Welcome!

Welcome to the Arteaga Family blog! We have finally decided to start a blog and join the rest of the world using modern technology to keep up with family and friends. We have enjoyed reading our friend's blogs and so hopefully this will be a good way for you to keep up with us as well!

It seems like life is full of opportunities and changes and exciting news, so we hope to use this space to share some of the happenings in our corner of the world - here in Quito, Ecuador. Since we were married on October 28, 2006, it seems like life has been a whirlwind!

The whirlwind actually started before the wedding. We were thrilled to have friends and family join us a week before the ceremony - giving us an opportunity to show them around this beautiful country. We enjoyed visiting the equator, going up a 13,000 ft mountain on a cable car, touring beautiful colonial Quito and shopping at the world-famous outdoor market in Otavalo.

This was the group that came from the states!

Then wedding bells rang October 28! What a blessing to be surrounded by so many friends and family during an garden ceremony at a small country inn about 45 minutes outside of Quito - Rincón de Puembo was the place!



Shortly after the wedding, we flew to the US to enjoy a stateside reception in Indianapolis where we were able to celebrate with even more friends and family! We are grateful to our good friends Julie and Joe who made the stateside reception possible. It was beautiful but there simply was not enough time to talk with everyone. Thank you to everyone who came!

And the past seven months of married bliss have been wonderful. We enjoyed being a part of various Christmas activities - including the celebration of HCJB Global's 75th Anniversary and also the various Christmas Parties organized by Extreme Response International in various needy communities. This certainly brought the true meaning of Christmas to our hearts!

Then the end of January found us traveling to Colorado Springs, CO to be a part of the Training and Orientation for New Missionaries at HCJB's headquarters. The mission had asked us to go through orientation as a couple. It was a good opportunity for us to also meet some of our co-workers in the office and put faces with names.

And then it was back to Ecuador to settle into our work with HCJB and Extreme Response! Santi loves his ministry in the Information Systems Department at HCJB. He spends most of his time on computers which is something he really enjoys. Ruth is having fun in the Extreme Response office, helping with various administrative duties as well as coordinating the Kids Club at the Quito city dump every Wednesday afternoon.

This blog has probably gotten long enough for today - but it's a start! Thanks for reading . . . we look forward to keeping in touch!