Adventure
A Pic from our Trip in 2009
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Rain and Shine (Monday and Tuesday)
This post was difficult. Move along, there is nothing to see here.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Pool Side Ministry
We had an awesome day with the kids today at a local pool in Manta. After church we packed up the whole children's home into three separate vehicles and headed into town. It's a really special time for the kids as they don't get that many chances to swim in a pool. It's funny, something we take completely for granted becomes something so special when the normal becomes the special. So that's what we did...played and played and played. Oh, and we also ate some cow hoof soup for lunch. The broth was awesome but the giant chunk of cow hoof was less than yummy (the skin and hair did NOT look appetizing). So here's some pictures of the day. I am a big believer in using the photos because it means less typing for me. Enjoy.
Thoughts from David
The past couple of days have been fairly relaxing. We’ve had the chance to spend a lot of time with the kids which has been awesome. Yesterday (Friday) the guys went to Pacoche for an hour or so to move some lumber while the girls prepared some crafts to be use at Sunday school and for VBS (vacation bible school). It was fairly easy and didn’t take long and before we knew it we were back at the orphanage hanging out with the kids. It was good bonding time with the kids. House 1 is pretty empty right now as 6 of the kids are at home with their parents until tomorrow (sunday) and Anita, one of the oldest girls is on a missions trip in Quito which is really cool to see. It’s awesome to see one of the people we came to serve two years ago going out to serve others. I spent some time getting to know some of the older kids yesterday and today which was cool as I wasn’t able to connect with them as much last trip. After spending the afternoon just hanging out with the kids yesterday we came back to La Cueva for dinner. It wasn’t long after we were done dinner before we went back to the orphanage and got to spend the evening with the kids. Jeremy and Christian got a bonfire going (with the help of a little gasoline...yes we are all alive and ok) and we made hot chocolate for the kids, sang some worship songs, and I shared a little bit with the kids about why we’re here. After a good night of bonding with the kids we were all pretty wiped so we went to bed.
Today was the jungle hike with the kids which was a lot of fun. Dayana and Leo, two of the kids who were at the orphanage last trip but who moved when Peter and Juanita (the old house parents) left came with us, along with Alexis (Peter and Juanita’s son). It was kind of hard to see them for such a short period of time but it was really good to see them and to get to hear how they’re doing. It was a bit emotional for some people to get to see the kids they bonded so closely with. Alexis led one tour through the jungle, as he studied to be a tour guide in school, and a local led another group. We saw lots of cool plants, some monkeys and a tarantula that Alexis picked up and Christian posed with for a photo. After the hike we went to the beach with the kids and played for a couple hours. It’s been amazing reconnecting with the kids that some of us got to know and love (as some of the kids are actually the same age as people on the team) and building relationships with the kids who are new here.
Today was the jungle hike with the kids which was a lot of fun. Dayana and Leo, two of the kids who were at the orphanage last trip but who moved when Peter and Juanita (the old house parents) left came with us, along with Alexis (Peter and Juanita’s son). It was kind of hard to see them for such a short period of time but it was really good to see them and to get to hear how they’re doing. It was a bit emotional for some people to get to see the kids they bonded so closely with. Alexis led one tour through the jungle, as he studied to be a tour guide in school, and a local led another group. We saw lots of cool plants, some monkeys and a tarantula that Alexis picked up and Christian posed with for a photo. After the hike we went to the beach with the kids and played for a couple hours. It’s been amazing reconnecting with the kids that some of us got to know and love (as some of the kids are actually the same age as people on the team) and building relationships with the kids who are new here.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Productivity (Part 2)
The other ministry that we have been involved with here in Ecuador is one that we felt burdened to start in the town we are staying in, San Lorenzo (Please note that in yesterdays blog I mentioned the kids club. This was in the town of Pacoche NOT San Lorenzo). This time in San Lorenzo has been such a blessing for the team to be involved in. Since I last mentioned it we have gone two more times with about 60 kids and teens participating. This is especially encouraging to us as before the snack time we have a small gospel presentation. The first time it was Lili, then David shared why he was in Ecuador and last night it was Christian. The night runs like this: we arrive by about 6:00 p.m. and the kids come running from all over the place. It is quite the sight. Once they all gather we start a bunch of activities. Some people do skip rope, Josh teaches some of the kids guitar, others play soccer in the street with a bunch of the teen guys (who are stupid good and make us look silly), Hannah has the kids line up and gives them an opportunity to try her violin (the smiles on their faces are worth more than gold) and last night Jeff taught a bunch of the younger boys how to play four square. After the games we gather everyone together and walk to a nearby church and have a brief message followed by a time of snacks. What is awesome about this is that it wasn’t planned for us by anyone. Some in the group felt we needed to use the time we had in San Lorenzo better and we got together and created this program. Here are a few pictures from the evening.
Preacher Man
This is a photo of David sharing his testimony at the San Lorenzo outreach we have been doing. It was an awesome opportunity for David to share why he was here in Ecuador and to tell everyone about the love that God has for them.
They Love Photos
Here Amanda is swarmed by a bunch of the kids. They absolutely love getting their pictures taken and as soon as the camera comes out they run over and ask.
Guitar Lessons
As soon as Joshua gets to San Lorenzo he sits down and is flooded by tons of kids wanting to listen and to learn how to play the guitar.
San Lorenzo
Just one of many photo’s of the children of San Lorenzo.
They Love Photos (Part 2)
Here Lili gets swarmed for a photo opportunity.
Music is the Universal Language
One of the huge attractions with our group is Hannah and her violin. Often times she will have a huge line of kids queued up for an opportunity to play her violin. She has demonstrated a huge amount of trust and patience and to see the looks on the kids faces as they ‘make music’ is a beautiful thing.
Pacoche Church
A group shot at the church in Pacoche that we have been using for our program.
The Group
More photos of some of the boys from San Lorenzo.
Mi Esposa
My wife, Amanda, getting in some snuggle time with one of the boys from San Lorenzo. It is amazing to see how we have been received in this community. There has been some tough things and a few struggles but ultimately we have been embraced with open arms as we try and reach out to San Lorenzo. Please pray for this ministry as we will have a few more opportunities next week.
And finally here is a picture of our whole group (excluding me as someone needed to take the photo) in one of the ocean coves we explored yesterday during some much needed down time.
Thank you once again, everyone, for your thoughts and prayers as we endeavor to do God’s work here in Ecuador. We are being challenged tremendously by the things that we are seeing and experiencing and we have only been here for a little over a week.
Preacher Man
This is a photo of David sharing his testimony at the San Lorenzo outreach we have been doing. It was an awesome opportunity for David to share why he was here in Ecuador and to tell everyone about the love that God has for them.
They Love Photos
Here Amanda is swarmed by a bunch of the kids. They absolutely love getting their pictures taken and as soon as the camera comes out they run over and ask.
Guitar Lessons
As soon as Joshua gets to San Lorenzo he sits down and is flooded by tons of kids wanting to listen and to learn how to play the guitar.
San Lorenzo
Just one of many photo’s of the children of San Lorenzo.
They Love Photos (Part 2)
Here Lili gets swarmed for a photo opportunity.
Music is the Universal Language
One of the huge attractions with our group is Hannah and her violin. Often times she will have a huge line of kids queued up for an opportunity to play her violin. She has demonstrated a huge amount of trust and patience and to see the looks on the kids faces as they ‘make music’ is a beautiful thing.
Pacoche Church
A group shot at the church in Pacoche that we have been using for our program.
The Group
More photos of some of the boys from San Lorenzo.
Mi Esposa
My wife, Amanda, getting in some snuggle time with one of the boys from San Lorenzo. It is amazing to see how we have been received in this community. There has been some tough things and a few struggles but ultimately we have been embraced with open arms as we try and reach out to San Lorenzo. Please pray for this ministry as we will have a few more opportunities next week.
And finally here is a picture of our whole group (excluding me as someone needed to take the photo) in one of the ocean coves we explored yesterday during some much needed down time.
Thank you once again, everyone, for your thoughts and prayers as we endeavor to do God’s work here in Ecuador. We are being challenged tremendously by the things that we are seeing and experiencing and we have only been here for a little over a week.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Productivity
It has been two days since the last update and I will do my best to fill all of you in on the stuff that we have been doing. I have decided that instead of writing a HUGE post about everything that has happened I will post a bunch of pictures and briefly comment about each one of them. That way you will get to SEE the amazing things that we have been a part of. The pictures have been mixed up a bit so they will NOT be in chronological order. I hope you enjoy the journey.
There have been two main places we have been involved in the last few days. A town called ‘Pacoche’ where we were engaged in various work projects to help out the local school and church and ‘San Lorenzo’ where we continued with the street program we started last Monday.
‘Pacoche’
Hannah’s Benches
A very proud Hannah holding up the two benches she fixed on her own. They were busted apart and she figured out how to reinforce the legs and proceeded to complete the project with just a little help cutting the wood!
Rebar
Jeremy and Alicia wearing the appropriate safety equipment cutting pieces of rebar for one for the windows being built at the local school. The team was at the school and church for two days completing several projects. At the school some were giving the task of building windows and doors to help secure a building that is being used. It is not an easy task but the community is extremely grateful for both our help and the funds to complete these tasks.
Sanding
The other project the rest of us did was sand down many, many tables and benches in order to prepare them to be lacquered. This was a huge blessing to the church who uses these table for both the Sunday School program and a Tuesday afternoon kids club that draws out 60 - 70 kids and moms. Here David, Amanda and Alicia show off their mad sanding skills and demonstrate the always fashionable dust mask.
Independence Day
After careful instruction, a safety briefing, monitoring and assistance Alicia tried her hand at using a skill saw for the first time. (Please note: this picture was for demonstration purposes only. Proper safety equipment was used during the actual cutting process).
A Blessing
At the church one of the projects some completed was to paint one of the rooms in the pastors house. This was an incredible blessing to the pastors wife who had no idea that we were going to do this. For the rest of the day she kept thanking us and had a huge smile on her face. Here we see Dawna applying her significant artistic skills to what was a nasty looking white wall. What a difference some color makes!
Sanding...and sanding...and sanding
Here David and Amanda sand down old pieces of reclaimed wood to use as bars in some of the windows. The people here use whatever material is available to complete some of the most amazing tasks. Things that we would just throw on the curb to be wasted in a land fill they use to the greatest effectiveness.
Kids Club (San Lorenzo)
Here Hannah, Joshua, David, Lili and Susan Fernane (one of the missionaries working here with Extreme Response) provide music leadership at the kids club in San Lorenzo. What looks simple is not. Trying to sing spanish worship songs that you barely know takes patience and skill.
Kids Club (San Lorenzo)
Here we see one table of kids at the club. It is an awesome outreach opportunity for the church that provides, once a week, a musical program, a message, a snack, and a craft. What started out as a grassroots project has blossomed into a full fledged ministry.
TO BE CONTINUED TOMORROW...
There have been two main places we have been involved in the last few days. A town called ‘Pacoche’ where we were engaged in various work projects to help out the local school and church and ‘San Lorenzo’ where we continued with the street program we started last Monday.
‘Pacoche’
Hannah’s Benches
A very proud Hannah holding up the two benches she fixed on her own. They were busted apart and she figured out how to reinforce the legs and proceeded to complete the project with just a little help cutting the wood!
Rebar
Jeremy and Alicia wearing the appropriate safety equipment cutting pieces of rebar for one for the windows being built at the local school. The team was at the school and church for two days completing several projects. At the school some were giving the task of building windows and doors to help secure a building that is being used. It is not an easy task but the community is extremely grateful for both our help and the funds to complete these tasks.
Sanding
The other project the rest of us did was sand down many, many tables and benches in order to prepare them to be lacquered. This was a huge blessing to the church who uses these table for both the Sunday School program and a Tuesday afternoon kids club that draws out 60 - 70 kids and moms. Here David, Amanda and Alicia show off their mad sanding skills and demonstrate the always fashionable dust mask.
Independence Day
After careful instruction, a safety briefing, monitoring and assistance Alicia tried her hand at using a skill saw for the first time. (Please note: this picture was for demonstration purposes only. Proper safety equipment was used during the actual cutting process).
A Blessing
At the church one of the projects some completed was to paint one of the rooms in the pastors house. This was an incredible blessing to the pastors wife who had no idea that we were going to do this. For the rest of the day she kept thanking us and had a huge smile on her face. Here we see Dawna applying her significant artistic skills to what was a nasty looking white wall. What a difference some color makes!
Sanding...and sanding...and sanding
Here David and Amanda sand down old pieces of reclaimed wood to use as bars in some of the windows. The people here use whatever material is available to complete some of the most amazing tasks. Things that we would just throw on the curb to be wasted in a land fill they use to the greatest effectiveness.
Kids Club (San Lorenzo)
Here Hannah, Joshua, David, Lili and Susan Fernane (one of the missionaries working here with Extreme Response) provide music leadership at the kids club in San Lorenzo. What looks simple is not. Trying to sing spanish worship songs that you barely know takes patience and skill.
Kids Club (San Lorenzo)
Here we see one table of kids at the club. It is an awesome outreach opportunity for the church that provides, once a week, a musical program, a message, a snack, and a craft. What started out as a grassroots project has blossomed into a full fledged ministry.
TO BE CONTINUED TOMORROW...
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
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