{Originally posted April 22nd, 2013}
Hello everyone,
I'm now writing from the airplane taking me from Portland, Oregon, to Dallas, Texas. I'm noticing how things change…before I would have brought along a book to read, probably my dictionary, but now I have a new tool, my computer. Thanks to this new technology, I can write this letter from here.
I left behind my good friends from Oregon, certainly with nostalgia for having left them, but with the firm conviction that we can count on their help. From a distance, I want to tell you again, THANK YOU, MAY GOD REPAY YOU FOR EVERYTHING. How those words spoken by the ministers of the region sound again in my ears, "Blanca, you are not alone. FEDICE is not alone. We are with you." How I remember your smiles, your acts of patience, of tolerance, your faces full of love, and then the profound sadness when it was the moment to leave.
Yesterday was my last day in this part of my journey and my time with the people of Oregon, and it was a fun day. Thank you, Bamby, thank you Irene, for your time, for taking the day off to show me a little part of this enormous and beautiful place. We went to a festival of Tulips…oh, how beautiful…how I could see the grace and the blessings of God in permitting us to have these wonders…what fantastic colors, what beautiful flowers! Thanks to God for giving us the opportunity to see them. Thanks to God for my eyes, my hands, my legs. With them I could see, touch, and walk among the flowers. We went in a little car built like a shoe. We ran, we laughed, we played…we became little girls for the moment, who, as great friends, are only enjoying the time we have together.
In the afternoon, we had our last meeting in the church where the Pastor is the father of Steve Knox, another of our great friends and collaborators with FEDICE. Being the last doesn't mean it was the least important. On the contrary, I believe it was the most emotional. What a wonderful experience, what an unforgettable experience! More than once I had to hold back my tears, and later on I just let out my emotions. I was far from my own country, talking about FEDICE, about the project for Maca Atápulo. We were talking about the most important thing for the people of Ecuador, about the children of Ecuador, and about their commitment of working with love for our people.
Thank you, Steve and Christy. They had prepared an Ecuatorian lunch with soup and popcorn. There were things that they had brought from Ecuador. I felt very much at home, especially with the warmth of the people. For sure, Oregon is my second home. Christy calls me her sister in Ecuador, which is a great honor for me. As I have said, our brothers and sisters don't speak Spanish, and we don't speak English, but we all speak a common language, the language of the love of God.
Now I am flying to Texas. There are people waiting for me, waiting to listen to the news I bring, waiting to hear how they can help my people in Ecuador.
We'll talk again soon….
Blanca