Friday, May 30, 2008
One more photo
I forgot to include this photo - it shows where my office used to be (click here to read the whole article from last week). The area will soon be a parking lot! I was teased on Sat about my purple wall that is still visible! I hope they paint it before they put the parking lot in! The large building in the background is HCJB's Hospital Vozandes.
HCJB BBQ
Santi keeping the grills going with Richard and Howard.
Nathan with "Aunt Esther" and his new hat.
Getting ready for the relay race!
Nathan playing with his friend Sara.
Last Saturday we enjoyed a "Family Day" at HCJB. Santi helped with grilling the meat and I helped by bringing a salad, a dessert and our baby! It was a fun day with the opportunity to catch up with friends and eat and play some games. We also honored four students of HCJB families who are graduating from high school in a few weeks.
We did kind of get rained out (it's been really rainy and cold here the past few weeks), but that didn't seem to dampen anyone's spirits. Everyone commented that we need to do this more often. For me, it was great to have other people to entertain Nathan for a while! Since he has so many "aunts" at HCJB, I barely even got to see him as he was passed around a lot! And being the "people-person" that he is, he loved every minute of it and soaked it all up!
Nathan with "Aunt Esther" and his new hat.
Getting ready for the relay race!
Nathan playing with his friend Sara.
Last Saturday we enjoyed a "Family Day" at HCJB. Santi helped with grilling the meat and I helped by bringing a salad, a dessert and our baby! It was a fun day with the opportunity to catch up with friends and eat and play some games. We also honored four students of HCJB families who are graduating from high school in a few weeks.
We did kind of get rained out (it's been really rainy and cold here the past few weeks), but that didn't seem to dampen anyone's spirits. Everyone commented that we need to do this more often. For me, it was great to have other people to entertain Nathan for a while! Since he has so many "aunts" at HCJB, I barely even got to see him as he was passed around a lot! And being the "people-person" that he is, he loved every minute of it and soaked it all up!
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Nathan is doing well - he had his five-month check-up yesterday and the pediatrician continues to be pleased with his progress. He now weighs 16 lb. 14 oz. and is 26 inches long. And is ready to start solid food - so that will be our project for this month!
We continue to be AMAZED at God's goodness to us in healing our son! And we are so grateful to you who have prayed for him and for us and been a part of this incredible journey with us.
We are so much enjoying seeing him grow and develop and start doing new things too. He is rolling over from his tummy to his back and working really hard on rolling from his back to his tummy - he doesn't have that mastered yet! We being reminded though that he has lots of determination to do something and just keeps trying and trying! He was like this from birth, so we shouldn't be surprised!
And we have been trying to get Nathan's Ecuadorian paperwork taken care of. So the other day, Santi went to check on the paperwork needed for his Ecuadorian "cedula" (a required form of identification for any Ecuadorian citizen/resident). We need this in order to get Nathan's Ecuadorian passport to be used for travel. Well, Santi found out that they aren't issuing cedula's right now because they have run out of the plastic ID's to make them! So we have to wait another 3 weeks or so (that's if they do arrive in 3 weeks!).
Hopefully we can get his paperwork taken care of soon. He already has his US passport and certificate of birth abroad (I still need to get him a Social Security Number).
Thank you for all your notes, emails, comments and words of encouragement - we so enjoy hearing from all of you!
We continue to be AMAZED at God's goodness to us in healing our son! And we are so grateful to you who have prayed for him and for us and been a part of this incredible journey with us.
We are so much enjoying seeing him grow and develop and start doing new things too. He is rolling over from his tummy to his back and working really hard on rolling from his back to his tummy - he doesn't have that mastered yet! We being reminded though that he has lots of determination to do something and just keeps trying and trying! He was like this from birth, so we shouldn't be surprised!
And we have been trying to get Nathan's Ecuadorian paperwork taken care of. So the other day, Santi went to check on the paperwork needed for his Ecuadorian "cedula" (a required form of identification for any Ecuadorian citizen/resident). We need this in order to get Nathan's Ecuadorian passport to be used for travel. Well, Santi found out that they aren't issuing cedula's right now because they have run out of the plastic ID's to make them! So we have to wait another 3 weeks or so (that's if they do arrive in 3 weeks!).
Hopefully we can get his paperwork taken care of soon. He already has his US passport and certificate of birth abroad (I still need to get him a Social Security Number).
Thank you for all your notes, emails, comments and words of encouragement - we so enjoy hearing from all of you!
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Friday, May 23, 2008
Prayers for the Carnill Family
We just wanted to ask that you pray for our good friends, Jerry & Dawn Carnill and their family. I have worked with them ever since I came to Ecuador and they are like family to us.
A year ago they moved to Atlanta, GA to spend a year in the states for various reasons. It was a difficult move for them but they felt it was what God wanted them to do at the time. In the meantime, they have a home here in Quito (not far from ours) that they have tried to rent out and they are now trying to find a buyer for the home as it's too difficult to keep this home and also one in GA.
Yesterday the house here in Quito was broken into. The single girl who has been living there and paying rent no longer feels safe in the house and will be moving out as soon as possible . . . here is what Jerry says in an email he just sent out:
PLEASE PRAY
Yesterday our house in Quito was broken into. The single woman who is living there no longer feels safe and would like to move out asap. We understand her feeling, especially since she was robbed near her office a month ago and now at home.
But this creates several challenges for us. We need to sell most of our furniture quickly. What we don’t sell, we need to store. But on our last visit we couldn't locate any available storage facilities.
We need to clean out the house. We need to find someone else to rent the house, or at least find someone who will live there in the mean time. But the challenge is that we are in a situation where we will need to pay for our house in Ecuador while we are paying for the house in Georgia.
We haven't been able to find anyone to rent the house at a good price. We would like to sell the Quito house but there are legal challenges with that too. So please pray for us regarding all of these challenges.
We need some miracles to happen. I may be flying to Quito on Sunday to meet with potential renters, to try to sell what we can, and to store the rest. I need to return on Thursday because Zac is having his tonsils out on Friday – pray for a speedy recovery for him and all to go well with the surgery.
It’s hard to not get discouraged. It seems like life is not real easy right now. But we know God has a plan. We’re just not in the fun part yet. Thanks for praying. Jerry
It's hard when loved ones are going through difficult times. Please pray for them with us. Here is a photo of Jerry & Dawn.
A year ago they moved to Atlanta, GA to spend a year in the states for various reasons. It was a difficult move for them but they felt it was what God wanted them to do at the time. In the meantime, they have a home here in Quito (not far from ours) that they have tried to rent out and they are now trying to find a buyer for the home as it's too difficult to keep this home and also one in GA.
Yesterday the house here in Quito was broken into. The single girl who has been living there and paying rent no longer feels safe in the house and will be moving out as soon as possible . . . here is what Jerry says in an email he just sent out:
PLEASE PRAY
Yesterday our house in Quito was broken into. The single woman who is living there no longer feels safe and would like to move out asap. We understand her feeling, especially since she was robbed near her office a month ago and now at home.
But this creates several challenges for us. We need to sell most of our furniture quickly. What we don’t sell, we need to store. But on our last visit we couldn't locate any available storage facilities.
We need to clean out the house. We need to find someone else to rent the house, or at least find someone who will live there in the mean time. But the challenge is that we are in a situation where we will need to pay for our house in Ecuador while we are paying for the house in Georgia.
We haven't been able to find anyone to rent the house at a good price. We would like to sell the Quito house but there are legal challenges with that too. So please pray for us regarding all of these challenges.
We need some miracles to happen. I may be flying to Quito on Sunday to meet with potential renters, to try to sell what we can, and to store the rest. I need to return on Thursday because Zac is having his tonsils out on Friday – pray for a speedy recovery for him and all to go well with the surgery.
It’s hard to not get discouraged. It seems like life is not real easy right now. But we know God has a plan. We’re just not in the fun part yet. Thanks for praying. Jerry
It's hard when loved ones are going through difficult times. Please pray for them with us. Here is a photo of Jerry & Dawn.
Building Demolition
In this changing world, the HCJB missionary community is no stranger to change. In my eleven plus years here in Quito, I have definitely experienced various changes - whether it is a missionary friend returning home. Or a change of staff in our department. Or missionary friends going to another region in another part of the world. Or . . . well, you get the idea! There will probably always be change!
And one of the most recent changes was the tearing down of the building where I worked for 10 years with Guest Ministries, Tours and Short-term Teams. This was the first building that was built on the HCJB compound years ago when HCJB's founder, Clarence Jones, started the radio station and it held a lot of history and memories.
Unfortunately, due to its age it was very expensive and difficult to keep up - it had faulty electricity (and would have been too expensive to re-do) and the building was literally falling apart (part of the roof had fallen in not too long ago during a bad rainstorm). Probably not a safe place for people to keep working!
It is sad to see the building gone . . . so much history, memories and so many friendships and working relationships that were formed! But like I said earlier - we must face change - it's all around us in today's world.
Here are a few photos - from before and during the demolition.
THE ENTRANCE TO THE GUEST MINISTRIES/TEAMS OFFICE
THE VIEW I USED TO HAVE FROM MY OFFICE WINDOW
AND THE DEMOLITION BEGINS
AND NOTHING OF THE BUILDING IS LEFT (you can see HCJB's Hospital Vozandes in the background)!
And one of the most recent changes was the tearing down of the building where I worked for 10 years with Guest Ministries, Tours and Short-term Teams. This was the first building that was built on the HCJB compound years ago when HCJB's founder, Clarence Jones, started the radio station and it held a lot of history and memories.
Unfortunately, due to its age it was very expensive and difficult to keep up - it had faulty electricity (and would have been too expensive to re-do) and the building was literally falling apart (part of the roof had fallen in not too long ago during a bad rainstorm). Probably not a safe place for people to keep working!
It is sad to see the building gone . . . so much history, memories and so many friendships and working relationships that were formed! But like I said earlier - we must face change - it's all around us in today's world.
Here are a few photos - from before and during the demolition.
THE ENTRANCE TO THE GUEST MINISTRIES/TEAMS OFFICE
THE VIEW I USED TO HAVE FROM MY OFFICE WINDOW
AND THE DEMOLITION BEGINS
AND NOTHING OF THE BUILDING IS LEFT (you can see HCJB's Hospital Vozandes in the background)!
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Huge hole in Quito
A while back, I posted an article about a huge crater that had opened up on the south side of Quito - near a major highway interchange (click here to see that article), due to all the rains we were having.
Some of you have written and asked about it and wanted to know what is going on with it. So I thought you'd like to see these photos from about a month ago - you can see the work they are doing to the crater and the repair that was needed.
These photos came from one of Quito's newspapers - El Comercio.
And now a month later, I'm sure that they are still working on it. If I find some more recent photos, I will share them.
Some of you have written and asked about it and wanted to know what is going on with it. So I thought you'd like to see these photos from about a month ago - you can see the work they are doing to the crater and the repair that was needed.
These photos came from one of Quito's newspapers - El Comercio.
And now a month later, I'm sure that they are still working on it. If I find some more recent photos, I will share them.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Update on Kids Club
Violeta giving a Gospel presentation that she learned in her Evangelism Explosion class.
The whole Kids Club listened very attentively!
Franklin asking Waverly about how he can accept Christ as his Saviour.
Pamela is proud of her attendance certificate
Antoni is happy with his bag of goodies!
Anita can barely carry her bag of groceries!
We had our last Kids Club with the high schoolers in attendance last week on May 14. The high schoolers were very sad to be saying goodbye to the children that they have worked with all year.
Two of the high school girls shared a special presentation that they had learned in their Evangelism Explosion class. I think it was the quietest the room has ever been - all the children and adults in the room were listening very attentively as they watched Waverly and Violeta share the gospel using a object drawing.
And the best part was watching five of the children leave the room afterwards (and miss craft time) to ask how they could receive Christ into their hearts and to see the high schoolers pray with them as they accepted Christ into their heart.
As the children left they received a Bible coloring book, a box of crayons, a cheese sandwich, and a heavy bag of groceries. We thank those who donated to the Kids Club ministry in order to make these gifts possible.
This week on Weds we will be having a special dinner to honor our high school students who have worked so hard this year at the Kids Club. Then we will start our summer session of Kids Club on June 18! Followed by a week of a special Vacation Bible School with a team from the states. Pray for us as we have lots of planning to do!
The whole Kids Club listened very attentively!
Franklin asking Waverly about how he can accept Christ as his Saviour.
Pamela is proud of her attendance certificate
Antoni is happy with his bag of goodies!
Anita can barely carry her bag of groceries!
We had our last Kids Club with the high schoolers in attendance last week on May 14. The high schoolers were very sad to be saying goodbye to the children that they have worked with all year.
Two of the high school girls shared a special presentation that they had learned in their Evangelism Explosion class. I think it was the quietest the room has ever been - all the children and adults in the room were listening very attentively as they watched Waverly and Violeta share the gospel using a object drawing.
And the best part was watching five of the children leave the room afterwards (and miss craft time) to ask how they could receive Christ into their hearts and to see the high schoolers pray with them as they accepted Christ into their heart.
As the children left they received a Bible coloring book, a box of crayons, a cheese sandwich, and a heavy bag of groceries. We thank those who donated to the Kids Club ministry in order to make these gifts possible.
This week on Weds we will be having a special dinner to honor our high school students who have worked so hard this year at the Kids Club. Then we will start our summer session of Kids Club on June 18! Followed by a week of a special Vacation Bible School with a team from the states. Pray for us as we have lots of planning to do!
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Road Trip
The first part of May we had a four-day holiday weekend, so we decided to pack up the car and take Nathan on his first road trip. We went to the town of Tulcan, located about 4 - 6 hours (depending on the road, traffic and how many times you stop) from Quito. Santi's mom lives in Tulcan and this is also where Santi grew up.
Nathan did wonderfully on the trip - he played or slept in his car seat (all except for the last 1/2 hour when it obvious he had been sitting too long). He loved visiting his Grandma Emma and also meeting his Uncle Hernan and his wife.
We also enjoyed the beautiful Ecuadorian countryside - the scenery during the drive through the Andes Mountains is just incredible. Hopefully you enjoy the photos (all taken from the car as we were driving along).
With Grandma Emma
It's cold in Tulcan
Meeting Uncle Hernan and his wife
Entrance way to Santi's family's home - the open patio in the middle of the house
Notice the ceramic tiled rooftop
And the beautiful Ecuadorian countryside!
A small town nestled in the moutains
Farming on the mountainside
And one lane of the highway was closed off in the town of Chota as they were drying out red beans
Photos from Mother's Day
First there was the earthquake at 6:30 am. And then the Mariachis arrived at 9:00 am to serenade the moms in our condominium!
Then it was on to the Hogar Betania (Bethany Home for the Elderly) for a special Mother's Day Service!
Our friend, Esther, shared the testimony of her mom's life.
Clara had been honored as a very special Mom!
Out to lunch with Mike and Carol . . . .
Paul & Susan . . .
And Esther . . .
Nathan loved all the attention!
It has been a very special day indeed!
Then it was on to the Hogar Betania (Bethany Home for the Elderly) for a special Mother's Day Service!
Our friend, Esther, shared the testimony of her mom's life.
Clara had been honored as a very special Mom!
Out to lunch with Mike and Carol . . . .
Paul & Susan . . . 
And Esther . . .
Nathan loved all the attention!
It has been a very special day indeed!
Happy Mother's Day!
I can say that my very first Mother's Day started out with a bang! At 6:30 am, I had just fed Nathan and was changing his diaper when there was a loud noise and the house started to shake! Yes, we had an earthquake! I was a bit scared as it was probably one of the stronger ones I have felt while living here. Santi came to check on Nathan and me - we were fine. I was a bit shaken (no pun intended).
I checked on-line and the earthquake registered a 3.8 on the Richter scale. Apparently there was another earthquake yesterday in the province of Cotopaxi about 2 hours south of here. We may be feeling more earthquakes these days as they tend to come in waves.
Back to my first Mother's Day. It started out with an earthquake. Then around 9:00 am, I started hearing the Mariachi band in our condominium compound . . . someone had arranged for the Mariachi's to come and serenade all the moms in our condominium. And we were all handed a rose and a little gift by the president of our association and his wife. When I took Nathan out to see the action, he was very excited and thought it was great!
Then we headed out to the Hogar Betania (The Bethany Home for the Elderly) for a Mother's Day service there. Our missionary friend from HCJB, Esther Neufeld, came and shared a special testimony of how her mom was born in Russia to a Germany immigrant family, they later had to escape to China (due to the communists) and then finally ended up in Paraguay in a Germany colony there. Esther is the youngest of 10 children and shared about how her mom raised them all to know God and obey Him. Due to her heritage, Esther speaks several languages fluently - German, Spanish and English (she probably speaks more that I'm not aware of). Esther produces German radio programs that go out on HCJB's shortwave to German families living throughout Latin America.
We had a wonderful time at the Hogar - handing out candies to everyone and wishing the ladies a very Happy Mother's Day. One of our favorite ladies, Clara, had been honored yesterday as a "Special Mom" and she proudly wore her banne
r.Our good friends, Paul & Susan Fernane, also joined us today along with our regular Hogar crew, Mike & Carol Bishop. After the Hogar, we all went out for lunch to one of our favorite spots - Crepes & Waffles for a yummy meal. I can say that I have been treated very well on my first Mother's Day and it's been special to spend it with my family!
I hope you enjoy the photos from this special day!
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