Well after two days of travel we finally made it to Cuenca, Ecuador. In fact we even made it with all of our luggage, all 8 of them. When does that ever happen? And only two of them were opened to be inspected and we think only a pair of my shoes and some makeup is missing. At least I hope that is all, it's so hard to remember what we actually ended up packing in the suitcases and what we had packed in boxes and shipped. Fortunately everything that was electronic or more expensive here actually arrived in the suitcases, even from those that had been opened. The kids were really good despite the lack of sleep and having to go from plane to plane, only a few minor breakdowns during the entire trip. And for us that was the best part, knowing that our kids can adjust well despite all the changes.
While in Quito waiting for the last 40 minute flight to Cuenca, we decided that we had time to register our visas with the government here which we have to do in the first 30 days of arriving. We took a taxi, which charged us more then we should have been charged to the government office and realized that we had made it ten minutes late to be seen at this office: 2:10pm! Who closes a government office at 2pm? After a few moments of talking with the people outside the office we were finally seen and told that we had to do some paperwork before we could finalize our registration and with the time that we needed to get to the airport for our flight, it was impossible. So we used the last hour to find a place to eat and get away from the airport for a bit. Unfortunately this means in the next few weeks we will have to go back to Quito in order to register but at least this time we will have all the paperwork that we need to get it done quickly. And have to make sure that we get there before the 2pm deadline!
Once we got back to the airport we ended up taking all our luggage and so on to the counter and waited for over an hour to send in our luggage because of a mix-up with some other flight. That was hard for the kids because there was absolutely nothing to do that entire time, and our flight got delayed so we really didn't get to Cuenca till late and by that time I was exhausted as I slept very little the whole trip. When we arrived in Cuenca, our team mate Bolo came to pick us up and his wife Jenny, they took us to an apartment by one of the main rivers in the city and told us that they had been able to rent it for the month with all the furniture until we can find something that suits us better. It was great to be able to relax and put our things away (even for a few weeks) until we find something else. It is nice not having to be in a hotel like we had to when we moved to Brazil, especially since there is more space for the kids to play around and we get to save money for other things. But that is not the end of our day, as I would have enjoyed it to be as there was a Let's Start Talking final party that was already in progress as we dropped off our stuff. So off we went to the school where the LST party was happening. The kids thought it was lots of fun even though they were not able to communicate with the kids that were there, but they made it work. And of course the cake and treats were great for them too. Travis and I were able to meet with the Americans that have been hosting the LST here for the last 30 days and meet a lot of the people that they read with. As well we were able to meet a few people that we had seen on our survey trip in November of 2009. Travis' Spanish came back really quick and he's been able to communicate very well with everyone. I am of course having a harder time but the Portuguese that I know has definitely helped me to understand a lot. The kids still will only say a few words here and there but once they are in school, I know they will have no problem. It was a long night but definitely worth going to the party as now Travis and I will continue to work with a lot of the people from LST and hopefully some of them will come to know God. So a great start to a new life here in Cuenca, Ecuador. Please be in prayer for those people we met that night!
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