First Days

Our first two days have been packed! So much so that it is really our first three days - I thought it was Wednesday and Tim just informed me that tomorrow is Friday - whoops.  We made it down here via Newark, Orlando, and Panama, met the Bruces at the Quito airport and the kids had their first experience driving outside the U.S.  No car seats or seat belts and lots of people piled in the back.  Much communication is done via horns and double lines don't really mean that much - if three cars can fit across the road and there is a slow driver why not pass! Some caution plays into decisions but much less than we are accustomed to!

We were so blessed to get to hear a conversation between Spencer and Lee as we first hiked up to Kevin and Kathy's house in Rio Verde.  Spencer and Lee were getting acquainted as we carried our luggage up the 10 minute trail to their house with Lee telling Spencer all about the way they got water to their house (from one mountain ravine across a valley and then over to the land they rent) when he paused and commented, "Not many kids understand what I'm talking about!" That very thing was what stirred us to do this trip and while spawned  from Tori and Kimberly's friendship here it was building a bridge between two boys who just met!  They have now carved in the sand wall, had a great mud fight, used machetes until they got blisters, and just hung out.

Learning about how Kevin, Kathy, and the Schaub family (Kathy's sister, brother-in-law, and 4 kids) spend their time happened quickly as they were at the Lita Christian Center teaching archery at camp and began getting phone calls about an dear elderly Awa man who was in the hospital and the doctor in Lita had understood that he had passed away, but the daughter was calling to say that he was being discharged in Ibarra and no one seemed to completely understand what was happening.  Many calls later there was more clarity and the Schaub's were off in the car going the 2-3 hours to Ibarra to get them. Near dark they finally were back to Rio Verde and had to carry Salvador on horse back to his home.  He was alert and thrilled to be back to the mountain and out of the hospital. He is not all that well and not eating so much yet but all are thrilled that they can now car for them in the family homes. Many times the Schaubs and Bruces have spent much time working to help translate between the Awa (speaking Awa and some Spanish) and doctors (speaking Spanish and not always understanding the culture) and to provide transportation to the hospital as the Awa's traditional world collides with the big city. None of us like going through lots of medical stuff, we Americans can feel very out of our element, how much more exasperating to do it across language barriers and such. All of this time has opened up many opportunities for ministry and we will all have to wait and see what the Lord makes of it.

There are little snippets of time to just chat and visit or chill out and enjoy the beauty. It is a peaceful but busy place to be!