Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Monday, October 13, 2008
Jungle Retreat
Thank you so much for your prayers this weekend. The Lord´s safety certainly was evident.
We all left for the jungle early Friday morning. There were about 7 men from the church along and about 15 youth. We loaded 17 bikes onto the back of a pickup and then everyone loaded into a public bus headed for the jungle. It was a 6 hour trip to our destination. The rout took us high into the mountains and then down into the jungle. Partway down and two hours from our destination everyone who had bikes got off the bus and the rest continued on. We waited for about 30 min. and then the pickup showed up with the bikes. Everyone got on their bikes and the pickup took up the rear¨"picking up the pieces". Picking up the pieces is quite litterally what it was. The road was one lane and zig-zaged down the mountain. The road mostly rocks and muddy in a few places. It was quite a site to see 17 bikes careening down the mountain trying like crazy to dodge the rocks and not skid out on the corners. I was imagining before we left that everything was downhill, but such was not the case. The road generally lead downhill, but there were a few very long, hard, uphill stretches. On the first large downhill stretch, the front tire on my bike blew out and by the end, there were at least 3 flat tires. The pickup would would pickup the disabled bikes and we would kind of piece them together again. I swapped the front tire on my bike with that from another bike and was able to continue riding most of the way. Besides the flats and a few scraped knees and hands, there were no other mishaps.
I had my camera along, so I´ll have to upload some pictures another day. The scenery was spectacular. Orchids grew along the road and there were butterflies all over. Once in a while we´d stop and cool off in a waterfall next to the road. What a wonderful Creator we have!
We arrived a the retreat center late in the day. Some believers in the area had made an addition to there house for the purpose of holding retreats. The bottom story was open on 3 sides and had tables and chairs for eating and sessions. The upper story was divided in two and had matresses on the floor for sleeping. The whole structure was built a few feet off the ground and was made out of wood with a tin roof. It was very well designed.
Friday evening we had supper, a longer devotional and then headed to bed. We woke up Friday morning and had breakfast. It consisted of hot milk, a fried egg and a dish made from green bananas. After breakfast, we had breakfast and then had a time in the Word. At about 10:00 all 23 of us in the group loaded on and into the pickup and headed to look for a cave. Once again we drove on single lane rocky roads that climed right up the mountain side. There were waterfalls next to the road and part of the road was washed out in places. I was sitting on the back pickup right over it´s rear dual tires. As we went past one area where water had washed away the road, I watched as the outside, rear tire, hung suspended in the air for a brief moment. The Lord´s angels were watching over us.
On arriving to the approximate location where the cave was supposed to be we all unloaded off the truck and started the descent down into a valley. We didn´t find the path at the start, so kind of forged our own path through the tall grasses. Every now and then we would find a lemon tree growing wild so we would stop and pick some of the fruit. We finally found the path leading to the cave, and there headed into an area with more trees. This looked more like jungle to me. The path was muddy, and very steep. Impatiants grew wild and there were vines hanging from the trees. After about a 45 min hike we arrived at the cave. It was a big hole in the side of the mountain with a good sized stream flowing out of it. We entered and I wasn´t disappointed. There were 6ft stalactites, and the interior of the cave was very large. I saw a 8 inch spider hanging on the roof and there were large bats flying past our faces. We walked probably 20 min before we reached the back of the cave. We would usually walk next to the stream, but in one place had to walk in water up to our knees to get past.
We got back from our cave adventure at about 1:30 in the afternoon. We ate lunch and spent most of the afternoon relaxing playing soccer and volleyball in a swimming pool. After the activities we had supper and I had the evening session. I shared on Col. 3 and setting our affections on things above.
In the evening we went out to the town and walked around the central park. I tried taking some pictures in the dark. We´ll see how they turn out. At 10:30pm we all met at a corner waiting for the pickup to come and pickup us up, but it never came. Finally, a motorcycle showed up and said the lugnuts on one of the truck´s back tires had come loose. PTL the tire didn´t fall off with everyone on the pickup! We all ended up walking back to where we were staying in the dark. It was about a 30 min walk, and we were all ready for bed.
Sunday morning we had breakfast at 6:30am and then had a church service. Pastor Santiago lead the service and shared the message. He shared on the importance of following Christ and not looking behind. At about 10:00 we left for a nearby river. The plan was to go to the top of the river and walk down it. There were waterfalls all the way down and pools at the bottom of many of the falls. It had rained the night before, but we decided to still go. We weren´t able to jump into some of the pools due to the strong current. We walked around these and enjoyed some of the quieter pools and falls. The river made it´s way through a small canyon. There were trees overhead and vines hanging down. We could swing on some of the vines. Unfortunately, there was no way to bring my camera along for this adventure. In places we all had to get into the water and swim. This would have been quite impossible with a camera. It was a hard enough challenge for me just to keep track of my glasses.
Part way down the river, we realized there was no way we were going to make it back to the retreat center in time to catch the 12:00 bus if we continued down the river. So, we left the river and started trekking through the jungle in search of the road. After about a 20 min trek we found the road and everyone was given directions. Everyone was to begin jogging back to the retreat center. On arrival, there was to be no showers. (You can imagine what we looked like after trekking through the jungle.) Everyone was supposed to change, pack, and quickly eat lunch in order to catch the bus.
The youth were up to the challenge. Everyone cooperated and we made it in time. Since there were 20 of us riding in the bus, they were even able to convince the public bus to come out to the retreat center and pick us up. The trip home was uneventful. We arrived back in Cuenca at about 6:00pm, tired but very thankful for a safe long weekend.
Thanks again for those who where praying. The Lord´s safety was very evident. May the Lord use the challenges faced to teach HIS character in the lives of the youth and may they take to heart the spiritual teaching as well.
I´ll try to upload some pictures in the next couple days.
We all left for the jungle early Friday morning. There were about 7 men from the church along and about 15 youth. We loaded 17 bikes onto the back of a pickup and then everyone loaded into a public bus headed for the jungle. It was a 6 hour trip to our destination. The rout took us high into the mountains and then down into the jungle. Partway down and two hours from our destination everyone who had bikes got off the bus and the rest continued on. We waited for about 30 min. and then the pickup showed up with the bikes. Everyone got on their bikes and the pickup took up the rear¨"picking up the pieces". Picking up the pieces is quite litterally what it was. The road was one lane and zig-zaged down the mountain. The road mostly rocks and muddy in a few places. It was quite a site to see 17 bikes careening down the mountain trying like crazy to dodge the rocks and not skid out on the corners. I was imagining before we left that everything was downhill, but such was not the case. The road generally lead downhill, but there were a few very long, hard, uphill stretches. On the first large downhill stretch, the front tire on my bike blew out and by the end, there were at least 3 flat tires. The pickup would would pickup the disabled bikes and we would kind of piece them together again. I swapped the front tire on my bike with that from another bike and was able to continue riding most of the way. Besides the flats and a few scraped knees and hands, there were no other mishaps.
I had my camera along, so I´ll have to upload some pictures another day. The scenery was spectacular. Orchids grew along the road and there were butterflies all over. Once in a while we´d stop and cool off in a waterfall next to the road. What a wonderful Creator we have!
We arrived a the retreat center late in the day. Some believers in the area had made an addition to there house for the purpose of holding retreats. The bottom story was open on 3 sides and had tables and chairs for eating and sessions. The upper story was divided in two and had matresses on the floor for sleeping. The whole structure was built a few feet off the ground and was made out of wood with a tin roof. It was very well designed.
Friday evening we had supper, a longer devotional and then headed to bed. We woke up Friday morning and had breakfast. It consisted of hot milk, a fried egg and a dish made from green bananas. After breakfast, we had breakfast and then had a time in the Word. At about 10:00 all 23 of us in the group loaded on and into the pickup and headed to look for a cave. Once again we drove on single lane rocky roads that climed right up the mountain side. There were waterfalls next to the road and part of the road was washed out in places. I was sitting on the back pickup right over it´s rear dual tires. As we went past one area where water had washed away the road, I watched as the outside, rear tire, hung suspended in the air for a brief moment. The Lord´s angels were watching over us.
On arriving to the approximate location where the cave was supposed to be we all unloaded off the truck and started the descent down into a valley. We didn´t find the path at the start, so kind of forged our own path through the tall grasses. Every now and then we would find a lemon tree growing wild so we would stop and pick some of the fruit. We finally found the path leading to the cave, and there headed into an area with more trees. This looked more like jungle to me. The path was muddy, and very steep. Impatiants grew wild and there were vines hanging from the trees. After about a 45 min hike we arrived at the cave. It was a big hole in the side of the mountain with a good sized stream flowing out of it. We entered and I wasn´t disappointed. There were 6ft stalactites, and the interior of the cave was very large. I saw a 8 inch spider hanging on the roof and there were large bats flying past our faces. We walked probably 20 min before we reached the back of the cave. We would usually walk next to the stream, but in one place had to walk in water up to our knees to get past.
We got back from our cave adventure at about 1:30 in the afternoon. We ate lunch and spent most of the afternoon relaxing playing soccer and volleyball in a swimming pool. After the activities we had supper and I had the evening session. I shared on Col. 3 and setting our affections on things above.
In the evening we went out to the town and walked around the central park. I tried taking some pictures in the dark. We´ll see how they turn out. At 10:30pm we all met at a corner waiting for the pickup to come and pickup us up, but it never came. Finally, a motorcycle showed up and said the lugnuts on one of the truck´s back tires had come loose. PTL the tire didn´t fall off with everyone on the pickup! We all ended up walking back to where we were staying in the dark. It was about a 30 min walk, and we were all ready for bed.
Sunday morning we had breakfast at 6:30am and then had a church service. Pastor Santiago lead the service and shared the message. He shared on the importance of following Christ and not looking behind. At about 10:00 we left for a nearby river. The plan was to go to the top of the river and walk down it. There were waterfalls all the way down and pools at the bottom of many of the falls. It had rained the night before, but we decided to still go. We weren´t able to jump into some of the pools due to the strong current. We walked around these and enjoyed some of the quieter pools and falls. The river made it´s way through a small canyon. There were trees overhead and vines hanging down. We could swing on some of the vines. Unfortunately, there was no way to bring my camera along for this adventure. In places we all had to get into the water and swim. This would have been quite impossible with a camera. It was a hard enough challenge for me just to keep track of my glasses.
Part way down the river, we realized there was no way we were going to make it back to the retreat center in time to catch the 12:00 bus if we continued down the river. So, we left the river and started trekking through the jungle in search of the road. After about a 20 min trek we found the road and everyone was given directions. Everyone was to begin jogging back to the retreat center. On arrival, there was to be no showers. (You can imagine what we looked like after trekking through the jungle.) Everyone was supposed to change, pack, and quickly eat lunch in order to catch the bus.
The youth were up to the challenge. Everyone cooperated and we made it in time. Since there were 20 of us riding in the bus, they were even able to convince the public bus to come out to the retreat center and pick us up. The trip home was uneventful. We arrived back in Cuenca at about 6:00pm, tired but very thankful for a safe long weekend.
Thanks again for those who where praying. The Lord´s safety was very evident. May the Lord use the challenges faced to teach HIS character in the lives of the youth and may they take to heart the spiritual teaching as well.
I´ll try to upload some pictures in the next couple days.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Off to the jungle!
I probably won´t be making any updates this weekend. It´s a long weekend here so a bunch of youth from the church are biking to the jungle and I´m planning on going along. We´ll be in the jungle just a couple days and have a retreat while we´re there. It should be a great time, but please pray for safety.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
My Friday
It's Saturday. I have some time right now, so I thought I'd write an update and post it the next time I connect to the internet.
The view from German's house
Yesterday morning I met with Pastor Santiago to begin planning and to have a time of Bible study. A couple times a week we're going to study the book of 1Tim. together. Everything hasn't been finalized, but it looks like I'll be teaching some classes of Bible and Computers a couple times a week. These classes have a few purposes beyond the obvious. I hope to use this as an opportunity to teach English, but most importantly a time to teach character and discipleship. This is Pastor Santiago's vision as well and he has been passing it on to the homeschooling parents. It's such a blessing to work together with him.
In the late morning I went and ran some errands with Pastor Santiago. We checked on internet and also stopped by to visit one of the homeschooling families. I'm still trying to learn all the names, but this family is homeschooling their 3 girls. They were excited to show me some of there most recent projects and some of their curriculum as well. Please pray for these families that the Lord
Paz de Dios church and Santiago's office
would give them the grace and enthusiasm to stay focused on this tremendous task they have begun. I hope to meet with the rest of the homeschool families this upcoming week.
Yesterday afternoon I ran some more errands with Pastor Santiago. This time Josue and Juan came along. They are being homeschooled as well. Part of Pastor Santiago's vision is to have opportunities for service and ministry for the homeschool kids. A lady from the church needs fence an area land, so the main purpose of the errand was to find some cement posts for the fence. In a couple days a group from the church will have a minga (work bee) and get together to help build the fence.
While we were running errands, Santiago decided it was a good time fro me to try my hand at driving in Ecuador. I have my international permit, and I was pleased to have the practice. Driving is quite different here. The roads seem more congested and there are round-abouts all over. Thankfully, we had no mishaps and made it to every place we needed.
I was reading in Ezekiel 33 this morning about how the Lord made Ezekiel a watchman for the children of Israel. What a challenging passage. Who has the Lord placed in your life? Who do you need to warn? Every day souls are being lost for eternity. Are you being faithful to share Christ with the contacts you have?
German and I went for a 8 km run this morning. It was all hills either up or down. When we got to the very top of one hill, we were able to look and see the city of Cuenca below us. The cry of my heart was "Lord, use me to reach these souls."
For a quick overview, I'm living with German in his house. He attends the Paz de Dios church and I knew him from the last time I was down here. It's been great reconnecting. He built his house a few years ago on the outskirts of Cuenca. The house is built on the side of a hill with a spectacular view of the valley below. It has more of a country feel than city. It usually takes 20 minutes to get most places in the city from here at the house. He raises chickens and guinea pigs. The house is made out of brick and has beautiful hardwood floors.
German's house
German's house
The view from German's houseYesterday morning I met with Pastor Santiago to begin planning and to have a time of Bible study. A couple times a week we're going to study the book of 1Tim. together. Everything hasn't been finalized, but it looks like I'll be teaching some classes of Bible and Computers a couple times a week. These classes have a few purposes beyond the obvious. I hope to use this as an opportunity to teach English, but most importantly a time to teach character and discipleship. This is Pastor Santiago's vision as well and he has been passing it on to the homeschooling parents. It's such a blessing to work together with him.
In the late morning I went and ran some errands with Pastor Santiago. We checked on internet and also stopped by to visit one of the homeschooling families. I'm still trying to learn all the names, but this family is homeschooling their 3 girls. They were excited to show me some of there most recent projects and some of their curriculum as well. Please pray for these families that the Lord
Paz de Dios church and Santiago's officewould give them the grace and enthusiasm to stay focused on this tremendous task they have begun. I hope to meet with the rest of the homeschool families this upcoming week.
Yesterday afternoon I ran some more errands with Pastor Santiago. This time Josue and Juan came along. They are being homeschooled as well. Part of Pastor Santiago's vision is to have opportunities for service and ministry for the homeschool kids. A lady from the church needs fence an area land, so the main purpose of the errand was to find some cement posts for the fence. In a couple days a group from the church will have a minga (work bee) and get together to help build the fence.
While we were running errands, Santiago decided it was a good time fro me to try my hand at driving in Ecuador. I have my international permit, and I was pleased to have the practice. Driving is quite different here. The roads seem more congested and there are round-abouts all over. Thankfully, we had no mishaps and made it to every place we needed.
I was reading in Ezekiel 33 this morning about how the Lord made Ezekiel a watchman for the children of Israel. What a challenging passage. Who has the Lord placed in your life? Who do you need to warn? Every day souls are being lost for eternity. Are you being faithful to share Christ with the contacts you have?
German and I went for a 8 km run this morning. It was all hills either up or down. When we got to the very top of one hill, we were able to look and see the city of Cuenca below us. The cry of my heart was "Lord, use me to reach these souls."
Friday, October 3, 2008
Eating well
Note: I wrote this letter mostly for my Mom, but I'll include it since the rest of you may enjoy it as well.
Dear Family,
I just wanted to let Mom know that I'm eating just fine. She had concerns about how well two single guys would do at cooking. German does a great job cooking. He laughs and says the first months he cooked on his own; the dog gained a lot of weight. Apparently, he learned well, because he's got everything under control. In fact, he's a great cook and a very Ecuadorian one. I'm loving every minute of it.
For breakfast we had buns with cheesed baked into the inside along with hot milk with coffee mixed with the milk. We also had an awesome pineapple. The flesh was white, but so sweet and juicy. Oh yeah, I think I had a banana too. I've been counting the variety of bananas I've had since I arrived. So far, I think I'm up to 4. Three we ate fresh and this evening we fried up some sweet cooking bananas. So good! The fifth variety is on the counter waiting to be cooked. They are green and will be fried until they have the texture of chips. Bananas are one of my favorites.
Since I'm on the subject of cooking, hermana Blanca cooked us up a wonderful meal Wed. afternoon. There was soup, rice, salad, popcorn for the soup, and hominy as well. Oh yes, she also cooked up beef Ecuadorian style. It was sliced supper thin, and was loaded with salt and cumin. It was excellent. I don't think I'd had meat that good since the last time I was here. Somehow meat just doesn't taste the same in the states.
For lunch today, German and I went to a restaurant. I was tempted to have the Cuenca classic of chalafan, but opted instead to have some more Ecuadorian beef. I wasn't disappointed. The plate came with the beef, rice, platano frito, and beans. To drink, German had a cola, but I opted for tree tomato juice. What memories it brings back! It's not at all like regular tomato juice. It's sweet and has a very distinct flavor and so sooo good!
Well Mum, I hope that calms some of your fears, and your mouth isn't watering too much :-) Oh… and I almost forgot. For supper German whipped up a colada. It's a thick, hot drink made from oatmeal, naranjia, pineapple, and panela. I was realizing how different the food is compared to the states. This country just abounds in the varieties of fruits and foods in general. I think I could gain some weight on this Ecuadorian fare. To be perfectly honest, I haven't even missed the food we usually have in the states. The food here is totally scrumptious.
I was meaning to have this post be more on the ministry and the homeschooling. Pastor Santiago had a good time of prayer and planning this morning. I guess I'll have to fill you in on my next post. I'm writing this in bed and really need to get some sleep. I'm just rejoicing in the Lord and so enjoying the special culture here.
Dear Family,
I just wanted to let Mom know that I'm eating just fine. She had concerns about how well two single guys would do at cooking. German does a great job cooking. He laughs and says the first months he cooked on his own; the dog gained a lot of weight. Apparently, he learned well, because he's got everything under control. In fact, he's a great cook and a very Ecuadorian one. I'm loving every minute of it.
For breakfast we had buns with cheesed baked into the inside along with hot milk with coffee mixed with the milk. We also had an awesome pineapple. The flesh was white, but so sweet and juicy. Oh yeah, I think I had a banana too. I've been counting the variety of bananas I've had since I arrived. So far, I think I'm up to 4. Three we ate fresh and this evening we fried up some sweet cooking bananas. So good! The fifth variety is on the counter waiting to be cooked. They are green and will be fried until they have the texture of chips. Bananas are one of my favorites.
Since I'm on the subject of cooking, hermana Blanca cooked us up a wonderful meal Wed. afternoon. There was soup, rice, salad, popcorn for the soup, and hominy as well. Oh yes, she also cooked up beef Ecuadorian style. It was sliced supper thin, and was loaded with salt and cumin. It was excellent. I don't think I'd had meat that good since the last time I was here. Somehow meat just doesn't taste the same in the states.
For lunch today, German and I went to a restaurant. I was tempted to have the Cuenca classic of chalafan, but opted instead to have some more Ecuadorian beef. I wasn't disappointed. The plate came with the beef, rice, platano frito, and beans. To drink, German had a cola, but I opted for tree tomato juice. What memories it brings back! It's not at all like regular tomato juice. It's sweet and has a very distinct flavor and so sooo good!
Well Mum, I hope that calms some of your fears, and your mouth isn't watering too much :-) Oh… and I almost forgot. For supper German whipped up a colada. It's a thick, hot drink made from oatmeal, naranjia, pineapple, and panela. I was realizing how different the food is compared to the states. This country just abounds in the varieties of fruits and foods in general. I think I could gain some weight on this Ecuadorian fare. To be perfectly honest, I haven't even missed the food we usually have in the states. The food here is totally scrumptious.
I was meaning to have this post be more on the ministry and the homeschooling. Pastor Santiago had a good time of prayer and planning this morning. I guess I'll have to fill you in on my next post. I'm writing this in bed and really need to get some sleep. I'm just rejoicing in the Lord and so enjoying the special culture here.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Travel and arrival pictures
In... Houston!
Sunset over Panama
Nothing tates better than Ecuadorian bread. (I´m missing you Lucas)
German´s house
Fruit stand
A new fruit
German in the kitchen
Livingroom
In Ecuador
Well, I finally made it to Ecuador. All the sites, smells, and people bring back so many wonderful memories. I had no issues with my flights down here. All the connections went smoothly. PTL!I arrived in Guayaquil at 10:30 at night. Pastor Santiago along with other friends picked me up a the airport. We spent the night in a guesthouse and then drove to Cuenca the following day.I´m not sure how reliable this internet connection is, so I´ll post this quick and make more updates later. Thank you everyone for your prayers. God is good!
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