I think we are beginning to look like missionaries (I am smiling broadly as I type that, so hopefully you are giggling). I've just spent the morning patching up clothing. The humidity and constant washing of our half-dozen outfits each are really taking their toll of the integrity of the fabrics we wear (we came with just one suitcase each, and one extra suitcase of homeschool supplies), plus the children are growing, and we're always outside working or playing, rain and all! Its a funny thing, wearing patched-up, worn-out, and a bit short clothes, while working here in Ecuador, because as we were preparing to come to here, we had trouble identifying ourselves as missionaries. For us, the term “missionary” was a tall order, something very long term and evangelical. But here we are frequently asked (in spanish) “You must be missionaries”. So we've come to identify ourselves more with that term, and now we seem to be growing into it. =)
Lots of things are feeling “normal” now that we've been away from Canada for 5 months, and here at camp for 3 months. Things like not being able to flush toilet paper, and constantly finding new buckets to place under leaks in the roof, until Don can climb up and deal with them. There are lots of things that we are amazingly thankful for . . . potable water here at camp (it would be so much more work to have to boil or treat our water), washing and drying machines (with all of this humidity, we don't even have to worry about static), and a safe environment here at camp (the kids can run and play at will). Not to mention praying friends back in Canada!!
We've gotten used to lots of things being done differently in Central and South America, but lots of things still surprise us regularly.
Bathroom visits can lead to a lot of culture shock, especially when there's no door no the bathroom, no soap to wash up, or no toilet paper (normal), or no seat on the toilet. And there is NEVER hot water for the sink.
However, once and awhile, a visit to the bathroom is extra shocking! Last week, when reaching for the light-switch, this bug surprised me!
Then this grasshopper deterred Katelyn from using the washroom on our drive back to camp this past week.
Oh my!!!!!
At the moment, Don and Ethan are out chopping bamboo. The bamboo is amazing: each week it grows tall and strong. Ethan is getting callouses from machete-ing the stalks down to ground level, so that we can mow the grass in the area. Bamboo is just one of the challenges of helping maintain 14 acres of camp property, during the rainy season.
The kids have just finished working on posters for their English Language Arts homeschool project, now I can reclaim my kitchen as a kitchen, and begin the process of turning fresh produce into a meal: everything is organic, everything made from scratch, each meal (unless we're able to get our hands on a loaf of bread, in town, or get peanut butter from the city!!), and I have about two-square feet of counter-top in this kitchen.
The pets are thriving and bringing us lots of joy (plus I no longer have to get up in the night, to let the pup out). We've recently re-named our dog . . . we've been calling him “Skipper”, but then last week, we booked the pup a spot on the plane back to Canada with us. He still might not get to come, he has to be under 18lbs when we fly, so that he can come as carry-on. During the summer months, pets can't go in the cargo hold of planes, and the family here at camp are keen to keep him. Right now the pup is still little, but he has big feet! And who knows what mix of breeds he might be? We decided to change his name, because our little dog at home is called “Tipper” (Tipper is being taken care of for the year, by a friend in Edmonton). Just in case, this little Ecuadorian dog gets to come home, we've renamed him “Scout”, so that the little dogs' names won't rhyme and confuse us all, after we fly home in mid-July.
Skittles the kitten is really growing too. He is a marvellous insect killer and a fun playmate for all of us, especially Scout. Skittles plans to stay in Ecuador and be a camp cat, with Otis, his friend the other big camp cat.
We work on the new house each day, and it is progressing. We've got the exterior painted (it was quite the challenge painting in the rain!), and the interior is plumbed, the electrical is run, the walls are being plastered, and we're working on the flooring. The need for a septic system is our greatest challenge; there are no regulations around this, and no local experts. So we've been e-mailing home for expertise; it sounds like we'll likely need to dig a huge hole and build the septic tank out of concrete for a start. At the moment we're tiling shower stalls (the house has five showers, as it will be used as a family dorm, next fall). The girls and I are looking forward to being able to paint the inside of the house! And Don needs to begin building kitchen and bathroom cabinets. Windows arrived this past week. Now we need doors, and . . . well its a bit overwhelming to think of the whole project at once. Completion of the new house is a camp priority; its been in the works for over three years, so its time to get it finished, then we can go back to maintaining and improving the rest of the camp infrastructure, preparing the camp for campers, then cleaning-up after them (boy is that a LONG to-do list!). We are going to move up into the new house, once it is finished. There will be MUCH more room up there for homeschooling, and the roof is intact!!
This past week, Ethan has had the opportunity to play SOCCER. Three weeks ago, we were in town while a tournament was taking place in the main square. The coach and players let Ethan play a shift even though we arrived during the second half of their final game and he wasn't wearing any soccer gear (or even suitable shoes). Then this week, the coach drove out to the camp, to invite Ethan to join the local team. Yeah! We have been praying that God would provide age-mates for Ethan to connect with. Now Ethan will get to practice on his spanish soccer vocabulary and hopefully make some local friends. This has been a big prayer item for our family, so it is amazing to have someone drive right into the camp as an answer to prayer. He been worked hard at his first two practices, arriving back at camp VERY soggy, muddy, and happy!
Ethan's soccer practices in town also provides us an opportunity to be more involved in the local community, which is something that we have been praying about. Don and I both know that there is enough work for us to stay at camp forever, and that the reason OMS asked us to come here is to help at camp; but at the same time, we sense the opportunities to be involved locally: perhaps teaching english, and clarifying lots of misgivings about Christianity. Ecuador has strong Catholic roots, and we see more evidence of the worship of Mary, than the worship of Jesus. Each area of Ecuador has statues of their own “virgin” that they bring gifts to. Easter is coming, and it is such a great opportunity to talk about Jesus' resurrection, which is not a focal point of the church here in Ecuador. So we are pleased with the opportunity to build more relationships in town when we take Ethan in for soccer, and we pray that God will use us in His amazing way. Each time we go into town, we learn a bit more spanish, so that is neat too (and humbling!).
The children are VERY interested in my stuff. They come each day to see me and my camera, my spanish-english dictionary, etc. I learn lots of spanish from them, and they like to try saying English words.
Our friend's shop and home in behind . . .
Thank you also for your prayers and e-mails about Katelyn. We are currently in the city to bring her back for a check-up with the doctor. (I can access web pages from here, and update the blog with pictures – fun). The doctor has declared her “all better”. Praise God!! She has finished her anti-biotics and is both infection free and parasite free. We have been amazed at how quickly Katelyn is back to her usual self, over the past two weeks. Last week, she lost both of her top front teeth . . . she's growing up.
We are so thankful for your prayers! At the moment, it rains tons and tons, every day here. The grass is glowing green, squishing under foot as we walk. With humidity high and the temperature hovering around 17 degrees, the camp buildings are battling mould, cockroaches, and armies of ants. Our little house is has very little of each, even though it has a reputation for all of those things. Praise God, that we have been contending with very little mould, and we have an ant-free place to sleep! Even the horse appreciates our house, coming for sleep-overs on the front porch.
We're off back to camp in the morning; headed from the heat and traffic of Guayaquil, to the rain in Pallatanga. According to the camp calendar, we have back to back camps and loads of campers headed our way, throughout the end of February and all of March. We pray for perseverance and servant's hearts.
Blessings to you! We pray for you often, too.
=) the Murrays
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