Let me start off by apologizing to you all… first, for not posting anything this last month. The place where we were is not even on a map, so we did not have internet. Secondly, for all of the e-mails that are about to flood your "IN" box to get you caught up on last month, in addition to ones from this month. I promise to keep it short and to not post more than one blog a day. Thank you so much for all of your support and prayers… it was an amazing first month…
Roosters crowing, dogs barking, donkeys heehawing, car horns beeping, people talking, birds chirping, something scampering across the tin roof…this is the orchestra of sounds that I wake up to this morning. For a brief moment I’ve forgotten where I am and I wonder why there is a blue mosquito net hanging over my head and why I can feel the springs beneath my back…and then I remember that I am in Ecuador.
My legs are a little cramped from the traveling on Sunday. First was the 4 ½ hour bus ride on the winding road down the mountains in the fog from Quito to Santa Domingo. Then there was another hour to El Carmen in the back of a truck… we shoved in 13 people, as well as our massive packs…quite an amazing feat. We spent the night in El Carmen with Jamos’ team and then Monday afternoon it was another 2 hours riding on the Rancho to El Reten.
A Rancho is kind of like a bus, but it is bench style seating without any doors or outer walls and there is additional seating on the roof…that’s right I said roof…and it’s the coolest spot on the bus. Not only because of the phenomenal views of the country side, but also because of the breeze and the fact that you aren’t sticking to the person sitting next to you while sweating to death. The last hour I felt like my brain was bouncing around inside of my skull because we were on an unpaved, bumpy road. My jaw is also a bit sore because I got smacked a few times in the face…once by a locust that was flying by and then about 4-5 times by tree branches… I forgot to duck…it was a blast!
We are living on the second floor of a brick and concrete building…the first floor has a barber shop and a small store that doubles as a house for a family of three. (The brick houses are apparently much more durable than the houses made of wood/bamboo with roofs covered in leaves, but they are significantly hotter.) The space is very cozy and simple…not much furniture. There are two bed rooms, a big open room…I guess it’d be like a family room…and a tiny, but functional kitchen. There is a bathroom with running water and a shower, but it is practically in the kitchen…should be interesting.
Our host family is a cute married couple in their 50s, Luis and Marley, and their 2 granddaughters… Rebeca, who is 10, and Cinthia (Abigail), who is 7. I can’t wait to get to know them more because they seem so cute. I’m sure they are overwhelmed to have 6 extra people living in their humble house. They may not have much, but they are so generous, hospitable, and willing to share what they have… they are so full of the Spirit. The community as a whole has been very welcoming… they all ready took us on an outing to the fields to pick oranges, mandarins, and lemons. They even let me drive the car, which we have nicknamed “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” (it also kind of looks like the Beverly Hill Billies car).
I hope this, as well as our “Cribs” video, paint a picture for you of what life is like.
