Hands and Feet in Ecuador

Switching Fields

2008-08-07T18:29:00.004-04:00

August 1^st

Quito, Ecuador

There wasn’t a lot of sleep to go around, especially when you’re trying to fit everything into two suitcases and a bookbag that you’ve needed for the past two months. Our group ate our last meal at camp around 7am before pulling out around 8am. It all seemed to rush by so quickly. Plenty of hugs and email addresses were exchanged. Last goodbyes were said. But to tell the truth, I wasn’t all that sad. Maybe it’s because I know I’ll see each person again, whether it be in the United Stated, Ecuador, or heaven.

While I wasn’t sad, there were other emotions in the mix. I had invested two months of myself in this tiny South American country, meeting as many people as I could, soaking up Spanish, and sharing with as many people possible the good news that I had found in Jesus Christ. It was more a feeling relief, relaxing in the many new memories I had to take back home with me and thinking about all the work still yet to be done.

The rest of the day flew by quickly on the bus with stops at the Pallacta hot springs and the Quito artesian market before our group ate dinner in the mall. I gulped down some Ecuadorian KFC before taking a taxi to the airport for my red-eye flight. The flight itself wasn’t terrible, with a layover in Guayaquil before proceeding to Atlanta, but I couldn’t get one bit of sleep in the upright, uncomfortable seats.

I guess my brain was still in Ecuador. Part of it will probably always be there in fact. It will always be a special place to me, a place where God called me away from the states to get me to concentrate on his work. One verse that keeps coming to mind to describe this summer is one that Brother Steve used often in his devotionals this summer. “The harvest is great, but the workers are few (Luke 10:2),” has affected me in way unknown to me when the summer started. It’s a verse of depression and one of relaxation. “The harvest is great,” is such a true statement. It will always be that way. For that reason, God calls us out of our comfort zones to glorify His name and spread the Good News all over the world. I also feel lucky and blessed that I’m one of the few workers he chose to call to Ecuador.

When you think about it, I’m only switching fields. My Master wants me to work in the blackberry thicket instead of the cornfields. Not a problem….just a change in crops and scenery.

This will be my last blog post of this summer. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about God’s work in Ecuador and I urge you to get involved in the foreign mission field, whether it be through the Thompsons in Ecuador or some other country. After all, WE are the hands and feet of Christ.

Saying Goodbye

2008-08-07T18:23:00.004-04:00

July 31st

Mundug, Ecuador

For the past few weeks, I’ve been saying goodbye to those leaving Ecuador. Some goodbyes were harder than others. Now, it was my time to start saying goodbye, to pack up my suitcase, and to prepare for another kind of culture shock. Today was my last full day at camp and my last full day in Ecuador and I was bound to enjoy every minute of it.

The morning time was spent doing construction on the new staff dorms being built by the camp’s pond. I have to say that I think I became quite the master at measuring and cutting boards with the table saw. Our construction team was able to finish the good part of several walls, drastically changing the appearance of the building from the first day that we started construction. We kept measuring, sawing, and nailing to about lunch time when we headed back to the kitchen for a mid-day break. A large part of our group wanted to go hiking after lunch to Mundug Falls with Ricardo, so at about 1:30pm we set off in two taxis to the small community twenty minutes above Patate. It was an incredible day for a hike, so much so that when I stepped outside of my dorm in the morning and took a look at the sky, I said to myself, “It’s going to be an awesome day!” From our vantage point on the hike, you could see all three of the large surrounding mountains, Chimborazo, Carihuayrazo, and Tungurahua. My Dad even decided to come along for the hike and I was glad that I got to share that new found place with him while he was here. The falls were tremendously gorgeous with the water glittering from the strong rays of sunlight beaming down on us. It made me happy, as did Ricardo, to share such a wild and hidden place with everyone in the group.

We returned from the hike around dinner time and that was followed by several women arriving to the camp for a women’s retreat that night. Before it started, we were able to worship one more time at the camp with David playing guitar and leading worship before dispersing back to our cabins to pack for the travel day tomorrow.

While I was packing my two suitcases and bookbags, I got a call from Ester (the rest of the staff arrived back from Tena that afternoon from the Jungle Camp) that the volcano was erupting. I stepped outside to see an incredible red and orange glow at the top of the volcano. At times, you could see the lava jump way into the sky and then cascade down the mountain side. It was a magnificent view and the only time this summer that I got to witness the lava flow from Tungurahua. In a way, it was like the volcano was saying goodbye too. Goodbyes are always tough, but I rest on the fact that this probably won’t be the last of my Ecuador trips and that even if I don’t have the chance to see some of these people again, I’ll get to fellowship with them in Heaven. But as they say down here in Ecuador, I’m going to have to learn more Spanish because it’s the language of heaven.

Those of Poatug

2008-07-31T01:20:00.003-04:00

July 30th

Poatug, Ecuador

Another day brought about more opportunities. Another day of opportunities to accomplish tasks at our worksites and opportunities to share Christ with others, especially in San Jorge at the Bible School and at Poatug for the Wednesday night service. My role changed today at the worksite with all of the electrical work done (or at least done for what was built). Today, I assisted with the exterior walls around the cabins, helping out our church leader, John, cut the boards and figure out measurements. Everything flowed pretty well…with the exception of a few misinterpretations of measurements on my part.

The last day of Bible school was a blessing. Over a 110 kids participated, nearly double the amount of kids we had for the first day. It was another great opportunity to share with them, especially during story time when we talked about Peter walking on water before presenting the gospel to them. With quite a few more kids today than the previous two days, juice time and organizing the kids became a bit more of an issue. However, I’m so glad that I had a chance to share with these kids and those of the community of Silvecha through my story time. I know I got through…to at least some of them…because some willing volunteers rattled off the memory verses and stories of the previous two days with no problem.

Following dinner, our church group had the pleasure of attending a Wednesday night service in Poatug, a village that we worked in for two years building a church. It’s a place very near to my heart as it was one of the first villages I ever got to visit here in Ecuador during my first trip nearly six years ago. It’s a village that’s been through a lot of change through the past few years. My first trip, we had a Bible study in someone’s basement because there was no church building. Six years later, God’s work stands for itself for others to view. Those who call themselves Christians still experience persecution in various ways, from being cut off from their family to not having as much business because of their religious beliefs, but still they come back to the tiny church on the hill to worship time and time again. Near the end of the service, lead by Angel, I got to share with the villagers in attendance for about five minutes. Something I’ll always remember is getting to say 95% of it in Spanish. What a thrill to be able to communicate your thoughts and feelings with others in another language.

With that said, I thank God that he gave me the ability to pick up the language so quickly. This summer has especially reinforced the importance of words (with actions as well). To communicate with someone is everything if you desire to strike up a conversation and have the ability to share the gospel with them. And this is my desire, to share the gospel with those of Ecuador. We are the hands and feet of the body of Christ and it’s our duty to share with others the good news of Christ, whether in English or Spanish or any other language.

Dinner at Milton’s

2008-07-31T01:00:00.002-04:00

July 29th

Artezon, Ecuador

Today started out a little rainy. The mist hit my face immediately when I stepped out of my dorm in the morning. It soon cleared though as I started construction on the staff cabin, just down the hill from the kitchen. Instead of cleaning more dormitories and rooms (which we completed yesterday), I helped wire the entire cabin. With my previous work this summer wiring rooms, wiring these rooms proved to be a breeze. I wasn’t at the only worksite though. Others went to organize the Vacation Bible School room above the coliseum while others built false walls near the stage. Overall, we seemed to accomplish quite a bit before the lunch hour rolled around.

Planning and preparation for the story of Shadrach, Mesach, and Abedengo followed lunch as did getting our crafts and games ready for the second day of Bible School in San Jorge. The weather in San Jorge was a little less abrasive today, with the beams of sunshine exposing village after village below. As could be expected, we had more kids show up to our Bible School today, highlighted by John Collison’s slide down the kid’s slide (as part of our Bible Story…the part where they get thrown into the furnace for not worshipping Nebuchanazar’s idol).

One memory that will always stick with me is of peering off the mountain with Steve and Angel after we took a few of the kids home to Silvecha. We drove Brother Angel’s truck to the highest point on the mountain, about 11,000 ft., and walked through a farmer’s freshly plowed field to view something I’ve never viewed before. It was as if we were on Everest, looking at the entire world. I had no words to express it and those that I type, really don’t do it justice. Knowing that a good part of my summer had passed by in the areas below me was an incredible thought. I could see Artezon, where I worked with M-Fuge painting walls for two weeks. I could see Ambato, where we had many a late night trip to. I could see Patate, our town and movie store on the weekend. I could see the camp and mountain we climbed so often next to it. Chimborazo was just hidden by the clouds, but loomed large in the distance. What an incredible thing to see!

Although most of the afternoon had passed by, it was certainly not the end to the day. Brother Steve’s 56^th birthday was today and celebrate we did in the kitchen. With Dr. Pepper (can’t find it here in Ecuador) and cake, we carried out the normal Ecuadorian birthday tradition of taking a bite of the cake (until it gets stuffed in your face) with most of the cake landing on Steve’s face.

Immediately afterwards, Brother Angel and I left to visit Milton Rodriquez and his family in Artezon. If you don’t remember Milton, I encourage you to look back at my blogs from about a month ago. I had promised Milton the last time that I met him that I would meet with him before I returned to the states. A man of my word, I made the arrangements to met up with him and had a great time of fellowship with him and his family. Even better, he was able to establish a connection with Pastor Angel for the future. It was such a privilege to get to encourage one of the 20 Christians in a village of more than 300 families. Seeing his hunger for the things of the Lord was an encouragement in itself to me. I only wish I could be as bold of a witness as he was.

Majestic Views

2008-07-31T00:19:00.003-04:00

July 28th

San Jorge, Ecuador

I’m not really sure how much more God can impress me, but let’s just say he did it again today. It was our first day of VBS in San Jorge, a community at about 10,500 ft. sitting way above Patate. It was also my first trip to that community (as well as a sister community named Silvecha). Our trip up in the mountain was nothing less than amazing. Between the farm animals (donkeys, pigs, oxen, chickens) near the road and the scenic view below of up to five different provinces, I wasn’t exactly sure what to look at.

But I guess I should start at the beginning of the day first. With another group coming in next week to the camp after we leave, it was necessary to straighten up a few of the rooms and coliseum from last week’s retreat for the Guayaquilian youth. Cleaning isn’t always the most exciting chore, so our church group decided to spice it up just a bit. My Mom always said when I was younger that everything didn’t have to be a competition, but apparently, when cleaning out dorms, it’s necessary. Girls against the guys and the ones with the cleanest dorm won. Not that there was really a prize, but it a competition certainly helped keep up the moral. The final decision by our judge (Pastor Angel’s wife, Lollie): the guys by a nose. I guess those ribbons on the shower curtains put us ahead.

After our morning of cleaning the camp in preparation for the next week, but ate lunch and prepared for the Bible School in San Jorge. It was then that we took that impressive drive up the side of the mountain. When we arrived, Pastor Angel and a few people from my church accompanied me in inviting kids to our “Bible Club” up at the school. The response at 3pm when we started wasn’t overwhelming, about 67 kids turned out for the first day. However, it was a great time of learning and fun for the kids (as well as for me) as I taught the story of Jonas with a little help from Roberto, my translator.

Bible School ended at about 5pm and we descended the mountain quickly thereafter. Some of the zealous young people in my church group wanted to play futbol when we returned to the camp, so we ran and ran on the soccer field until we fell over, just in time for dinner.

Once everyone ate, I got to share one of my favorite things with the group as I took some of the older men in the group up to Patate for ice cream, especially Ron Pasas (rum and raisins). What a treat! And a great way to end such a beautiful day.

Offerings

2008-07-27T23:57:00.004-04:00

July 27th

Patate, Ecuador

It seems that I’ve been writing a lot about lasts the past few days. I’m sentimental I guess. That’s what makes leaving a place so difficult for me, especially one in which I’ve grown so much as a person during the past two months. So that’s why today’s worship at First Baptist of the Valley (Patate) was so special to me. One last church service with all of my Ecuadorian brothers and sisters this summer. Pastor Angel even put me in the program to do the prayer before the offering and with it I shared a little with the people about this summer. It was my first real public speaking moment in Spanish and thankfully I didn’t have any huge mess ups with pronunciations or words…at least I hope so.

The service came to an end around 12:30pm and we loaded the bus to return to the camp, only to get stopped by the Rally car race in the mountains, going from Banos to Pelileo (through Patate). Therefore, our trip was delayed for a good hour as we watched the cars whiz through the hairpin turn from the mountain road on the way to Pelileo.

Lunch at the camp came and went quickly and we found ourselves on the road again to Banos, this time to see Pailon del Diablo (the Devil’s Cauldron), the Basket ride, and to shop and eat in downtown Banos for dinner. We were blessed with great weather in which to explore God’s creation at both places. Ending the night, we ate like Ecuadorian kings at Dusseldorf Steakhouse in Banos, thus ending our tourist day in the Andes Mountains.

Tomorrow, our group will work on the staff housing here on camp that is still being constructed and then in the afternoon travel up the mountain to do a Bible School in San Jorge for approximately 100-120 children. Daylight will bring about another opportunity for us to offer all that we are to God in the form of construction, serving others, and in loving the Ecuadorian children.

Quality Time

2008-07-27T22:58:00.001-04:00

July 26th

Quito, Ecuador

Reacquainted with my church, we woke up early at the Howard Johnson Hotel in downtown Quito to a partly cloudy, sunny sky overhead. With the knowledge that it’s my last week here in Ecuador, I’m determined to soak up everything that I can and to pack as many memories into my head as possible. Catching up with those from my church was a real blessing. I had the opportunity to share with them (as did Steve) about different things that have happened this summer. Some of the stories that I shared I went into great detail on this blog and other stories I saved for when they arrived.
I’ve known for a long time that missionaries always have interesting stories. Brother Steve has so many that I continue to hear new ones each day. I guess you can say that I’ve accumulated a few of my own this summer. With a four hour long bus ride to the camp, I had the ability to share some of those memories with the group and had some time to catch up with my Dad.
Our bus ride was curtailed by the Tour de Ecuador that comes down the Pan American highway outside of Quito, so for the second straight day we were stuck in traffic. This time though, we got out and had a chance to watch the bikers draft downhill, followed by their support vehicles. When the race finally let up, we continued into Ambato where we ate at La Fornace, a nice pizza parlor that Brother Steve usually takes church groups of this size. After an Italian lunch in the capital of the Tungurahua Province, our group got to shop in Quichapincha, the leather village on the mountain near Ambato. The shopping hour quickly passed and the bus took about an hour to reach the camp at dusk.
The camp was full this weekend with a college-age retreat for students from Guayaquil. We witnessed the craziness of the camp as we unpacked in the dorms and in the kitchen, settling in for the night with a hot meal and shower.
The different sites we see are always fun and adventurous, but today I was excited to spend some quality time with those who know me most and who have seen me grow in my faith during the past few years. Today was about catching up.

The Inevitable

2008-07-26T23:55:00.003-04:00

July 25th

Quito, Ecuador

All good things must come to an end sometime. Not that good things don’t continue to happen in other ways afterwards, but with the end of my time here in Ecuador quickly approaching, I had to face the fact that some of my best friends are returning back to the United States today. Dennis, Tyler, and Kelli, as well as the Servant Life group we had from Texas and Florida, returned to Quito today to catch their plane tonight. It was very bittersweet trip, full of talking about our most memorable moments here in Ecuador this summer and what we wanted to do when we get back to the states.

Most of the day was spent traveling to Quito. About halfway there, we got stuck on the Pan-American highway in the traffic from the Tour de Ecuador that is going on the next few days. Taking roads that were a bit out of the way, we finally got to the center of Quito and visited the El Jardin, Ecuador’s largest mall. It’s an upscale, modern, and very American mall so finding American fast food in the food court was no problem. In hindsight, McDonald’s wasn’t the best choice (at least my stomach didn’t think so), but it was a great time of fellowship with the group.

With several hours left to kill, we headed to the Artesan market in Quito to shop around for awhile. Anything Ecuadorian that you could possibly want, you could find in the market. Before heading to the airport, we made a last stop at T.G.I. Fridays’ to once again acclimate the group slowly back to American culture. From there, we went to the airport where we said our last goodbyes. It’s always hard saying goodbye, especially at airports, but goodbyes to your best friends are never really permanent. Sometimes, we have the chance to renew friendships and sometimes not. Maybe it’s the inevitability that we hate most. With that said, I couldn’t wish for a better group of young Christian men and women to hang around this summer.

I said the day was bittersweet because as I was saying goodbye to a group, my church was flying into Quito at 11pm. They arrived safe and sound and I was thrilled to see my Dad and the rest of my friends from my church. This week will be my last for a while here in Ecuador. No doubt, saying goodbye will be hard, but we can always rest in the fact that God is in complete control of our lives’ direction. For that reason, the future always seems so bright to me.

Refreshed

2008-07-26T23:50:00.002-04:00

July 24th

Patate, Ecuador

There has always been something about sleeping in the mountains that makes me feel refreshed in the morning. I guess this feeling is enhanced when you sleep for nine hours after your body is exhausted to the max. All I know is that I felt ready to go when 7am came around and I was up and about, ready to start the day. Our group from two different churches that worked with us in the jungle this week was staying at the camp today before leaving for Quito tomorrow morning and today was their sightseeing/shopping day. The two places they were going were two places that I hadn’t been able to travel to all summer long. Quichipincha, just outside of Ambato, is an incredible leather market with more leather goods than you can imagine. I’ve been able to visit there in the past with my church, but not this summer. Our second stop was a place I’d never actually been to, the artesan markets of Salasaka.

My last three trips to Quichipinhca, I had traditionally bought a leather jacket, a belt and a wallet, but this time I wanted to find something different. Helping to translate and bargain for deals in between my own shopping, I settled on a brief case that I could use for my laptop and other business needs during the school year. Happy with my purchase, we continued on to Salasaka, a traditional clothing and apparel market of the indigenous mountain people of the area. Many in our group were here for the first time, so I spent the hour there just translating and aiding people on their purchases.

I was surprised with the amount of Spanish that I was able to speak, not only in shopping, but in bargaining for different things and in getting around. Maybe I had underestimated the power of spending two months in a foreign land with a different language. After we returned to the camp, I was able to get some much needed exercise before dinner and a devotion. Tonight, Brother Steve gave an overview of the camp to our church group and shared a few stories about the mix-ups we have when learning other languages. For example, the words ‘beech’ and ‘sheets’ are quite hard words for the Ecuadorians who are learning English to pronounce. On the flip side, innocent phrases (that at least make sense in our English speaking minds) come out in ways we sometimes wish they didn’t. It’s even happened to me at times this summer and is a bit embarrassing. However, in hindsight, it’s one of the many joys though that comes with learning another language and culture.

From the Palm Trees to the Sierra

2008-07-26T23:40:00.003-04:00

July 23rd

Tena, Ecuador

Although I had already witnessed the transition from the jungle to the Andes Mountains a few times before, it never gets old. From one world and one climate into another in less than four hours.

We said our goodbyes at the jungle camp and started back to Camp Chacauco on the long bumpy road home. To add to the situation, my stomach wasn’t agreeing with me very much either as I had drank or ate something that definitely didn’t agree with my sensitive stomach. It complicated matters a bit, but thank goodness for Pepto-Bismal. The kids’ camp ended early in the morning and our group of workers from Texas and Florida headed back to the camp on the bus. Several of the other staffers and I drove the camp trucks back with our supplies and luggage.

To be very honest, as much as I had enjoyed the jungle this week, I was ready to return to my home away from home in the mountains. It may have been the fact that my body was so worn out from the camp with the kids or the fact that there was no personal space, but at any rate, I was ready to return.

We made a few stops here and there for lunch and bathroom breaks, but for the most part, it was an uneventful day. Returning to camp around dinner time gave everyone a chance to check their email and get a hot shower before calling it quits and retiring for some sleep early in the evening. Sleep and rest I needed. It was the first time I had gone to bed before 10pm during my whole time in Ecuador.

On Their Level

2008-07-26T23:33:00.001-04:00

July 22nd

Tena, Ecuador

Sometimes you just have to quit being a Gringo and start being an Ecuadorian. Or even quit being an adult for that matter, and start being a kid again. This was the overwhelming lesson that I learned today through working with the kids during my ‘basketball’ camp. I put apostrophizes around the word basketball because it was anything but a basketball camp. I tried my hardest teaching them different basketball drills and stretches in an upbeat and fun manner, but as I mentioned the day before, the kids were anything but attentive. It even got to the point where I started to get a bit frustrated.

I stood there thinking to myself for about a minute or two at the maximum of my frustration, staring out into the outstretching jungle that never seemed to end. It came to me then. I needed to stop acting like a Gringo and start getting down on their level. We had tried to play futbol on the muddy field next to the basketball courts, but the kids didn’t really want to organize themselves at all. After failing with two sports (including the one that all kids here in Ecuador always want to play), I checked my resources (note the muddy field), and fired a huge mud ball at one of the kids.

There it started, the mud fight of the century. About twenty grade school kids against Dennis and I. The fight lasted for a little more than a half hour and the kids got the upper hand at the end, stuffing mud balls down my shorts and pelting Dennis with a large mud ball in the eye. More importantly though, I was able to get their attention by being a kid again and getting down on their level.

Soaked with mud from head to toe, we only got dirtier as the day went on. In the afternoon, we had an adventure race down to the river and back with our respective teams, hurdling muddy and wet objects on the way. Before dinner time, David led a large group of staffers to a waterfall only about five minutes from camp. The trail to get to the waterfall is actually a path to a series of waterfalls, but we only had time to visit the first huge waterfall on the path. It was a steep, forty-five minute hike to our final destination, but like the many other places I’ve been too this summer, it was well worth the trip.

Today marked the last full day of camp and our time in Tena. After our final night celebration service, we headed to Porto Napo, a fifteen minute drive from camp to grab ice cream and enjoy each other’s company before a few of our staffers returned back to the states. On the dark jungle road on the way back to camp, we pulled over just to observe the sky. I’ve never been in a planetarium, but I have to say, I’ve never seen stars so bright and numerous. When we turned off our truck lights, it was almost as if we were in outer space. What a beautiful reminder of how small we are.

Queremos Jugar?

2008-07-26T23:26:00.004-04:00

July 21st

Tena, Ecuador

Waking up and feeling like your batteries are low is no fun. Especially when you know you have to facilitate and organize more than 50 kids in your group all day long. That was the way I was feeling at 6am this morning when the first alarm went off in our room. Usually, seven hours is more than enough sleep for me, but not really having recovered from the previous week (seven hours of sleep over the past two days) was starting to break me down. Awake with an hour before breakfast, I decided to run down the jungle road again for about 10 kilometers in an effort to get back into better shape. It was a much needed time where I could let my mind run wild and where I could be alone for a while.

Coming back to camp was like coming back to organized chaos. Don’t take that negatively though, because good things are certainly happening this week. However, it’s certainly a change in gears for all of us because our camp is so overcrowded and many of the children don’t come from Christian backgrounds. They’re a lot wilder than the kids from the mountains. Anyhow, camp went on as planned…or as close to it as possible. This morning, we had an excellent group in basketball for two hours, but the next group was anything but attentive. It was like pulling teeth almost just to get them to stay in a line. Finally, a little discouraged, I said, “Queremos jugar? (what do we want to play)” Of course their awesome was, ‘Futbol!’ and futbol we played for the remaining hour and fifteen minutes of the time. I even tried to help them organize a game until I got a muddy soccer ball planted on my backside.

Hot, sweaty, and tired, I sat down on a rock and watched the kids go at each other in futbol. I almost wanted to give up at that moment, but I had to remind myself why I’m here. Nothing is perfect, especially when hosting a Bible school in a foreign country, but you have to keep in mind the reason why you’re doing what you’re doing…to show these kids Christ in a personal way.

Oxygen Rich and Monkeying Around

2008-07-26T23:18:00.004-04:00

July 20th

Misahualli, Ecuador

To know that you’re in the most oxygen-rich place on earth is a good feeling, especially when you’re running. I’ve been doing my best to stay in shape during my time here in Ecuador, running and hiking quite a bit in the mountains. However, I haven’t run more than three or four miles during my time here so far. That changed this morning when I was in charge of organizing the running before breakfast crew from the states. Lucky for me, that included a cross country runner that will attend Stetson University in the fall and a few others that were experienced runners. Needless to say, I needed all the oxygen I could get in order to finish the approximately six mile run on the jungle roads.

Although deprived of oxygen, running in the jungle is such a privilege. My Grandpa often says when we go hiking that the most civilized places are those that are uncivilized. That phrase seems to become truer and truer as I continue to scout out the landscape here in Ecuador. Everything seems to function in such harmony. From the trees outstretched to reach the sun to the colony of ants carrying leaves ten times their weight in a path back to their nest. It’s better than watching the Discovery Channel or National Geographic. It’s the Amazon.

Church was a blessing this morning and Brother Jorge gave the sermon at Second Baptist Church of Tena. I was pretty impressed with the attendance, considering the size of the city. Following church, we returned back to camp to eat before continuing on with the day in Misahualli, a canoe port town. It was the same place we rented canoes the time before to raft down the Rio Napo, and this time, Tyler, Jacob, and Kelli wanted to go with me to see a few of the communities on the way. Our first stop was Chichicurumi, a Kichwa village, with monkeys and various small Ecuadorian animals that were people friendly. They also had a Kichwa museum (in a hut) to show the various weapons and cultural objects that the Kichwa people use and still use to some extent. It was better than going to the zoo. The monkeys crawled on you and wrestled around with the other animals, providing quite the entertainment. It was almost like watching a pair of brothers wrestle on the ground. We stopped at one more community before returning, Muyana, to watch how Chicha (the Kichwa drink) is made and then to drink a bowl of it.

It was a quick trip down the river, but one with plenty of memorable moments. I noticed myself starting to translate quite a bit for the others in the group, something I’ve never quite been able to do before. Learning the language in still an ongoing process and difficult at times, but being able to translate for others in a good feeling.

The kid’s camp started tonight and the camp is absolutely packed. We’re expecting close to three hundred kids here on at the camp that usually holds one hundred. God knows what He’s doing though and it’s our job to follow his direction. In Spanish, this week will be a little ‘loco,’ but at least we’ll be in the jungle to enjoy it.

More Traveling than Sleep

2008-07-26T23:14:00.005-04:00

July 19th

Tena, Ecuador

You know it’s a long day when you traveled more than you slept the night before. Such was the case for today. We arose at 7:30am, a little early after our late bedtime time the night before, and packed our clothes and Bible School supplies for the next two weeks at the jungle camp Unpes. We finally pulled out of the camp around 11am and despite my driving infraction nearly two weeks ago, I drove a majority of the way to the jungle camp in Tena.

Luckily, we had people who were a little more experienced taking these roads, so we were able to avoid some of the most troublesome roads on our way. It was still a long drive. But to see the landscape change in a matter of hours was amazing.

In the Amazon Basin before sunset, we got to tour a clean Unpes camp, different from the construction project in work when we came two weeks ago. The next church groups from the U.S. were here, from Texas and Florida respectively. We enjoyed some good time together eating dinner and walking down the trail here at camp to the Rio Napo down below before calling it a day. My first time here in the jungle was such a blast and I can’t wait to see what happens this week here in the Amazon.

La Marin

2008-07-24T11:12:00.003-04:00

July 18th

Cumbaya, Ecuador

With no group here at camp, I had a choice. Stay and catch up on sleep or explore more of the country that I’ve yet to see. It came together at the last minute, a trip to Quito with Dennis to see part of his family and to climb Pichincha from the top of the Telefarico in the center of Quito. Dennis’s parents, both Ecuadorian, were missionaries here in Quito for two years during his grade school years, so he still had plenty of family here in the country’s capital. Since then though, he’s moved to St. Louis, Missouri and now attends Union University on a soccer scholarship. His aunt and uncle, whom we were to visit, lived in the upscale suburb of Cumbaya. To get to Quito though, we had to ride in the back of Pastor Angel’s truck for three and a half hours in order to catch a bus to get to Cumbaya (Angel and his family had plenty of errands to run in Quito for the day and they didn’t mind us riding in the back….so they were our transportation for the morning). When we arrived in South Quito, we noticed right away that this wasn’t the place to stay around for long. Following Angel’s instructions, we walked a quarter mile to the bus stop in order to take a thirty minute bus to Cumbaya.

Ecuador’s bus system is something amazing in itself. In any major city here in Ecuador, you can catch a bus to just about anywhere in a matter of minutes for less than $3.00. It’s cheap, environmentally friendly, and a great way to see the country. On our walk to the bus stop, we witnessed an accident of gigantic proportions. A city bus was hit at an angle by a semi truck merging into one lane. The damage wasn’t too bad, but it certainly delayed traffic at that intersection for a while.

Our bus finally came and we got to Cumbaya same and sound. We ate lunch and I got to know the family pretty well before we took off to go to the Telefarico in central Quito. The Telefarico is simply a tram that takes you from the city level (about 8,000 ft.) to about 13,000 ft. and in view of Mt. Pichincha. Dennis and I went a little later in the afternoon unfortunately as daylight was waning, but decided to hike as far as we could with the remaining daylight. An hour and a half later, we had ascended and descended numerous rolling hills above the tree line and finally arrived at the peak of Pichincha. By then though, it was 7pm and no daylight was left. Fortunately, I had a headlight and we had an easy path (not easy to hike) to follow. We got back down to Quito by 9:30pm.

The deal we had worked out with Pastor Angel was that he would call Dennis’s cell phone when it was time to return back to Patate. Not thinking ahead though, Dennis’s phone died while we were hiking and we had no form of communication until we returned to his Aunt and Uncle’s house in Cumbaya. By the time we got in touch with Angel and his family, they were already a good hour and a half down the road. Knowing that our staff was leaving for the jungle early in the morning, it was imperative that I get back that night. With Angel gone, we really only had one choice, ride a bus to Ambato and get picked up there by one of the camp staff.

The bus station in Quito isn’t a safe place to be, even for an Ecuadorian. They’re dirty, unclean, filled with pickpockets and thieves. Roberto, who has lived in Riobamba for most of his life, got held up twice for his possessions, once at gunpoint. This place is known as La Marin. It’s a tough enough place to navigate safely in the daytime, let alone at midnight. We went from counter to counter looking for a bus going in the direction we needed. Finally, a lady at one of the counters pointed to a bus out on the curb headed for Riobamba. Then, she turned to Dennis and said that he and I should be very careful, especially since I was a gringo.

I’ve never been a real minority during my lifetime. I’ve never experienced that weird feeling that you’re different and shouldn’t be in a certain place, just because of your skin color. I felt it there though. After a lot of praying we took the bus and made it to Ambato safely at 2:30am. Luis, one of the staffers, picked us up at 3am and we headed back to Chacauco for a good night’s sleep.

It was a night I’ll never remember. I mentioned earlier this summer, that I had learned (and am still learning to trust God) in whatever the circumstances are. In such dangerous surroundings, I accomplished one of the biggest goals I had for the summer, sharing and witnessing to a complete stranger in Spanish. On the bus from Quito to Ambato, I sat next to a man in the Ecuadorian Air Force with his wife and young son. We talked about everything, from politics to the food of Salinas (his new town) and then the subject turned to religion. I shared with him my story and my motivations for coming down here to Ecuador….almost completely in Spanish. I was blown away afterwards that I had retained so much in only six weeks and was able to have that conversation with that man.

I saw so many beautiful things that day on the top of the mountain overlooking Quito. So many beautiful things riding in the back of a truck for three and a half hours. Humanity in supposedly the most dangerous place in all of Ecuador. What caught my attention most was this man’s questions. “Why do you believe that?” “What happens after life?” “What’s most important in life?” There were no defenses, only a yearn to understand what the Bible said. I’ll probably never know what came from that conversation, but if God is planting seeds here in Ecuador, then He can consider me one of His field workers. No other job is more exciting.

Catching the Catch of the Day

2008-07-24T11:03:00.002-04:00

July 17th

Mundug, Ecuador

Today, the skies were as clear as they’ve ever been for my entire stay here. When I first opened the door on my cabin this morning, I had that immediate feeling that it would be one of those kind of days. One in which the sun never disappears for more than 15 minutes behind the clouds and one that leaves you exhausted in a good way at the end of the day from the exposure to all of sun rays.

To update you on our trip planning status to Chimborazo, I decided to cancel for now. Let me explain. After further research, I found out that acclimatization is necessary to take on a mountain that high. My friend Dennis will still attempt the summit on Saturday with the help of a guide, but I personally didn’t feel like I was ready to take on that kind of altitude….yet. Equipment and a guide costs about $100 to climb and if you can’t make it to the top, it’s not their fault.

Knowing this, I spent a good hour thinking about how I wanted to spend the rest of my free time away from camp while I’m still here. We (several fellow climbing enthusiast on our staff) came up with a plan that may just work in order to get acclimated in about a week. Saturday, we hope to climb Chimborazo’s sister peak, Carihuayrazo (about 16,000 ft.) in preparation for maybe another attempt later next week after our return to Tena. Our preparation may also include a camping trip above the village of Puatug (where we’ve done mission work before) at about 12,000 ft.

As many of you probably know, I’m somewhat of a risk taker. Maybe it’s a crazy perspective, but I don’t want to sit around and wait for life to happen to me. On the same token though, while I like seeing, tasting, hearing, touching, and smelling the unbelievable sites of the world, I know my limits at the same time. For that reason, I’m holding off on Chimborazo until maybe next week or my next trip here to Ecuador.

Changing gears, the youth camp ended today around noon and there were many sleepy eyes to accompany it. Like most youth camps, the guys stayed up a little past 3am, which of course, meant not a lot of sleep for us counselors. It was such a pleasure to work with such talented and bright kids this week though. Many of them could carry on a conversation in English and were always wanting to know more of the language. Obviously, it was much different than kid’s camp last week where we constantly had to chaperone the kids. In addition, getting to listen to some of the speaker’s messages on the various topics that confront the Ecuadorian youth was refreshing and helped remind me of what the Bible says about certain things.

After camp ended, Chacauco seemed to become somewhat of a ghost town again. Alex, one of the translators here left today to take a job at a church in Tennessee (close to the Memphis area) for the next year. It’ll be here second long stay in the states and everyone here was a little sad to see her leave for such a long time. The kids went back to their respective villages and we, the staff, were left with an open afternoon.

Of course we choose to go somewhere neat and different, so we elected to go to the Mundug Waterfalls where Ricardo had taken me just the past weekend. Getting to be a tour guide sure is a lot of fun and we had a great hike to the freezing cold falls. As mentioned early, the skies were so clear that you could see for miles on end. At the altitude we were hiking at to Mundug, we could see both the tops of Chimborazo and Carihuayrazo just as clear as day. Hidden by the mountains surrounding camp, the mountains are only about twenty kilometers away linearly, but taking all the roads to get to them ends up taking about two hours. With the sun beaming down on us, we hiked through the mud on the side of the mountain with a magnificent view of the surrounding valley. On the way back, we caught two Trucha (trout) at a farm [paid for them of course] to take back to the camp to fry. Trucha are expensive (comparatively) here in Ecuador, about $3.25 for two large fish, but boy are they tasty. Roberto, our chef extraordinaire, showed me how to de-scale, gut, batter, and fry the Truchas tonight to end another day at the camp.

In the Midst of Large Surroundings

2008-07-16T21:39:00.000-04:00

July 16th

Rio Verde, Ecuador

Our last full day of the Youth Camp brought about as much scenery and excitement as one could ask for. I feel spoiled to some degree to see what I see each day. I never take for granted the beauty of the rolling Andes Mountains with their jagged faces, reminding you that the earth is an ever-changing and violent place. Today was no exception.

After the very long day yesterday with the campers, I took this morning to begin the process of getting my school affairs in order for the upcoming school year and answering a few emails before diving back into the youth camp. Today after worship, we piled on a bus and traveled to Rio Verde to visit Pailon del Diablo (Devil’s Cauldron), a gigantic waterfall fed by the hydroelectric dam in Banos. Today, it was especially violent and wet as two of the floodgates were open on the dam due to all of the recent rainfall we’ve had. It was my first trip to the waterfall this summer, but my third trip total and it was by far the wettest today. With my shorts hiked up and raingear on, I braved the mist and rain for just a minute to get a view of the water falling more than 100 feet violently onto the rocks below. And I’m not talking about a wimpy waterfall, this one packed a punch.

After the steep one kilometer back uphill, we traveled back down the road to Banos and stopped at the basket that goes over the gorge. Usually a must stop for incoming church groups, I had seen this attraction a few times, but like everything else in Ecuador, it never gets old. With the sun out today, you could see for the beautiful green scenery of the canyon for miles while on the basket.

With another adventurous day under our belts, we had dinner at the camp followed by worship and a bonfire. This week has been a productive one for our campers, a week that has stretched them to rethink about who they are. The theme of this week has been, “Dare to be different,” and the speakers have certainly challenged them to look at things differently. For example, the speaker last night talked about music and how it affects us. It was something neat to hear, even in Spanish, because a part of the talk dealt with music you couldn’t understand (because it was in another language). It might be fun to listen to, but are the lyrics uplifting and wholesome? An interesting perspective and take on the subject, especially in an Ecuadorian way.

Camp ends tomorrow, but I remain here in Ecuador for two more weeks. Tonight, I and several other staffers made a few phone calls and are attempting to plan a climb to the very top of Chimborazo or Carihuayrazo on either Thursday, Friday, or Saturday. It’s a short notice type of deal, but we have an expert guide willing to work with us so now we just have to plan a time to do the trip. Definitely a once in a lifetime deal, it’ll be an exhilarating trip to get to the top of either mountain. I really hope to climb Chimborazo as it is the tallest mountain in all of North and South America at 20,565 ft. Because of the bulge at the equator, it actually stands 2 kilometers closer to the sun than Mt. Everest. At that altitude, that would put me as the closest human being to the sun on the whole earth, an amazing thought for sure!

Our plans are still only plans though, but I share them with you because I may not be able to update my blog for the next few days. On Saturday, a large group from the camp leaves to Tena for our next week of work, hosting a vacation Bible School in the jungle. Therefore, not knowing the internet situation for the next few days, I hope that you will continue to check for updates and continuing keeping me in your prayers. More from God’s playground that is Ecuador soon.

Hiding in the Scum

2008-07-16T01:34:00.000-04:00

July 15th

Patate, Ecuador

Today was one of the fullest days I’ve had at the camp so far this summer. Our first full day of youth camp was an enjoyable and, of course, an adventurous one. The day started early with a time of devotion before the mid-morning games began. And games they were. My duty for a good part of the morning was popping out from under my pond scum camouflage to scary away teams from getting their team’s flag in the middle of the camp’s pond. I never even knew the camp had a pond until today when a couple of the guys showed me the trail that goes back to it. Thankfully, it wasn’t too scummy and no fish lived in it, so getting covered with a whole bunch of green pond foliage wasn’t too bad I guess.

We protected our fort in the middle pretty well, half startling our visitors as they came. After lunch, our entire youth camp walked down the road to go to Vino del Rio, a hosteria (think a small hotel out in the country)with an amazing water slide and plenty of fun water pools to jump into to, one of the camp’s neighbors. The water was freezing cold and the outside temperature wasn’t much better, but we all had an amazing time for the hour and a half we were there.

The evening ended with a talent show and our group, Equipo Azul (the Blue team…our names were based of the colors they gave us), performed a skit about a couple at a movie theatre. The basic plot is that the only two seats available in the theatre are at the opposite ends of this aisle. Therefore, the guy (that’s me) tried his best to share his drink, popcorn, Kleenex (for the sad parts), and so on during the movie with his girlfriend; unfortunately, while these items were being passed down the row, they were all completely used up by the time they arrived to here and she ends up leaving the theatre with the guy sitting next to her.

If it doesn’t make sense, I understand, it didn’t the first time to me. However, it went over great and we ended up tying for first place in our mini-competition tonight. Two more days of camp remain before our staff returns for the jungle for camps in the city of Tena. In addition, I only have two and a half more weeks here in Ecuador, a sad thought to know that the summer is coming to a close. But God’s work is never finished and I’m sure He’ll continue to do amazing things here in my finally few days.

Use the Ax!

2008-07-15T01:13:00.001-04:00

July 14th

Ambato, Ecuador

The youth trickled into the camp from all over today. They came from the jungle and from communities nearby. From Ambato and from Coca and everywhere in between. While they came, I got the pleasure of assisting Pastor Angels’ wife, Lollie, in Ambato as she ran her errands for the week. In fact, four of us got to assist her (Roberto, Kelli, Jacob (staying for three weeks), and I) today. We drove an hour into the city before getting to the mall to pick up several things for the camp’s snack bar before the week really began. Ambato’s Mall de Los Andes continues to amaze me every time I walk into it. It’s such a modern mall with prices comparable to the United States that it provides such a contrast to the culture and economics surrounding it.

Anyways, we had an enjoyable experience shopping at MegaMaxi before eating in the food court. It had been a good month since I’d had a hamburger, so when I saw I had the opportunity, I bought the biggest one I could find. Our next stop was the Food Market in downtown Ambato. It’s an open air market that has every vegetable and fruit imaginable as well as a good assortment of meats. What caught my eye was the meats for sure. Hanging there on the hooks was everything from a sheep’s head (with the hair still on it) to the intestines of a cow (or at least what looked like that). It about turned me into a vegetarian.

Dead chickens and slabs of pig hanging there just made look at my food in a different perspective. The most interesting thing I saw though was a woman taking an ax to a piece of pork. Lollie had bought a large slab of meat from this woman and for whatever reason, she was laying the smackdown on that piece of meat with a lumberjack’s ax. It was a sight to see…until I got hit in the leg with a small piece of flying red flesh. I’ll just leave it as one of those cultural customs that I don’t understand.

We returned in the late afternoon and I decided to go hike up the mountain with the spare time I did have left before dinner. With a path now halfway formed on the mountain from last week’s hiking expedition, I made it to the top of the mountain in a record 45 minutes. After I got to the top, I was able to see for miles, something pretty rare since the valley is usually full of clouds.

Camp got off to a good start tonight and our video that we put together last night was well received. I think this week will be another special week here at camp.

Ecuadorian Sabbath

2008-07-15T00:40:00.000-04:00

July 13th

Patate, Ecuador

The start of a new week came again here in the Andes Mountains and with it the realization that my summer here in Ecuador is passing by very quickly. A new group of fresh, ready-to-work faces came in yesterday and today we worshiped in Patate at Iglesia Bautista de Valle (Pastor Angel’s church). However, Pastor Angel was on assignment elsewhere, so we had a guest speaker come in from Ambato and deliver a message on clothing ourselves with righteousness everyday. It was a good message, but I’m afraid that my mind started to drift halfway through the service due to the translation (from Spanish to English) for our predominately Anglo-Saxon audience.

After church came the part that I like best about the Sabbath, resting and taking a day off from work. And rest I needed, especially after two straight days of hiking and mountain climbing and the work from the week before with the kid’s camp. So I rested and recuperated and even managed to sneak a workout in before dinner time.

Following dinner, we shot the first of a three videos in a series of messages for the youth camp here at Chacauco this week. Today’s message dealt with the topics of peer pressure, drinking, drugs, and one’s conscience. For some reason, they included me, the gringo, in the video as the drug dealer. Anyways, I hope it goes over well this week because we certainly put some time into producing the thing.

Each day is a real blessing here in the mountains, but there is always something about Sundays. Getting to worship with my Ecuadorian brothers and sisters in two different languages is something amazing in itself. Catching up on the week’s stories and resting helps recharge the batteries for the upcoming week. And recharging we always need, especially with a whole new group of Ecuadorian youth coming to learn about God’s plan for their lives for this week at camp.

What Men Do

2008-07-13T01:59:00.000-04:00

July 12th

Mundug, Ecuador

As I got up this morning, my thoughts were still on our climb from the day before on the side of Chimborazo. For the longest time, I’ve always wanted to climb something that made me feel really little, something that was immensely intimidating and dangerous. It’s the man instinct in me or maybe the risk taker instinct, but either way, I felt as alive as I’ve ever been yesterday. The past few years, my Grandpa has turned me into a hiker and an outdoorsman. The type that appreciates the civility of non-civilization. One that stares out the window during a Monday morning class, wishing to be in the woods and breathe what one can only breathe in the outdoors. More or less, one who looks over a map during an early morning Saturday breakfast at Cracker Barrel in search of the path less taken on some remote ridge or canyon.

That’s what I’ve become at least, and now I have the opportunity to explore some of God’s grandest creation here in Ecuador during my off days. I’m starting to think that Ecuador is something like God’s experimental lab for making landscapes. A waterfall here, a gorge there, a huge volcano over there, and an icy mountain around here.

Today I had more of the same opportunities to explore before the next church groups arrived later in the afternoon. Earlier this summer, Ricardo had told me that he wanted me to see something special while I was here in Ecuador. So we planned earlier in the week to hike to a waterfall really close to Patate on Saturday morning. Today happened to be Saturday morning, the morning we were to go hiking.

The place is really a hidden jewel here in Patate. It’s a twenty minute drive from Patate to the village of Mundug where you begin the hike to this huge waterfall. As we started down the path, one thing became apparent, we were going to get dirty. Mud covered our shoes and the lower half of our pants as we hike an hour and a half to the waterfall. Along the way, we passed a fish farm where they were raising Trucha, a very expensive and delicious fish here in Ecuador according to Ricardo. We finally arrived at the waterfall and felt the power of the water crashing into the rocks below and the intense, cold, wet breeze that accompanied it.

Making the most of our hike, I slipped on my trunks and took an ice cold shower before we started back down the mountain. Our excursion took a good part of the afternoon and after I dropped Ricardo off at the bus stop in Patate (so that he could go to work in Ambato), I was alone and hungry. I parked the truck and ate at Stars’ Asadero in downtown Patate, helping myself to a good hunk of chicken meat and some greasy fries. As I sat there, I realized that this was the first time I had been alone during my five weeks here. Part of me was a little proud because I had ordered food with no problem, knew exactly where I was, and knew how to get around. The rest of the day passed by pretty quickly. We had movie night in the coliseum, setting up the projector in one of the classrooms and falling asleep to Casino Royale.

Tomorrow, we worship in Patate before the Ecuadorian youth camp begins this week. The next week, we head to Tena, for jungle youth camps, and undoubtedly, more excitement. I feel very blessed to explore God’s creation here in Ecuador. Blessed and very small.

Closest One to the Sun

2008-07-13T01:08:00.000-04:00

July 11th

Chimborazo, Ecuador

During the first few verses of the Bible, God created the earth and everything on it. We often pass over those verses pretty quickly, assuming that we understand and comprehend them wholly. At least that was the case for me until I climbed part of the dormant volcano Chimborazo. It was our day off from work here at the camp so we decided to take a trip to Riobamba (where Roberto lives) and then continue to Chimborazo to climb from the first refuge to the second refuge. It brought to life what the Bible says in Genesis One about the creation.

It was my first time to both Riobamba and Chimborazo. We were able to meet with Roberto’s father and step-mother in Riobamba and had a lunch very typical of Ecuadorian cuisine. It seems that everywhere you go here in Ecuador, there are new foods and drinks that are very appealing. Such was the case today as I had ‘Mellon Juice’ for the first time. It’s pretty simple to make and tastes unbelievably great. You just get a cantaloupe and put it in a blender for a while. Who would have thought of that though?

After lunch, we (Roberto, Dennis, Kelli, Tyler [both from Brook Hills church and staying with us for the next three weeks], and I) set out to climb part of Chimborazo. As we drove up the side of the mountain, the air got thinner and the foliage started to disappear. Soon, we were above the tree line and all that remained were small shrubs and llamas. And lots of llamas there were. Wild llamas ran everywhere and sometimes even blocked the road for a ways. The more we drove, the more that continued to disappear. On one stretch near our destination, the landscape resembled that of Mars or of the Moon; not that I’ve been to Mars or the Moon, but I’ve never seen a landscape that consisted of rocks and nothing else for as far as you could see. We finally arrived to the first refuge and stepped outside of the truck to find ourselves in freezing cold weather. Even with three shirts and a warm jacket, I could still feel the biting cold and bitter wind against my body. With a goal of making it to the second refuge and base camp area, we started climbing.

I’ve hiked many a mountain and trail, but I’ve never felt really dizzy and winded when climbing at a slow, steady pace. 18,000 ft. will do that too you though. Immediately when we started climbing, my head felt like it was in the clouds and each step up the mountain felt like three at a running pace at a lower altitude. We hiked for thirty or forty minutes, taking breaks every five minutes before we reached the second base camp. After getting a little water and energy back into our systems, we continued to hike for about ten more minutes until the snow-pack got too deep. Truthfully, it was so tempting to continue up the mountain. However, we would need ice gear and special equipment to take on the glaciers that were before us.

At the farthest point of our hike, I looked around and took it all in. At that time, no one else was on the mountain except us and of our group, I was the farthest up the mountain. That meant that of all the six billion people on earth, I was the closest to the sun for at least a few minutes. What an amazing thought! Due to its’ geographical location at a degree south of the equator, Chimborazo is actually the closest point on the earth to the sun. It was even thought through the early 19^th century that the mountain was the tallest in the world, that is before several mountains in the Himalayas were discovered that outsized it.

Daylight started to run out and it was just getting colder, so we quickly descended the mountain. As we started to drive down, we remembered that Roberto had brought along his small stove and some tea. So we decided to pull over to the side of the road and watch the sunset as we made tea on our tiny stove in the biting cold. We continued on after warming up a little with the tea, driving through the impassable fog. I’ve driven in some tough circumstances before, but nothing like the fog in the Andes to go along with the man-sized potholes in the road. If you don’t drive carefully, you can knock your car or truck out of alignment or worse, drive off a cliff. But God protected us and we soon saw emergency lights ahead in the fog. An older couple from Ambato had a flat tire (probably from the potholes) and we decided to help them. Unfortunately, their spare tire was flat as well and we needed to drive to the nearest gas station, some 35 kilometers away in Ambato (about an hour drive in the fog). Dennis decided to stay with the older gentlemen on the side of the road while the rest of us and the older lady drove to Ambato to repair the tires.

We ended up stopping at two gas stations before we could find a tire repairman, and when we found him, we also found out that our tires were too damaged to put back on the car. So, we drove to the other side of Ambato to get a tire from the couples home and then made the 48 kilometer journey back to their car on the side of the road. It was some of the toughest and most intense driving I’ve ever done. The only thing I had to follow in the thick fog was the ditch on the right side of the road, nothing more. We were all puzzled when we failed to find them where they were supposed to be. Even after 60 kilometers, we couldn’t find their car. Thinking that we missed them, we turned around and headed back to Ambato. Our group only had two cell phones and both failed to work until we got into the outskirts of Ambato. Dennis had tried to call us five times after another passer-by lent them a tire to get to Ambato, but we had no cell service. I had driven three hours in the fog for no reason, or at least I thought.

I mentioned a while back that Christians never have an off day. That much was true in this circumstance. Through the whole ordeal, Dennis got to talk to the older gentlemen about our camp and the work we were doing. He even got to meet his family when they arrived in Ambato. Finally, when we returned to Ambato, they were kind enough to buy us a steak dinner at the only restaurant still open at 11:30pm.

A delicious end to just another adventurous day in Ecuador. Kelli, who came with the Brook Hills group last week and decided to stay two more weeks to help out, posed the question, “Is this what you do on your off days?” The answer was simple. There was only one word that summed it all up, “Yes.”

Coffee and Sleepy Eyes

2008-07-11T01:27:00.000-04:00

July 10th

Banos, Ecuador

There was a lot of coffee brewing and sleepy eyes a plenty as we began the last day of camp here at Chacauco. I almost didn’t make it out of bed on time for my basketball session this morning. After showering quickly and throwing on some basketball shorts, I arrived to the Coliseum to find everyone else running twenty minutes behind. Then I remembered, I’m on Ecuadorian time. Even so, I find each day a little harder to get up in the morning. Maybe it’s the non-stop nature of being here at the camp or maybe it’s the altitude, but whatever it is, it’s making me and everyone else on the staff really tired.

Even Ecuadorian time seems to pass quickly though after you wake up and the closing session at noon came quickly. It was a time for last pictures and goodbyes, an end to such a fun week with the kids of the area. I got to see a few kids I had met before on previous trips like Carla from Puatug and Christian from Patate. Even a few of the kids whose parents work here at the camp participated in this week’s activities. As much as I hated for camp to end, I equally couldn’t wait to catch up on some rest.

A group of five of us went to El Refugio in Banos for the Banos de Cajon (Steam Sauna in a box up to your neck) and for their healthy natural snacks and manderines. Afterwards, we ate chicken and shopped for the rest of the night in Banos. Tomorrow, I head to Riobamba with Roberto to visit his family and climb Mt. Chimborazo (from the 1^st base camp to the 2^nd base camp). We won’t be conquering the whole mountain because we don’t have the gear or the time, but if we do get to climb, I’ll have climbed one of the tallest mountains in the world.

Another week and another set of memories to go along with it. From teaching kids how to play trashcan basketball without killing each other to leading the hike up the mountain on that sunny Wednesday afternoon, there will always be a lot to look back on.

Little Kids Climbeth

2008-07-10T00:38:00.000-04:00

July 9th

Patate, Ecuador

I was looking forward to today. When we were planning the tentative schedule for this week, one of the wild ideas we had was to take all them hiking up the mountain that I so much enjoy climbing. We did it today in less than an hour and a half, an incredible feat for these kids. Instead of taking everyone in one group up the side of the mountain, we broke off into two different groups in order to give the kids an option about the difficulty of their climb. Of course I went with the group that went up the difficult way and what a time we had. We were a little short on water and breath when we finally got to the top, but it was an excursion to remember.

After the climb, everyone here at camp was pretty worn out. The basketball camp in the afternoon was a bit harder to put on with a bunch of really tired kids, but looking at this positively, at least they won’t be yelling, screaming, and pillow fighting instead of sleeping tonight.

Like so many other things this summer, putting on a basketball camp reminded me of all the times I was a camper myself, trying to learn as much and play as hard as I could. It was a thrilling experience to get to teach the stretch, fundamentals, and drills that I had learned for years growing up. I must have missed out on the uber-competitive kids yesterday because they certainly came to play basketball today. Who knew referring Trashcan Basketball could be so hard?

To wrap up the night, the camp had its’ closing ceremonies, recapping our hiking journey today on the mountain and the many things the kids had learned throughout the week. They stay here at the camp until tomorrow afternoon when they’ll return to their villages.

I’ve had a lot of questions about my lost camera the past few weeks and I wanted to let everyone know that I’m pretty sure it’s not coming back. It’s not a reflection on the culture, or on the Ecuadorian people or any of that, but it just got taken during that first week when I was sick. I never really took the time to thank my Grandfather and my Dad for buying and making the arrangements to send down a new camera about three weeks ago for me to use to continue to capture the many ways God is working here in Ecuador. With that said, thank you very much for assisting me and going out of your way to make that happen.

I also wanted to update you on our internet situation. When I left last Wednesday, Brother Steve and the internet guy from Patate were having quite the discussion about the implementation of the wireless internet here at the camp. It’s very obvious from the lack of service sometimes to there being a router outside (one that’s made to sit inside) that the work he and his internet people did was very subpar. The past two days, there has been internet at times, sometimes spotty and at very slow speeds, but internet nonetheless. With all that said, I’ll keep posting and answering emails and questions as often as possible and as often as our internet system allows.

The Plague of Flies

2008-07-10T00:28:00.001-04:00

July 8th

Patate, Ecuador

The Pharaoh in Egypt had his fair share of plagues according to the story in the Old Testament. At the camp, we had one of smaller proportions…fly sized portions. They were everywhere. In the kitchen, in the dorm, in our bathroom, outside, you just could get away from these flies. It’s Brother Steve’s opinion that they accompanied the manure the chicken farmer has on his farm, which is a reasonable theory I guess. I don’t have much of one and I’m not sure why we’re plagued by them. After all, we don’t have an Israelites hostage.

Despite spray cans of Raid! everywhere and the carnage of dead flies lying on the ground, we had a very good first full day of Kid’s Camp. Today was my first day to teach two groups the fundamentals and joys of basketball for two hours apiece. We covered a lot and played hard, but I still think they’d rather play futbol instead. Due to the heavy rains outside the night before, we moved our basketball camp into the coliseum. Without real basketball goals we used make-shift trashcans as goals and different markings on the floor for the boundary lines. There were some epic battles between the teams. Even some of the girls dominated the boys with their height advantage.

Probably the most enjoyable part of the day was teaching them the ‘Chicken Dance.’ Somehow, I ended up being the music DJ for our recreation time and I saw it important that the Ecuadorian children receive an education in fun dance party songs. Needless to say, they had a lot of fun learning our goofy songs (Cottoneye Joe, etc).

Each day seems to pass increasingly faster than the one before and I know that my time here in Ecuador is half over for this summer. What makes each new day interesting though is the unexpected; and unexpected there is here at the camp. Nothing is really the same from one day to another and that is what makes each day fun and unique. God continues to teach me lessons in His own ways and on His own timing and that’s okay with me. I’ve learned that sometimes taking things a bit slower yields more results in terms of learning and of understanding. When we slow down, we notice the things around us much more. When we slow down, we start to hear God’s voice a little more. Ecuador has certainly made me slow down (not in terms of functioning of course, but in terms of trying to pack as much into one day as possible). It’s made me reevaluate what I do, why I do it, and what worth those things that I do really have. It would be easy to draw the conclusion that the cultural differences cause one to slow down or speed up what they do during the day. Certainly, living in U.S. brings about demands that we have to face daily. Being somewhere ten minutes ahead of time, meetings all throughout the day, working long hours, and then trying to accomplish as much as we can during our free time. Don’t get me wrong, being a productive person isn’t a bad thing. I’d like to consider myself one. However, when we replace listening daily for God’s voice and direction in our lives with being productive, we’ve done ourselves harm.

And this is what I’ve concluded: Regardless of our location, it is ultimately up to us what our real priorities are. Living in a slower culture has made me realize this truth. In a month I’ll try to apply it as best I can in the chaos that is college life. For now though, I’m going to slow down.

The Tree

2008-07-09T01:19:00.000-04:00

July 7th

Patate, Ecuador

Today the children arrived for the kid’s camp that we’re hosting this Monday through Thursday. It was everything you would have expected out of a kid’s camp, kids running here and there, throwing things in the air and acting like a bunch of hooligans. But before the craziness started, I had the chance to get up on the mountain for a hike this morning with Roberto, Bailey, and Kelli (both from Brook Hills Church). Our purpose was to figure out the best way to get up the mountain in preparation for the kids’ hike on Wednesday afternoon. I’m still not exactly sure how that will work out with about 50 grade school kids, cacti, and plenty of spiders on the mountain. If everyone survives, we’ll deem it a success.

It was such a beautiful morning though. Hiking on these mountains never seems to get old, even after doing it close to 10 times now. After an adventurous start to our morning, I went to Patate with Ester in order to get on the internet (our internet is in really bad shape because of the way they installed it). Catching up on all the emails and blogging filled a good part of my morning before our descent back down to the camp. When we arrived, many of the kids were already here unpacking their bags for the week. A majority of the afternoon was spent just having fun during recreation time with the kids. Tonight was our big skit that I had one line in and dressed up like a tree for. Lots of makeup and a tree costume later, our skit went as planned until the musical part when our sound equipment failed us. It was embarrassing end to what was such a well-planned and rehearsed skit. So much so, that we decided to perform it again for the kids so that they could see the under lying message in full.

One of the highlights of the day was seeing Ovidio back at the camp. He was only visiting for today, but he stayed and helped out with recreation time and caught up with everyone here at camp. For those of you that don’t know Ovidio, he worked here at the camp for several years before deciding to move onto other things. Currently, he works as a tour guide in Banos for foreign groups and really enjoys his work there, but is certainly missed here at camp.

For now though, I’m going to try and quite the rascals staying in the dorm next to us so that we can get some much needed rest.

Exhaustion / Planning

2008-07-07T11:04:00.000-04:00

July 6th

Patate, Ecuador

With our return from the jungle came a bit of exhaustion just from the long, bumpy drive, the long hikes, and the lack of sleep while in Tena. As mentioned before, our staff decided to skip our climbing trip to Carihuayrazo this weekend so that we could better plan for the upcoming kid´s camp at Chacauco, Monday through Thursday. We´re expecting 40 to 50 kids to stay at the camp in our dormitories this week. A large part of what I´ll be doing is teaching them basketball fundamentals and skills as well as helping to organize other recreation activities. One of the activities I´m especially looking forward to is organizing a hike up the side of the mountain we climb. With 40 to 50 kids, that should be especially fun and entertaining.
Church this morning was fantastic. We went to Iglesia Bautista de Valle to hear Pastor Angel preach and had a great time worshipping with the new group that came in from Brook Hills Church in Birmingham. Unfortunately, I think the exhaustion from the jungle trip took a toll on my body and I had to exit halfway through the service to recover a bit. No worries though, I feel much better now and am monitoring my body a lot more closely. After church, we spent a lot of time continuing to refine our skit for the kids and plan for the different activities the kids will be a part of this upcoming week.
Following dinner, we got a surprising call from one of the camp staff, alerting us that Pastor Angel had been detained by the police and didn´t have his license on him; this came just three days after my run in with the Ecuadorian police (see my post for July 2nd – July 4th). Thankfully though, Pastor Angel somehow got out of a ticket because his wife was there with him to back up his story about leaving his license at home. It was a little weird though that two people on staff were stopped by the police in the past week.
Anyhow, I’m looking forward to what this upcoming week will bring. I’m sure I will, as will our staff, have a blast with the kids coming in from all over the area

Celebrating the Fifth of July

2008-07-07T10:26:00.001-04:00

July 5th

Patate, Ecuador

As Un-American as this sounds, we celebrated the fourth of July on the fifth of July. It just worked out that way where everyone came back to the camp today to welcome the next group here at Chacauco from Brook Hills Church in Birmingham, Alabama. Another group had visited a few weeks ago to help put on a camp and this group aims to do much the same. About forty kids are expected to attend the kid’s camp here at Camp Chacauco this Monday through Thursday.
Today was a day of rest and recovery. After sleeping in for much of the morning, we made final preparations for the group coming in and practiced a skit that our staff will perform for the children. I’m a tree…at least in the skit and I have one line, “Esta es un estoria de verdad! (This is a true story!)” Yes I know, it’s only one line, but hey, I’m looking forward to getting a Grammy for my performance this coming week. After practicing, hauling luggage, and helping the new people get oriented, we lit some fireworks that Pastor Angel had bought earlier in the day. I’m sure the neighbors thought something was a little weird when the brilliant colors flashed across the Andean sky, but hey, it’s the fifth of July and we were going to celebrate our country’s independence, even if it was a day late.

Another new set of fresh, willing faces looking to make an impact here in Ecuador, that’s what makes this job so cool. Meeting new people every week and seeing there eagerness to work here is in itself a great blessing. Thank goodness for the fourth of July and for that fact the fifth as well. The Independence we have enables us to easily do this mission work. Spending this holiday in a foreign land makes you appreciate that much more the blessings we do have to live in America.

Almost Thirty Hard Days and a Most Extraordinary Adventure

2008-07-07T10:13:00.000-04:00

July 2nd – July 4th

Tena, Ecuador

To say that the past three days were incredible and packed with adventure after adventure would be putting it mildly. In fact, they were probably the wildest, manliest, most extraordinary three days of my young life. Bungee jumping, off-road driving, canoeing down the Rio Napo, hiking in the Amazon jungle, meeting the Kichwa people, celebrating Ecuador’s biggest soccer victory ever, climbing around with monkeys, and enjoying the Amazonian sunsets made it an incredible trip and one that I’ll never forget.
Our trip started out Wednesday afternoon after Vacation Bible School. Brother Steve decided to send Dennis, Randy Burrows, and I out into the jungle for three days to get a feel for the culture and environment as well as the mission work already being done out in some of the remote villages. Fifteen minutes down the road from the camp (Tena, our destination, was a good three and a half hours away), Randy asked Dennis and I if we had our passports. Unfortunately, we had forgotten those items back at the camp (in fact, my passport hadn’t left my bookbag since the day I got here). We decided that it’d be a good idea to them though, just in case of an emergency. So we set off back down the road, a little later than expected, but still with plenty of time. After passing Banos, we stopped at a bridge to bungee jump. It was my second time, but Dennis’s first….and boy what an experience. After ten long minutes of leg shaking and screaming, he finally made his first jump into the oblivion below. Randy probably made the best decision in our group and opted just to watch.
After our bungee jumping experience, we hopped back into the truck and took off. I was driving and we were passing through the tunnels cut through the mountains when a small, slow moving truck appeared in front of us. Understand that really anything goes when driving in Ecuador. Lines are just suggestions painted on the road. If you can move faster than somebody, then that’s what you’re supposed to do. After checking for traffic ahead and with the advice of our backseat driver, Randy, we passed the small truck and came out at the end of the tunnel before slowing down.
The hand of a police officer made me bring the truck to a halt. He asked for my license and I willingly gave it to him. While he walked back to his station to talk with a fellow officer, I asked aloud if I had broken any laws or if this was just a routine check. It soon became apparent that it wasn’t just any routine check. The officer returned, told me to get out of the truck and escorted me into the station. It was there where he read me my rights and told me that the penalty for passing another vehicle in a tunnel was 30 days in jail. THIRTY DAYS in an Ecuadorian jail! I took a quick glance down at my watch and realized I had exactly thirty days left in the country before I was supposed to fly back. But I remained calm and cool, trusting that the Lord knew what he was doing here. If my ministry was supposed to be in the jail this summer, then by golly, that’s where I was going.
Meanwhile, Dennis and Randy were now talking with another officer as he put my info into the computer, trying to explain the situation. Things continued to get heated, especially when Dennis said to one of the officers, “Este is Ecuador (This is Ecuador….meaning that everyone drives like that and why should they send me away on that offense)!” After that, the officers wanted to see his passport (thank goodness we had the foresight to return for passports) and he was taken outside to continue speaking with one of the officers. I stood next to Randy and one of the officers, looking off into the distance at the beautiful mountains God had created in this small town of Rio Verde. Standing there in silence, I decided that this could be an opportunity.
Understand that the police here in Ecuador usually often arrest and pull over people (especially gringos) in hope of getting paid off so that that person can get off the hook. I wasn’t carrying much money in my wallet, so I was counting on God more or less. I started conversing with the officer in Spanish, talking about everything to what I was doing in the country and where we were going to the town we were in. Meanwhile, Dennis spoke with the other officer about his daughter getting a visa to come to the U.S. to study. These officers were in search of connections more than anything. Getting a visa here in Ecuador is extremely hard, unless you know English. That’s the door that was placed before us in terms of getting to share about Camp Chacauco and our work as missionaries this summer. Intrigued, we stood by the roadside for half an hour discussing English, the camp, our work, and this officer’s daughter. At the end of the conversation, he gave me a stern warning not to pass on bridges or tunnels, or I would do time in an Ecuadorian jail.
How God works. The rest of our trip was bumpy, as much of the road to Tena was unpaved. When I say bumpy, I mean Ecuadorian bumpy. Hitting your head on top of the roof bumpy. We managed to get to Tena though and meet with Pastor Jorge Rodriguez, the father of one of our full-time staffers, David. After getting directions to the camp, we stopped at a restaurant in downtown Tena for food and for a game. Actually, it was the biggest game in Ecuador’s history. It was the first time one of their professional teams had made it to the Latin American Cup (the final match between the top two professional teams in all of Latin America). Sporting our Liga (LDU-Quito) jerseys, we rooted hard for the Ecuadorian team as they took on Fluminese, a pro team out of Brazil. It was the most exciting game I had ever witnessed, won at the end on penalty kicks after an overtime period. The streets of Tena were eerily quiet during the game, but broke out in pandemonium afterwards, with people dancing and honking horns in the rain. It was the first time I had really witnessed the passion these people have for futbol. And passion Ecuador has.
We spent the night in the jungle camp, Unpes, just off the Rio Napo. The camp is a good fifteen minutes from Tena and I had never seen a place get so dark. You could even see your hand in front of you without a light, yet you could hear the animals, bugs, and birds of the jungle. We settled in to get a good night’s sleep for the coming days ahead.
The next morning came quickly. I arose to find myself surrounded by the lush, beautiful landscape of Amazon jungle. You could smell, see, and hear that you were in the middle of a jungle. What an incredible view! With Pastor Jorge, we set off to Misahualli to rent a canoe to travel down the river to visit several of the outpost communities. About forty-five minutes down the river, we made or first stop at Kachiwanusca. Hiking on the jungle trails wasn’t easy, even in good hiking shoes. I sunk down in the mud with every step, passing the amazing jungle houses built out of bamboo on the way into town. In some ways, their towns seemed to be much like the mountains communities we visit, just with a change in landscape. After meeting with the pastor in that town and with some school children, we continued on to our next stop. The next community had an abundance of critters, especially monkeys and anteaters. One of the monkeys got a little attached, literally. Lucas hung on my head and arm before I had force him back on a tree in order to leave.
We returned to town before we drove to Jumandy to go caving to finish the day. When they go caving here in Ecuador, they go caving. The first hundred feet into the cave, we had to swim and climb up a waterfall before continuing in the muddy cavern. It was an unbelievable how nature had formed the cave that extended for quite a ways underneath the earth. After about an hour, we reached the place where the bats nested before coming out at night. Every inch of me was muddy or soaked with water, but what an experience!
We retired back at Unpes, a camp still very much under construction, for the night. The three of us decided that we wanted to go a lot farther into the jungle the next day…two hours going downstream, making a three and a half hour trek upstream on the way back. Setting off early in the morning, we got quite a ways downstream before stopping off at a group of villages. Surprisingly, we encountered other missionaries or medical teams, working with the people in some of the communities. It was good to know that we weren’t the only ones wishing to make an impact out in the remote parts of the jungle. About a hour and a half downstream we stopped in Santa Rosa to meet with the pastor of that community’s church. His family warmly welcomed us into their home and gave us food and drink when we sat down. It’s part of the Kichwa culture to serve guest this drink called Chicha and this Yuca soup. When I took gulp of the Chicha, I noticed immediately that it was a few days fermented….that’s how they prepare it. Looking over at Dennis and Randy, we just started laughing. Drinking in the preacher’s house, who would have thought of that.
It was a miracle that we didn’t get sick from the various jungle foods and drinks we ate that day because we ate and drank a lot. The last two stops on our trip were in Los Rios (two hours by boat) and a Swiss hostel (built for tourist, but an extremely nice place on the river). Driving back was a long trip on the bumpy roads late at night. For some reason, Randy convinced Dennis to stop at the police station we were stopped at on the way back. At one o’clock in the morning, we visited with the same police officer that wanted to get connections for his daughter. Willingly, we gave our email addresses so that she could practice her English before getting a few snapshots with the cops. In espanol, it was ‘Muy Extrano’ (very weird), to stop at that same station, but in the end, all of us realized that they were good policemen, not in search of money, but rather ways to improve things for their country and their families. We reached camp safe and sound in the wee hours of the morning, thankful for a safe trip.
It was a beautiful time, one that I’ll never forget. I’m thankful that God allowed me to see what I saw in the jungle and so much more. There’s so much more I could write about, but I’ll wait to tell you more stories in the future. I’m just thankful that I’m not spending the night in an Ecuadorian jail.

Slippery Slides

2008-07-01T23:38:00.000-04:00

July 1st

Patate, Ecuador

The rain came down on Patate as our group of ten from Texas and Oregon traveled to the center of the city to put on the second day of our Bible School. It was a fruitful day, the kids really soaked up the memory verse from yesterday and repeated the story about Jonah almost perfectly before learning about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego today. Lucky me, I was Abednego in our mini-drama and part of my acting involved sliding down a twenty-foot high slide into our makeshift furnace (a huge piece of paper that looked like a fire, held up by several poles). I did mention that it rained quite a bit that morning, and not wanting to wet the entire backside of my jeans, I decided to slide down on my feet covered with my rubber soled Merrells. Not a good move in hindsight.

I started slowly, but quickly picked up velocity until I was out of control on this huge slide. The end result: Abednego took out the makeshift furnace at the bottom of the slide, our storyteller wasn’t exactly sure what to say, and all of the kids watching our lesson were rolling with laughter on the ground. So I learned today, slippery slides + rubber soled shoes = not a good combination.

The rest of the day was very productive back at the camp. We continued to build shelves and wire several rooms in the top floor of the camp’s coliseum. The highlight of my afternoon was standing on scaffolding three stories high working with long strands of wire. A little nerve racking, but fun at the same time. I was also able to get a good workout in around dinner tonight. Playing basketball against the Ecuadorians can make anyone feel like Shaquille O’Neal in a hurry.

The coming days will be a physical test on my body though. I won’t be able to write until Friday at the earliest as I leave tomorrow for the jungle tomorrow afternoon. Our itinerary takes us to the city of Tena tomorrow night before canoeing and hiking for several hours to see several communities deep in the Amazon. After talking to Brother Steve about it today, he said it’ll be like ‘going back to the 11^th century with people living in huts and not wearing much clothing at all.’ It’ll be my first trip to the Amazon and I hope to capture the beauty of the wildlife and the people who call the jungle their home during my three day stay. Most likely, I’ll return to Patate and to the camp Friday in time to rent gear for a climbing expedition Saturday and Sunday. Those two days, a few of our staff members will join me as we climb Carihuayrazo, a 5,020 meter (16,470 ft.) mountain here in the Tungurahua province. It’s the 9^th tallest peak here in Ecuador and just 9 meters shorter than our neighbor, Mt. Tungurahua. I can’t wait to experience the next few days, it’ll definitely be a trip to remember.

Wiring

2008-06-30T22:41:00.000-04:00

June 30th

Patate, Ecuador

The bright sunshine crept over the ridges of the Andes Mountains to bring about another day. It was our first day of Bible School in downtown Patate, where we hosted around 60 kids. What a change from last week when we had nearly 100 kids on our hands and I was in charge of making sure things ran smoothly at our site. It was different today, with the entire camp staff and Brother Steve in charge of everything. In fact, it through me for a loop trying to figure out exactly where I was needed since we had so many helpers at the site. Bible School ran flawlessly though and I learned a few things from Steve and the others to make the transitions in Bible School go more fluidly.

Afterwards, we returned from Patate to work in the Coliseo (Coliseum) at the camp, finishing out several of the upper rooms on the second floor. A big part of my work today was learning how to wire a room, and wire I did. A little frustrating at first, but I soon grasped the concept of wiring those little boxes, and attaching covers to them.

At dinner tonight, we talked about a wiring of a different kind, of human wiring. Part of being in another country is learning their culture, customs, language, and jokes. Each culture has its’ own slang, metaphors, and phrases that don’t exactly translate into other cultures. For example, Brother Steve talked about the difference between pescadoes and pecados (fish and sins). One time early in his time here in Ecuador, he got those two words mixed up and ended up giving a sermon about how we have these ‘large fishes’ in our lives and how we need to get rid of our ‘fish habits.’ Countless other stories followed describing hilarious mix-ups and getting lost in the translation of the two languages.

It’s all about our wiring. A room doesn’t light up without proper wiring and our life can’t be a light without proper wiring as well. Sometimes we have to adjust our wiring to fit situations, such as being in another culture, but if we have the right hardware and know the Electrician, then adjustments are that much easier.

Never Too Old

2008-06-30T00:50:00.000-04:00

June 29th

Banos, Ecuador

This morning started out with our new church group from West Texas and Oregon attending Iglesia Bautista de Valle (what was once known as the First Baptist Church of Patate) in the heart of downtown Patate. The name change came about because many members of the church were from surrounding communities and the church does actually sit in a valley, so why not be more inclusive and change the name from Patate to Valley? Anyways, it was a great opportunity to worship in Spanish with many of the people that work here at the camp and the community of Patate. It was also the first time since I’ve been down here that I got to see Pastor Angel preach a sermon.

After the service, we all headed up to Costa Restaurante just up the road from the church for an awesome lunch. It was there that I really got to know one of the members of the new group that came down. His name is Bob and this is his first time in Ecuador. He’s eighty four years-old. No that wasn’t a typo, he’s eighty four years-old and decided to come to Ecuador with a few members of his church out of Odessa, Texas. He was stationed in the Pacific during World War II and then worked for a Texas oil company afterwards, spending sixteen years living in Venezuela during the 1950’s and 60’s. What took me back was his youthfulness and almost fluent Spanish. Needless to say, I spent a good part of lunch talking to him about his experiences in South America and in the Pacific and his motivation for coming to Ecuador. Talk about someone willing to leave the comforts of home for a third-world country at such an old age. His perspective was refreshing though, one that was uninhibited by reasons why he couldn’t come. And he certainly could have had his reasons, but it was very encouraging to someone obey God’s calling to serve in Ecuador….even if it’s just for a week.

The afternoons pass quickly here in the mountains, this one especially fast. Dennis, David, Adriana, and I decided we wanted to go hang gliding or parachuting on top of the mountain overlooking Patate, but the rainy conditions made the roads nearly impassable and a big, muddy mess. So, we turned around and headed for Patate where we relaxed in the warm springs, heated by the geothermal waters at the base of the volcano Tungurahua. It was a fun way to end the day and a relaxing end to a great weekend.

Tomorrow, we head to a school just outside of Patate to do a Vacation Bible School in the morning before coming back to work in the coliseum after lunch. This week will be different, numerically speaking. It will be a stark change here at the camp, from 190 to 15 people. But this change will hopefully allow me to get to know those in this group much more than I was able to get to know some of the people I met during the two crazy weeks of M-Fuge. Another workweek starts tomorrow and with it more opportunities.

I Don’t Believe in Coincidence

2008-06-29T01:58:00.000-04:00

June 28th

Patate, Ecuador

Today was fairly uneventful….for the most part at least. But I say that looking at the Andes Mountains surrounding the camp and the Southern Cross star formation in the sky. No day is really uneventful anyway. I did get to catch up on lots of sleep today, the first day I’ve been able to sleep in during my three weeks here in Ecuador. The weather has turned a bit cold, hovering around 12˚ C or about 50-55˚ F. It was a good day to stay inside and catch up on my writing and laundry (which there was lots of it to do).

I did, however, decide to venture out in the late afternoon to climb the mountain next to the camp across the river. It was getting a little late, around 6pm, and the sun sets rapidly here in the Andes, so I knew it would have to be a quick climb. With my gear and a headlamp, I set off alone for a peaceful climb to the top. On my way to the base of the mountain, I heard a truck coming behind me. It struck me as a little strange considering that there are maybe two houses on the road I was traveling and the truck had the markings of a taxi. Being a gringo, I waved at the two men in the truck as they pulled in someone’s driveway. I continued to walk until I heard the truck again, this time going in reverse on the dusty road. A little confused, I stopped walking until the taxi pulled up next to me.

To my disbelief, it was Milton Rodriquez, the very same man I had met in Artezon just a few days earlier. The first time we met, he was one of the many villagers digging a ditch for the new water system to be placed along the main road to the town. It was a meeting I’ll always remember as he told me that he was one of twenty Christians in the village of three hundred families. He admired the work we were doing with the kids at the school and our paintings and murals of the past two weeks. I prayed with him for the village and for encouragement to the handful of other Christians in the village. Needless to say, I was a little taken back to see him again. We were a good 15 minutes away from Artezon and in the middle of nowhere.

He greeted me warmly and was extremely happy to see me. He introduced me to his friend that had just become a Christian and a look of shock and dismay seemed to stay on his face for our entire visit. Milton got out of the truck and hustled me over to the man on the other side in order to pray for him and his family. Afterwards, I pointed towards the hill where the camp stood and told him that’s where I worked and would live for the summer. A few minutes later in our conversation, Milton invited to go to his house sometime and told me that he wanted to visit the camp and see what God was doing in the valley. We had a problem though, no pen or paper and I needed his cell phone number in order to contact him. So he pulled off a thick leaf from an aloe plant on the side of the road and engraved his nine digits into it. It was very apparent that he was a man who wanted to continue to learn about God and be a witness to his village.

After parting ways and promising to meet up again, I walked down the dusty road to the base of the mountain with my aloe leaf in hand, thinking about how God uses us to encourage one another in our walks with Him. I don’t know my complete purpose for being here this summer, but if it’s just to encourage Milton and the other believers in Artezon, then I’m okay with that. If God wants me to be half way around the world to encourage the growth of His church, then so be it.

Rest and Relaxation

2008-06-28T15:24:00.000-04:00

June 27th

Banos, Ecuador

With the camp cleared out for the weekend and many of the translators and staff members returning home, it was time for a some much needed rest and relaxation. The next group doesn’t come in until Saturday night, so those of us still at the camp had a free day and a half to go have some fun. Today, I caught up on some much needed rest before setting out to Banos and Shell for some sightseeing and fun with Ester, Monica, and David (two camp staff and one Argentinean translator). Our first stop was El Refugio, a spa resort just outside of Banos, for some relaxation. I’ve never been to one of these spa places, much less an Ecuadorian spa, but it was relaxing….and a little different. Apparently, the attraction to this place was the Banos de Cajon, the really hot steam bath in a box. You go back and forth from this sauna up to your neck and freezing bath water to improve circulation. It certainly worked because I was feeling much more energized when I left.

The next stop on our journey was a bridge just outside Banos. The town is just really one big tourist city, especially for Europeans, so it was no surprise that they offered bungee jumping off of the bridge. There’s always a first time for everything, so I decided to put aside my fears and jump (with gear and a rope connecting me to bridge of course). It was an absolute thrill, jumping more than 100 feet into the most beautiful scenery I’d ever seen. A raging river below, forming the valley between two large peaks was what I saw as I rapidly approached the ground. Right when you thought you’d free fall into the ground, the rope and harness lifted you away, swinging back and forth below the bridge until the guides helped you land. It was breathtaking, amazing, and the adrenaline shot of a lifetime!

By then, it was mid-afternoon and David especially wanted to go to Shell, Ecuador, the site of Nate Saint’s house that I had the pleasure to visit about two weeks ago. It was a rainy drive and a fun tour. There wasn’t too much to see at the house that now stands in disrepair. However, it was cool to see the kitchen where that famous 1956 Life Magazine photo was taken of the missionaries’ wives sitting around the table. It was especially neat after reading so much about those missionaries and the work they did, and then actually getting to visit the place where the operated from. Unfortunately, it took a while to leave as our truck got stuck in the deep mud from the rain all day long. Fortunately though, an airport was right across the street and we were able to get someone to tow us out of the mess we were in.

Our last stop of the day was in Banos for dinner and a trip to the supermarket. Steak, eggs, avocado and a salad put me back a hefty $3.50 at the restaurant we ate at. A good meal inside out of the chilly weather was a great way to end such a fun day. Returning to camp was a bit lonely though. It’s like an abandoned mine town for now, with just five or six people around the huge camp (in comparison to the approximately 230 on camp the last two weeks). With the peace and quiet comes rest and relaxation before the next group, exactly what I need after a tiring two weeks.

Hard to Leave

2008-06-28T14:23:00.000-04:00

June 26th

Artezon, Ecuador

It’s always tough to leave somewhere where you’ve put so much of yourself into. That was the case today, our last day in Artezon. I’ve spent the last two weeks with more than twenty students and adults, willing to give of their time and resources to make this small, mountain community close to the camp a better place. Today we left with our paint supplies, empty juice tank, and a willingness to still work in this community.

Mission work is like an addiction. Once you start, you don’t want to stop. You’re always reminded of that craving to go back and finish the work you started and to reconnect with the kids you spent time with. You’re always reminded of the smiles and waves of the people and children in the village. You remember the names of certain kids that you connected with during the week. I know that I’ll miss the time I’ll get to spend with Danny, Lenny, Diego, Esteban, and the rest of the crew.

While I certainly already miss the kids in Artezon, I know that God is working in that community on His own time and that He needs me elsewhere. For that reason, I never get tired of doing mission work. There is always some exciting place elsewhere that needs the hands and feet of God to work at. Good memories remind us of the fun times, the Spanish-English conversations, the craziness of working with foreign kids for an hour and a half, and the hard work out in the sun. And maybe that’s why it’s so hard to leave sometimes, because we’re afraid of leaving our memories behind.

Looking back though, the past two weeks have been a huge blessing. I was blessed to work with extremely hard student and adult workers and people who came to leave their footprint on an Ecuadorian village. For those of you reading that have just returned to the states, I hope that you tell as many people as possible about your experiences, the children you met, and difference you made at the school. For those who have yet to go on a foreign mission trip but feel God knocking on that door, I hope this encourages you to step out of the box of what you know as comfortable and make a difference half way around the world. Finally, for those of you who feel no calling to the foreign mission field, I hope this encourages you to create and nurture those relationships you have (or can have) immediately around you.

The mission field is everywhere around you, not just in Ecuador. Make the most of each day so that when all is said and done, you don’t want to leave what was once so uncomfortable to you.

Hermanos

2008-06-26T09:56:00.000-04:00

June 25th

Artezon, Ecuador

With our seventh day in Artezon, blessings were abundant from God. I had often wondered if anyone really noticed what we were doing in the small community the past few days. After all, the road going through the village and by the school isn’t the most traveled road. If you Google Artezon, Ecuador, you’re not probably going to find much. But today, God put to rest some of those doubting thoughts.

On our way up to the village (which part of it is featured in the video below of me driving up one of the more treacherous parts), we saw the entire village out on the side of the road digging a ditch. The city of Artezon had just received new water pipes from the government, but it’s up to the village to dig the ditch and install them. So on our trek to the schoolhouse, we waved and said, “Buenos dias” to about two hundred people. If one didn’t know what we were doing in their town, they soon knew because eleven gringos don’t just visit Ecuadorian villages for nothing. On my way back down the mountain to pick up the kids from Gamboa, a man stopped me in the road and wanted to talk. After conversing about five minutes, I learned that he was a Christian too and lived in Artezon. His kind words about our work took me a little off guard because this village was almost all Catholic. In fact, several years ago, Brother Steve, the full-time missionary here, had a near death experience here with a crowd of drunk village leaders who carried him to his truck and told him to never come back or they’d kill him. However, God works in His own way and in His own time and this year, the village leaders of Artezon and Gamboa asked Steve to hold Bible Schools and worksites in their communities. What a reversal in attitude in just a year or two.

Following the conversation, I drove off and returned with the kids. Vacation Bible School ran extremely smoothly today as the kids really enjoyed playing with the parachute that we brought. Our group continued to paint around the school and on its walls until we were ready to go back down to the camp for supper time. It was then that I saw this man again. With a red sweatshirt and baseball cap, he introduced himself as Milton Rodriguez. He wanted to see what we had painted and went out of his way to walk up the side of a mountain just to meet us. His story was incredible. He’s one of about twenty Christians in Artezon (there are about three hundred families in the community) and attends church in Pelileo. He said life is tough, but God blesses him and brought about the beautiful day we enjoyed today. He became a Christian about seven years ago, but commented that finding other believers has been a little tough. More than anything though, you couldn’t miss the life in this man. You could tell that he was different, set apart from the other villagers. The joy in his expressions and speech was undeniable.

People are realizing what God is doing in Artezon and Gamboa. If this man saw it, I’m sure that the others saw what we were doing just as well.

When we got back to camp, our group translator and one of my friends, Ricardo, asked me if I’d drive to his house so that we could show Doug and Janice Limbaugh their house and orchard. Doug and Janice have really been an asset to the camp during the past three weeks, helping to prepare the dorms and cabins and take care of a lot details. They leave with the M-Fuge students tomorrow night. I had time to spare and wanted to see Ricardo’s family again, so I didn’t mind driving them at all. After a lot longer tour of the many plants, fruits, and trees he has on his several acres, he took us inside to have some fresh coffee that his mother in-law had just ground up that day from the beans of his trees. As I sipped that amazing coffee, he said something that I think will always stick with me. “Thanks for coming, we don’t have very much, but we’re glad you’re here. I’m a simple man, I don’t need very much. God always gives me what I need anyways.” What a humble, honest, cut-to-the-truth testimony of this man.

Life isn’t easy here in Ecuador, but the people seem to be happier. Humility is ever-present here and people learn to rely on God to provide for their needs. I’ve noticed that many Christians refer to each other down here as ‘hermano’ (brother). Fitting, since we’re all brothers in Christ, helping and assisting each other in God’s work.

Why We Do What We Do

2008-06-25T01:01:00.000-04:00

June 24th

Artezon, Ecuador

Our second day at the worksite in Artezon with this second group of M-Fuge campers made me realize why we do what we do. Why do we go half crazy for an hour and a half to put on a Vacation Bible School for the kids? Why do we paint walls that have been painted before us and that will be painted probably over in a few years? Is anything we do permanent? All these questions were running through my mind as I pulled up to Artezon and then drove the ten minute drive to Gamboa to pick up the other children.

I think I figured it out though. Over the past two days, I’ve paid a lot less attention to making sure Bible School and painting ran smoothly and a lot more attention to bonding with the children at the site. And that’s not easy because of the overwhelming number of kids there. However, certain children stand out in the crowd to you. For example, today, Danny, a five year-old from Gamboa, came up to me and wanted to play ball. Nothing more. He wasn’t asking me to give him the world, just five or ten minutes of attention. It was at that moment that I was reminded of our purpose once again: to invest in the children of Ecuador. To raise up a generation that would be different than their ancestors who had some mixed up ideas about religion and God. But in order to do this, we have to spend time with them, we have to get on their level and forgot about all of our worries and in my case, play ball. That’s how we reach them. Not necessary through Bible lessons or crafts or songs in themselves, but by being there and showing them that we care.

Out of the six days I’ve been working in Gamboa so far, this one was by far the most productive. Our group accomplished so much in terms of painting and weed-eating around playgrounds that we might be able to finish all of the task we set out to do by our last day on Thursday. After today’s work, we met all of the other M-Fuge groups working in the villages for a night in Banos. Tonight was the first night I worked as a translator in the market, seeking the best deals for the gringos. Whether futbol jerseys, scarves, or sunglasses, I was a hard bargainer and got them the best deal possible. It was fun work helping both sides come to an agreement. The night ended with a worship service in the town’s square, right in front of the Catholic church. Not even the downpour of rain could dampen the service, as many tourists staying in Banos passed by and stayed to see what was going on. It was a great way to end what was an awesome day of work.

It continues to rain here in the valley. Probably the most rain I’ve seen since I’ve been here has made the landscape pretty slick. Let’s just hope it dries up before our trek back to Artezon tomorrow morning in a pickup truck.

Diego

2008-06-24T22:21:00.000-04:00

June 23^rd

Artezon, Ecuador

Waking up in the Andes Mountains is a beautiful thing, especially when you start the morning off running down the winding roads that curve around the landscape of the mountains. God gave us perfect weather for the start of our second and last week in Artezon, continuing our Vacation Bible School and work around the schoolyard. Knowing a lot more of what to expect from the kids and from the worksite certainly put my mind at ease and enabled me to guide and acquaint the new campers around the schoolyard during the day. VBS picked up where it left off. We like to refer to it as ‘controlled chaos’ around here. Seriously though, everything went really well and the 90-95 kids seemed to pick up on the story of Joseph pretty well today.

We’re also blessed to have a larger group at the site this week (11 compared to 8 last week). Last week’s group did an excellent job at knocking out most of the exterior wall work around the school, painting it a nice crème and red color, which enabled this weeks group to concentrate on the classrooms and other buildings around the school. Our big task for the day was sanding and repainting desks in the schoolyard. About halfway through our two and a half hour work block, some of the kids decided to help us with our painting tasks. The only downside to the idea was that we didn’t have enough paint brushes for them to use. So one boy, Diego, decided to use his hand instead. I failed to mention we were using oil-based paint, the type that you have to use paint thinner to get off your hands. Needless to say, by the time we were cleaning up, he was still working away, his hands and face with paint all over them and his clothes showing marks of his efforts. What I didn’t tell you is that this boy is the same one that was the Bible School rebel of last week. Constantly causing trouble, chasing others with snot coming out of his nose and dirt on his clothes, he wasn’t exactly the first kid you wanted to hug. But he was the kid who came back for 2^nd and 3^rd’s each day in the juice line. He was the kid who was shorter than everyone else that probably got picked on in school. And I realized today that the reason I might be there this week was because of this little boy, Diego.

Jesus often embraced the un-liked crowd of people as he traveled. We should do the same. It’s out of our comfort zone, certainly. However, it’s worth the effort when you see Diego plug into something he doesn’t even have to be a part of, just because of your presence there. All the other kids left to go home from school at 12:45pm, but this kid stuck around until we left at 3:45pm.

This week, as the rest of my time here, is for the Diego’s of the world. Those who are probably hurting inside and who not only need to hear the Good News, but also need someone to show interest in them. For those of you reading this though, you don’t have to go to Ecuador to do this. You don’t really even have to step out of your backyard, geographically speaking. The Diego’s of the world are everywhere. It’s our job as Christians to take the initiative.

The Sabbath

2008-06-23T09:33:00.000-04:00

June 22th

Ambato, Ecuador

Today was a rest day here at the camp, at least in a working sense. There was a lot of playing, planning, and a little sleeping mixed in, but an excellent day to relax before the week starts up tomorrow. Following the same schedule as last week, I traveled with part of the M-Fuge group to First Baptist of Ambato. The service was excellent and Ester’s (one of the camp staffers) brother, Jonhattan Constante, preached an excellent sermon. They even had a special children’s program mixed into the service. Afterwards, everyone traveled to First Baptist of Ficoa, just down the road, to eat pizza and ice cream. Helping organize lunch for 190 hungry American students isn’t easy either. Somehow, everyone had enough to eat and then some.

After returning to camp, I was able to sneak in a much needed nap as the M-Fuge teams broke up into their small groups so that they could plan the upcoming week at their worksites. I’ll be returning to Artezon and Gamboa with a group of 11 fresh faces, more paint, and lots of energy. Knowing what to expect certainly takes a load of the mind for this week. Later in the afternoon I got to meet those I’ll be working with and was able to give them a few helpful hints about what would work and not work in terms of recreation and Bible school. I was glad to see them take initiative though and develop new games and new ideas that we’ll try out at our worksite in Artezon.

Today marked the first day of helping my friend Dennis get back into soccer shape for the upcoming school year. A little limited with actual weights we can use, we got creative with the soccer goalpost and one dumbbell we do have in our possession. It was also the second day of the three-mile run down the road leading to the camp.

After dinner tonight, I decided to stretch my horizons a bit and learn some steps to a few of the dances they have here in South America. At first, my dance teachers described me as a ‘stiff gringo.’ But after a while I got the hang of the Meringue and Salsa. I’m definitely not a pro, but learning a bit of the culture while I’m here never hurts. It was a blast to learn, but let’s just say I still need lots of practice.

With this new group, I’ve got to meet a lot of people that know part of my family in Blairsville, GA. I’ve also had the pleasure to meet a few people that have read my blog and got a little bit better idea of what happens here at Camp Chacauco. That’s why I write. Whether your part of my family, a friend, or someone I’ve never met before, I hope that you’re encouraged by what you read and that you get a better idea of what mission work is like here in the Andes Mountains of Ecuador. I often wondered what I’d encounter when I arrived here and now I get to experience it first hand. Regardless of your reason for reading this, I hope you take away with you what life is like here and how God is moving in Ecuador.

Bienvenidos a Campamento

2008-06-22T00:26:00.000-04:00

June 21th

Patate, Ecuador

Today, another group of M-Fuge campers made their way from Quito to Camp Chacauco for a week of learning and serving in the nearby villages. With the new group of campers came luggage and lots of it. In an effort to make travel easier for the campers in the morning, their luggage was transported directly to the camp via two buses from the airport. Needless to say, this morning began pretty early with 4am luggage duty. After unloading about 300 pieces of luggage, we went back to sleep in preparation for the day ahead. Following breakfast, our staff completed its’ final tasks before we welcomed the everybody to the camp around 1pm.

Once everyone found their luggage and rooms (not an easy task with so many campers and such a spread out camp), I found time to play some basketball with nine other students and youth pastors. The day was fabulous here in the Andes Mountains. Great weather all around for being outdoors. To add to the perfect weather was a pretty violent eruption of smoke from Tungurahua today at about 4pm. It continues to rumble in the distance as I speak. To wrap up our afternoon activities, I went on a three mile run with Dennis, one of my roommates who happens to play soccer (futbol) at Union College in Tennessee. I mention it because it was probably the most intense run I’ve done in a while. The altitude doesn’t make breathing any easier when you push your body to the limit. Anyways, in addition to being on staff here at camp, I’m now his designated personal trainer in charge of making sure he’s in fine shape for summer camp in August (note: he made this designation…I’m just along for the ride).

Tonight brought about the most challenging tasks of the day, driving to a town named Ceballos, about 45 minutes away, to pick up Ester, one of the full-time staff members here on camp. Her car was in serious need of repair, but instead of towing it, we left it at a safe place to retrieve later. What made it so challenging was the fact that I was driving in the rain, on the side of the mountain, in the pitch black darkness, with only one working headlight and no taillights. I remind you that this is Ecuador. Lines on the road are just a suggestion and if your car can go faster than the one ahead of you, evidently you’re supposed to flick your lights and pass them. Boy am I glad I took driving school; defensive driving is the key word here.

After what turned out to be a three hour trip to Ceballos, Ambato, and then Patate, I’m finding myself in dire need of sleep. With a full week ahead of us, rest is key at this point. In fact, that’s why I list it as a prayer request because things are often non-stop here at the camp and people get very tired after a while. With that said, I’m going to sleep because big things are in store for tomorrow.

Las Nubes (The Clouds)

2008-06-21T00:55:00.000-04:00

June 20th

Chacauco, Ecuador

What an incredible day! Mountain climbing, 4x4 racing, rest, and a meeting with a couple I’ll never forget. With all of the first week M-Fuge campers leaving last night or early this morning, a few of us decided to use our free time in the morning climbing to the top of the peak across the river. It was my second time climbing since I’ve been here, but the first time to the very top peak. Accompanied by Pastor Angel, his daughter Angelica, and my roommate Dennis, we started the rugged climb up early in the morning. Heavy rain over night and the mist at the base of the mountain proved to make things a bit more slippery starting out. About half way up the mountain, we noticed that we were in the clouds. We couldn’t even see the camp that was just a few hundred feet below us on the other side of the river. And then came the rain. A downpour to be exact that soaked every inch of us and we made the final push for the top. On the way down, we started to feel the chill of the Andean Mountain air, enhanced with our soaked clothing. Thank goodness for hot showers.
After our morning climb and breakfast, we worked around camp cleaning the dorms in preparation for the next group arriving tomorrow morning. While cleaning, we ran into one of Steve’s two engineers on camp, Guiyermo. It was my first time to meet Guiyermo and an interesting guy he is. He spends his free time racing off-road 4x4 vehicles (think extreme Mudding on a course) with his club here in the province of Tungurahua. So after our work was done in the morning, Dennis, Guiyermo, one of the full-time Ecuadorian employees, and I set out for Mocha, a town about 45 minutes away from the camp to try out a new course they were creating for a race Sunday. When we arrived, we watched the course being built by a huge bulldozer that was moving around tons of farmland. Of course being the manly men we are, we couldn’t just stand and watch the whole time so we hopped inside our Nissan Patrol and took a few laps around the course’s many hairpin turns and jumps. The trip ended up being a great way to get to know a little about Guiyermo and a great break from the work we were doing here at the camp.
Although the first half of the day proved to be very exciting and fun, the highlight of my day came when we made a visit to a remote community tonight with Pastor Angel. Located right on the base of the Volcano Tungurahua, the small outpost village of Chacauco (no relation to Camp Chacauco) stands in large part abandoned by the eruption two year ago. It’s an hour drive from the camp to get there and what a trip it is. On the way, we passed through the thickest fog I’ve ever seen. When it got so thick that we could only see 5 feet in front of the truck while we traveled on the dirt roads on the side of the mountain, Pastor Angel remarked, “Oh don’t worry Andrew, we’re men of faith.” Men of faith we were (Angel, Dennis, and I made the trip) or half crazy. Anyways, we arrived in the quiet village of Chacauco at about 8pm. Except for a few light poles, it was pitch black dark and you could hear a very soft, constant noise from the volcano spitting ash into the atmosphere. We ended up visiting with an older couple whose names were Salbado and Olga. Their story absolutely blew me away.
They are the ONLY Christians in the small village of about 20 people. Chacauco used to be the home to about 20-30 families before the eruption two years ago, but now many families and all of the young people have moved away to safer villages. But for Salbado and Olga, this is home. I’ve seen poverty here in the mountains of Ecuador, but this was a level I’d never seen before. They relied on their crops to survive and didn’t have a means of transportation outside of the village besides walking (the next village was a 15 minute drive away). They had no church to attend, but relied on God to sustain and feed them from His word. They choose to proclaim the name of Christ and I was blown away by how much they had studied God’s word. Their testimony was unbelievable as well. They became Christians two years ago, right after the eruption when two American college students traveled by bus from the U.S. to help with disaster relief and to preach the Good News of Christ. Pastor Angel read out of Psalms and answered a few questions they had. And then we prayed, five people from about as different backgrounds as you can get, huddled together, unified by our common belief and faith in Christ praying in two languages to the Lord Almighty.
That hour visit will be forever ingrained in my mind. It hindsight, it brought to mind the scripture about preaching the gospel to the ends of the earth, not just where there’s easy access or where it’s convenient. It served as another example that God sustains his people. It was encouraging reminder of how much work there still is left to do. It was a clear reminder of the Lord’s work here in Ecuador.

Ricardo

2008-06-19T23:35:00.000-04:00

June 19th

Artezon, Ecuador

Today was a bittersweet day. It was the last day the current M-Fuge group would spend at their respective worksites conducting Vacation Bible School and the community work. It was a day of a lot of lasts, for at least a while. Emotions were ever present during the closing moments of Bible School, when meeting the school director, and during tonight’s worship service. There were especially difficult moments when our group said goodbye to the children of Artezon and Gamboa. A piece of everyone was left there. Whether in the form of murals on the wall, relationships built with certain kids during the week, or a conversation with a villager, a piece of everyone was left in the group. And it’s hard to uproot yourself from a place you’ve spent time investing in and return to what is ‘normal life’. Thankfully, I have the privilege of working again with the villagers of Artezon and Gamboa next week, however, I experienced these emotions to a degree. It’s the same feeling I had when I left the village of Puatug and Patate just a few years ago. The same feeling of wanting to give back so much more of yourself to a people hungry to know about the love of God. To be honest, that’s one reason I came here this summer, to have an extension on the time that I’d be able to serve others for Christ.

With that said, another big reason I came down here was to build relationships, not only with those I was ministering to, but also those working here full-time at the camp. Today, I got to know Ricardo and his heart for ministry. Ricardo worked as a translator this week in Artezon with us, often assisting me when I didn’t know a certain word in Spanish or when we were trying to direct children to different places. I’d never seen him before, to my knowledge, before this week. He’s a different looking fella , tall and imposing, with long, curly black hair and a bit of facial hair to go with it. But what a heart for kids he has. He knows how to be firm and get a kid’s attention, but also how to thoroughly enjoy having fun with them. Always a smile on his face, always a calm demeanor. That’s what I had noticed about him during the week on site.

However, we really didn’t have a good conversation (at least more than small talk) all throughout the week until today. Yesterday when I went running, I saw him hiking on the side of the road to go home after work. It just so happens that he lives about a quarter-mile from the camp, close enough to be considered a neighbor. So today, knowing that he had to go home after a long day’s work out in the sun, I offered to give him a ride. At the time, I didn’t realize it, but what a great opportunity to get to know who he was and what he was about. He just became a Christian two months ago (although he’s worked as a translator for Steve for the past two years) and really enjoys his work helping out as a translator during the week. When we arrived to his house, he introduced me to his entire family, his wife, in-laws, and daughter. Then he proceeded to show me their crops. The many trees on the land included coffee beans, babaco, avocado, and mandarin oranges. As we walked through, he picked about 12 oranges and told me to take them as a gift. After the tour of the crops, he showed me how they made coffee and told me that he would crush some beans up and that we’d drink coffee on Monday.

I was blown away by the openness and kindness shown to me by someone that I really didn’t know that well. But I tell you this because he represents a common trait in the Ecuadorian people, the trait of openness, of sharing, of loving your neighbor. As I toured his crop field and got to meet his family, I sensed the warmth and sincereness of their kind gestures. Had I been missing something all along? I’m a pretty open and extroverted person, but I still lacked in the principle of loving and serving your neighbor, just as God loved us. I didn’t even know the names of the guys that lived next to us in our apartment building this year. How am I supposed to love someone as a brother if I don’t take the time to know them, understand them, and serve them?

They have this right. Ricardo has this right. I hope to have this right in the future.

“And one of the scribes came and heard them arguing, and recognizing that He had answered them well, asked Him, "What commandment is the foremost of all?" Jesus answered, "The foremost is, 'Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.' "The second is this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these." (Mark 12:28-31)

The Cups Overfloweth

2008-06-18T22:48:00.001-04:00

June 18th

Artezon, Ecuador

With our third day at our worksite, our group really worked hard to accomplish a lot in Vacation Bible School and painting the many things around the schoolyard. More kids showed up today to our VBS, even though about twenty of them had to stay inside the school to complete national tests. After two days, we figured out how to best handle the rambunctious kids and keep them from climbing all over us and each other. But we didn’t count on the fact that they would climb up on the roof to retrieve stray Frisbees. And not just one person either, it was necessary for four or five kids to assist each other in the removal of the Frisbees.
Other than that, Bible School went smoothly and as planned until juice time. I know I wrote about the challenges of juice time yesterday, but today presented a different challenge. Before we go to the worksite each morning, we’re given a five gallon jug of juice. Some groups get less because they have far fewer children and some get more because they are overrun with children. Anyways, somehow we ended up with a half empty jug at our worksite after we almost completely used a whole five gallon jug the day before. I believe that I already mentioned that we had about fifteen more kids today too. The last thing I wanted to happen was to slight a parched Ecuadorian kid of his juice after he had run around for a hour and a half just because we didn’t bring enough juice.
So I prayed that God would provide as He’d see fit. We didn’t need to feed 5000 people, just a sustaining jug of juice.
You guessed it, it lasted. And not only did it last, but the extra sweaty boys that had been playing futbol got a second cup until everyone had had their fill of juice. I’m an engineer and like math, but I’m not sure how that adds up. Providing more from less for more people. Another answered prayer and small sign that God has his hand on the work here in Ecuador.
Speaking of engineering, I thoroughly enjoyed getting to be somewhat of an Industrial Engineer today. During the lunch period, I spoke with the school director and we shuffled around the school grounds, pointing out different things that needed paint or repair. One could argue that it’s the application of Lean Manufacturing Principles (improving a process through a series of steps developed by the Japanese)….only in the setting of an Ecuadorian school in the middle of the Andes Mountains rather than a manufacturing plant. Whatever you want to call it, it was a fun experience to get to know the needs of the school and plan on how our group this week and next week would undertake and accomplish the tasks.
After the workday, our camp staff traveled to Pastor Angel’s house to watch more futbol. Every game is like the Super Bowl here. Today Ecuador took on Colombia in Quito in a preparation match for the upcoming 2010 World Cup in South Africa. It was soggy weather for a game, thus the match turned into a slop-fest on both sides. It ended in a tie, 0-0. Un-American, yes (read two posts again for my thoughts on futbol and ties) but that’s how it goes down here in South America.
It was another amazing day here in Ecuador. The sun was out, plenty of work was accomplished, the scenery was unbelievable, and most of all I was reminded that God sustains us all.

Mario Andretti, the Juice Man, and Smiles

2008-06-17T23:17:00.001-04:00

June 17th

Artezon, Ecuador

Today was the second day of Vacation Bible School and painting at our worksite in Artezon and with it came new experiences and challenges. For example, my driving needed a little working on after yesterday’s difficulties. So today, I was determined to master the Andes Mountains via a small grey Nissan pickup truck. I’m not sure I mastered it, but at least I got a lot better at navigating the hairpin turns and extremely steep grades with the help of one of my friends and fellow staff member, Esteban. Our early morning driving sessions (think drivers school in the Andes) proved to be quite useful, especially for the amount of driving I did today. Not only did I have to drive our group to and from the camp to Artezon, but I also had to pick up about 30 kids (in one truck) from the nearby village of Gamboa and transport them to Artezon. Then after the work day was through, I had to drive twenty minutes down the mountain from Pelileo to return a work truck so that our group could travel to Banos for shopping later tonight.

I guess I’m getting ahead of myself though. Being Mario Andretti of the Andes Mountains is certainly a thrill and a great responsibility, but it wasn’t the only challenge I had to face today. One of the bigger ones I encountered today came during the Vacation Bible School when it was juice time. How do you pour juice into 25 tiny cups (that had to be rewashed after they were used) from a ten gallon jug for 85 kids in less than ten minutes? You simply become the ‘Juice Man’. And pour juice I did, with the help of a few people from our group dispensing cups I sweated out those few minutes, spilling little and pouring lots.

In all seriousness though, I was more concerned with the kids getting the message our group was sending in the forms of Bible stories, arts and crafts, games, and songs rather than getting their juice. I believe the did and will continue to as the week continues. Even the town’s people noticed something was different at the school when they would drive by and see eleven gringos painting the school’s wall an eye-opening yellow. During our painting time that followed VBS, the school’s headmaster asked me if our group could paint more around the school grounds during our time there since we had already completed so much. He even volunteered four people to help us accomplish the tasks for the day.

It’s amazing the reaction that you get from school directors, village leaders, and teachers when you ask if there is something you can do for them. They first look at you, usually with a cocked head, and wonder why in the world you’d want to help them. Then they speak enough Spanish really fast to ensure that you’re a gringo and foreigner and wait for your reply. And then they break out in this big smile when you smile back, try speaking in Spanish, and let them know that you’re there to help them.

Amazing what a smile, a handshake, and a hug do. They break down language barriers, nationalities, race barriers, and everything else that separates me from someone else. It gives you a common ground, a ministry opportunity like no other, and that is exactly what I came down here seeking. Regardless of whether I can share the gospel with them in Spanish or not, they get a first-hand glance of what the body of Christ is like. The hands and feet that come down from all over the world to share of their time, resources, money, and most importantly love that God has already show them.

Whether its playing futbol, sharing a meal, or simply helping them learn a few words in English while you learn them in Spanish, there is so much joy in investing your time and yourself in people. I’ve found that to be true here, especially with the younger children that are so receptive to learning and spending time with this strange person they just met a few hours ago. There are many thrills in life, especially when you move out of your comfort zone. Living in the Andes Mountains this summer reminds me of that everyday. But of all the thrills and sights to see and things to do, there is nothing more satisfying than investing yourself in other people and living a life than reflects Christ to them.

Driving Rains, Blinding Sunshine, and Slippery Slopes

2008-06-16T22:31:00.000-04:00

June 16th

Artezon, Ecuador

Although I’ve been here for a little more than a week now, today was my first experience of the trip doing mission work away from the camp. With such a big M-Fuge group, the 126 students and adults were split up among 12 or 13 communities where they held a Vacation Bible School and painted school and community buildings. That was the plan at least.

The morning time proved to be a little hectic, as a group of six of the camp staff (including me), had to drive to five of the surrounding communities to talk to school directors and village leaders before the day’s events took place. Five communities in forty-five minutes. Five communities separated by dirt roads several kilometers long winding in and around the surrounding landscape. Needless to say, it was a whirlwind morning.

With directions to two villages I had never set foot in before the day began, the keys to a small, grey Nissan, and a willing group of eleven volunteers from M-Fuge, we headed up the mountain to accomplish our tasks. The ride up the mountain itself was an answer to prayer. Although in first gear, the truck stalled twice going up hill with the weight of the people, VBS and painting supplies in the back. It took a while, but eventually, we and the three trucks accompanying us made it up the side of the mountain to the villages on the other side. Our group worked in the village of Artezon today, about a 15 minute drive from the camp. In conjunction with a school from Gamboa, our first Vacation Bible School was a great success with about 95 children showing up. I failed to mention the driving rain that soaked everything for most of the morning as we enjoying recreation, music, Bible stories, and face painting outside.

After Bible school, our team mixed the paint supplies we had brought to the site and painted a good portion of the exterior of the school building. Reds and yellows dominated the walls as the group accomplished more today than we originally thought we could. With a successful day out at the mission site, we safely made it back to camp in time to play futbol before dinner.

It was a very tiring day. A day that vacillated not only in weather conditions, but also in knowing what to do. It was the first time that I was in control and in charge of a large group of people, a group with no previous experience of how to pull off an Ecuadorian VBS. Thank goodness for previous experiences with my church doing VBS or we would have been a bunch of gringo locos surrounded by an out-of-control herd of Ecuadorian school children. God is good though and helped us focus on the tasks at hand, even in the chaos of not knowing how anything would turn out in the morning before we left.

Responsibility of a high school group in a foreign country is an unnerving feeling. Especially when your Spanish vocabulary is still growing and you have only three translators for 90+ people. Yet, God doesn’t expect you or I to pull off miracles on our own. He does it though us, which in itself is a blessing.

It’s been a while since I’ve been this tired. However, knowing the work that is being done in Artezon and Gamboa, as well as the rest of the surrounding communities, makes it all worth it.

P.S. A big thank you to Doug and Janice Limbaugh who are lending me their digital camera to capture some of the action during the next few weeks. While mine grew wings and flew off, God certainly provides, and now I have another resource to show you my time in Ecuador.

Cloudy Skies

2008-06-15T22:34:00.000-04:00

June 15th

Patate, Ecuador

It was a generally gray day around camp. The skies were cloudy and gray for most of the day here in the Andes. A last minute goal by Argentina put a gray damper on what would have been a huge win for Ecuador’s national soccer team. And I still couldn’t find my camera to capture all of the grayness. Despite the rather mundane color penetrating seemingly everything today, there were some colorful moments.

Worship at First Baptist of Ambato was a great experience. One of the full-time staff members here at Camp Chacauco, Ester Constante, has an older brother who is a preacher at the church as well as the head of Samaritan’s Purse of Latin America. Although most of the worship and message was in Spanish and a bit hard to comprehend at times, it was good to see the process of God’s work in Ambato and to get reacquainted with old friends. Due to the fact that the size of the M-Fuge group is so large this week, the students were divided into smaller groups that attended different churches before we all met at First Baptist Church of Ficoa for Pizza and Ice Cream in the afternoon. With a good church service and fulfilling lunch, the only way to complete the day was with a little football. Sorry, didn’t mean to get your hopes up, but I meant futbol.

Today was a much anticipated contest between Argentina and Ecuador’s national teams in Argentina. There’s such a following of the team here that when the pastor mentioned the game at church near the end of the service, quite a few men stood up and pulled up their jackets to reveal their yellow, blue, and red Ecuador jerseys. And they call me a gringo loco. Anyways, it marked the first time I had ever watched a game from beginning to end, and a good game it was. Ecuador was by far the underdog going into the contest, but scored a goal late in the second half to take a 1-0 lead. Anticipating a huge upset, we were only disappointed when Argentina sneaked in a last second goal to end the game in a 1-1 tie. How are you supposed to feel after a tie anyways? You didn’t win or lose, but rather felt like you just spent an entire afternoon watching a game to merely produce a lukewarm emotion. No elation. No disappointment. Futbol sure is weird like that.

The night ended with Steve giving a devotion to the camp staff while the M-Fuge students attended a large group service. I know I’ve already mentioned a few of Steve’s gifts, but if I haven’t mentioned it already, he knows how to present scripture in an amazing, applicable way. His take on parts of scripture cause you to expand your line of thinking about different situations in the Bible.

My search for my camera turned up empty. It’s frustrating to say the least, but I’ll try to do my best getting pictures from others to show you in the coming weeks. Another tough lesson from God concerning possessions. You can’t take it with you when you die anyway though, right?

Today will mark our first day working in the nearby villages doing VBS and community project work. Please keep the students, villagers, and kids that we work with in your prayers and I’m sure I’ll have plenty to tell you about the events of tomorrow.

Go Time!

2008-06-14T22:52:00.000-04:00

June 14th

Patate, Ecuador

Today I feel like I’ve returned back to almost normal. Thank you so much for your prayers, I know that they certainly made a difference in how long it took me to recover. It’s a very good thing that I’m feeling better today too as we received the first M-Fuge group at the camp today around noon. About 120 high school students arrived at the camp today for the first week of M-Fuge camp where they’ll worship and learn here in the Camp Chacauco coliseum while working and holding Vacation Bible Schools in the surrounding communities. Today I was assigned to the group that will be working in the town of Gamboa this week. I’ve never been to Gamboa nor met the students in the group I’ll be working with this week, but I’m sure God will use us as He sees fit. Much of the work I will be doing this week, as will the rest of the staff, will be in organizing and helping to accomplish the individual goals of each group. The Vacation Bible Schools are really open ended, intentionally to get the students to develop their own ways of presenting Bible stories. Of course we are there to assist them and facilitate the groups, but we want the students to get as much from their experiences as possible by working on the projects and Vacation Bible Schools in the villages they are assigned.

Unfortunately, I have no new photos to post as my camera is either misplaced or grew wings and flew off in somebody’s pocket while I was going to the doctor yesterday. I hope that it’ll turn up so that I can continue to document and show you visually how God is working here in Ecuador. I’ll keep you posted on the search.

It’s amazing how God can turn things around though. From being dreadfully sick to full of energy the next day and ready to start the new week. Thank you again for your prayers; they make a difference.

Mucho Enfermo (Very Sick)

2008-06-14T01:11:00.000-04:00

June 13th

Patate, Ecuador

There are certain things you just don’t want to experience when in a foreign country. Like the feeling that everything you ate the day before is on the ground. I’ll spare the bloody details, but let’s just say that something didn’t sit well with my stomach and that I learned about it at about 2:30am this morning. It didn’t get much better until this afternoon when I made the trek to Ambato, about a hour a way, to see a doctor. Thank goodness for Pedialight, Gatorade, and PowerBar gel packs. I feel better now, not 100%, but hey, I’m writing a blog so at least I have some energy.
The hero of today though is Pastor Angel. Thank goodness for him and his family. He checked on me several times today in my room as I slept and then took me to the clinic in Ambato for the doctor to check me out. I understood about half of what the doctor said in Spanish, which is way Pastor Angel and his daughter, Adriana, came in handy translating the other half so that we could communicate clearly. After hearing about what I had eaten the two days before and all of my activities, the doctor decided to give me a huge shot that started helping my stomach out right away. After about an hour stay in the clinic, we left with antibiotics and stopped at the Mall de Los Andes (Mall of the Andes) to quickly pick up some supplies for the camp. After doing so, we returned to the camp to get some sleep before the early arrival of the M-Fuge students tomorrow.
Please pray for me to get over whatever I have quickly. Hopefully it’s just an infection or stomach virus, but there’s also a good chance that I swallowed a parasite rafting two days ago on the Rio Pastaza. Whatever it is, I hope for a fast recovery because next week will be very busy. Whatever my condition though, God knows what He’s doing. I’m not here by chance or to take a vacation, but rather to further His work in Ecuador. I hope to be at full strength soon.

Mucho Trabajar (Lots of Work)

2008-06-14T01:03:00.000-04:00

June 12th

Patate, Ecuador

With the M-Fuge group arriving late Friday night in Quito and to the camp Saturday morning, there was a lot left to be done. Cleaning the four dormitories and six cabins as well as the coliseum and cafeteria was no easy task. I spent a good part of the day dusting the fans in the cafeteria (they seem to attract all kinds of dirt when you build something next to a volcano) and helping take down the extra bunks that were in place for the maximum capacity crowd we had last weekend.
The to-do list was long, but with so many interns and people on staff, many of the tasks were quickly completed. As with most work days, you get to know those you work with pretty well. Today I got to learn a lot about Freddy, one of the full-time camp staffers here at Camp Chacauco. Freddy is from Peru, just south of Ecuador, but came here about two years ago to start working with Steve full-time. He’s a very talented musician and can really pick up anything after hearing it just once. Our conversations were quite interesting, given the fact that he knows little English and that I’m still picking up on my Spanish. Lots of hand gestures, sound effects, and acting out of words were used, but other than that the conversation went pretty smoothly.
While we were working hard, we noticed a change in the activity of the volcano. More smoke and ash drifted into the atmosphere as the day continued, starkly contrasting itself against the blue sky and many white clouds. Although there is a little more activity out of Tungurahua this week, it’s not considered a bad thing. Letting off some smoke and ash prevents the volcano from building up to a big explosion like the one they had here two years ago.
Volcanoes aside, seeing the entire staff prepare for this group to come in was really something else to see though. I have a new appreciation for the way Steve partitions the work load to his engineer, electrical staff, camp interns, kitchen staff, and general handymen. While preaching and speaking to people are certainly two of his gifts, I also think God gave him the gift of organization. With that said, I’m going back to work.

The Ecuadorian Outdoors

2008-06-12T02:11:00.000-04:00

June 11th

Banos, Ecuador

With our work complete for the week, we had the chance to get away from the camp and be a bit adventurous. So, we went rafting on the Class 3 rapids of the Rio Pastaza (they have Class 4s that we’re going to do sometime soon). In order to make it happen, we had to travel to the nearby town of Banos at the base of the volcano Tungurahua. Banos is a popular tourist town, especially with the Europeans, for vacationing and experiencing the outdoors. After choosing a rafting service, we rode a bus to just pass the town of Madre Tierra to get to our drop off point. I’ve been to the Ocoee and Nantahala Rivers before, both with good sized rapids, but nothing really prepared me for what we saw today. The whole two hour trip was one big rapid after another and I ended up getting tossed into the river three times. The neat part of the trip was the change in scenery. We started out in the mountains but finished in the middle of the jungle, near the town of Puyo, in the Amazon River Basin.
After eating lunch in Puyo, we headed back to Patate but made a stop along the way. I know many of you who are reading this blog are familiar with the story of Jim Elliot, Nate Saint, and the missionaries that were killed in Ecuador in the 1956. Just outside of Puyo stood Nate Saint's house near the town’s airstrip. It’s not a tourist site, but the groundskeeper let us in to tour the house and see all the rooms, two of which were left just as they were. It was a surreal experience, especially after I just started the book Through the Gates of Splendor and watched End of the Spear two years ago. Of course Hollywood took a few liberties in making the movie, but still, visiting the Saints’s house was an experience that I rate pretty high on my list.
Coming back from Puyo on the way to Banos, we passed by a place that takes you across a huge gorge with at least a 1000 ft. drop below. The video posted on this post will hopefully give you an accurate picture of what the ride is like. In two words: pretty intense. Afterwards, we stayed in Banos to pass the evening away sitting in the thermal hot springs and cold springs, fueled by the water running off of Tungurahua.
A day full of new and exciting experiences and connection to something I’ve only read about and saw in movies. The mission field here in Ecuador just became that much more real to me today. Although today was full of adventure, we took the opportunity to share Christ with a Frenchman that rode down the river with us and that we saw coincidentally again at the hot springs in Banos. Even on our off days, God doesn’t cease operations. Sharing the gospel is a 24 hour-a-day job.

Everyone Plays Futbol

2008-06-12T01:14:00.000-04:00

June 10th

Patate, Ecuador

After completing almost all of our preparation work for the M-Fuge camps that are coming in the next two weeks, the camp interns (that includes me) had an off day. Therefore, I caught up on my writing and bloging in the morning before enjoying the afternoon outside. After being so active for the first few days in Ecuador, I found myself feeling half-way sick with a mildly sore throat and no energy. Taking it easy today helped me to soon get over those sick feelings as we played futbol with the camp construction staff after lunch.
I realized something very quickly when playing this game with the camp staff. It’s not as easy as it looks. In fact, at times, it just seems like a lot of running for nothing. Anyways, it was good to get some exercise outside and play South America’s game in the valley with imposing mountains on both sides. Speaking of futbol, everyone down here is talking about the big game Saturday. No, not the Celtics and Lakers, but Ecuador versus Argentina. The country follows their team so much so that the President called for everyone to stop two years ago when Ecuador was playing in the World Cup and watch the game on television. That meant no school, no government meetings, and lots of closed businesses, just to watch a game on the tube. And I thought we in the United States were crazy about sports.
Following dinner, our group of interns watched the movie Bajo La Misma Luna, an Ecuadorian film about immigration with a well played out plot. It was all in Spanish, but I’m actually starting to pick up the language much better than I thought I would. Add body language and the context of the situation, and you have a pretty good understanding of what’s going on.
Since today wasn’t especially eventful, I’ll share a little about the staff that I’m rooming with this summer. The guys that I work with are all about my age and are all from Ecuador or have ties with Ecuador. But I’m okay with being the only gringo of the bunch. Esteban and David probably have the most experience here at the camp. Esteban comes to camp from Ambato, a city about 45 minutes away, and has worked at the camp as a translator for about five years now. David heads up the construction crew and has been here for several years now. We communicate in Span-lish, so I continue to learn about him more day by day. Freddy came to Camp Chacauco from Peru last year and is a multi-talented musician. Finally, two of the guys that are helping me most with learning my Spanish are Dennis and Roberto, both here for the summer. Dennis is a soccer player/student at Union University in Tennessee and has Ecuadorian parents who were missionaries here for two years. Roberto hails from Ecuador, but picked up English quickly when working in Alaska for the last two summers.
It’s a blessing to work with such talented staff with such different backgrounds. I learn much more than just Spanish from them in our everyday conversations and feel that God has allowed me to work with each of them this summer for a variety of reasons.

The Spanish Treatment

2008-06-10T13:28:00.000-04:00

June 9th

Patate, Ecuador

With the Despertar Camp ending yesterday, today was a travel day for some of the staff, the Servant Life volunteers, and the Brook Hills Baptist Church. However, before they boarded the bus for Quito, three brave souls decided to climb the mountain next to camp with us. In order to make it to breakfast on time, our climbing group had to start ascending the mountain at 5am. As the only one with prior knowledge of climbing the mountain before (three times last year), it was up to me to navigate our group through the thick underbrush of the base of the mountain…using only headlamps in the pitch black darkness. The minutes passed quickly as we helped each other climb up the mountain and at about 5:45am the sun began to unveil the spread of the mountains before us. It was a bit surreal, almost like God turned on a light switch to the Andes Mountains. About 45 minutes later, we made it to the top of our climb on one of the smaller slope and took in the view. Underneath us lied the raging rapids of the river that cuts through the valley near our camp as well as a picturesque view of Camp Chacauco and the surrounding neighbors.

Climbing the mountain, about a 1000 ft climb, was only half the task though as we encountered our fair share of animal life on the slope. At the base of the mountain were numerous spiders that didn’t look exactly friendly and inviting as their webs were laced across the brush. When we descended, we saw a good sized fresh-water crab come across our path. Evidently, they too take residence on the mountain. In all, it took about two and a half hours, but it was well worth it and a good start to the day.

I titled this blog ‘The Spanish Treatment’ because I received the Spanish treatment today. Many of the workers speak both English and Spanish, but it my goal to be much more fluent in Spanish than I am at this point. Therefore, like the ‘Silent Treatment’, I got the ‘Spanish Treatment’. They could only communicate in Spanish to me except when they were explaining something about the language that didn’t make sense to me. It works wonders though. Already, I feel that I’ve picked up many of the common phases and words in Spanish.

I’ll be honest. It’s not easy. It’s probably one of the hardest things of done in my life, learning a language from scratch and having to communicate in that way and in that way only.

Today was also my first full day of work. I worked with the camp staff tearing down portable bunks for the 300+ campers we had last weekend. It was an all day task tearing them down and moving them to other locations, however the time passed quickly and I really got a chance to know the others that work here.

After we finished our work around 9:30pm, a few members of the staff and I traveled to Patate to get a movie and some snacks. The difference is, when in Ecuador, there is no Blockbuster or Movie Gallery. However, Patate (and most other Ecuadorian cities) does have a great assortment of pirated DVD, in Spanish of course, for the price of $1. I know what you’re thinking, but it was explained to me that the only movies for sale in the country were pirated unless you went to the capital of Quito (three hours away). So we got our snacks from the village and drove back down the mountain to watch Ironman into the wee hours of the morning. It was an exhausting day, but already God is teaching me a few lessons as I work here at the camp.

The biggest lesson I’ve learned thus far is to wait on God and be patient. I have a tough time with this one, especially in the fast paced society we know in the United States. It’ll be a tough adjustment coming back to the rushed, hurried pace of life in two months, but I know that I can take the lessons I learn here and apply them when I get back. So for the time, I’m enjoying working on the things that need to get done but at the same time taking the time to build relationships with others. Everything that needs to get done always seems to get done. It’s that way at school, back home, and especially here.

Another big lesson that I’m learning quickly deals with possessions and what one really needs. It’s nice being able to live simply out of two suitcases and a backpack. The dormitories we are staying in are a bit small and the showers aren’t exactly warm in the morning, but every time I think about how this or that was better in the states, I remind myself of why I’m really here. I’m here to serve and share the gospel of Christ, not to kickback in the Andes. I’m sure Paul and the disciples weren’t exactly always comfortable when they were on the road sharing the gospel. Why should it be different for me? It’s taking some getting used to, but with less materialistic stuff to get in the way, I find that it’s a lot easier to concentrate and focus on my tasks at hand and my goals for this summer.

God never ceases to amaze me or impress me here at Camp Chacauco. From the hearts of my fellow staff members to the beautiful landscape he puts around us, it’s obvious He’s always at work here.

Gringo Alto [Tall White Person]

2008-06-10T12:05:00.000-04:00

June 8th

Patate, Ecuador

I never would have in my wildest dreams thought I’d ever see 378 people, plus the camp staff at Campamento Bautista Chacauco (Camp Chacauco). With room for only about 250 people to sleep, somehow everyone managed to spend the weekend to attend the ‘Despertar’ youth retreat. Hosted by Brook Hills Church, a church from Birmingham, Alabama, and the staff the Servant Life ministry, the event drew a record number of youth from around the country (15 of Ecuador’s provinces), from both the coast and from the surrounding mountain communities. I felt very blessed to get to meet some of the campers and attend today’s worship service and culminating event. Interestingly, at the end of the service, many of the campers and parents wanted a picture with me. I’m guessing it was probably because I was the tallest gringo with blue eyes they’d ever seen. I guess I can relate more to NBA players now. Pictures and jokes aside though, it is quite clear that God continues to use Camp Chacauco in unimaginable ways.

Today was also marked my first day as an intern at the camp. I found work where I could, helping serve meals and washing silverware in the kitchen. With the nice weather, I also had a chance to run on a few of the roads during the morning with a few of the M-Fuge staff and play futbol in the afternoon with many of the camp assistants. Let’s just say that the only gringo on the field didn’t know really what to do other than run from one side of the field to the other. Running across the hills of Ecuador was quite an experience as well. I can honestly say that I’ve never run in a more picturesque place in my entire life. And if that wasn’t enough, the altitude will certainly take your breath away too as the camp sits at somewhere around 6000-8000 feet above sea level.

I find it refreshing to be in a place where everyone is like minded in serving others and reaching others for Christ. Continue to pray that the necessary preparations would take place over the next week as M-Fuge will host two groups of U.S. high school students in the two consectutive weeks following this week. I’ll also continue to update the ‘Prayer Requests’ box on the right, as your prayers do make a difference half way around the world.

First Day in Ecuador

2008-06-08T21:33:00.000-04:00

June 7th

San Antonio de Pichincha, Ecuador

It’s good to be in Ecuador again! I arrived safely last night around 9pm Ecuadorian time (Central Standard Time) at the airport in the center of Quito. I met up with Carol Thompson and the M-Fuge leadership team (Steve Thompson, Carol’s husband, remained at Camp Chacauco this weekend to host a music ministry team) before traveling on to our hotel, La Casa del Habana. The M-Fuge (Mission-Fuge) leadership team consists of about 10 college graduates from all over the U.S., coming to Ecuador with the objective to give high school students a first hand glimpse of the mission field here in Ecuador as well as to make a difference in the surrounding villages via Vacation Bible Schools and community projects. The leadership team will be stationed at Camp Chacauco for the next three weeks, using this week to train and plan before hosting large groups (200-300 students) during the next two weeks.
This morning, I awoke to find myself in the middle of the clouds. Yes, I know fog could be considered a cloud, but this was unlike any other fog I’d ever witnessed. It moved across the landscape at a frenzied pace, eventually uncovering the Andes Mountains and buildings that were hid from sight. As the morning wore on and the fog lifted, we traveled to several tourist hot-spots in the city, including the Presidential Palace and National Cathedral of Ecuador. Although this is my fourth trip to Ecuador, it was my first to both the Presidential Palace and Cathedral. The Presidential Palace was certainly rich in Ecuador’s governmental history, with spots depicting where the country’s first president, Dr. Gabriel Garcia Moreno, was assassinated in 1875 as well as a statue in tribute to those that fought in Ecuador’s revolutionary war against Spain in 1809.
The National Cathedral was equally impressive with its vast ceilings and stained glass windows. We were even able to observe part of a communion service inside. The history behind the location of these Catholic churches is equally interesting, with many of them being built right on top of ancient Inca worship sights. In some places, you’ll even find statues of the Inca’s sun gods still in place….in the middle of the Catholic churches.
I find it important to impress upon you the difference between the Catholic church of Ecuador and the Evangelical churches (as they’re referred to by many here) as well as the differences between their teachings and what we as Christians believe. The Catholic church is dominant in South America, particularly Ecuador, as 98% of the population claims to be Catholic. However, their influence politically and socially, has made the growth of Christian church painstakingly hard here in Ecuador. The Catholic Church functions more as a political entity than anything, controlling most aspects of the political and business realms here in Ecuador. Although they consider themselves Christians (which some may be if they have accepted Christ as their Savior and have an active, growing relationship with God), they view Evangelicals (that’s us) as a sect of Christianity and try to oppose the growth of the many Christian churches planted in the area. Sometimes this opposition spills over into persecution, however, the approach of the Christian church and of Steve and Carol Thompson has never changed. Rather than retaliating and try to defend the stances and theology of the Christian church, they go to where God leads them and where He opens doors.
Throughout the rest of my trip, I’ll elaborate a bit more on the persecution Christians in Ecuador face everyday as I see fit.
We’ve just left the equator, which is a 30 minute drive north of Quito near the town of San Antiono de Pichincha. If it’s your first time to Ecuador, or even to the southern hemisphere, it’s a must-see. For example, how many times can you straddle the equator with one leg in the northern hemisphere and the other in the southern hemisphere?
I’ll continue to update just about everyday from now on (if possible), so feel free to peruse my writings, photos from the trip so far (on the links to the right), and prayer requests (also found in the tabs to the right). Continue to pray that God would use me to do His will this summer wherever he puts me. I’d love to here from you! Leave a comment or email me at the email address on the top of this page.

I know this post will find many of you a day behind, however, due to the spotty wireless reception sometimes at the camp, I'll try to catch up soon on my posts.

Into the Clouds

2008-05-29T02:28:00.000-04:00

Thanks for stopping by to check out my blog! I'll embark on a journey to Ecuador, South America in a little over a week, following God's call for me to work and serve the people in Ecuador this summer. I'll keep you, the reader, updated on my journeys, the people I meet, and the things I say several times a week (depending of course on the availability of internet access). I hope this blog, in turn, does several things for you. First and foremost, I hope that it paints a picture of the people who call Ecuador home and their culture. I'll post plenty of photos (via a facebook link on this site so that all you have to do is click on it) of the sites I see and people I meet in hope that you will feel the same burden to reach these people as I do. Check back as often as you can...life happens pretty quickly and this summer will no doubt pass quickly by.

I'll be at the side of Steve and Carol Thompson as they go about their mission work in the southern half of Ecuador. Most of the work will be centralized out of Campamento Bautista Chacauco (Baptist Camp of Chacauco) in the Andes Mountains, about 3 hours south of the capital city, Quito. This summer may even entail trips to the Amazon as well this summer. This will be my fourth trip down to the camp, but my first for more than a week. Officially, I'll be stationed there from June 6th until August 2nd. Work will include, but isn't limited to, construction work, kitchen duty, conducting Vacation Bible Schools in the nearby villages, and assisting with incoming church groups.

I can't wait to get started. God has laid on my heart a burden for the Ecuadorian people ever since my first visit in 2001. First and foremost, I go over this summer to share the good news of Jesus Christ and to serve the people as much as I can. I hope this blog encourages you, makes you think, and gives you a people to pray for. Leave your comments....I love comments and will reply to as many as possible. I look forward to hearing from you!