March is busy at camp!

The neighbouring farmer has just brought me some very fresh milk: his cows use some of the camp property to graze, and trimmed ditches and a bucket of warm milk now and again is how he thanks us. As the milk boils on the stove top, I'm perched nearby in the kitchen with he laptop (that milk tries to boil over everytime . . . one minute its not bubbling, then the next it is bubbling over, so I am standing guard). Don is out mowing the grass, with Ethan helping out, and the girls are playing barbies in the living room. I'll get to post this when we head into the city to purchase camp groceries; for the moment, we're back in Pallatanga and life is good.

At the end of February, we escaped to Quito. There had been a camp booked for the weekend, and when we heard it was cancelled, we turned to Lauren and asked her where in Ecuador she wanted to go . . . it was going to be her birthday on the weekend (Feb 26th). The Orellana family were headed to Guayaquil, and Lauren chose Quito. We've been to Quito once before, to get Don's driver's license. The mission guest house there is really nice, AND Lauren loves to shop: she wanted to go to a mall for her birthday. So we stuffed one backpack full, cleaned the house and left all the bedding draped all over doors and furniture to get air, and try to prevent mould, then we waited in Pallatanga for an hour before we caught the first of three busses headed toward Quito. Seven hours and three buses later, we were celebrating Lauren's birthday weekend in the capital of Ecuador.

We all needed to get away from camp for a bit. When it is not raining, the air is still so moist that the cookie you leave out for an hour gets soggy on its plate. Even our sandals try to get a layer of black fuzzy mould on them from one wearing to the next.

The milk on the stove top is getting frothy . . . I'm keeping an eye on it . . .

The weekend before we bussed off to Quito, we'd had a really busy four day camp. It was “Carnival” weekend here in Ecuador, and the camp managers were unable to find enough staff to work the camp. The Carnival long weekend here, coincides with our Family Day long weekend in Alberta. Everyone here looks forward to froshing each other and celebrating Carnival; some of our regular camp staff were even involved in Carnival parades in town.

We wished we could be in town, experiencing carnival! We'd heard so much about it . . . about the inescapable water and foam battles that go on as you try to do your weekly market shop. We drove into Pallatanga for an hour on Sunday to get our fruit and veggies. We did all get soggy and foamy! We saw three parade floats go by, then we rushed back to help at camp again.

Prior to a camp arriving, life here is extra busy, doing maintenance, cleaning, organizing, and purchasing in preparation for new campers. Without adequate camp staff over the Carnival weekend, we were up early, in the camp kitchen, helping with breakfast. Throughout each day, the Orellana family and our family were the dish-washers after every meal, we were the potato-peelers for the lunch's soups and supper's main meal, we were the lemon-squishers making juice for ninety campers, and we were the bean huskers for supper's soup.

It was wonderful to hear the youth-group singing worship songs late into the night. It was fun to see their camp activities throughout the long weekend, racing the carts down the hill, playing basketball in the gym, and having waterballoon fights outside. It was good to be part of such a wonderful weekend! But it was also discouraging, to not know from one day to the next, who would come to camp to work, how many extra campers would show-up (so we wouldn't always have the right amount of food), how late we had to keep the little camp snack shop open. It was a long four days of washing and drying hundreds and hundreds of plates, bowls, cups, cutlery, and cooking pots. And really, the difficult part is not the dishpan-hands, the difficult part is the spiritual battle: remaining optimistic and supportive . . . keeping that servant's heart beating strong, when you're tired of peeling muddy potatoes.

So our Quito excursion was a very good break for our little family. It was our first family adventure since we arrived in November. This past week, we've been back to work, and there is always endless work to do here at camp. The calendar says that March is completely full of camps, one camp running into the next, throughout weekends and weekdays, so its good that we're all feeling refreshed.

On March 14th thirteen women are scheduled to arrived from the US to take part in a quilting camp. On the weekend on the 17th over three dozen local women will come to Camp Pallatanga to participate in this cross cultural quilting camp. Please pray for the campers! Please pray for Kim as she leads this camp and translates all of the guest speaker's messages into Spanish throughout the weekend. I will be involved in cooking. This gives me lots of time to practice my spanish with Maria, the camp cook, and her children. I'm also scheduled to lead the women in daily prayer time. Don is always kept busy during camps, maintaining buildings and responding to campers needs, in addition to continuing to work on current building projects at camp. Our children get to help cook and wash dishes; they may get out of some of their homeschooling during this busy time.

We just had a hairy drive down the Andes to Pallatanga, from Riobamba. We went to Riobamba to meet with the Chimborazo soccer federation's head people. There is some concern that Ethan won't be able to play in the provincial qualifiers in June, because he is not a national, so the coach and our clan drove to Riobamba for a meeting about it. We still have to follow up with the Minister of Interior, in Guayaquil. Ethan should feel very complimented, as his coach really wants him to be able to play, and he said many many great things about Ethan. WOW!

At any rate, on the drive back, it turned dark, and there was the usual bad amount of dense fog, but then the clutch went. Don managed to jam the shifter into third at the top of the steepest pass, but we still had another 50 klms of winding mountain roads to go back to camp. Everytime we came up upon a slower moving vehicle, the truck chugged-chugged-chuuged in third, but it didn't stall, as Don fought with it to wait for the right moment, then try to pass when able (still in third gear).

The rain really let loose just as we got into the house. We couldn't believe that Don even managed to negotiate the turn into the camp driveway! God was so amazing, as Don had to dodge small landslides, and pass other vehicles, all along the winding road. Oh my! Don knew if he slowed too much, we'd stall, and there are no shoulders on those roads. We even made it up steep hills that the truck can't usually do in third gear.

Don still has to have a good look at the transmission in the daylight; evidently this has happened to the good ol' Toyota camp truck before. We can hardly believe we made it all that way, God is amazing. We prayed lots!!!!!! And that is really what God has been teaching us in our recent time at camp, to rely on Him, to commit everything to prayer, fervent needy prayer. Being needy about things, etc, is not something that Don and I are used to feeling. We are learning lots and praying lots through these challenges.

We're looking forward to bussing into the town the next time we go. =)
Well, the milk did manage to boil over a bit, but not enough to put out the gas flame, so we'll call that a success. I'm going to carry the milk over to the camp kitchen, to pop it into the freezer to cool. That's our pasteurization process: boil for five minutes, then cool quickly.

Thank you so very much for your support and prayers. We are all healthy and we praise God for that!!We pray for you too, for safe travels in your recent new snow, for peaceful moments with family and good friends, and for joy even before spring begins to bring you green.
=) Amanda and family

Rain, rain, go away . . .

Mowing in the rain . . .

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

Happy New Year!

I am so pleased to be able to send you an update, while we have a few moments in an internet zone in Guayaquil (we are in the city to drop volunteers off at the airport).

We have been on the road a lot in the past few weeks!
On Boxing Day, our family travelled to Quito to apply for Ecuadorian driver's licenses. Don spent about fourteen hours over three days, visiting transportation offices, waiting in line-ups, and taking written, fine-motor, blood, eye, and reaction-time tests.

We were in Quito over New Years, so we turned the trip into a bit of a family adventure. We took a gondola up toward a volcano near Quito, then went horse-back riding for an hour. What an experience!

New Years Eve was also quite and experience! Leading up the New Years Eve, people sell fireworks and "old men dolls" on street corners. These all get lit throughout the night on New Years Eve, so that fireworks and smoke can be seen ALL over the city, in front yards, on street corners . . . fireworks coming from all directions, all night long! We watched in awe from the mission-guest-house garage roof into the wee hours of the morning. Quito smelled of gun powder by five minutes after midnight.

This is a picture of Ethan beside one of the "viejos muneos" that was later burned on New Years Eve.

When we got back to camp, there was sooooooooo much to do!!!
The roof of our little house had been leaking, and our mattress was soggy . . .

The termites had been busy chomping on the rafters in Lauren's room, so we had to take measures to keep the termite dust from falling onto her bed . . .

The bamboo shoots had been shooting-up, and needed to be chopped before the grass could be mowed . . .

There are acres and acres and acres of grass to be cut. Ethan will be busy indefinitely!

Don has been working hard on wiring the new house. The electrical conduit is concreted into the walls, floor, and ceilings. Over the last three years, as volunteer teams and local workers have come onto the site, they have all added their expertise to the house, but there was no overall plan drawn out on paper for the house, and non of the conduit is mapped. Good thing Don is a man of un-ending patience and farm-like fix-anything skills . . .

Then we were off to the annual Ecuadorian One Mission Society Retreat at a camp near Cuenca. Three volunteers came from Ontario to cook for all of the missionaries during retreat. Our family was in charge of child care, while the adults had meetings and sermon/prayer sessions.

Thank you for your prayers for the retreat. It was a busy four days, but we had loads of fun with the kids!!! doing crafts, games, walks, songs, and Bible study. God really empowered us with energy and love for each child there.

The three Canadian volunteers came back with us to Camp Pallatanga. Don did a fantastic job of driving in the dark and the fog, up and down the mountain roads, the six hours from Cuenca back to camp. The truck was loaded down with luggage for the thirteen of us headed back to camp. The passengers rode in the Orellanas new twelve passenger van that actually has seat-belts!

We got right to work, painting the new house's exterior, while we had three extra sets of hands to help us. We had a VERY busy week, fitting in house painting, on top of cooking for the volunteers, and homeschooling, and lawn-mowering . . .

The new house is coming along! Don has the electrical nearly done; his next step is back on the carpentry end, making cabinets for the kitchen and beds for the bedrooms. Local workers are plastering and plumbing. The next BIG challenge is figuring out the septic installation!

At the moment, I am in Guayaquil dropping the three Canadian volunteers off at the airport. They've been so helpful their ten days here in Ecuador. While in the city, Kim and I will shop for ceramic tile for the new house's bathrooms.

Then we'll get down to settling back into camp rhythm. We were able to go into our nearest town for market day. We'd missed market day while we were in Quito and at retreat, so we hadn't been able to buy fresh fruit or vegetables in weeks. It was lovely to get to the market and visit the local farmers who travel into town to sell their fruit and vegetables. We love market day. Yeah fruit!!!!

We pray that 2012 has begun well for you! Thank you so much for your prayers for our family, for Camp Pallatanga's ministry, and for Ecuador. Please do continue to pray for health and safety for our little clan: Katelyn has been getting high fevers quite often; we have her booked to come in to see a doctor in Guayaquil next week. We've all recently taken de-worming medicine, and the amoebas have been cleared from our systems, so we're ready to keep working hard for God.

Blessing to you,
Amanda and family