We have been in Cuenca for a year and had never been to the main museum so while the kids were on the school vacation we decided to go. Outside of the museum there are ruins from the old city of Cuenca. It's pretty neat how they made their buildings and harvested their foods. The kids enjoyed seeing all the rock walls and learning more about the culture here. It's a definitely a must see for anyone who comes to visit.
Friday, October 19, 2012
50 Years
Our family went to a 50 year wedding renewal with a couple from the church here. It was a great night where their grandkids, kids and the rest of their family celebrated 50 years of marriage and a re-commitment to their marriage at the same time. It is rare these days, especially here in South America for two people to have committed that much time in their lives being married. There is so much divorce or other problems that enter the marriage that it is hard to find a couple that has been willing to work out their differences or problems and make the marriage work. So it is a great accomplishment to celebrate a couple who had been together for 50 years and counting. We hope that through this celebration, many of the people in our church will also be willing to rededicate themselves to their relationships whether they are married or not but in all their relationships. Especially the one that they have with God. So please be in prayers for the marriages in this church, the couples who are struggling and for all those in the city who struggle with the commitment of marriage. And also a pray of praise for this couple who celebrated 50 years together. As well, keep Travis in your prayers as he works with couples who are struggling or want extra help to make their marriages strong and healthy. But especially that whether single, married, divorced or all other things, that our relationship with God is the most important dedication that we have and ever will make in our lives.
Via Flickr:
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
Chorro de Giron
During the school holidays we went with the church in Azogues on a little trip to a waterfall about an hour away from Cuenca. Just by the waterfall was a little park where you could play soccer, the kids could go on swings and slides and you could barbeque food. So the church got together to get some things to put on the barbeque and we enjoyed the day playing games, eating great food and taking a hike up the mountain to see the waterfall. Some of the youth even went walking behind the waterfall getting soaked in the process. It was not a warm day so I don't know what they were thinking. As well we were able to meet a new couple that the church invited with twin girls who were two. Travis has started meeting with them since this time as they have had some struggles in their marriage. It was great to meet them in a more relaxed and comfortable place then at the church building because they felt more at ease and were more open to talking about themselves. So please be in prayer for them and their family, for their marriage and the opportunity that Travis has to teach them more about God and his plan for them. Also be in prayer for the church in Azogues as they continue to search for new opportunities to invited people from their community to come to know God. And for our continued relationship with the group there and that we can have more times like this mini trip to get to know them better.
Friday, July 27, 2012
Let's Start Talking
For the last two weeks we have had a group of four Americans that have been teaching English using the book of Luke. This is last week's party with a Mickey Mouse theme. The student's had fun playing a bunch of games, relay races and eating lots of great treats. Tonight is the next party with the theme of 'Christmas in July.' It should be lots of fun. We have had quite a success with this program, in fact Travis and I are teaching a group class for people who want to take the one-on-one classes but just don't have enough vocabulary to communicate very well. And Hermel who normally teaches that basic class during the normal year is teaching a large group as well. We will see what happens starting September when we start our regular classes again. It looks like I will end up teaching a intermediate class as well as the basic and advanced levels. But we have been glad to have this group here as Cuenca is a university town and many people are interested in learning English. It just gives us one way to gain friendships and hopefully in the future bring more people into a relationship with God. Please continue to be with us this next week as we wrap up the one-on-one classes and for the relationships being build with the students.
Mancora, Peru
At the beginning of July and right after the kids were done school we headed on a nine hour bus ride to the beaches of Mancora, Peru. It wasn't really in the plans for us but out of necessity more then just for fun. Due to some recent changes in laws for visas, we needed to reapply for our visas within 30 days of the expiry and with all the paperwork. Not knowing the the laws had changed we ended up missing the deadline by 4 or 5 days so they told us that we could not apply as we didn't do so in enough time. The only option for us was to leave the country when our visas expired and reenter as tourists. And then to reapply for our missionary visas. So knowing that we had to wait for a few documents from Canada we decided to take a vacation since we had to leave the country anyway. We spent the week in a small town of Mancora, enjoying walking along the beaches, trying some good food and taking a break from the work here in Cuenca. It's been awhile since living in a beach city and we enjoyed being able to go to the beach everyday, the warmer weather and time together. The kids loved the beach, loved playing in the waves and making sandcastles. We searched for shells and rocks to bring back home with us and watched the sunset every night. It was good to get away for a bit and enjoy just the family. We are glad to be back home and working again. We have almost all of the paperwork that we need to renew our missionary visa but still are asking for your prayers that this will happen quickly and that we don't have any more surprises. Hopefully by next month we will again have our missionary visas.
Susanna and Isaac Get Baptized!
Travis and I have been studying with twins Susanna and Isaac. They are the brother and sister of one of the evangelists, Pablo. They have been very interested in the Bible and what it means to their lives. On June 30th, our 11th wedding anniversary they dedicated their lives to God through baptism. Their friends, family and people from church came to watch this important time in their lives. The unfortunate thing is at the pool that we went to baptize them did not want us doing it without paying, so only a few of us went in and paid the price. I videoed their baptism and then let the others watch who stayed outside the pool area. Even though it was an unconventional way for a baptism, they really were happy (both a bit shy) that not everyone was there. Afterwards, we invited everyone to our place for some snacks and time to celebrate. We even got a special song sung to us since it was our anniversary that day. Please be in prayer for Susanna and Isaac as they begin their walk with God and continue to grow spiritually. And with their family, especially Pablo and their brother Manuel as they continue to help them grow in Christ.
Birthday Party!
Ceara and I went for a long trip one day to go to a birthday party of a friend from her school. We had received the invitation and according to the directions it was at a party house and seemed pretty close to where we lived. However, it took us at least 30 minutes to arrive and when we got there we actually were one of the first to get there. However, the party house was a neat place, it had a few inflatable toys to play on, a large yard for games and soccer and this pool. It was a very cold day so being outside was not as fun but after the birthday boy got there (who ended up with a fever) we were able to go into the pool room which to our surprise was heated and a needed break from the cold outside. Ceara had lots of fun playing with her school friends and I got to visit with some of the ladies. Unfortunately this was probably one of the last times Ceara will get to see those friends from school as next year she will be attending a new school. But like we tell her, you'll have lots of new friends next year and can always call your old friends for a play date. But it was good to get together one last time with them.
Bolo and Jenny Move!
About three weeks ago Bolo and Jenny moved into a new house on the other side of the city, closer to the church. We are sad that they now live further away from us but are glad they found a great house and are renting for less then they used to. Here is a picture of Jenny, Travis and Nuvia cleaning out the kitchen so that Jenny could put away all of her dishes. The great thing about their new place is the space they have for hosting. This past Sunday we had a bbq at their place with the group from LST and we were almost all able to sit at the same table, which usually in their old home we had three tables going in different areas of the house. We look forward to more times at their place, however, we are hoping to move ourselves in the near future. I guess we will see but hope to have news of that in the next few weeks.
Father's Day!
For Father's Day, I hadn't planned what we would do for lunch that Sunday but after church service we got talking with Ivan who studies the Bible with Travis on Tuesday nights and he didn't have plans as everyone else in his family was working that day. So we decided to try out a restaurant that we had tried the first time when we came to Cuenca in 2009. It wasn't hard to find and we enjoyed a lunch with potatoes, meat and corn as well as time with Ivan and his daughter Angelica. Plus you can't go wrong celebrating Father's Day with a BBQ lunch. The kids were able to play while we waited for our food and the guys got to chat about life. We are glad for our relationship with Ivan and his family, please keep them in your prayers.
Family Day Party
For family day, Calen's school held a party as a going away party as well as a family day. The kids all had dances that they made up to different popular songs as well as a song that they sung especially for their parents. Calen's song was lots of fun and he even likes to dance to the song know whenever we hear it i the streets. The kids also got to show some of their school work and we created a shield together as a family. It's fun watching Calen interact with his friends and protect the little ones. He is speaking so much more in Spanish and the teachers really loved having him in school. It will be sad not sending him there next year but we look forward to how much more he grows in his new school. Hard to believe he will almost be four and that he's grown up so quickly!
Martha, Martha
On one of the Saturdays we held a mini conference for the women of the church on the topic of Martha and Mary, focusing on Martha when Jesus came to her house and she got upset that Mary just sat around listening to Jesus while Martha worked. Jenny and the lady in the picture, Mirella gave two classes on the subject. Nuvia, Lucia and I planned the in between activities, a question time, a drama that we had volunteers play out the scene and a cooking time. I taught the ladies to make easy sugar cookies, which went over well. It was a great time to get together and share with each other and get to know the ladies better.
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Jonathan and Sandra
Jonathan and Sandra have been a couple that we have been meeting with for a few months now. We first met Jonathan who at the time was working in a fast food place at the mall near our home. He had asked Travis if he would help them with their work to pronounce the words of their food correctly. Travis invited him to come to the English classes that we have been holding two nights a week. He and his wife started coming to the classes and really enjoyed learning. We had made plans to meet for coffee once when Craig and Leah were here but only Craig ended up going but they really enjoyed their conversation. We got to know them a bit better and had invited them to our home a few times as they live very close to us. After awhile we started studying with them using a marriage guide. So they come once a week to our house to study and then we see them on the nights we teach English. We also get together other times and are really finding them to be good friends. We pray that God will use this friendship to help them grow in their faith in God. Please also pray for Sandra's dad as he is in his final stages of cancer and not doing well. Pray for Sandra and he family as they wait and say their goodbyes to him. And be in prayer for them as a couple, that they can grow closer together and closer to God.
Bell Academy
We have been looking for awhile now and new school for the kids, one that they can both go to at the same time and that wasn't so far away from the city. We were tired of sending Ceara about an hour ride to and from school everyday and having to get up at 6am in the morning. We finally found a great school in the city called Bell Academy. It's a smaller and newer school which is great because that means that there won't be more then 15 kids in a class. As well, the school teaches three languages, English, Spanish and Portuguese. So our kids will be able to speak all three and be able to remember the language of where they were born. We are very excited about this. The director is from Cuenca and is married a to a teacher born in Brail but his grandparents are from England. We are glad that they will be able to relate well with our kid with their multiple places that they have lived and languages they have spoken. We are excited to see what this next year brings to them and what they will learn and experience in the coming year.
Open House!
Near the end of the school year, Ceara's class had an open house. They did a mini-day in the life of Ceara. They showed us the types of things they'd been learning, even including English class which was a bit funny with Ceara as she knew everything already. But it was a fun time watching how they teach here in Ecuador and how Ceara interacted with the students and the teacher. We are so proud of how well she'd doing in school and how well she's speaking Spanish. Next year she won't be going to the same school but I know she will do great in her new school. She already has accomplished so much.
Mother's Day Service in Azogues!
This Mother's Day landed on the day that we headed out to Azogues. It was a great time as we had quite a few visitors that day. Some of course were family members but a few were from the city. After the service and sermon by Travis we had a time of dedication for the Mother's. We had a few people sing some tradition songs and a few poems read as well. One of the members made lunch for everyone and we enjoyed having the day together and seeing them share their Mother's Day traditions with us. They sure do appreciate their Mother's in this country!
Daniel
For Mother's Day the mall hosted a mariachi band to play for all the mother's. We decided to go not because of the Mother's Day but because our friend from church plays the violin in the band. He also plays in the orchestra here in the city. So one more thing to put on my list, watch a friend play mariachi music!
Captain Calen
One of the things that Calen is into lately is the Avengers. When we were in Quito we stopped at a toy store and got a few little toys for them for Easter. One of the promotions when I got up to the till was an avengers cartoon video, so I got it for them and ever since then he has been obsessed with the Avengers. Specifically Captain America. He has been bugging me for awhile to make him something like the Captain America shield. So one day I did make him a shield with two plastic plate, he has taken it everywhere with him. In fact once we went to the mall and went into the main store. The guy guarding the entrance in fact made me put a sticker on his shield because he thought it was store made. It made us all laugh! Calen has used it so much since I made it that it finally broke the other day and I had to make another one for him, I have a feeling that it won't be the last one either. Good thing for plastic plates!
Dune Bugs!
When we were in Banos, we were surprised by the way that people got around. They used dune buggies to get around. So we were able to rent one while we were there and got to explore the town in a different way then normal. Here is Travis with the kids and their motorbike helmets. I especially like Ceara's helmet, reminds me of the old time bike helmets. They looked pretty good. Calen and Travis loved the ride but Ceara and I didn't enjoy it as much. In fact Calen asked everyday afterwards to go ride again. But there are some need things that you can do that you'd never do back home. So if you ever come to Ecuador and take a trip to banos, you got to try out their transportation.
Birthday's Galore!
Seth and Hannah are Nuvia's twins, the were celebrating their tenth birthday this March. They really haven't had the chance to celebrate a big birthday before and I decided that since they almost share my birthday that I would throw a joint party with them. I let them invite 6 friends each from their school and we invited many of our friends as well. I made up some games to play and made cupcakes with a boy theme and girl theme for them. The really enjoyed having the party focused on them, they have to share pretty much everything together but I made it so they both got their own time as well as together. I think they had fun and we got to meet some new people through their friends.
Youth Say Goodbye
After a few times with Craig, the youth wanted to say goodbye to Craig. They really felt empowered and excited about the future of the youth group after being invited to hear Craig speak and encourage them in their faith. They even all chipped in to buy him a really 'panama' hat which technically comes from Ecuador. Thanks Craig for all your help and your encouragement for the youth!
Azogues with the Family
Another thing that we were able to do was visit with the church in Azogues with our family. Craig was able to preach and do a class for them one Sunday. After the service the congregation got us to spend the afternoon at one of their houses and had prepared a meal for us. As well, when Len came he was able to give the congregation a class and Craig was able to preach one more time for them. It's always fun to be there as they are a small group and we are able to visit more with them. Thanks Len and Craig for encouraging this small congregation. Please be in prayer for this group as they continue to grow and learn more about God.
A Good Shower
Another activity that Craig was a part of, along with Travis and Len was organizing the construction of a new shower for Maria Anita and her family. They are members of the church here and they two boys are just heading into their teens. As active teens, they have been finding that hauling water to take their baths was just not functional anymore, so they had asked the church to help them build a shower at their home outside of the city. Our guys helped by organizing the build and visiting their home. They even helped fix one of their fences that held their chickens. Mary Anita and her family were very grateful for the help as well as the new shower that will make a huge difference for their family. Thanks guys for all your work!
Youth Retreat
When Craig and Leah were here we had a youth retreat for the youth group. Craig was well loved by the teens. He had them interacting by doing a photo scavenger hunt. So splitting up in different groups, the teens when around downtown Cuenca taking pictures of their group in different situations, including hiding under a table and standing in a truck bed. Afterwards they listened to Craig give them a devotional. They had lots of fun and since Craig was here they have been trying to get together more often for these types of activities. So thanks Craig for helping them to get excited again for this year and helping them to look at how they can live more for Christ this year.
Trip to Quito
Just before the Easter holidays we made another trip to Quito to trying and get our cedulas which are basically our national id's. However, when we got there we discovered that since Travis' last trip in January the laws had changed requiring anyone who gets a cedula to have a residence visa. So we ended up taking a trip for nothing but while we were there we spent time looking around the city that Travis spent a year of his life in. We saw a few museums and some churches in the downtown. We also got to see our friends, Nuvia, Hannah, Seth and Dothy who were visiting their family during the easter holidays. You would have thought that the kids hadn't seen each other in a very long time even though it had only been a few days. We treated the kids to an amusement park and then for Nuvia's kids McDonald's which was the first time they had tried it. Amazing what little things make kids happy. It was still a fun time even though we were unable to get our cedulas.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Neighborhood Kids
Every day when Ceara comes home our door gets knocked on and we are asked if Ceara and Calen are home so that they can play. Our neighbor kids always want to come play at our house or outside. The kid in the middle named Adriano recently got three new puppies after the mother dog past away. So every day now the kids want to go see the dogs. One day, after Travis had come home after running, he laid on the ground to do sit ups when the kids came by with the puppies. Of course the puppies thought it would be fun to get Travis and jumped all over him and licked his yummy salt from his sweaty body. The kids laughed hysterically at this and then proceeded to allow the dogs to do the same to them. Here is a picture of them all laying on the ground being attacked by the dogs or waiting for them to get them. As you can see, our house is never a dull place! It's full of lots of laughter and noise.
Banos
After leaving Quito we headed three hours away to a town called Banos, which Ceara kept saying,"It's funny that they called the city bathroom"! This town is right near an active volcano that steams and has lava that still comes out of it everyday. It exploded enough in 2006 that everyone in the city was evacuated and not allowed to return for quite awhile. Here is a picture of Travis and Ceara at one of the lookouts of the whole city of Banos. You supposedly can see the top of the volcano from there as well but it ended up being very cloudy that night so we couldn't see anything but the lights of the city. It was so cloudy that night that by the time the bus left to take us back down, we were actually in the clouds. That is a strange feeling being so high that you are in the clouds. During the Easter holiday that we were in Banos, a group of over 30,000 people walked from another town called Ambato to Banos as a procession for Easter. There were so many people that they closed the highway so that the people could walk overnight to the city and then have a special ceremony at the catholic church. We did see more people the next day but by the time we headed out to look around, most of them had left or gone to their hotels to sleep.
We also enjoyed going to a little fair, go-carting around the city and watching some crazy people bungy jump from the city bridge and enjoying some thermal pools that are heated by the volcano. It was a great little holiday for our family! Then we took a taxi truck from Banos back to Cuenca which took us 5 hours. We even took the back roads from Banos to Riobamba that had been washed out by the lava from the volcano explosion in 2006. It was crazy to see how much the volcano destroyed the country side, from houses, to trees to roads and even the river. Almost like I imagine it looks like on the moon. We did get to see a little video at the top of the lookout of the devastation right after it actually exploded. At least now the vegetation was growing back and houses were being cleaned up and the road was being reused. The only part about the trip is that it is very curvy roads going straight down that Ceara had some trouble keeping her breakfast down and by the time we got home, I was still feeling like I was moving back and forth.
Visit in Quito
While we were in Quito we were able to spend an afternoon with Nuvia and her kids. They had also taken a vacation to Quito to visit their family, aunts, uncles and cousins. So we took a day to meet at an amusement park where the kids got to go on a few rides and play a few games. Here is a picture of Hanna who won a toy puppy after getting the most ducks out of the pool. We weren't able to play long as it rained most of the time and some of the rides were closed but I think they all had a great time. You almost would have thought that they hadn't seen each other in months they way that yelled and screamed when they saw each other in Quito. Afterwards we went to the mall and treated them to McDonald's which they had never tried before and they also got to play in the playground too which they loved. It was fun to see them in a different place and see the joy they had at the amusement park as well as at McDonald's.
Another Trip to The Capital
Yes, we took another trip to Quito at the beginning of April. This time we went to be able to get our national id's (cedulas) which is like our version of a social security number. Unfortunately, when we got there we discovered that between the time Travis was there in December and April the laws changed again and the requirements also changed. There is not a formal way to get information like this through internet or other ways so we ended up going on a trip that didn't get us any closer to getting our cedulas.
Unfortunately, to get your cedula you have to have a residence visa and not just any visa. We have a missionary visa right now so we are not able to apply to get a cedula until we change to the residence visa. So we got to enjoy a few more days looking around Quito instead. When we got back to Cuenca we were able to hook up with a lawyer who is a cousin of friends of ours who is going to be helping us get this residence visas It may be a little difficult to get as we have to get a police check from both Canada and Brazil to show the last five years where we have lived. Hopefully, we can just do the Canadian part and not have to try to get stuff from Brazil as that will be quite a bit of work. So please be in prayer for this to happen easy and quickly. One other thing is that we have to renew Ceara's passport before we can do the visas so pray we can get this done quickly as well.
Baby Shower
When we first got to Ecuador we got to go to Chicho (Jaun Diego) and Anshy's (Andrea) wedding. Anshy is the oldest daughter of Bolo and Jenny. It was a great time of course until the end when Calen ended up in emergency after falling off a tractor and opening up a gash in his head. However, it was great to be a part of their family moment. On my birthday this year I was also able to be a part of another family moment as we celebrated the baby shower of Anshy. Yup, an unplanned honeymoon pregnancy and we will be welcoming their little girl, Maria Alejandra to their new family at the end of this month or the beginning of May. They of course wanted to wait a few year before having kids but sometimes other plans end up happening. They are very excited now to be adding to their family as are we to get to enjoy a baby around. Bolo and Jenny are of course ecstatic to have their first grandchild and even more so that she is a she. I was able to bless her and the baby shower by decorating the cake with little booties, flowers and hearts. As well, I made a little diaper cake that she enjoyed! Can't be a bad thing to get a bunch of diapers as gifts, since they can be quite expensive. Looking forward to Maria Alejandra's arrival and as soon as I can get a picture I'll be able to introduce her to you all. So please be praying for Chicho and Anshy in this new phase of life, that they will have a smooth birth and transition from a family of two to three in such a short time.
Carinval
Carnival here in Ecuador is much different then in Brazil. It's funny that in a country that is not really hot would be the country that celebrates the holiday with water. Yes, water! That means about two weeks before the actually holiday you need to be careful while walking around your neighborhood. As any moment you might get bombed by a water balloons from anywhere, cars, apartments or buses. It's crazy how much water gets used during this holiday. Our neighbors brought a whole bunch of kids over one day and spent the cold afternoon soaking each other. They use water guns, hoses, water balloons and buckets. As well as this specially made soap sprays in various colors. This picture is our neighbor driving by as the kids try to get their friend wet and he tries to get them wet.
At first our kids just cried when people would throw water on them or put the soap spray in their hair as they didn't understand what was happening. We bought them a kiddie pool and filled it with warm water so that they could actually enjoy the party. After a few days of repetitive getting soaked, they finally got the hang of it and in the end were enjoying the holiday. We even went to our neighbors for supper one night and we were doused in cornstarch after being wet. Makes for a long shower that night trying to get out the powder but fun none the less. So be prepared that if you chose to come visit in the month of February then be prepared for some wet days!
Manicures and Pedicures
One of the fun things about living in a third world country is that things here sometimes can be much cheaper. One of those things is a manicure and pedicure. Across the street from my house is a little salon. While Carol and Leah were here we treated ourselves to a girls day out where we all got our hands and feet done. To get your hands done it costs $3 and for feet it costs $5. Not bad when you consider back home and the prices there. Even Ceara came to get her feet done too which she loved. Of course I really haven't been there often as it's pretty busy since the prices even for the Ecuadorians is cheap. But it is nice to know that if I wanted to treat myself then I just need to pop across the street. I also got my hair done and for a cut and highlights it only cost $27. The question that I have is why is it so much cheaper to get your hands, feet and hair done in countries like Brazil and Ecuador but it costs so much more in Canada or the States? Travis can get his hair cut there for $3 and the lady does a great job. Also it had been a good way to reach out in the community as while we were there, we found out that the lady has a son the same age as Calen and her daughter who is 10 has been taking English so we have invited them to participate in our English classes. So even while taking time out for myself, God still shows us ways to reach out to the people in our community. Maybe I should head out right now to get my nails done? Well, maybe not right this moment. I'll try to get some more blogs posted instead!
Women's Conference
Every year Cuenca hosts a women's conference in January. This year the theme of the conference was 'Living Life Without Conflict' I of course got thrown into doing something for the conference which I willingly said yes to. That was to prepare the gifts for the ladies that come to the conference. I planned on making a few candle luminaries. However, I didn't realize that it was for more then 150 people, but with help from others in the church we were able to complete them and the women were delighted to take one home with them. As well, I got asked to prepare one of the classes for the conference. Little did I know I wouldn't receive the stuff I would need to prepare the class with less then two weeks to do it. However, with some help from Travis in translating and Nuvia to help correct it, I was able to give my first Spanish lesson to a group of more then 150. Leah was also asked to give a devotional one morning that was translated. It was a great experience and even better to meet so many new women from around the country of Ecuador. Hopefully, next year will be just as great!
Bus Tour
One of the fun things that we got to do while Len, Carol, Craig, Leah and Lena were here was take the bus tour of the city. We had been wanting to do that for awhile but had never gotten around to doing it. It is a double decker bus that takes a tour around the downtown area as well as near our neighborhood and a look from Turi which has a views of the whole city. The great thing about this tour is that you get a great view of the architectural buildings around the city as you get to sit on the top of the bus. It's a great view as you get to be right up close to the buildings. When your walking you get a bit of the view but it doesn't compare with almost being able to touch the carvings, feel the mosaic tiles and see the tops of the roofs. And then to top it all off, you get to take a break at the top of Turi and view the entire city from just one spot. It's pretty amazing and I would go everytime that someone comes to visit. Anyone planning a visit anytime soon? Hope so! And don't forget to bring a good camera so you can get all the beautiful shots of the buildings in Cuenca, but be careful not to get caught by the many wires that cross the path of the road or get smacked by the tree branches as we go by! Those are the only down sides of the bus tour. But let me tell you it's a great thing to look forward to when you come for a visit. Can't wait to go again!
Monday, February 6, 2012
Cousins!
Craig, Leah and Lena have been here now for a month. They are here to work with our teammates and ourselves as Craig completes his Master's degree. His professors agreed to giving him credit for his work here and as well he took a class with Compassion Canada in the town of Otavalo for a week so with those two things, he will have some good credits to his degree. Of course the bonus for us is that Leah, Travis' sister and our niece, Lena got to come with Craig. Of course the cousins are enjoying their special time together as you can see in the picture here. And we are enjoying the extra time with family and of course the extra help. They will be here till the beginning of March so please be in prayer for them as they work here.
Preaching in Azogues
One of the other things that we do here in Ecuador is work with a small church about 30 minute drive from Salvador. It is a small church made up of two families. They have been needing the extra help for awhile as they haven't grown in a long time. One of the men of the families went to the Institute and took classes and he is the one that helped start the work there. We will be heading to Azogues about every two weeks, so that we are two weeks in Cuenca and two weeks in Azogues. If anything, we hope to encourage these families in their work and give them the tools that they need to help their group grow. It is fun getting to be with them as we get to know them much more quickly then we have so far with the church here in Cuenca as there are only a few of them. They have a bunch of young kids as well so our kids enjoy getting to be with them too. Please be in prayer for this group as they struggle and search for ways to influence their city for the better. Pray for growth not just numerically but also spiritually.
Monday, January 16, 2012
BOXES for Boxing Day!
The Box saga is over! We are so happy to say that we finally have all of our boxes. As our last post revealed, we were going to have to hire a customs agent at the airport to take out our boxes after hearing from the lawyer that he had found them. As the kids had started back to school, Travis headed alone to figure out what we could do next. As the boxes were in my name, I hurried downtown to get a power of attorney signed so that Travis wouldn't get there and they tell him that he couldn't claim the boxes. So after he got the power of attorney he headed to Quito to hire a customs agent.
We had been given a name of a well known agent who has worked with the customs for many years so Travis went to talk with him. Travis went early Monday morning and came home Wednesday night. During that time there were many different problems with getting the boxes. One of the main problems is that the paperwork that came with the boxes was not at the airport customs. They were at the original post office that we had gone to the time we all went to Quito. So Travis ended up going back to this post office to pick up the paperwork. Unfortunately he went twice as they discovered that only two boxes had the paperwork with that post office. Travis also had to go to another post office to get the last box's paperwork. With all of that done there wasn't anything else for him to do and there wasn't a for sure date as to when we would be able to get our boxes. So he came back to Cuenca without the boxes and a possible time frame of getting the boxes before Christmas.
Later and after about three phone calls we were told that there might be another hitch to getting our boxes so we thought that we actually wouldn't get them because of a problem with our id's. After a few more calls we found out that this wasn't actually a problem and that they finally had the boxes. All we had to do was pay the customs agent fees, the storage fees for the boxes and the fee to send us our boxes. We were so excited that we would get them before Christmas. We rushed to get it all done but we never heard back from the secretary of the agent and we worried about what was to happen as it was already Friday and Christmas was on Sunday. We also knew that the customs office wouldn't be open the next week. So frustrated that we hadn't heard about when our boxes were to arrive, we tried to move on to the Christmas celebrations. Then Monday morning, Travis thought he'd try one more time to call the secretary and see when we'd be able to expect our boxes. She told us that she had already sent them to us and forgot to call to tell us when they would be here. So Friday afternoon our boxes were sent to Cuenca and we technically we could of got our boxes before Christmas.
However, we find it quite humorous and fitting that we got our three boxes on Canadian Boxing Day! Needless to say, we rushed to the airport the moment we heard the boxes were there and grabbed our boxes. That day was almost like another Christmas morning getting to see all the things that we thought might be lost forever. The kids were excited to get a few extra toys we had packed and we were glad to have some of the trinkets that we got from Brazil to remember our time there. The best thing of it all was getting our books and Travis' notes from his Masters degree that he really needed to be able to prepare classes for CEDI this year. We are so thankful that nothing was taken from our boxes even though there were many months and opportunities for those who came in contact with them. And we are thankful to those who kept us and these boxes in their prayers. God does answer prayers, even simple ones like getting belongings after six months of waiting! So now we can enjoy the other things in life and the work here and not have to worry any more about what else is needed to get our boxes! We are so thankful that this process is over and that we got the positive outcome that we had been looking for! Boxes for Boxing Day!
Midnight Supper
Bolo and Jenny invited us to their home on Christmas Eve for the holidays. They also invited Nuvia and her kids as well as Francesca and her family who a year ago lost their dad and husband. It was a great time of listening to them sing songs, talk and see the kids play. The kids also got to open a few gifts and it was fun to see how excited they were for their gifts. Also in their neighborhood they had a parade of children dressed up as Mary and Joseph, shepherds and king's. There were lots of fireworks and lots of music playing around the neighborhood. The tradition is to have supper at midnight to celebrate the beginning of the day of Christ's birth. The kids' did pretty good staying up late but it was hard for them to wait until midnight to eat supper. Travis brought some snack foods which helped tide them over. It was a great night and fun to celebrate the holidays with friends. Of course we missed spending the holidays with our families but we got the next best thing. We are looking forward to many more holidays in Cuenca and are thankful that Bolo and Jenny shared the day with our family.
Christmas Hampers
This year like the last few years in Brazil many generous people from back home gave us money to be able to buy Christmas food hampers. With the contribution that we got, we were able to buy 15 food hampers for the poorer families around the city. One of the recipients of these food hampers is a lady from church named Gladys. She has a 25 year old daughter and three other children ages 8, 6, and 4. Her husband died not long ago leaving her and the children without anything. Her oldest daughter works part time but doesn't get a lot of money and a few months ago Gladys was diagnosed with cancer. She is now in treatments but these are very expensive and make her very tired and it is hard for her to take care of her kids. We were glad that we could help her family as they struggle daily to put food on their table and to handle all the medical treatments that she needs. Please be in prayer for Gladys and her family, that God would heal her of cancer so that she can take care of her family. Also be in prayer for the other families that we were able help this Christmas. Thank you to all those who gave money to buy these hampers and make a difference in the lives of the people here.
A Sweet King
Calen's daycare also had a program for Christmas. Calen was dressed as King Jasper for his program. I saw he looked great as this king, he did a little dance to a song showing the king's worshiping Jesus. It was such a cute program even when all the little kids started crying or didn't know what they were to do. It was so cute to see them all dressed up as trees, king's, santa', and stars. It was really nice to see the work that the teacher's put into his program. I am so proud at how well Calen is doing with his Spanish and in his class. He seems to really enjoy school which is great! I do miss him during the hours he is gone but I am glad he has friends here outside of church kids. Please continue to pray for openings with the parents of the children that go to school with Calen as well as Ceara.
English Christmas Party
In December we had a Christmas party for the English students. We bought a bunch of foods for the party, decorated, made a few games for them to fill in and even had a gift exchange. We tried the white elephant to see how that went and it was a hit. Many of the students liked bargaining over the presents that they got. One present stayed on the table for the whole time and in the end was revealed by Jaime our teammate. It was a big bottle of shampoo which is hilarious as Jaime is bald, so not a big need for shampoo with him. The students had a great time playing the gift exchange game and learning some English Christmas songs. Some of the students even made 'Cubanos' which is our version of a sub sandwich. It was delicious and seemed to be fun for them to share something that they knew how to make. It was a great time to get to know everyone a little better and to build those relationships that allow for better opportunities to share in each others lives. Please continue to pray for all the English students and the new ones that will come in this next semester.
Our Shining Star
For Christmas all of the kids in Ceara's school held a Christmas show for the parents. Her class dressed up as stars and gingerbread men and danced to a Christmas song. It was fun watching Ceara up on stage doing a perfect dance as she's very agile and loves to dance. Of course her costume was just exactly what she loves, sparkles and gold! I was the only one who got to enjoy her special time as the program was held on the same night as our English Christmas party. So we did a quick trip right after her performance to catch the end of the party. Ceara loves her school and friends and it was fun to be able to see her perform. I have a feeling it won't be the last performance that we see her in.
A New Family Member
We had been thinking that we would like to get a pet for the kids. After some thought we bought a few fish for Ceara's birthday. They loved the fish but we still wanted to get them something that they would be able to interact with. So after some debate on the topic of getting a dog we decided to take a deeper look at getting one. After some time looking up good breeds and dogs that were good with kids we decided on either a golden retriever or a lab. Not telling the kids what we were up to we decided to look around at what was out there. After a quick look on the internet, Travis found an ad for a lady selling new golden retrievers. We had Jenny call and plan a time to take a look at the dogs and headed to see this lady. We got to see the puppy's parents who were friendly and looked very healthy and after a little while found out the lady who owned the dog was a student veterinarian. She had brought out one dog which was a happy dog and heavy but seemed really great. The kids loved it right away and then the lady said she had made a mistake and brought us a dog already claimed for. Then she brought us this super cute, much thinner and happier girl dog! And in that instant we were all hooked, the kids said let's take her home right now! After the negotiation of the price and receiving her paperwork we took this puppy home!
After a time of debate over the name we settled on Pipoca which is Portuguese for Popcorn, just another way to remember Brazil and it just didn't sound as good to call her Canguill which is Spanish for popcorn. The kids love our little puppy who is not so little anymore. She is a joy to us however, she is still learning and is teething just like a little baby. The good thing is she is a quick learner and obeys our commands, just need some more time to teach her different things. But has been a good decision for our family and we are glad to call Pipoca the new family member.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)