As a freshman for the Lady Cougars, Porto, a 6-foot middle hitter from Tipp City, Ohio, played in 165 of the team’s 170 games and finished with 427 kills, 154 blocks, and 69 digs in her first collegiate season as MVNU posted a 36-11 record. She was named to the American Mideast Conference All-Freshmen Team as well as being an AMC and a National Christian College Athletic Association East Region Honorable Mention pick.

The following is a recap of Porto’s trip in her own words:

We began in Quito and then drove about three hours to the city of Riobamba, which is almost directly south. We stayed at the Nazarene church there for about three days. Every morning from 7:00-2:00, we did work projects for the church. Some of those included making benches for kids, building a cement block wall, and cleaning out the storage area. Then, around 3:00 in the afternoon, all the kids from nearby schools walked over for our programs. We had a routine of about three songs and two skits in Spanish for them. Then, we played some games and passed out candy as prizes. This was such a blast and the kids of course were just darling! On our last day in Riobamba, we were able to visit a school grades K-12, and see what their learning environment is like. What a difference from here!

After our three days in Riobamba, we drove northeast and up a mountain, literally, to an indigenous village and another Nazarene church. It is the highest one in South America I believe and sits at 13,000 feet elevation. We quickly realized the game of interest was soccer and joined in. Then, we performed our kids program and just loved on the kids. Immediately, you could notice a difference in the kids compared to the kids in Riobamba. Culturally, they are a very reserved people and hardly smile. It was strange to have all of us jumping up and down like crazy, while some kids would hardly even crack a smile. It is a fabulous culture and they showed us much appreciation by serving us cuy (guinea pig) which is a huge delicacy for them. Yum!

Soon, we were back on our bus making our way to Shell. The geographical changes on this drive were incredible as we traveled from mountainous farmland straight into the jungle! There, we were privileged to stay at the homes of some local people. In Shell, we worked on the local church by painting the entire sanctuary, cleaning it, and pouring a cement sidewalk outside. This was very much appreciated because the labor would have taken them months, but it took us only a single day! Nearby was the jungle town of Puyo, where we went to find some Ecuadorian adventure. We hiked the jungle, swam a waterfall, white-water rafted, and fully experienced Ecuador’s beautiful scenery.

Our last stop was the tourist town of Baños, which is known as a quaint town nestled between towering mountains and cascading waterfalls. We did an open trolley car tour, shopped, and stood feet from El Pailón del Diablo, (The Devil’s Cauldron), a massive waterfall. It gave a whole new meaning to the power God possesses. Also, the breath-taking view made me realize that God created this beautiful Earth as our home.

We quickly left Baños and made the drive back to Quito. We sang our songs one final time in front of the entire church congregation in Quito and I will never forget it. God’s people worship in so many ways, and it truly was an experience to be a part of a new kind of worship in their gorgeous language! Sadly, we were down to our last day there, but were able to see the site which gives Ecuador its name. I stood at the exact point of zero latitude and longitude on the Equator. Then, later that night we left for the airport. Leaving was very emotional for all of us because of the friendships we had formed with the seminary students. Those eight days changed my life!

Mission trips always amaze me. God is able to teach you so much! I started the trip off with a heart of surrender and service to God and He most certainly used that. He also transformed my heart 180 degrees.

The Spanish language has always been an interest of mine. After being surrounded by the language for eight days, I now consider it a passion. Somehow, I believe that God is going to use Spanish in my life, so I have decided to add it as a minor at MVNU. This excites me to know I am following the desire that God placed in my heart to pursue Spanish.

God also has fueled in me a passion for missions. I have always loved mission trips, but this one just blew me away. The culture, the language, and the people of Ecuador just touched me in a very special way. Being able to serve in such a new environment and with totally new people only made my experience that much more rewarding. I now realize that the more out of your comfort zone you put yourself the more God works through that!

In conclusion, I am so excited to see where else God may take me in the future. Although His plans can always change, I am certain this trip is only a beginning for me in so many ways. Jeremiah 29:11 assures a promising plan for our lives, and at this point, I hope it involves more missions in South America!!

Porto and the rest of the Lady Cougars will return to campus in early August to get ready for the 2009 season that will get under way with a trip to the Daemen (N.Y.) College Tournament on August 21-22.