Wiring

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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)

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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)

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.