On Saturday, June 20, our students departed for a new host family and a new setting to begin their Service Term, the second half of SST. Stay tuned for more updates about the communities in which the students are living and the volunteer work they're doing with nonprofits, community organizations, and municipal governments!
News
Encounters of Culture and Compassion
Jun 01 2025
Delicious ceviche really isn’t that hard to make! Cut up onions, tomatoes, cilantro for the base, add your protein, and even sprinkle some popcorn on top! Our teachers spent the morning with us at the farmer’s market, and then Noemi showed us how to put it all together. In a few minutes we were eating lunch! Check out the recipe below.
Tabacundo is an hour drive north of Quito and is one of the largest suppliers of roses to the US and Canada. We toured Dream Cut Flowers and viewed the process of cultivating the roses for shipment. This company is known for its environmentally friendly production practices and has Rainforest Alliance Certification. A surprise bouquet of roses for each student rounded off the tour!
Prior to coming to Ecuador, the students spent a morning working at the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) Resource Center at the Depot, packing school kits and learning about MCC’s work with Quito Mennonite Church for the past 23 years. Now in Quito, we visited the church and heard directly from several individuals who fled their homes and countries, escaping violence and insecurity. Sharing a meal together and listening to these personal experiences brought further group discussions with students centering around how to help, and reminding us of Matthew 25:35-36, “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”
Study AbroadBeginning Service Term in Ecuador
Study AbroadBelfast: Beauty, Unrest, and Action
Our second weekend at Corrymeela, we hopped on an early bus and train to take on Belfast’s bustling streets and the Belfast Book Festival, which featured homemade ‘zines (handmade magazines) for purchase and for free. The main themes of these...
Study AbroadSaying farewell (for now) to Quito
By Hillary Harder On Friday night, June 19, our group gathered at our Quito headquarters, La Casa de Espiritualidad, to mark the end of our Study period in Quito. We were joined by our host families, professors, and many community…