We hope that spring is beginning to warm you up and draw you outdoors. As you may have heard on international news, the weather in Ecuador is still very wet. Landslides are very common on the highways, so Don has to keep a sharp lookout for them from winding-corner to winding-corner when he's driving here in the mountains. You can read about our last hair-raising driving story in the blog link "Wow That's Different". The coast is suffering in some areas from flooding; so much so that the government has delayed the start of school for almost two weeks. This affects the children in town, but not our home-schoolers here at camp. We understand that the roads here have really improved in the last few years, still we do find surprises each time we drive.
Roads are narrow for lots of different reasons: buildings built against the roads,
a pipe headed through the roads,
or a single-lane bridge.
The big ol' camp truck chugs along well most of the time.
March was a month full of camps. Lots of singing echoed off through the valley here, as most groups have worship services after meals. Campers make full use of the property and facilities, enjoying the cool mountain air here in Pallatanga. Here are some recent camp pictures:
attentive camper listening to a sermon
the Murray kids were excited to cook pancakes for the US Dynamic Women team!
prayer and worship in the camp hall
more pancake making on the BIG stove
children's camp worship time
praying and listening to messages
Quilting camp "stitching stories of our lives, together"
the camp gym is converted to a quilting bee spot: busy quilters working hard on hand-stitching blankets (note the mural behind - Don designed it and Amanda painted it!)
Quilting joy!
There are so many little challenges in our work here, that I would like to share with you, and make you laugh. Like the laugh we had after we left St Albert and we come all the way to the mission field in Ecuador, to find ourselves with an ensuite-bathroom for our first time ever. Only to discover that the plumbing continually backed-up (and is entirely concreted in: toilet base, shower drain-cover, and all), and the window in there is only screen, so from the bedroom we hear everything happening in the next building: the camp kitchen, the dining hall, and meeting rooms. Within a few months, we'd give up that ensuite bedroom to our son, as he had trouble breathing at night in the bedroom at the other end of the house (likely due to bat feces in the ceiling). So many little things are done differently here.
There have been other bigger challenges throughout our very busy March, challenges that I'd likely cry telling you about. I've been hosting all kinds of stomach and intestinal things, so I've had all kinds of medication this past month, including a surprise IV, right there and then, in our local town lab. Ethan has been fighting tummy bugs too, as well as a throat infection. Lauren, Katelyn, and Don are healthy! Hooray!!!! After working endless hours in the new house, tracing concreted-in wires that have been installed over the past few years, Don was nearly finished the house' electrical; when one of the workers, digging a trench, outside in the rain, leaned up against the new house, and discovered that he served as a good ground, exposing an electrical leak (only 40 volts) that was literally charging the house, via the rebar cemented into the walls. Don handled the news well, laughing and suggesting it provided a good snake/rat deterent; then he worked to find the source of the problem and fixed it. Prior to us arriving in Ecuador in November, we were told that the house would be ready for us to move into shortly after we arrived. But while many parts of the construction are coming along well, the house still does not have exterior doors; so we're still a ways from moving in (though birds and bats enjoy it as shelter). We've been living out of suitcases for eight months now. These kinds of challenges make us realize that we're working according to God's schedule; we are learning a lot about ourselves and Him as we pray through these challenges. We do need prayer for camp unity, for servant's hearts, and grace-filled loving spirits. We are so thankful for your prayers and support.
Scary getting gan Iv in the local lab
the waiting room conditions don't engender much trust
the new house has septic and water now!
our current little house boasts a colourful jungle garden
We do have so very much to be thankful for, here in Ecuador! Recently we visited friends in Shell, a jungle jump-off town made famous by Nate Saint's mission and martyrdom (Have you read the books “Through the Gates of Splendour” or “The End of the Spear”). We joined our friends at an orphanage in Shell where they work each week. Shell has a mission school, a mission hanger, and a mission hospital, so we were able to connect with lots of other missionaries and encourage one another. Meanwhile, Don was off at an One Mission Society men's retreat in the jungle. He travelled down the Napo river in a small boat and hiked in the Amazon with six other missionary men. On our way back from the jungle, we sat under the night sky and soaked in some hotsprings heated by volcano Tungurahua.
Nate Saint memorial park
Banos hotpools
varieties of pools and temperatures to soak in
Casa Fe orphanage
playing with the children
Napo river tour
OMS men's retreat jungle hike
The children's daily devotionals and home-school work are providing us lots of time for us to learn and play together. The kids love the space to run and climb here at camp. Their play is very creative. Until some friends visited Ecuador and gave the girls barbies for Christmas, the kids didn't actually have any toys along with them. We'd brought lots of homeschool resources, but we didn't want to bring toys, not knowing if our neighbours would have such things. SO, the children spend hours and hours outside. They especially love playing in the trees. At the moment, Ethan is out practicing with his Pallatanga soccer team. He provides us all with lots of opportunity to practice our spanish, through his games and interactions with his team-mates and their families. These conversations often begin with the question of why our family is living here; and they usually get into deep meaningful conversations that challenge the extent of our spanish vocabulary. This week, Ethan's coach asked us for a Bible. Kim and I are no longer home-schooling each other's children, so I've taken over teaching our kids spanish, which is fun but humbling. Today Don is tracing electrical lines that run down to the camp sign near the highway. All of the connections are left exposed, so often they get moisture trapped in them and they short-out. Meanwhile he is in the middle of building some new tables for the dining hall; the tables have managed to grow mould over the weekend, so we've got to scrub them up with disinfectant before putting on the polyurethane coats. There is always lots to do around camp!
After a morning's four and a half hour soccer practice
Ethan's soccer coach
homeschooling in the kitchen
We are missing you. With three months left here in Ecuador, our thoughts are creeping homeward. We are all excited about being reunited with family and friends in Alberta, in July. Please pray for our families, for encouragement, and especially for health for Terry, Vin, and Dave back at home.
Blessings to you,
Don, Amanda, Ethan, Lauren and Katelyn
