wild

Well this adventure is coming to a close as this is my last day in the great country of Ecuador. Ive spent a little time reflecting these last couple days as we returned from puerto Lopez to Quito. Even in these last couple days seen some amazing things like a pod of humpback whales and a beachfront fish market. God has truly blessed me throughout this whole trip and has taught me so many valueable lessons along the way. From the mountains to the coast to the jungle ive seen God's presence and work being done here. The missionary family, the Delps, have been incredibly accommodating and helpful through all the struggles and blessings this summer. A big shoutout to them for taking me in. I think one of the biggest lessons learned was the thought of superior culture. After taking a trip to the DR a few years ago, I was frustrated with the rich American culture of comfort and excess. I idolized my perception of a poor people simply surviving day to day but joyful and generous in their situation. This was my short mission trip skewed perspective on developing and third world culture. For my first few weeks, I held dearly to this view and wanted it to be true. But as I reflect now, I find a different culture hidden beneath this mask I had created. I find myself arguing more and more as I realize every Ecuadorian is trying to rip me off and charge me significantly more. We call it "gringo tax". Its to be expected but at the heart, they are trying to take advantage of an uninformed tourist who cant speak Spanish well and are assumed to be swimming in money. Taking advantage of the weak. Ive also been dropped on a bus by a lady looking for money. She knocked my knees out while I wasn't holding a handle. Ive had hands in my pocket looking for a wallet or smartphone. People, here, often don't feel a need to help you with directions or sell you something in their store. I think ive changed my view of comfort because I think many ecuadorians are comfortable just like the US but we see it differently. We see a small house or a dirty floor or a decaying bathroom and feel bad for their living conditions. The longer I live here, I see people seeking comfort in different ways with flat screen TVs, smart phones, and expensive soccer clears instead of a more functional bathroom or a new addition to the house. The most shocking thing to me happened on the jungle trip with the Korean team. The Ecuadorians never went to devotional time with the Koreans, reflection and journaling time at night, and wouldn't even intermingle at meals with the Koreans from America. I asked them why when they refused my invitation to translate for them. Its because they didn't want to be uncomfortable. They didn't want to be in a place where they couldn't understand the language or be pushed to think deeper about the work we were doing. They never had a reflection or debrief afterwards. When I came to the room after reflection time, my roommate would just watch TV. They didn't want to be uncomfortable just like America or really anybody. This certainly doesn't apply for all ecuadorians and ive met many friends in the church who work actively in an uncomfortable environment with joy in their hearts and humble living conditions. I guess the moral I learned was to understand culture and people groups should not be thought of as superior but each one contains its own struggles, corruption, unique traditions, blessings, and loving aspects. Ecuador has been incredibly hospitable and have seen immense generoucity among people involved in the church. Strangers say hi and ask how you are doing. Everybody says "buen provecho " basically the equivalent of bon apetit when you are eating in public. Ive loved my time here and have come away with amazing memories, great friends, and a closer reliance and relationship with Christ. You know its been a powerful experience and full of everything from infections to mountain top summits when at the end, the first response is "its been wild ". That's the way I like it and how living for God really should be. Looking at the Bible, I would say "its been wild " and Jesus is a wild guy seeking the lost and going all out to do it. Thank you all for listening to me and helping me to express my feelings throughout this journey. The adventure still has one more page as tonight I will be back up in cayambe with pastor Jose helping to translate and welcome a non -Christian medical team from the rich suburbs of Chicago. Came in looking to serve and working up until the very end just how I like it. Toodles my good friends and ill be back soon to talk in person rather than through this blog. Thanks again and Chao from Ecuador

certainly a week to remember

The week started at 9 last thrusday morning atanding outside a outfitting g service in Quito. I was supposed to show up early for an appointment at 10 so I could get fitted for my gear. They showed up at 9:50 am so I guess they were only 50 minutes late so on time by Ecuadorian standards. I then got my gear in order and paid up with the manager. Hopped in a bus with our three guides and my other four companions. One was a Swiss guy who was 27 and the other three were older Germans. We drove up to the parking lot about 300 yards from the refuge. We put on our heavy gear and strapped on backpacks. The wind was unstabling with sleet coming in sheets. The 300 yards is steep and a lot longer than it seems. We made it to the refugio at 15,900 feet around 3 in the afternoon. The Swiss guy and I were going to be partners the next day for the climb and got debriefed on proper use of crampons, ice axe, and safety ropes. We got dinner at 5:30 and at this time the weather had changed to clear skies. Got to bed early around 6:30 pm with all my stuff ready to go for the next morning. The room was full of triple high bunks, full of people, and very cold. I managed to squeeze in about 2 hours of sleep until wake up time at 11:30 pm. Grabbed a quick breakfast and suited up. Walked about 20 minutes to the start of the glacier in the pitch black darkness only seeing the path by headlamp. We roped up to our guide Jose and put on our crampons. Jose led the way followed by Tobias, the Swiss guy, then me leading the caboose. We hiked like this up incredibly steep ice paths where side stepping was the only option for traction. We hiked over crevasses and wind swept ridges. We could see the distant lights of Quito indicating no clouds and good weather. The stars were brilliant and a good omen for the climb. At about 4 am, my partner got really bad altitude sickness and would have to go back in fear of worse illness past nausea. After regressing about 200 yards, I was able to join another guide because he only had one climber attached. It was the older German gentleman from our group named Peter. We went a bit slower but it looked like we would still be able to reach the summit. At this point, the cold was really starting to get to me. My nose was frozen and ice was forming on my mustache. I couldn't feel my right hand very well so I took a look and it was beginning to turn darker towards black. I called for a break and put my hand in the warmest place I could think. Ill spare the details. We then headed up an ice wall using the ice axe to climb the last 50 meters. We had hit the summit at 6:30 am just as the sun was rising. Ill never forget the views above the whispy clouds of the surrounding mountiains. The best way to describe it is to imagine looking out a plane window but instead of a small hole its a panorama with a large crater. We then descended back down with aching quads back down the mountain past sulfur fumes and cliffs we could now see. We got back to the refugio at 9 am having completed a successful summit. That day I climbed the volcano Cotopaxi which is the 3rd highest active volcano in the world and 2nd highest point in Ecuador. It stands at 19,347 feet and towers over the surrounding landscape. Truly one of the most exhausting and rewarding things ive ever done in my life. I thank God for great weather (no one had summitted the previous week), strength for the journey, lack of any altitude sickness, and the opportunity to embrace his beautiful creation in a manner only a few will ever experience. It wouldn't be a good adventure if there wasn't a little blood ay? On the way down from the refugio, I was chasing a mitten an older man had dropped that was probably worth 40 or 50 bucks. I slipped on some gravel and fell about 12 feet onto more loose gravel. I got some pretty nasty cuts on my hands and legs but nothing broken and the mitten was found! About 4 hours later, I found myself coated in dry sweat, exhausted, and sleepy at the doors of the Santiago church in Quito. I was meeting a team there to head out into the jungle for a short mission trip. The team was half ecuadorians and half Koreans from Orlando. I showered up in an old shower in the back of the church which had windows to the main hallway. This meant a lot of awkward eye contact with people from the Korean team whom I had only briefly met. This got the ball rolling and comfortability around each other off to a good start :) we then got on the school bus they had rented and headed out for a night trip to the jungle. We got in at around 2 am to a town called lumbaqui which is near the beginning of the jungle. Caught a few hours of sleep then woke up to head out to a remote village near Cabeno. This was the sight of a tragedy a few years ago where a young man from their church past away drowning in the river during a leisure swim. The church has been coming back ever since ti co Timur to work he started reaching out to these unreached people groups. We took a canoe across this river to the village on the other side. We ran a small VBS and handed out we needed clothes. We were the typical Americans giving out handouts. We were being led by a local missionary who is able to follow up with these tribes so I guess that is better than what it could be. This is not how I would do missions but hey this wasn't my trip to lead. We saw lots of bamboo houses propped up on stilts around small plots of workable land. We then headed to Puerto libre. There we had 6 baptisms and a church service with lots of Korean style prayer over the believers and new believers in this village. It was amazing and a little surreal. I really felt God putting on my heart that even though I'm a sinner and certainly not the best follower of Christ, God uses me too and I should be praying openly for these people and walk up to them and pray with them. I usually let the "better " Christians do that stuff but I realized that God uses everyone particularly the weak like me so why not just jump in all out for Him? We got 6 hours of sleep about every night and headed out to the next place in the morning. We were heading to Lago Agrio for a church service. We worahipped in the hot sun in front of someones house while chickens and ducks ran beneath our feet. This was the real church. The people here knew that church was the believers not the building. They had it right from the get go. Something about singing in the hot sun makes the pain and suffering of Jesus that we so often sing about a little more real. It was uncomfortable but that's the way it should be. Next stop after worship was a village called Charupi about 2 hours deeper into the amazon past lago agrio. This area has been unreached since missionaries pulled out in the 1980s. When we arrived, we found out we were gong to be monitored by local police to make sure nothing got ugly. We showed up to about a 100 people in a few small buildings. I felt a bit strange here more than others as they face us normal greetings in Spanish and didn't really smile or make us feel welcome. This was probably the first time these people had really got the lowdown on who Christ was. We did the normal VBS for the kids but the men wanted to have a legit futbol game. They brought their uniformed team out and had a referee out on this muddy tall grass field. We brought a bunch of Koreans who don't play, me, and our bus driver Carlos. Needless to say, we got hit hard. 4 to 1. But after the game we took pictures of us in our church clothes and the uniformed team intermingled out in the middle of nowhere. We shared Cola (nothing says good game like a sugary dehydrating beverage) and I saw hard faces beginning to smile. I think the futbol game did more than anything else we said or did to soften their hearts to God. None of them may be believers now but hopefully the seed has been planted and the team will return again next year and the missionary will stay in contact. An unreached group has now been reached and that's pretty amazing. Next day we headed to a place called Dashino. The year before the village was hostile towards the gospel and the group. They resisted any form of worship and stole from many backpacks. They only wanted the free handouts and nothing more. This year we walked in and were immediately welcomed by leaders of the community. That day children were running around laughing in VBS and people were being prayed for as they went I to the dentists chair. I worked to translate for a dentist who had cone down with the team and was doing primitive dental work for these people. He was pulling out rotten teeth and filling in huge cavities. I saw more than one tooth disintegrate as the dentist pulled it out leaving him to dig our he fragments from the bloody hole where the tooth was. It was so cool and people were starting to open io a little more in the prayer time before any procedure. It was really cool. We saw one family get baptised in the river and commit ti starting a house church for the village. We had a church service took communion with a few believers in the communiy. The Korean team couldn't believe this was the same village from before. God had truly come ti work and change lives in Dashino. I pray only more growth would come to Dashino and people would come to know the Lord and all He has in store for them. That day I are a tilapia from the river cooked in a leaf and a Japanese Korean curry over rice in the evening pretty cool I think. We then headed back to the hotel for the night. The leader of the trip had lost $500 that day in Dashino to pay for the hotel rooms. It looked like some people of Dashino really hadn't changed as it was taken from a backpack on the bus. We woke up the next morning to the desk clerk telling us that the $500 was returned that evening. This was such a relief not only for the money but for the peoples hearts in the village. That morning I headed out with the people from Santiago church to return to Quito. The team was going to stay 2 days more to visit a tribe for half a day but to also do touristy things on the way out. The road we took was riddled with mudslides and car wrecks all the way to Quito. It was a miracle we didn't hit more traffic or something worse. This area has been having unseasonably high rainfall causing really precarious conditions for driving. That ks be to God we returned safely. I found out yesterday that the team got stuck by a landslide and missed their flights back. They only made it out today after an extra 1.5 days of waiting. At least they made it out safe and are now returning home. One after thought I had tron the trip was the lack of unity from the two teams (Santiago and Korean) . Yes there is a language barrior but that shouldn't prevent anything. The Santiago team refused to participate in reflection or sharing team and instead went to bed early. They didn't eat meals together and never sat on the bus with the Koreans. They were supposed to be partner churches for Pete's sake. We had plenty of translaters to help but they weren't willing to get outside there comfort zone. It was really disappointing and embarrassing. I ended up in the middle of the two but certainly liked the attitude of the Koreans better. I even asked why they don't mix and asked if they would do it in the future. They said only the language. That is a lame reason. Ive been through into hundreds of awkward uncomfortable situations by these same people during my time here and that's why ive grown so much! It seems a little hypocritical if you ask me. Needless to say I wasn't pleased with then. My roommate for the week was really funny though. He was about 60 and really quirky. He wore heavy cotton long sleeve long pant pajamas to bed every night and was uncomfortable with the heat and humidity. I think I see the problem. He also watched really weird TV shows like ids American idol Ecuador and documentaries on Pluto late into the night. One night the electricity cut out mid shower for me so I finished up and headed to bed. He woke up a minute later delirious and stumbled to the bathroom. He sat there flipping the light switch on and off confused as ti what had happened. I told him the power went out and he responded with a puzzled look then a slight bit of anger. He thought I had purposefully cut the power and he demanded I turn it back on. I told him it wasn't me and chuckled as he grumbled during his midnight dark bathroom break. Just a funny guy that Andres. All in all, I learner a lot over this lat week about myself, God, Korean culture, the transcendence of the gospel, and just how important mission work really is. I still think to shout and scream of joy that a few new believers are now following Jesus and ill get to meet them again for eternity. Conversions are not numbers to validate the cost of a mission trip or supporting mission organizations or people. They are at the core of our calling in this world. I need to work harder, we need to work harderto spread the love of Christ. One seed planted in the name of God is worth any price. I don't think money even comes close to the importance of even one new Christian. This trip helped me learn just how awesome and joyful a new believer should be! Thanks for bearing with this long story. Be whimsical be bold be generous be kind. Stay strong my friends back home blessings

The Grand Tour

This last week, we traveled around the country viewing quite a bit. Went through town called mindo which is world renowned for its bird watching. Did some waterfall hikes and went ziplining. Saw that the women's world cup ended rather favorably for the US. Then went to atacames which is a crazy beach town with a big party scene. Its a common Ecuadorian vacation spot and not many gringos go there. We then headed down to a small surf town called Canoa. It was super chill and beautiful. Bought shawarma out of a truck which turned out to be really good. Waves are always big and beach is gorgeous. My favorite stop this week. We then headed to isla corazon and took a tour through the mangroves to see lots of the frigate birds that pass through this area. Saw Magnificant Frigatebirds and tons of others that stop by to mate. We then headed to the camp again in Santos Domingo for a night. Nice to see some familiar faces again. We then headed to Banos again. My host dad got pulled over for going 30km over the speed limit. Cop threatened to put him in jail for 3 days and impound the car and a months wages. He was strong arming looking for a bribe for himself. They then let him go for nothing because they didn't have any evidence. Slight corruption if you ask me. We hiked to a huge waterfall and was able to go underneath it. Visited puyo to go to a monkey refuge where we could pet and play with them. Also got to visit nate saints house in shell where Jim Elliot's headquarters were. Got really sick and threw up all over the hostel hallway because I couldnt get our key to work. All in all a fun trip. We traveled with a new volunteer named Jess who brought a fresh perspective and new look at issues and Ecuadorian life. I wouldn't say this was a particularly challenging week but a good way to get a nice overall view of Ecuador by travelling to all these places in a short amount of time. The police situation was eye opening for me. Joel could have simply given the guy $20 and we would have been on our way with no hassle but he did the right thing. Admitting that he was in the wrong and not giving a bribe. The frustrating thing really is that these policeman recently got a double in salary by the government and really don't need the bribes. Also because they sit around and do speed traps, a lot of the time they aren't doing anything productive like stopping worse crimes. Joel reminded me to be patient and stay firm to the truth. I think about how hard it is to stay away from these easy ways out commonly found in sin. That is something that God has certainly been pounding into my head pounding into my head throughout the trip. Following Jesus isn't the easy way through life but the most rewarding. Boy too much to talk about this week. Got sick again from some sketchy Chinese food. Classic! Thursday I go to climb Cotopaxi then immediately head for the jungle with a team from Orlando.should have plenty to talk about after that. Blessings and thanks for reading

youre in kichwa country now boy!

This week has been one of many adventures, challenging experiences, surreal images, and encounters with the radical love that only Christ envokes. My week started on Monday morning at 10 am outside a church in cayambe. We loaded up three pickups with as many clothes, food, blankets, and mattresses as they could hold. Then we took the 1.5 hour winding road through the mountains to oyacachi, a distant remote village situated right in the middle of kichwa country which is an indigenous group in ecuador. This village was recently hit last Friday by a devastating landslide which destroyed over 25 homes and ruined much of the economy in trout farms and artisan workshops. Over 100 people have no homes or work which may not sound like a lot of people but they have nowhere to turn being located in a remote village. Our trucks brought materials that these people desperately needed. People swarmed the trucks and we distributed the goods to people waiting with desperate arms in muddy streets. It was incredibly humbling to say the least. We watched as the 100 or so people lined up with half a two liter bottle or old bowl they found in anticipation of a lunch being served from giant caldrons. It was something you see on commercials or movies but this was happening right here. I got a chance to talk with some people and often times they were smiling and laughing. They were grateful for just an extra set of clothes and food for the week. They talked about the ways God was already at work to restore the village physically and spiritually. They didn't complain about what they had lost or how long they would live without a home. Taught me a lesson on optimism for sure and truly trusting God. Houses were strewn everywhere typically just a roof or a wall. Check out the facebook page for covenant world relief for some pics and also the Santiago partnership. I worked there doing these things on Tuesday and Thursday as well. Working with various other local church's near cayambe who don't have much but give generously to these people. The church dropped work dropped chores dropped life for a few days to give and work for these people. I asked myself how many people would drop everything to help out another community in the States. I would like to think some but I really don't know. It was inspiring to see these people taking their faith seriously and truly putting it as the first priority. I could certainly do more. On Wednesday I worked at the medical clinic with Kim and played futbol with some kids at the local field. Friday I went to Otavalo which is close to cayambe and well known for its expansive market. It was really cool to wonder among artisan stands and meat shops wig Anthony you could possibly image inside an animal for sale. I met some cool Swedish people who were also staying with the host family I was staying with, pastor Jose. Some other experiences throughout the week: on Tuesday, we were driving back from oyacachi and I was talking with some of the guys who were in my truck. The leader of the kichwa district and a director of the covenant church and I were talking when the car started moving right like the covenant director did many times to avoid rocks but this time we kept moving right. All of a sudden we collided with a huge rock turned parallel to the road hit another huge rock and returned back to the road. The driver had fallen asleep mid conversation and we nearly died. If we had been about 6 feet back we would have shot a gap over the cliff into the river below. The only injuries were bruises and neck pain from whiplash for the directors wife. The car had a seriously busted up radiator but was functional none the less. :he directors name is Rolando and he is a good friend of mine. Hes an amazing man and had gotten only a few hours of sleep because he was collecting materials from various churches. Im not mad at all and very thankful for God putting that rock there. Definitely said many prayers of gratitude after the experience. On Wednesday, I went down the valley behind the house of the host family with a friend. There were no trails but it was fun avoiding creeks and cows along the way. I was walking along a small ledge when the ground gave out and I slid down into a thornbush. No major injuries but bloddy legs. These are the kind of adventure I love. A little danger no agenda just exploration. It was incredibly cool and fun to hop stones in the creek through the valley. On Friday, I climbed up the nearby loma or big hill/ small mountain. I climbed with my two swedish friends and one the daughters of the host family. We climbed through farmers fields, jumped creeks, hitchhiked when we could, and climbed a few fences. Not strictly legal but whimsical! And when we reached the top, we could see across the whole valley behind leading up to a the snow covered volcano cayambe as the sun set showing brilliant shades of orange and red. A truly incredible show put on by the One who made it all. This week has been full and amazing. I cant image a more beautiful week of Gods love and people living for Christ. I saw disaster up close but the more moving piece was certainly the hope found only in Jesus. Jesus plus nothing! Thanks for reading and I apologize for kinked autocorrect. Funny moment: the pope is coming to Quito on Monday. I was talking about how 1.5 million people were coming to see him. I was discussing the traffic rules and I said la papa which means potato not el papa which is the pope. The family cracked up for a good 10 minutes before explaining my mistake. So remember when the potato comes to your hometown "there are gonna be a lot of goofy traffic rules :)

quayaquilian life

From Quito, I met up with Cheryl Clark and her husband Moises. We headed down to quayaquil for 8 hours the next day through mountain highlands to hilly forests out into coastal plains of banana trees and other fruits. The trip was long but we stopped to pick up some baby trees for their garden. And man it was really hot and humid. Definitely a step up from Santos Domingo. Their house had a flare of animal rescue sanctuary to it. They have t,, wo very talkative parrots, a cat (was stray), two dogs (one was stray), a large pool of prawns, and a large pool of tilapia. They previously had an iguanas and other animals as well. They really have a heart for helping animals out as well as people. Moises is a pastor and civil engineer. Cheryl is a full time missionary who also runs music at the church and teaches theology classes at the seminary in quayaquil. The first day, we went to the church to help with a mints or volunteer work day. So we helped repair fans and light bulbs, paint some walls, unclog a few drains, and stock up on supplies like toliet paper. It was a good time and I really enjoyed working and learning more about the city. It feels a lot like Tampa bay really except a bit more dangerous. We went to the boardwalk and all the way up to the top of the lighthouse. We also went to parquet historico which is a Guyaquil of yesteryear complete with remodeled houses and buildings as well as the local flora and fauna. A cool glimpse into the tradition of the city not easily seen in the modern areas. The next day was church day which starts early with Sunday school at 830. After Sunday school, there is a long break tip 730 in the evening when the service starts. They do this to have a cooler time for the service as more people are willing to come. The youth group is always held Saturday nightfor the same reason. I really enjoyed my time there especially talking late into the night with Cheryl about life and experiences in Ecuador. She has a lot of wisdom and was able to share some of the differences between the coast and the highlands. Little things like common phrases and when people go out to do things. Its very common for people to set up soccer goals in the street or even large swimming pools at night for the kids to play in. Everybody is out from 630 to 9 because its just too hot otherwise. They have very passionate services with loud music and such. I'm beginning to see just how different the world is but there is still only one God. The problems may be very different and contain their own nuances but its still the same solution in Jesus. Too be honest, I didn't have any spiritual breakthroughs or really hard hitting moments these last couple days. That's alright though. I shouldn't expect to be hit hard with new revelations everyday but learn to trust God that God is still present and living all out for him is not a one time deal but a habit grown over time. After quayaquil, I began a little touristy adventure back up to Quito. I left quayaquil to head for cuenca. It was probably one of the more impressive bus rides as we drove through cajas national park. Look it up. Its pretty cool. Then I arrived in cuenca to find my way ti a hostel in nearby centro historico. Made it there alright and just laid low in the hostel chatting with some of the other people on their journeys. The next day, I grabbed a bus early to head for ingapirca which is the foremost Incan ruins in Ecuador. After a two hour bus ride, went and toured the park with a guide. It was an old city with a temple for the moon and a temple for the sun. Not as big or impressive as machu picchu but still very cool. Made some friends with two other guys from Belgium. They were nice to talk to and even invited me to "do party in Quito" if I wanted to. That afternoon, I returned and wandered around old colonial cuenca visiting catherdrals and open air markets and such. Saw a lot of old church and a lot of fresh food :) the next day was off to banos which is closer to Quito. The bus ride was 7 hours long. Half of which I had to use the bathroom so not the best experience. I got off the bus at a stop in ambato and ran across the highway with all my big backpack to catch a bus to banos on the other side. From there it was about another hour tip I came to rest in banos. I found another hostel and got dinner with a git who was also in the same room. He was 29 from Switzerland and called yannick. He was traveling the world for 18 months which I thought to be amazing. He was doing this all alone as well. We was going to inherit his dads company and knew this would be his last great chance for a long adventure. He was fun to talk to and face both of us some company. This morning I was awoken by two hes cabin buddies as they arrived at 5:30 am. In the morning I began to hike up to a spot that overlooks banos. I didn't know how far it was going to be but I figured it couldn't be far. So I went for it and it was only about 3 km. So feeling good I decided to hike to casa. Del arbol which is one of the iconic plaves in banos. How hard could that be? It was another 6 km to the top. I made it fine following the road waving off taxis and such. The place was cool a big treehouse on the edge of a bluff with huge swings underneath. The swings were a blast and it feels like you are swinging over a huge cliff but its only like 20 or 30 feet. It also would be cool to see the active volcano nearby and the mountians around but sadly today has been very stormy. So no views but lots of rain. I then tried a different trail down which probably wasnt the smartest move in the rain. It was a tight gully of a trail between barbed wire fences and a creek running through the middle. I got soaked and muddy sliding down the trail. I abondened that one and took the road. Got back alright but am very tired. The trip overall was about 18 km with a good amount of vertical. Banos is super touristy and not very much fun to me. There is a ton of cool things to do like rafting biking hiking etc. But they lose a lot of Ecuadorian real life when its replaced by trinket shops and piazza parlors. I'm not a huge fan of the city. Tomorrow I head back to Quito for a week of working at the covenant church offices with the president and I get to stay with his family. Thanks for hearing my ramble. Have a great day or night depending on when you read this. Chao from ECU.

Una Siesta

Last week definitely took a toll on my energy levels. The week was filled with early mornings making breakfast and late night meetings with the other merge translators. I continued to translate for the doctor on two more occassions once more in Cayambe and once in Oyacachi to finish up the medical caravan. In cayambe, we were able to see around 250 kids ranging from checkups to malformations from birth to sores all over the body and lots of parasites. It was difficult to know this is normal for the kids and probably will continue to be a reality. It was neat to learn from such a talented doctor who really had a passion for helping people less fortunate than he. On wednesday, I went to the regular schedule of the merge team because there was no medical caravan that day. We got to help replant green onions in Izacata near Cangahua as well as share a small time with the fellow workers of the minga (a volunteer group from the community that works on projects for everyone). We then headed to Cayambe so the team could see the Delps ministry. If you get a chance, check out the Santiago Partnership online. I think they have a website and facebook page. They are doing some really cool things for kids in Cayambe and surrounding area. Thursday, I headed out with a group of men from the team to help construct a church building. We were building cement walls on the second floor along with some master masons from the cangahua area. I like to think I saw some of the stereotype workers of a mission trip. The old guy who is trying to work harder than everyone and giving advice whether or not it was needed. The calm pastor who is giving spiritual guidance and answering deep questions while mixing cement. The young woman wearing chacos and trying to translate kids songs into spanish. And of course, The guy joking around all the time to keep things light but also working his tail off because he just loves it. A small VBS was put on in the afternoon with a craft time at the end. Before I knew it, I was mobbed by 75 children looking for craft supplies as I yelled in futility "espacio, forma un linea" trying to regain order. It was nice to see kids going home with a small craft and feeling incredibly thankful for the nice gift they recieved. Friday, we headed to oyacachi to see 120 kids in this small indigenous village 1.25 hours from the nears village/town. The day was long, water and food were short, and Esther (Delp's Baby) was not enjoying the bumpy two track up the mountain. All in all, finishing the medical caravan started weeks before was incredibly rewarding. High fives and hugs went around as 80% of the kids in the communities were seen. A number very satisfactory for this type of work. Since friday, things have been much more low key. Went to a birthday party, played in the big park in Quito, got some shawarma, and got a good night sleep. I have been translating documents for the covenant church and cleaning out some really old storage facilities which may not seem like much but something that often gets pushed to the side. On thursday, I will be heading to quayaquil for a few days with some other missionaries to help them out and see their work. Im not sure exactly what the next few weeks will hold for me. I know God has got something planned and I may have heard a rumor of an opportunity to go serve in some indigenous villages in the amazon. I heard one of the more memorable and convicting sermons on Sunday. The main idea was the bad habits in our lives need to be fixed today not tomorrow, God not only wants this for you but also wants to help. This may seem like a sermon you've heard before but this is where it gets interesting. Have you ever heard a pastor call out the congregation for showing up late to church, eating too much and being a little chubby, not stewarding money well, lust, and playing too much futbol or sports? I hadn't. These are things considered to be off limits in the church but probably among the most pertinent things that need to be received in the church. Who wants to talk about weight, lust, money, or even too much sports talk? She challenged the church to dream bug, work diligently, and know that overcoming these habits is possible. The message was well recieved and there wasn't a point of controversy from the congregation. I think its time things got brutually honest in the US. After a sermon like that and living here for a month, I think I could change a lot about my life back home. If you have a free hour or two, its probably a better idea to put down the soda and remote. Ive been thinking about things i could use that time for. Why not walk door to door asking for small donations of food or medical supplies or clothes which could be given to an organization or missionary you know? I know I could pray more and why not do that while exercising. Just some thoughts I had. I keep hearing a phrase in my head "those who believe they can and those who believe they can't are both usually right." I believe I can and we can do amazing things. Thanks for putting up with my thoughts. a couple funny moments happened as well. I told one mom to put needles on the kids hands so he wont pick his nose during the night, meant to say gloves, oops. During one night in my room with the other merge translators, I started talking in my sleep pretty urgently. They didnt know english well enough to know what i was saying and thought I was trying to call out for help or something. One of the translators was always on facebook at night, so many good natured jokes came from that habit. Even got to hear a gringo impression from one of the merge workers which was quite hilarious. See ya y'all in 'bout a week from Guayaquil. Yeeeehaaaaaa partner!

A little sun, bugs, and rain never hurt anyone. Id even say they are beneficial to the character. This past week I was in Santos Domingo which is a city in between the Andes and the coast and it resembles more of the jungle than anything. I was working at the covenant camp with the family that runs the place. Its one of those places that you just sweat no matter what you are doing and the bugs will find you. At first, I was dreading the work and my time simply because I was uncomfortable. No one spoke a lick of English and there was no Internet for English stimulus. I worked the first day sanding down al of the metal suppers to the bleachers, basketball hoops, and playground equipment. The next day I was painting all of what I sanded with anticorrosive paint. The next day I painted again but with blue and red. The final day of work was sweeping out the chapel and cafeteria and the large meeting place. Then setting up lots of tables and miscellaneous stuff for the weekend campers. The camp offers services for mostly covenant churches but also organizations like AA and such. By the second day, I realized that the workers worked from 5 am to about 630 before stopping work. They worked efficiently and without complain. I would later find out that the camp is struggling for money but I never heard about. They continued each day with a smile and a passion for service in the Lords name. I never once heard anyone complain because they only got 5 hours of sleep or that they mowed three futbol fields with a push mower. They were incredible and thanked God just for the opportunity to work and be healthy. I really needed this example. By the end, I was relishing the pain and suffering I had whichwas certainly less than they had. I worked about 8 hours a day got lots of bug bites and really ticked off a nest of ants. But what changed most dramatically from day one to the end was not the work or effort. It was the attitude which made all the difference. I thought to myself, Colin you could use a little suffering your life is easy and you better do it with a smile. On the last day, I went for a run on a jungle two track for about 9 km and got back to invite the family if they wanted to swim in the river. We went and swam in the river next to the camp, me, Ruben, and some of the kids. It reminded me that althougg hard work and service for Christ is incredibly important, being present with God and the community is equally important. I also found time to climb the nearby water tower for some photos and views over the canopy. On the last night, I was walking back ti my room across camp and I flipped on my flashlight. About 3 ft in front of me was a big old tarantula. So cool! That's like the scariest spider in the world! I went to get my camera but it was gone. I think that makes the story because it ends with a bit of dangerous mystery. On friday I began the great journey back to Quito. Caught a 3 hr bus then tried to figure out the bus transfers I would need to get from the south to the north. Got some help from a police man and figured it out. May or may not have hit some people pretty hard with my hiking backpackers on the crowded city bus. Finally a taxi to get me to the last stop. It was a bit nerve racking but all together fun. Saturday I was up in cayambe again with the medical caravan. We were doing check ups and physicals for all the kids we did blood work for. I ended up doing the medical histories with my newly bettered Spanish. It was rough to say the least. Apparently a lot of people in cayambe are allergic to the cold and sun because their cheeks turn read. I actually laughed once when a mom said that for the first time. Gotta remember a sense of humor sometimes. I then explained that's how you body works and he isn't alletgic to anything. We saw about 115 kids Saturday. Sunday I joined the merge ministry team for a group headed to Cayambe to serve as construction, school, and VBS for this week. Today I helped a doctor from the group at the compassion center again for physicals. I was translating for him and helping the patients ti understand the medical procedure. I also got to here a heart murmur, very swollen tonsils, and swollen lymph nodes. The doctor was great and I loved working with him. We are staying here in Cayambe for Merge. I'm living in the tranducir dude shack. Its three translaters in one room in a hotel. The merge leaders mostly laugh and joke around with each other in rapid Spanish. I cant keep up most of the time but understand enough. One of the merge translaters thought I was the doctor and started explaining a nasal injury before the rest of us burst out laughing. I explained the doctor was outside but they still continue to call me Doctor Colin. Times are good, food is great, my weight continues to change everyday. Hope all is well on the homefront! Peace, blessings, XxxoooXxxOooXxxxxxxXXXXXOoooooXXOOOX