It is Tuesday just after lunch. The team has just dispersed to head back to our work projects after gathering for a short bit to listen to the blog reading. Thank you for taking the time to read and share with us in our experiences. Thank you also for taking the time to leave comments! The team really appreciates hearing from you all!
Today's work projects include painting several bedrooms for the children at Casa Jerusalem and laying cement down by the bodega. Most of the team is working on the cement project and having a great deal of fun. The cement ramp that we are building is between the brick walls that we built last week and connects to the storage area (aka the bodega) that the Kensington teams have been working on over the past three years. Mixing cement is no easy task. It involves getting just the right combination of cement powder, water, sand, and rocks into the mixing container. The containers we fill are heavy, the hill we must take the wheelbarrows of cement down is muddy and we have very little water around here.
In fact we have been out of water here for several days. Fortunately a tanker just arrived to fill the cistern below the house. We are also without electricity currently. We all awoke to no power this morning. It rained quite a bit last night and falling bamboo trees seem to take out the power around here fairly often. Despite all of this, life continues and work is being completed.
As I look out the window now, Kristina is running the mixer like a pro, Jeff, Joe, and Tonia are working the three wheelbarrows up and down, up and down, up and down the hill, Teresa and Shaun are having a conversation about how much water to put in the mixer (putting too much creates a sloppy mess), Tim, Kari, Ann, Janai, and Sam are filling boxes with rocks and sand moving them and filling the mixer according to the recipe. Steve, Sandy, Vanessa, Elena, Melissa, and Isabel are all alive and well, I just can't see them out the window right now. :) Someone is off in the classroom the team painted back in 2007 praying at this moment, the others are continuing with the painting tasks. I sure hope Tim Maskill found his way out of the cistern before the tanker began filling it! He had the super fun job of climbing down below this morning to get the last of the muddy water out so that we could begin the cement work and then cleaning out the tank.
Since it's been a few days since our last post, I'd like to back up now to yesterday. It was truly a glorious day in so many ways! The morning started out as most mornings do for the team with walks to the lighthouse, play time with the children at the local school, praise and worship of our glorious God, prayer for the day ahead and a delicious breakfast served by our host Jorge. Monday morning however, rather that hopping in the trucks to head to the orphanage we all loaded a large bus with supplies and ourselves to head to Manta for the day.
The local dump in Manta is a place that is difficult to describe in words. Pictures can help you to see, but to come and experience the smells, sounds, and feelings is to me indescribable. Our first stop of the day was just after pulling into the dump area. We were met by Nancy, a missionary who is the mother of Pearl, who is the head of Montanita Verde. The people of the Manta dump appear to me to be what Nancy is most passionate about. First she introduced us to a group of young men who are in high school. They work at the dump planting and watering trees in the morning and then they attend school in the afternoon. After introductions and some self defense demonstrations by Ann, we all shared a brown bag lunch together.
We had packed extra lunches in case there were additional people there...of course there were. Soon after we finished two young boys wandered by. Paul, our host missionary called them over to where we were. They couldn't have been over the age of six. They were each given a bag lunch and the excitement over something so simple was truly incredible. In bare feet they took off running through the field that was next to where we had just finished our lunches. They ran with great speed so it seemed to disappear out of view quickly to tear open the bags and discover the treasures inside. What a sight to see. I asked Paul where they had come from and where they might live. Just beyond the trash pile, he pointed to some "houses" that the boys had ran towards through the field. A few minutes later one of the boys returned with another boy perhaps two years old and hoping for the possibility that there might be just one more lunch available. Of course there was one for him too.
It was wonderful to be able to share a meal with the group of high school boys. Prayer was shared and gifts were given. We even raffled off a chicken. At the end of our time one of the boys shared his gratitude with us for the visit. They prayed that we might somehow be able to help provide a roof on their structure where they meet. It was suggested that the cost might be just about $100. But the impact would be so much beyond what we could imagine. A roof provides shelter from the sun and rain which means more time to meet with Nancy and be able to focus on the message that she shares with them. It is a message of hope that there is a way to live a life different from that which many in their community live. In the short time we were there God, family, education, and hard work was stressed and talked about repeatedly. The funds for the roof have already been provided by some members of the team, and the next team to come down in July may even get the opportunity to help put the roof on the structure. We wrapped up our time with the boys with a final song, Siempre Que Me Muevo Es En Ti.
We loaded back onto the bus and headed up into the trash. The flies began to fill the bus as it headed higher up into the fresh trash. Fires were burning the trash along the road while the buzzards circled above us. Soon we arrived at the location where the fresh trash was being dumped and we hopped off the bus. We immediately gathered the people as best we could and shared the three songs we have been practicing in Spanish with them. It was wonderful to have them singing along with us and enjoying themselves. We wrapped with Siempre Que Me Muevo Es En Ti and enjoyed every second of the time that the workers danced along with us.
After we finished we distributed the fresh bread we picked up on the way into Manta along with some juice and then gathered even more people to have a raffle. We raffled off nine chickens. It was so fun to watch the raffle take place and the excitement that built. Next, every person received a bag of rice and a new hat. We took some photos with the folks, shared hugs and wrapped things up. This is normally where our time at the dump ends, but this year there was more to come.
We all jumped back on the bus and headed out of the dump area. Just down the road is the community of San Juan where many of the people who work in the dump live. We arrived on the bus to a bamboo home where eleven people were currently living. The house was about 20' x 20' with a dirt floor and no running water. Next to it was a plot of land with six bamboo poles standing upright and a piece of metal on the top. Several days before, some of our team had gone to purchase and cut bamboo in order to complete the rest of this house. The team unloaded the supplies on the bus and got right to work building a home so that six of the eleven living in the current structure could move to the new structure.
What an amazing day! In just about four hours the team had built a new home for this family. Their gratitude was immense. A blessing had been provided to them that was beyond words. I'm not sure that we communicated well enough the blessing that we all have received by being able to be a part of this process. In addition while the home was being built, a group from the team went to help out with a small tutoring program for the local kids. Many kids from throughout the community came for a craft, coloring, snacks, and fun! God again showed up here and provided all that was necessary.
I know this post is getting long, and still I feel as though I haven't even given you 20% of the glorious things that happened yesterday. God is here and working in huge ways. The impact of this trip will last for a lifetime with team members and in so many ways it is just the beginning of things to come. We all got back on our bus, hot, sweaty, tired, a little sunburned, but filled with a joy that can only come from spending a day doing so little and yet doing so much. I know I wouldn't have wanted to spend Monday, June 28, 2010 doing anything else. The bus ride home was filled with worship as we sang, House of Hope, How He Loves, I Can Only Imagine, and on and on.
A "special" was offered for dinner last night, breaded steak and mashed potatoes. It even included a piece of chocolate cake for dessert. I don't even like chocolate cake, but it was delicious. It's funny how things change and things we once didn't care for become sweet and wonderful. How God can make an experience at the trash dump the highlight of my year is beyond my understanding.
Blessing to you all!
On behalf of the team,
~Jennifer
P.S. Teresa wishes a huge HAPPY BIRTHDAY to her sisters, Julie & Mary!
P.S.S. Mom & Dad, Tonia would love to give you her roommate's number, but right now we are at Montanita Verde and her phone with the number in it is at La Cueva.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Childrens Fair and Pool dia!
Hola! This weekend was filled with some intense adventure full of ocean fun and a fiesta at the school. The fair included games such as hillbilly horse shoes, bean bag toss, face painting, jewelry making and more. The kids gathered from all over San Lorenzo by word of mouth and crowded into the school grounds. They were so excited to play the games that they weren't even focused on what they could win. Once candy ran out, they were surprisingly more excited to receive stickers because they had English words on them. At the end of the fair, people from a church came in and told the story of Jesus through a flannel-graph presentation. It was cool to see God work because although they were speaking in Spanish, the flannel-graph of Jesus' story was universal.
After the fair was over, as a few of us were walking back to La Cueva, we started Red Rover with some of the girls. They were laughing and having a lot of fun. Then we all piled in pickup trucks, ate some delicious lunch at the orphanage, and drove the kids to the beach. We arrived at beach and some kids immediately jumped out and climbed up the sand mountains. One of the kids demonstrated a lot of patience as they held their hand out to help Melissa climb up after falling down countless times. He was about half her size and actually pulled her entire weight up. It really shows how much these kids are serving us even though we're here to serve them. The beach day continued with various activities: volleyball, football, and unexpected swimming with the children. Some of us didn't plan on getting in the water, but after the kids pulled us in to jump on the waves with them, it was pretty hard to resist. Note to self: there is always more sand in your clothes than you think.
This morning, we woke up early to attend Pacoche church with the kids. The church service was full of excitement as we worshiped to the beat of the tambourine. Then we took the kids to Sunday school to hear a story and do a craft while the adults stayed in the church. Although the entire message was in Spanish, we were able to follow along through Paul interpreting and read the scripture references.
After church, we proceeded down to the local pool with the kids to eat and swim. The bus ride there was awesome as we sang worship songs in Spanish. The kids were dancing and laughing. I'm sure they were making fun of our pathetic attempts at singing in their language. We arrived at the pool and the children jumped in right away. They sure love water! They had never-ending amounts of energy as they slid down the slide and did flips. We tried to get a few of them to dance at the end but they were a bit shy, and called our dancing methods "loco". The bus ride back felt like the kids had more energy than they started with and after we dropped them off the bus was oddly silent.
At the moment, we're bagging rice for the people at the Manta dump that we will be visiting tomorrow.
On behalf of the team,
Tim and Melissa
Ps. Hi Mom and Dad and Matthew and Michael and Nina! Hope you guys are doing well, miss you!
After the fair was over, as a few of us were walking back to La Cueva, we started Red Rover with some of the girls. They were laughing and having a lot of fun. Then we all piled in pickup trucks, ate some delicious lunch at the orphanage, and drove the kids to the beach. We arrived at beach and some kids immediately jumped out and climbed up the sand mountains. One of the kids demonstrated a lot of patience as they held their hand out to help Melissa climb up after falling down countless times. He was about half her size and actually pulled her entire weight up. It really shows how much these kids are serving us even though we're here to serve them. The beach day continued with various activities: volleyball, football, and unexpected swimming with the children. Some of us didn't plan on getting in the water, but after the kids pulled us in to jump on the waves with them, it was pretty hard to resist. Note to self: there is always more sand in your clothes than you think.
This morning, we woke up early to attend Pacoche church with the kids. The church service was full of excitement as we worshiped to the beat of the tambourine. Then we took the kids to Sunday school to hear a story and do a craft while the adults stayed in the church. Although the entire message was in Spanish, we were able to follow along through Paul interpreting and read the scripture references.
After church, we proceeded down to the local pool with the kids to eat and swim. The bus ride there was awesome as we sang worship songs in Spanish. The kids were dancing and laughing. I'm sure they were making fun of our pathetic attempts at singing in their language. We arrived at the pool and the children jumped in right away. They sure love water! They had never-ending amounts of energy as they slid down the slide and did flips. We tried to get a few of them to dance at the end but they were a bit shy, and called our dancing methods "loco". The bus ride back felt like the kids had more energy than they started with and after we dropped them off the bus was oddly silent.
At the moment, we're bagging rice for the people at the Manta dump that we will be visiting tomorrow.
On behalf of the team,
Tim and Melissa
Ps. Hi Mom and Dad and Matthew and Michael and Nina! Hope you guys are doing well, miss you!
Friday, June 25, 2010
Our Ecuadorian Experience Day
Yesterday was a glorious and exhausting day.
We started by waking up around 6 AM so everyone could get ready before our 6:30 light breakfast. Breakfast consisted of a cheese sandwich, fresh orange juice, and coffee. The team pilled into vans at 7 AM to start our “Ecuadorian Experience” Day. We proceeded to drive for about 1 hr and a half along the winding shoreline through various towns to Puerto Lopez.
Once we there, we finally got our helado. I was beginning to think there was an ice cream shortage. And yes we did have ice cream at 8:30 in the morning. We spent some time in the couple of shops outside the boat touring company. We would soon find out that it was more than necessary to use the bano here as the one on the boat was tight for a 9 year old to fit in.
The boat ride to the Isle de la Plata national park was not as bumpy as expected. We prayed for physical well being and it was granted since no one experienced sea sickness. One of the great natural treasures the previous group talked of was the sighting of large whales. About 45 minutes into the ride I spotted 2 whales jumping out of the water in unison forming two perfect half moons. I would soon come to find out that this would be the only time they would leap so high as to see air under their large bodies. The captain stopped the boat and all we all waited in silence for the next viewing. Janai headed of the team on our boat as being the most excited about the whales. She will definitely be starting the first whale fan club completed with pictures and videos when she returns.
The view of the island coming in was magnificent. The earth had been carved in such a way that looked as if fingernails had been dragged across the face of each cliff. As we approached we could see and hear the tide of clear blue-green water breaking on the jagged rocks at the bottom of each cliff. Once we reached solid ground we sorted through all the shoes, since there were none allowed on the boat to minimize slipping, and proceeded to clean our feet. During the bathroom breaks Teresa guided her and Isabel into the men’s restroom as the signs were a bit confusing. We will never know their true motives.
Our guide instructed us that there were two routes to take: one being a little under 3 hours and the other being a bit over 3 hours. The decision in our group was left up to two of
We obtained a great deal of history about the island and of the migration pattern of the whales that visit every year. I will refer to the rest of our adventure as a hike since our entire group was stretched to their limit physically and mentally. Breaks were roughly every 25 minutes to either rest or view the unique Blue Footed Boobies and Red Footed Boobies. Our guide placed us in such close proximity that we could take pictures that rivaled National Geographic. We also witnessed how a mother nestled her egg beneath her protected it from harm.
Another bird whose name I can not recall had a large red pouch beneath its beak that would fill up with air in an effort to attract the female of the species. The hike sent us to the top of the island where breathtaking views of the ocean below were abundant. We would come to find out later that the use of the hats Teresa provided were a must as the other group experienced a great deal of sunburn. After hiking over 5 miles we ended with a dip in the ocean and did some snorkeling to see the wonders below. Joe took this time to leave his life token at the bottom of the ocean to rest for eternity. The group left the island ready for food and sleep. 2 hours later we arrived at 7:15pm back at La Cueva. After we devoured our meal we were quick to sleep.
On behalf of the team,
Shaun
P.S. Happy Birthday Mary!!! Love you sister! Hope all is well! ~Jenn
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
6/23/10
Today the “Walking Club” did their usual walk, however this time in reverse. Down the road, up the mountain, and to the school via the beach. The kids at school were happy to see us, and us them. We really enjoyed playing sports with all of them for 30 minutes before they started school.
After that, we headed to the orphanage. We played a name game with the older kids hiding behind sheet. We learned one another’s names quickly. Next we built wooden models with them and it was very difficult to follow the directions, but we survived.
Then, it was back to building walls, sanding bamboo railings, building benches for the back of the pickup trucks that we ride in daily, and setting up crafts. During this time, Paul found a tarantula and chased some of us around. Not cool!
Later in the afternoon, we played games with the younger kids and celebrated Alex’s 8th birthday. As usual (following an Ecuadorian tradition), his face ended up being pushed into the delicious cake. Vanessa and Melissa have decided that they would like to seek all of the kids home in their luggage. All-in-all it was another WONDERFUL day!!!
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Day 1 at Montanita Verde
Hola Friends!
Wow! What a wonderful first full day in San Lorenzo, Ecuador! Some of the team arose this morning extra early to take a hike up to the the lighthouse. It's quite a journey of over 600 steps. Others woke up a bit later and headed up to the local school to play with the children. It is such a fun opportunity to play with the children of San Lorenzo and the surrounding area!
At 8:00 the team met back at La Cueva for prayer and praise & worship. We sang some songs and are working on our moves for Siempre Que Me Muevo Es En Ti. We plan to sing the song on Monday when we visit the workers at the Manta dump. The team is doing well with learning the moves and it helped us all to get energized before breakfast.
Our wonderful host Jorge served us all a delicious breakfast. It included yummy fresh squeezed orange juice, fresh pineapple and watermelon as well as scrambled eggs and fresh rolls. Ordering coffee was quite an adventure for the team...black, half and half, half and three quarters, tea, milk...maybe we need a team lesson on fractions! ;)
After breakfast we all got our backpacks ready for the day and jumped in the Ecuadorian transportation to head up to the orphanage. Although it was relatively dry at La Cueva, it was misting quite heavily up at the orphanage. For those of you in Ecuador with us in 2007, it was just a typical August day. Paul gave us a brief introduction to the kids and house parents and showed the team around.
Soon after the team got right to work. Half of the team went to play games with the high school students before they would leave for school and the other half proceeded to begin building brick retaining walls. For those of you who were here last year, our walls are still standing - yay! They apparently have confidence in us because we have many more walls to build this year.
Some team members jumped into the difficult job of mixing the mortar, while others moved brick into position to build the walls. Nearly all of the team learned how to lay brick today and we made great progress on a set of retaining walls below the curved walls we built last year.
The team split into two groups for lunch. One group ate lunch at House Shalom (formerly House One) and the other group ate lunch at House Jerusalem (formerly House Two). New this year, we were able to eat lunch with the kids. Today we had lunch with the high school kids. Tomorrow we will eat lunch with the children who attend at the elementary school. The elementary school kids still attend school in the morning and the high school kids attend in the afternoon.
After lunch the work on the brick walls continued until about 3:15. Tuesdays, a childrens program continues to happen at the church in Pacoche. The entire team and all of the kids headed over to help out with today's excitement. There were songs, a bible lesson, crafts, and a snack with over 50 children!
After we headed back to Montanita Verde for a short bit. Many of the team decided to take the opportunity to try out the "zip line". Vanessa had a remarkable landing which had the team in roaring laughter. Jeff managed to capture her entire flight on video, so perhaps you all will be able to share in our memory via YouTube someday.
Soon it was back into the pickups and heading back down the mountain to La Cueva. We have about an hour and half until dinner is served. Many people are cleaning up, others are working on today's bible reading and reflection, some are playing games, others are taking the opportunity to rest. I am working on this blog, thinking of you all back home.
It's wonderful to be back in Ecuador! It truly feels like home to me. The love that is shown by the Ecuadorians to each other is wonderful and they fully embrace our team each and every year when we arrive.
We pray that all is well with our loved ones at home. Blessings to you all!
On behalf of Team Ecuador 2010,
~Jennifer
Wow! What a wonderful first full day in San Lorenzo, Ecuador! Some of the team arose this morning extra early to take a hike up to the the lighthouse. It's quite a journey of over 600 steps. Others woke up a bit later and headed up to the local school to play with the children. It is such a fun opportunity to play with the children of San Lorenzo and the surrounding area!
At 8:00 the team met back at La Cueva for prayer and praise & worship. We sang some songs and are working on our moves for Siempre Que Me Muevo Es En Ti. We plan to sing the song on Monday when we visit the workers at the Manta dump. The team is doing well with learning the moves and it helped us all to get energized before breakfast.
Our wonderful host Jorge served us all a delicious breakfast. It included yummy fresh squeezed orange juice, fresh pineapple and watermelon as well as scrambled eggs and fresh rolls. Ordering coffee was quite an adventure for the team...black, half and half, half and three quarters, tea, milk...maybe we need a team lesson on fractions! ;)
After breakfast we all got our backpacks ready for the day and jumped in the Ecuadorian transportation to head up to the orphanage. Although it was relatively dry at La Cueva, it was misting quite heavily up at the orphanage. For those of you in Ecuador with us in 2007, it was just a typical August day. Paul gave us a brief introduction to the kids and house parents and showed the team around.
Soon after the team got right to work. Half of the team went to play games with the high school students before they would leave for school and the other half proceeded to begin building brick retaining walls. For those of you who were here last year, our walls are still standing - yay! They apparently have confidence in us because we have many more walls to build this year.
Some team members jumped into the difficult job of mixing the mortar, while others moved brick into position to build the walls. Nearly all of the team learned how to lay brick today and we made great progress on a set of retaining walls below the curved walls we built last year.
The team split into two groups for lunch. One group ate lunch at House Shalom (formerly House One) and the other group ate lunch at House Jerusalem (formerly House Two). New this year, we were able to eat lunch with the kids. Today we had lunch with the high school kids. Tomorrow we will eat lunch with the children who attend at the elementary school. The elementary school kids still attend school in the morning and the high school kids attend in the afternoon.
After lunch the work on the brick walls continued until about 3:15. Tuesdays, a childrens program continues to happen at the church in Pacoche. The entire team and all of the kids headed over to help out with today's excitement. There were songs, a bible lesson, crafts, and a snack with over 50 children!
After we headed back to Montanita Verde for a short bit. Many of the team decided to take the opportunity to try out the "zip line". Vanessa had a remarkable landing which had the team in roaring laughter. Jeff managed to capture her entire flight on video, so perhaps you all will be able to share in our memory via YouTube someday.
Soon it was back into the pickups and heading back down the mountain to La Cueva. We have about an hour and half until dinner is served. Many people are cleaning up, others are working on today's bible reading and reflection, some are playing games, others are taking the opportunity to rest. I am working on this blog, thinking of you all back home.
It's wonderful to be back in Ecuador! It truly feels like home to me. The love that is shown by the Ecuadorians to each other is wonderful and they fully embrace our team each and every year when we arrive.
We pray that all is well with our loved ones at home. Blessings to you all!
On behalf of Team Ecuador 2010,
~Jennifer
Monday, June 21, 2010
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Sing-A-Long with the team
Here's our song list for this year's trip:
#1 Chris Tomlin - Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)
#2 Stefan Van Voorst - Be The Church
#3 Charllie Hall - Center
#4 David Crowder Band - Everything Glorious
#5 Chris Tomlin - God of This City
#6 Chris Tomlin - Let God Arise
#7 Charlie Hall - Marvelous Light
#8 Hillsong - Mighty to Save
#9 David Crowder Band - O Praise Him (All This for a KIng)
#10 Chris Tomlin - Sing, Sing, Sing
#11 Matt Redman - You Never Let Go
#12 Breath and Dirt - The Offering
#13 Danny Cox - In All Things
#14 Danny Cox - Psalm 19
#15 Passion - My Glorious
#16 Hillsong United - Take It All
#17 Tomalo
#18 Abre Mis Ojos
#19 Siempre Que Me Muevo Es En Ti
#20 Esta Lucecita
#21 Every Move I Make
#1 Chris Tomlin - Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)
#2 Stefan Van Voorst - Be The Church
#3 Charllie Hall - Center
#4 David Crowder Band - Everything Glorious
#5 Chris Tomlin - God of This City
#6 Chris Tomlin - Let God Arise
#7 Charlie Hall - Marvelous Light
#8 Hillsong - Mighty to Save
#9 David Crowder Band - O Praise Him (All This for a KIng)
#10 Chris Tomlin - Sing, Sing, Sing
#11 Matt Redman - You Never Let Go
#12 Breath and Dirt - The Offering
#13 Danny Cox - In All Things
#14 Danny Cox - Psalm 19
#15 Passion - My Glorious
#16 Hillsong United - Take It All
#17 Tomalo
#18 Abre Mis Ojos
#19 Siempre Que Me Muevo Es En Ti
#20 Esta Lucecita
#21 Every Move I Make
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