know how sheltered we are at Messiah.
Thanks for reading.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Niños
Recently I´ve decided two things.
Providing that God wants me to be a mom someday...
1. I think I´m supposed to ¨adopt¨ (in some form or another) children. Maybe lots of children. (my mom here says I´m going to have 14... I´m not sure why though. I told her I could do twelve) :-) I went to my first volunteer session yesterday and was in a house with 13 children around the ages of 5-12 who will most likely never be adopted due to their disabilities. So I´ll love them for now, and miss them when I leave this place.
2. I´m speaking Spanish to my kids. Maybe they won´t be fluent (because heaven knows I´m not!!), but they´ll at least know some of the basics. Every day I´m more humbled and impressed by the bilingualism of practically every other country but my own. Today I went and sat in a 5th grade science class for two hours, and both the teacher and students knew more about the science vocabulary in ENGLISH than I did. I would have no idea how to put kingdom, phylum, class, genus, species into a second language, and yet that is the every day routine for these kids. The entire school is in English. woah, did I feel uneducated.
Providing that God wants me to be a mom someday...
1. I think I´m supposed to ¨adopt¨ (in some form or another) children. Maybe lots of children. (my mom here says I´m going to have 14... I´m not sure why though. I told her I could do twelve) :-) I went to my first volunteer session yesterday and was in a house with 13 children around the ages of 5-12 who will most likely never be adopted due to their disabilities. So I´ll love them for now, and miss them when I leave this place.
2. I´m speaking Spanish to my kids. Maybe they won´t be fluent (because heaven knows I´m not!!), but they´ll at least know some of the basics. Every day I´m more humbled and impressed by the bilingualism of practically every other country but my own. Today I went and sat in a 5th grade science class for two hours, and both the teacher and students knew more about the science vocabulary in ENGLISH than I did. I would have no idea how to put kingdom, phylum, class, genus, species into a second language, and yet that is the every day routine for these kids. The entire school is in English. woah, did I feel uneducated.
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