After I saw him, I ate him.

Yard Sale

I had my first experience yard saleing in Ecuador and let me say it was quite the experince. It is much more than an older person hobby here; it is an extreme sport. I must admit that it was fun. I was also able to purchase prizes for the kids at La Libertad. The point store for the youth is approaching soon and they are excited. Game Day is this coming Thursday which will be the big event of these six months. The points that they have been earning (through memorizing Bible verses, anwering sermon questions and attending the youth service) will be added to as they participate in Game Day. Then the following week they will be able to cash their points in for prizes. I am really proud of the youth as they have been working hard and it has been rewarding to see how they have been growing. This past week I was really impressed by some kids who stayed a little later to review sermon stuff. As I asked them questions they did an awesome job. It was a big encouragement to know that they are learning and that God is working in their lives. Here is a short video of the youth playing a game...

The queen takes her rightful place on the throne... :)

A Walk in the Eucalyptus Park

It was a beautiful day sunday. Becky, Byron and I went for a walk in the park. Here are some pics from the day!

I can sleep the whole night without any pain!

After two full days of being bed-ridden, I was finally able to make my way out of the door and to the Doctors on Thursday. Something this past Tuesday agitated my stomach enough to keep me up almost all night in extreme pain, become dehydrated and suffer from some other undesirable symptoms which I won’t mention.

However, after going to the Dr (which might I add costs $3 here in Ecuador) she said I was experiencing extreme stomach acid which was causing my stomach to eat itself. It was most likely caused because of not eating at regular hours and consuming some type of bacteria. Thankfully she prescribed me some medicine to help relieve the pain and protect my stomach. Now I am feeling much better. Thank the Lord that I can sit up and not be in pain!

Please continue to pray for health and protection.

I don´t even know

A Unexpected Friend

I went to the mall yesterday to do a little reading and then pick up some groceries when something unexpected happened. I made a new friend. I was sitting in the food court reading and planning for La Libertad when I noticed a young girl glancing my way. I smiled at her and she smiled back. I got up to go to the restroom and when I returned she was there. Except now she was closer and she seemed more frequently look my way. Finally, after about ten minutes she approached me.

"Excuse me", she said, "What are you working on?." I told her and then invited her to take a seat and join me. After some more small talk this young, sixteen year old highschool student began to pour out her life story to me. We sat and talked I am sure for over an hour. I invited her to church, and talked to her about God. She tols me she was a Christian but not many of her friends were. So, we also exchanged numbers and I told her if she wanted to hang out again or needed anything to call me.

It was a cool meeting and I believe God put that together for a reason. I will be praying for Diana and ask that you would too. Even though she is young she has seen and experienced many things I cannot imagine experiencing in my lifetime.

Traveling in Quito

The mountain you can see in the back Cotapaxi...


This is one of the main types of transportation in Quito. I have learned to love Ecuadorian transportation. There never seems to be a dull moment. Whether I am watching the sites or plastered against ten other people, there always is some type of adventure to be had.

A time of reflection

There are exactly 58 days left until my return flight is to depart. It may sound like a lot to some but to me it is a reminder of how quickly my time here has gone. It is like watching the sand in an hour glass quickly fall to the bottom; there is nothing I can do to stop it.

My ever present knowledge of what is to come causes me to think on what I do have. It reminds me of all the wonderful things I am going to miss about Ecuador. Just for starters, I will miss the warmness of the people. There is always time to sit and talk to a friend or invite them in for a drink. I will miss being tackled by little Ecuadorian children who have a million questions about where I am from, my family and if my skin color is really natural. I will especially miss all the random things that to most North Americans would consider more than abnormal but always made me laugh. But most of all I will miss the feelings of contentment, peace and joy that cover my being as I live day to day. There is something about being exactly where God has called me to be that is full of sweetness. It does not matter what has taken place in the day. I could be frustrated, tired, or discouraged yet at the end of the day I still have this overwhelming sense of purpose; I think to myself, ¨there is no other place that I would rather be.¨ This is the calling of Christ.

I thought when I left Maine I escaped the crazy cold storms

Last week Quito was hit with a flash hail storm. It was absolutely crazy. I was sitting on my bed reading my book when I heard this rumble outside. It sound like there were little children jumping on the roof (ok so maybe it was not that drastic, but it was loud) I looked outside to see marble-sized hail falling from the sky. Take a look at these videos that show just a glimpse of the storm that lasted for about an hour.

Fun in the Park

One never knows the adventures that might await you in Ecuador...

Health Update

Thank the Lord, I am recovering. The cough is gone and I continue to feel better.
I am on parasite cleansing medication as the Doctor thinks I am probably carrying around some friends.