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