George, George, George of the JUNGLE!

or should i say, DEB, DEB, DEB OF THE JUNGLE?!?!

that's right ladies and gentlemen, im heading off to
Hospital Vozandes del Oriente, also known as Shell (it's a suburb in Ecuador.) This is HCJB's small, 30 bed hospital that serves the needs of the jungle community. It's the second of HCJB's two main hospitals here in Ecuador (the other larger one being Hospital Vozandes Quito across the street from me.) here's an idea of where in Ecuador it is:
Shell ***By the way, these links are from our NEW site, but it hasn't been launched yet, so you get to see a sneak preview. pardon if there are sections of the site that say "blah blah blah" or appear incomplete. they actual LIVE site will be complete when we launch

James is expecting a short term team from his home church (in the states, not Calgary) and will be out of the office for the week. in thinking of what Debbie could do during that time, the idea of going to Shell to serve in a new area came up. i wrote an email yesterday to the admin at Shell, and they said "come on over!" so i'll be there for the next week, leaving with another working visitor family on sunday at 9am. it's about 4.5 hours away. apparently the drive out used to be quite ...interesting with dirt roads the size of a McDonald's drive in...but now, it's like im on the Trans-Canada....! (Actually, i will be on the Pan-American Highway, but close enough :P)

im really looking forward to this trip because this area was basically where missions in Ecuador first began with the 5 missionaries (of whom Jim Elliot and Nate Saint are most well-known) reaching out to the indiginous tribe of the Aucas. after many people became believers, they became known as the Waorani's, and still live there to this day. for a compelling story which will move you, take a look here

i remember when i was applying to come to HCJB, my roommate was watching a Stephen Curtis Chapman DVD which featured a section dedicated to the mission of these 5 men. the very man who had speared Nate Saint to death later became a christian and wanted Nate's son, Steve to be his own son. he cared for him and raised steve as if he was his own. i think we both were in tears by the end of that DVD... i still can't quite believe that 6 months ago, i was in Vancouver wondering if i would actually be here...and then to find out that im going to Shell...wow...im utterly amazed and blown away...

a verse in Proverbs 16 keeps becoming more real to me with every day that i am here in this beautiful country.

Proverbs 16:9
In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.

im not sure what the internet access at Shell will be like, but i'll be sure to let you guys know how it goes.

i was suppose to send out my first newsletter for the month of July to you guys on Monday, but that will have to wait for the following week.

love you lots,
dL

emo

whoa, it's been an emotional morning - not because of something that happened here in Quito, but rather my heart is filled with emotion from stories back home from a couple of friends. one in particular from this entry from July 27

do i think i know everything? do i think i know everything because i have friends and influences who i think know everything about life and what it will be like? do i think i know everything because people come to me when they have problems, and say that im a smart 20 year old?

yes...yes, sadly that is what i think. and im glad to say that this has slowly been revealed to me during my time here in Quito thru the Word. who do i think i am, thinking that i know everything...im only 20.

who am i? and what am i doing here? i fear the future, and that is why i think i try and plan so much. i fear what it holds for me and often times try to make decisions based on which one will bring me the most "success", "happiness", or "joy." the issue with this line of thought however, is that is assumes that these positive outcomes are such that result in a "better" life. it overlooks trials, hardships and overcomings.

an excerpt i very much appreciate from John Ortberg's "The Life You've Always You've Wanted."

God does not intended that guidance be a shortcut to escape making decisions and taking risks. Indeed, God wants us to develop good judgement, and there is no way to develop it apart from a process that involves choices, and risks. If we are parents, we want to raise our children to become mature, healthy, responsible, and decisive adults. How can that happen if, the whole time they are growing up, they never make a decision on their own and they are instructed precisely what to do in every situation, what to wear, what to eat, what classes to take, whom to date. God's purpose in guidance is not to get us to perform the right actions. His purpose is to help us become the right kind of people. Personhood is formed thru making decisions. We learn to think and weigh options, we discover what we truly value, we take responsiblity for our choices. God wants us to be people, not robots, and that means we must make decisons.

aside from planning, i think another method i use to avoid making decisions is asking everybody in my path what THEY think, so that in turn, i don't have to make a decison, but rather, it is the person i ask who has made the decision for me. and if i avoid making a decision, i don't have to take responsiblity necessarily for the outcome of such a choice.

aiyaiyai... learning more about myself is a scary process. it's one that i anticipate with fear. i know, most don't use "anticipate", and "fear"
in the same sentence, but i have.

it's a miracle to me, and it's still a mystery

emotionally yours,
dL

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. - Jer 29:11

integrity

so it looks like im going to see ZOEgirl this weekend at Carolina Park. they are here on a missions trip with a team, and have been advertising on HCJB radio that they are having various concerts etc.

David, Gaby's boyfriend was actually asked to play piano for them, but he said no because we were actually suppose to go to Cotopaxi this weekend to teach the community about clean water, and drinking etc. Turns out that going to Cotopaxi won't work out, but i thought that was really neat that David said no because of his commitment to helping the people of Cotopaxi. so rather than playing on stage, i guess he'll be watching with us. i hope that if a decision like that ever faces me, that i would have integrity and make the right decision.

have a great weekend!

dL

Zambiza

i have a name now for the location of the city dump. i went there again yesterday and learned that Youthworld, another ministry, was there giving showers. we were going to do that, but because of the cloudy weather, we figured it was too cold, and didn't want them to get sick. nonetheless, we continued with our kids club, and this week was a lesson and workbook on Jonah and obedience. we had about 30 kids come out, with clean hair, and then clean hands and faces, and many seemed to enjoy it as usual. it's great that they remember to come, and their faces always light up when they're drawing, colouring or singing a song.

remember that baby i was telling you about last week that was sitting in the garbage? i saw it again...and attached some additional photos to give you an idea of what it's like here.



can you see her? she's sitting right in the middle...

and here she is playing with a puppy



i couldn't tell if this was someone's home or garbage that flew into a hole, but i wouldn't be surprised if it was the former...



here's a cutie eating our honey graham crackers on the way out...



and one final shot of the dump...



in the evening, Faby, Christhian, Gaby, her boyfriend David and I went to a place called Plaza de Las Americas to check out some live jazz. it was pretty cool. it sorta looks like an open mall, similar to convocation mall at SFU for those of you who know it. or like the Plaza of Nations in Vancouver, but smaller. when i arrived, i heard the tunes of Diana Krrrall playing, and thot to myself, "even in Ecuador, they like her jazz, lol." the concert was from 9:30 - 11:15pm, and it was soooo good. Ecuadorian jazz is apparently a new fusion here, and the band that started it, Pies de la Tierra (feet on the ground) are the pioneers of the genre. I soon learned the distinction between latin jazz, and ecuadorian jazz. i can't quite remember now, but i know there's a diff :) it was a 5 piece band, tho it's usually a trio. they had an additional trumpet player that plays with them, but he was in New York for the week. the band had keys, a marimba (a GIGANTIC xylophone and percussion!), a drummer (oh those jazz drummers can play!), electric bass and electric guitar. it made for a fun evening, despite that bad acoustics of the plaza. they should have been playing in some sort of a loft, or smaller room...not an open airy, no-man's land plaza....meh

today is Fabian's (the dad) birthday, so we woke up at 6:30am and sang happy birthday, cept that it wasn't happy birthday, but rather some other song...so i sang to him in english after :P the four of us (the kids, that is) bought him some cds, cos he loves piano music...so we bought him ecuadorian piano music.

the website is well on its way to completion. james said we're gonna party once it's done cos he's been working on this baby for 6 months now...so end of July is the deadline... and we've still got a bit more work left to do. we had bible study yesterday with the engineers upstairs yesterday, and it was cool...i was one of 2 women (the other being a receptionist) in a group of 20 middle aged men. well, there were a couple in their 20s, but the majority are about 30s-40s.

alrighty, well, back to work.

dL

PS: i just heard that ZOEgirl, a christian band from the states, is wandering around the HCJB compound right now. they had a concert last nite here....but i was at jazz instead :P also, Natalie Portman was in Quito a couple weeks ago giving some sort of peace talk. Gaby, who works at a flower place her some flowers...except that she didn't know that she was giving flower to Queen Amidala. oh, and there's a guy in my spanish bible study on thursday nites who was Meg Ryan's chauffeur when she was filming "Proof of Life" here a few years back. apparently the movie takes place in Colombia, but is actually filmed in Quito. celebrity sightings!

adventures and more food!

whew! what a packed weekend...a fun one nonetheless. before i forget...i'll reply to some comments :) vaness....i know, im not holding the kid like a football!! i don't know what's happening, but i told james "take a picture of me NOW cos my friends and family won't believe that im doing this right!" yeah, the ham actually didn't work out cos the deli sold out of ham (go figure!) so they made beef instead. i did, however make some scalloped potatoes, but the cheese here is funky...it's not quite as creamy as ours. their chedder is like our "fresh" parmesan...kinda dry, and requires more cream. so it was a mediocre dish...then Faby said, "just admit it, you can't cook!" then they asked me if i knew how to make sushi, and i said "YES!" and then they replied, "what are you waiting for?!?!" so i guess that's on the menu for next sunday's lunch, lol! oh yes, and with regards to how much english i can speak here...i get away with quite a bit actually...cept that it's much slower and basic english. in my family, Faby and Gaby both understand english quite well, where as Christian only knows english from music that he listens to. Patty and Fabian are both learning english as they talk to me and their children. actually, Faby's english is getting better than my spanish...but im on my way :) i really do hope to speak more fluently in the coming weeks so that when i go to the dump, i can ask the kids more questions and talk to them more as a friend.

ok...so this weekend. after getting about 6 hours of sleep the nite before, Patty woke me up at around 7:45am and said "Debbie, do you want to go to Ambato?" i wasn't gonna pass the opportunity because i was sleepy (which is quite different for me cos you all know i love my sleep :) but anyways, Ambato is about 2 hours away but pretty much looks like Quito cept with less people. i guess it's like taking a trip to Kelowna...a city, but not quite like Vancouver. Ambato is famous for leather and fruit. i didn't buy anything though, because it's not like im dying to wear leather. but to give you an idea...leather jackets cost abouty $30 US, and a really cute green leather hat cost about $5. yeah...pretty ridiculous, and it's all real! on the way to Ambato we stopped in a town called San Miguel de Salcedo...and Salcedo is famous for one thing - ice cream! it's called "helado de salcedo" and it was amazing! i took pictures to show you guys! helado de salcedo is famous here because it comes in four layers as you'll see in the pictures. in english, the flavours are milk, blackberry, naranjilla (there's no english equivalent) and taxo (same thing.)

here's what it looks like piled up in a freezer in Salcedo:



then there's signs all over the place advertising for it like this:



and here's mine, and Faby's peach helado:



the family decided to go to Ambato that day because their nephew/cousin was playing soccer there. Emile is only 16 years old but plays for a university soccer team. um, good? yeah. this was my first time in an outside stadium, and it was cool. im getting a good dose of soccer here, at least twice a week. and with the country championships coming up, people all over the place are asking me if im for Liga or Barcelona. if i say "Liga con Gaby" cos Liga is Gaby's favourite team, i get people going "awwww." and same thing if i say "si, me gustar Barcelona..." i get comments too :( meh...i guess if i were in their shoes, it's like someone asking them, "are you for the Canucks or the Flames?" i miss hockey...

later on saturday nite and the rest of sunday i got to meet the entire family of Patty's family. HUGE family...and it was fun! there were so many kids there...well, not really, more like 4-6 but they were all so cute :) this one little girl, Abigail kept on playing with me. i invented this game with here where i played peek-a-boo behind the fridge, and she absolutely loved it! then she wanted me to cover her eyes, then count...then guess when i'd open and go "ahhh!" she had the biggest cutest eyes, and liked me :) i told Faby, "this is really wierd! i never ever ever play with kids when im in Canada" and he was pretty shocked cos i guess i do it quite often here. either im drawn to kids, or they are to me. who knows! we celebrated Fabian's birthday (July 21) this sunday, hence the huge family gathering, and MORE food. mmm, these people know how to eat.

oh yes, speaking of eating again. i have to tell you something. girls, you might not believe i did this, but i ate a guinea pig, and a rabbit! eeek!! actually, i had a bite, because there was no way i was going to eat the whole thing, so i took a bite of Faby's. here's a pic to show you, the right is guinea pig, and the left is rabbit. it looks pretty normal, but still kinda sad :(



hmm what else... oh yeah, i don't think i ever mentioned this to you, but the airplanes that land in Quito are really scary, because they are sooo close to traffic, and urban life. the airport here only has one runway, so i think planes fly in circles until they get the ok to land. but because Quito is a CITY...the runway runs parallel to the main street here...it's probably about a city block distance apart. and this morning when i was on the bus, a KLM airplane flew right over my head and my ears were gonna pop. seriously, they are so close. you know how in most airports, it's in an area with a lot of land - not in Quito. but apparently they are moving in airport in 2009 to a place 20 minutes out of Quito to an area with more land. good idea!

i think that's all for now. im gonna teach/practice some english with Christian (my co-worker, not my brother). i think James said that's part of my "job" on mondays :) which is kinda fun, cos in turn i'll learn spanish. we're gonna practice our testimonie's for this week's bible study.

oh yes, and on friday nite, the family took me to see colonial Quito. i felt like i was in Europe as i saw a TON of churches and cathedrals. there were lots of churches lit up beautifully...and i got to see the Basilica (which i saw last week in the day time) lit up at nite.

i'll leave you with a familiar site that's every where i go



much love,
dL

muy nevlado, pero esta bien!

it's a cloudy day, but it's good!

for my musical readers, im enjoying the tunes of michael buble, natalie cole, josh groban and norah jones. that's right people... the internet ministries department is boppin', and im loving it.

this morning, our team of 4 had a meeting because we are leading bible study for next week with the engineers upstairs. there's apparently a group of 20 (engineers and internet folks) so we practiced some spanish songs, and Christian and Edison played the guitar. i might add that they are really good...

(darrell, ps...you're fave norah song is playing and all i can do is smile thinking of you..."and im feeling the same way all over agaaaaaain..." :P)

they asked me to play some english songs so i strummed away good ol' God of Wonders, and Lord You Have My Heart, and they really enjoyed it. same thing happened last nite with Faby. i taught him what "let's jam" means. for those who don't know...it means "let's play some music together!" and so Faby and i jammed with a guitar and claves from cuba. though i don't pick solos like they do, i think there's a place for my guitar playing here... apparently i don't play like most girls, which i think is suppose to be a compliment. thanks for teaching me well....you know who you are. donk.


love you all,
dL

PS: im off for the weekend. the Aguilars want ME to bake THEM a ham for sunday lunch. i've prepared my menu...ham with a spiced pineapple glaze, yummy scalloped potatoes, corn, salad, and a super fruit salad...i hope it works out!

in the face of poverty

hey all,

i made my way out to the Quito City Dump yesterday with a handful of other people from HCJB, The Alliance Academy (school across the street), and a girl who's on exchange here from Michigan. we met as a group and was briefed on what normally goes on for the couple of hours that we are there. essentially, Extreme Response does a more "official" Kids Club during the school year, but since it is summer holidays now, most of the highschoolers that go, are out on holidays. so it was this small group of people that continue to go in order to maintain relationships built with the kids and families that live at the dump.

in two car loads, we made our way over and two girls were dropped off just outside the dump to gather the kids to come to the Kids Club that we host. "Venga" we'd say, meaning "come." as i entered the dump, and walked admist garbage, i saw a baby, no more than a year old sitting in a pile of garbage as her mother leafed thru remnants of a stack of garbage. as i went further, i soon saw small groups of kids playing in the garbage, with rope, or with stray dogs. but as they saw us approaching with our colourful crayons, paper, and balloons, their faces lit up as they ran towards us. with my limited spanish i proceeded to ask them their names, their age, and later, what their favourite colour was.

before we begin the "fun stuff" we wash the kids up. we had two large bowls of water and asked the kids to come. we had soap and so i took the smaller kids and washed their hands with them, and their faces. imagine a large salad bowl full of clean, clear water, completely darkend after two washes from two kids - that's how dirty these kids were. living in garbage, and smelling like it is the norm. but as i washed their hands and faces, i was completely humbled and priviledged to do such a task. they smiled as they were cleaned and i proceeded to moisturize them with some lotion we had.

after cleaning, the kids came into the room where other volunteers had set up tables and were teaching them a song. i hung around to wash another kid, cos i can't sing with kids... after that we did arts and crafts and we made a pinwheel. i met a 9 year old girl named Leticia and i coloured her paper with her. i drew hearts and suns, and clouds and flowers, and she would colour in the lines. when the pinwheel was completed, many were overjoyed as they blew to spin the pinwheel.

towards the end of the club, we rounded the kids up and gave them snacks - some peanut butter cookies, jelly tots, and a small "hotel-size" bottle of moisturizer. many left smiling and happy. as we left, i saw many of them return to their pile of garbage, this time with their snacks and pinwheel in hand.

i later learned that many of the kids' parents work in the dump doing recyling work. and live just a few steps away from the dump. sometimes the kids will help the parents, but from what i observed, many hung out...waiting for ...i don't know what. i asked why they weren't in school, and the response was that uniforms and books cost too much. and so these kids, while they should be at school, are spending countless huors, smelling, playing, and living in garbage.

i think this was one of THE most eye opening experiences of my life. watching this on TV, i can easily change the channel. reading it in a book, i can simply turn the page. hearing a band promote causes like World Vision of Compassion International, i can easily start tuning them out and start talking to my friend....but actually being in the dump, touching the children and talking to then, playing soccer and colouring with them, shows me that the face of poverty is in a 9 year old girl named Leticia. admist all this, i learned a great lesson, however. happiness is not based on a circumstance, but is a choice that we all can make.

i didn't take any pictures because i wasn't sure what the situation with cameras would be like there, but apparently the kids love having their pictures taken, so i'll post some next week.

be thankful for today, because you are breathing fresh air, your hair is clean, and you have clean running water at the turn of a tap. tell someone you love them, because being loved is fundamental to human existence.

much love
dL

pictures...finally!

hey guys,

so im "testing" this for an HCJB project im woring on...we're going to be implementing blogs at the main sites for short term teams, working visitors (such as myself) and long term missionaries. soo, in the not too far future, my blog address may be changing to something something at HCJB.org. but for now...let's see what i've been up to. i only have shots on my cam from this weekend...the rest are at my home...

this is the Aguilar family that i live with... from left to right is Faby, Patty, Fabian, Gaby, and Christian

here's an idea of how huge this place was....clocks and clocks

Oh yeah, for all your Willingdon people, here's Barry Hamm's (engineer missionary) kid! he's sooo cute to play with! yah, i've been playing with kids since i've been here....what's happening??


now that i've got this FTP working...i'll add more pics soon :)

dL

the weekend and misc etiquette

hey all,

i had another wonderful weekend, this time with the Aguilars in downtown Quito. well, i actually only got to see one thing because Gaby had a soccer game at 1pm, but im sure i'll see more later. we visited the Basilica del Voto Nacional in Centro de Quito. it's a replica of the Basilica in Rome...except 1/4 of the size. despite it being only one quarter, it was MASSSIVE. have you ever climbed a cathedral? well, i have now. you know Quasimodo from the Hunchback of Notre Dame? well, i was in his clock :P well, not HIS, but i climbed with the rest of the family to the top of the church...it's one of the biggest, stone cathedrals i have ever seen, complete with a life size statue of Pope John Paul when he visited Quito in '82. across, miles across from the church, is the "Virgin of Quito" - aka Mary. she sits atop of hill called "panacilla" which i think means "little bread." Faby informed me that all the churches in the Centro de Quito are aligned with the sun, since stays in the same spot...and if you stand in just the right position, they form a star - i don't know how that works, but that's what he said :P also, you know how most cathedrals have gargoyles perching on the ledge...well the Basilica has...animals from the Galapagos Islands as their "gargoyles."

Gaby plays on a womens soccer team and it was fun to watch. the other team didn't actually show up so they won be default, but i got to see them play against each other. ahh, my first taste of soccer in this country. next will be watching national teams play.

oh yah, and on sunday we had the biggest BBQ of my life. i thot the Greeks, like meat...the Aguilars like it more...we had 3-4 different types of sausages, a huge slab of pork, and beef....yeah, it was quite tasty.

oh yes, so here are a few different but neat things about the culture, and nuances. i don't think i've shared much of that. i've been kissed by at least 20 guys since i've been here - and that's nothing. haha, when you greet people, and when you say goodbye, you always kiss them hello, and goodbye, and it's become second nature me. it was funny to observe how this works, because there will be a room of 20 people, and before a person leaves, they will kiss each person goodbye on the cheek. i kissed the man who greeted me at church on sunday, and i don't even know him, but it's such a loving way of meeting people. when friends are introduced to new friends, they do it as well, and it's jsut such an "ice breaker" in my opinion. ah yes...did i mention that it costs 25 cents to take transit here? that's handy. lunches cost around $1.50-$2.50, so it's quite affordable on my student budget :) i haven't bought anything yet because i've been taking it easy from hitting the big touristy sites, and hanging out with my new Ecuadorian friends, and enjoying the locals sites. ah yes...the biggest meal of the day is lunch...so dinner doesn't happen till around 7-8pm. the younger people, i guess my bros and sis and their friends go out and eat at around 11:30pm on the weekends! we had some Venezuelan food called "arepa" the other nite...yeah, it was late. they also drink coffee with almost every meal here.... i was offered a cup at 11:30pm one nite, and i didn't want to turn it down cos that would be rude, so i asked Faby, "do you normally eat/drink this late?" and he said, "yes, why?" and i told him about caffeine and not being able to sleep and he said, "oh, i saw that on TV a lot, but i always thot it was a joke!" haha, i guess caffeine is built into the ecuadorians system, cos they sleep just fine! (fyi, i slept fine too cos i was tired!) oh yes, and ecuadorians are also extremely patient with poor spanish, and eager to learn english tooo, so for those of you who have wondered how i've been commuicating with the Aguilars, they speak little english, and i speak little spanish. Gaby took english classes, but isn't as good as her bro Faby...who learned english by watching TV! he's quite good too. finally, juice...OHHHHH juice....fresh juice everywhere i go. the juice here is absolutely delicious compared to the most expensive Tropicana i get back home. mom, dad, can i have a juicer for christmas? i've been taking notes on how to make the tasty orange, grapefruit, pineapple, and local fruit juices here. mmmm, soo good. i had this drink yesterday called "chica" and it's a fermented fruit drink, that you make days in advance, boil, then it gets thick, and kinda gross looking but so healthy and good.

oh....enough about food...i always find myself talking about ecuadorian cuisine.... oh yea....before i forget, i had mexican food too, and it pales in comparison to ecuadorian foood. hands down...


love you all!

dL

technology, remedies, and communication!

i did a little more reading this morning on the London Tube fiasco, and learned that much of the first-hand footage of the bombings was from camera-phones. i dunnno, but something from my CMNS 253 class and the use of technology comes to mind. isn't it interesting that the footage from a tiny little cellphone camera, serves for us as the main lens into the attack? forget BBC reporters filming live on the spot...now, we can do it all on our own. it's definitely a shift in power, don't you think? now the news is using us for footage and raw material, rather than the other way round. hmmm, interesting...

so i had a bad case of...something in my stomach for the past few days, but yesterday was the ultimate worse. i took a cab home cos i was feeling so bad...and to help alleviate the pain, guess what Patricia gave me.... oregano tea! i was a little skeptical at first, but she gave me a huge jug of it to keep me hydrated (and i guess allow the oregano to do its job!) it smelled like spaghetti sauce, but tasted like normal tea. long story short, the tea did the trick, and im feeling soooo sooo much better. thank goodness for natural remedies, like oregano :) i have to remember that for when im back in Vancouver....no more over the counter medication.... oregano for me!

oh yeah, so in the middle of getting the new website up, james and i have been updating the new feature, and this month's focus is Russia. the Poland feature had been on for a really long time, so we changed it cos of this new need. if you get a chance, check it out - HCJB & Russia

q'mas....what else? oh yes, have i mentioned yet, that i think im falling in love with this country and the people? many of you said to me before i left, "be careful Debbie, you may go to Ecuador, and never come back." hmmm.... i think one of the many reasons why i love it is because it reminds me so much of Vancouver. and i love Vancouver. the Aguilars asked me the other nite which country is my favourite one that i've beeen to...and i said "to be honest, i have to say Canada." yeah, im a sucker for cool weather, mountains, the ocean and multiculturalism. and aside from the ocean, Quito has all of that. did you know that there are so many different kinds of Ecuadorians? it's sorta like saying there are so many different kinds of Vancouverites. there are asians, latin-american, caucasian, african-american etc. such a diversity here...

oh yes...have you guys ever heard of Quichua? it's a type of people and language here in Ecuador. if you're familiar with Elisabeth Elliott, she spent much of her life reaching out to the Quichua people. i guess it's probably the equivalent to canada's first nation's people. well, i learned my first little bit of Quichua the other nite! you know how sometimes in english we say "aiyaiyai" when we do something wrong, or make a mistake, or something hurts? well, that's actually Quichua for...either "gross" or "pain." i can't remember, but it's one of those :) i learned the other day that Wycliffe Bible Translators had completed translating the Bible in to the Quichua language in 1993...and they partnered with the printing division here at HCJB in order to print the Bibles so they could be distributed. it's neat to see ministries working together. what's cool is that when Elisabeth Elliot was here in the 50s or so, they had begun work on developing an alphabet system from which to build translation on. takes a long time eh?

dL

chaos in London

hey all,

i was preparing to blog a wonderful entry about what i've been up to, but i think it's necessary to pause for a moment, and highlight the "London Transport Blasts" as the BBC calls it. james came in a bit late this morning informing me about another al-Qaeda attack on London's Underground Subway. tune into BBC to read the story and watch live newsbroadcastings from London. the CBC has some good coverage as well.

this is just absolutely shocking, and goes to show that however much effort the US and anyone else tries to "get the terrorists," and comfort citizens that "we've got Osama," that al-Qaeda is alive and well, and on the attack.

what do you do in a situation like this? this, being the second hit on a metropolitan area, what will be next?

*sigh*

here's the rest of what i've been up to:
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i've spent the past couple of days doing A LOT of internet stuff...and helping to finish and launch the new hcjb.org website. it's been a lot of fun, actually, and i really enjoy the work here. i enjoy the tedious tasks because i know that it has a greater purpose as it communicates to everyone how God is working throughout the world, and how one can be involved in changing the world. i've used a ton of programs such as Mambo CMS, Dreamweaver, Photoshop, etc...and love it.

i had lunch the other day with Gaby Viteri (the friend that i met when i went to Tonsupa in the same car) and she is awesome. she's been such a sweet gal, and actually goes to the communications school here at HCJB. she works at Hospital Vozandes writing content for the website, and also does youth work at her church. it's neat to meet peers here in Ecuador, and im blessed to have her as a friend

over dinner the other nite, i found out that Christina Aguilera's father was actually born in Ecuador, so i guess i wasn't so far off :P

i've gotten to know the Aguilar family much better in the week that i've stayed there, and really enjoy their company and hospitality. we're going to have another spanish bible study this evening and i hope that i can understand more this week :) a woman from the study, Carmelita, made me a blanket and a pillow!! i thot that was so sweet of her.

i think i had more to say, but i can't remember...

ok, back to work!

love you guys!

dL

**** oh yes i remember what i wanted to say now... this week, we're having a "spiritual emphasis" conference so we go to talks during the morning...but what's cool is that before the talks, we have a time of worship in spanish! although at first i barely understood the words on the powerpoint, i soon found myself singing along and then understanding! we even sang "great is thy faithfulness", "how great thou art", and "the power of your love," in spanish! the worship leader is really cool...he's JAPANESE, but born and raised in ecuador so he speaks perfect spanish, and also english...and apparently plays 50 different instruments. his piano and guitar playing almost brought me to tears it was so beautiful. ****

Friends, Music, Food, God...

Hey Everyone!

i hope you all had a well-rested weekend. I sure did! Gaby invited me, along with 6 of her friends to go to a place called Tonsupa (on the coast), in the province of Esmaraldes known for its beach. We left at 4am, and made it to Tonsupa about 5 hours later. i tried to sleep on the way, but with the mountain driving, it was difficult. we were going back and forth from 120km to 60km as we took turns on the mountains. Ecuadorians drive crazy (que loco!) but are very good in the way they drive.

i got to know Pablo (i actually know someone named Pablo now!!), Gaby (not Aguilar), Alex, Steve, Hemena, and David. i found out in the middle of the trip that all of these people were waaaay older than me, but i couldn't tell. ages ranged from 24 - 30. there were 3 couples on the trip...and all the men were around 28-30. is this normal? does anyone know if Ecuadorian couples usually have younger women and older men?

music...ahh, what to say. Pablo (whose car i was in) likes to listen to PHIL COLLINS. haha, i've got some of his songs stuck in my head now. from what i heard, there was a lot more english music on the coast. bands like the Offspring, Eric Claption, Red Hot Chilli Peppers and the like stream on the airwaves. i learnt from Gaby that Enrique Iglesias actually ISN'T popular in Ecuador...but Shakira is. remember Shakira?? yeah... but Julio Iglesias made it big here. sidenote: Fabby had the Supertones playing on his stereo last nite...it's neat observing the musical influences in thi country. i'll have to actually turn on the radio and listen to some stuff soon!

oh, the FOOD... que rico! (sooooo goood! delicious!) i had this dish called "ceviche a camarones" which is essentially a shrimp cocktail cept in a larger bowl. i think most people eat it as a meal because you also get plantain chips, and popcorn with it. i had it right on the beach as a little lady and her cart prepared it for me. i was a little hesitant at first and Gaby admitted a little later that she was worried that my stomach couldn't handle it, but i was totally fine. ceviche consists of shrimp, red onion, fresh tomatoes, parsley or cilantro, lime juice and orange juice, and a little bit more of some other goodness :) yeah...it was like a fresh salsa with shrimp...and apparently it's the best on the coast, because it's fresh. if you eat it in Quito, it may not be as fresh because they have to transport the shrimp up into the mountains. in addition to ceviche, i had empanada (some pastry thingy with sugar on top and cheese inside), and various other rice/meat combos. oh yeah and i had a mega milkshake....like the size of a big tub of yogurt....

haha, and i knew this question would come from my new friends: "what is Canadian food like?" i think i've asked some of you guys back home what IS canadian food, and my answer was..." ohh...bacon....eggs...pasta...bread....maple syrup!" i had no clue...i gave a pat answer and explained that Canada is very multi cultural, and so is the food! if you know a good answer for what "Canadian food" is, please share!

on the way home, Pablo and Gaby (the couple, not my host-sister) asked me what church is like in Canada and if i had been a christian all my life. i explained to Gaby and Pablo that when i was younger, i had a misconception about who God was in my life. i saw Him merely as a "genie" figure asking for things only when it was convenient for me. my relationship with God was very much ask ask ask, and no such thing of giving. i then explained that one nite my brother told me, using Bible verses, who God really was and what it means to know him personally, like i know my own family members. my being a "Christian" was not dependent on whether i went to church, read the bible, did "good things" or even had christian friends, but it was dependent on believing in the death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. it was thru this process that my relationship with God was reconciled and i had truly understood my position in relation to God His love for me. that nite i prayed, "God, if you are real, reveal yourself to me and show me who you really are." since then, my life has been changed and used to serve Him daily and to share with others and knowledge of what it really means to know God personally, and intimately. Gaby said that when she was 12, she said the same prayer, and has since been close to God. i think this conversation was defintely an answer to prayer. before i left for Ecuador, i told God that i wanted to not only experience the work that He is doing in another part of the world, but to also meeet other brothers and sisters in Christ and to hear how they see Him and experience God. not surprisingly, He works the same out in Ecuador, as he does in Canada, and the rest of the world.

ok, i have to go cos James and i had to get started on our to do list...but in summary...i have mosquito bites (i sure hope they weren't malaria bites cos i didn't get any medication for it...eek!) and i GOT BURNT!! in all my life, i have NEVER gotten sun burnt...but you know, i guess it's expected if i have the sun at the EQUATOR shining down on me. yeah, the top part of my body is red, and it hurts when i have the strap on my bag across...but it was worth it :) i can now say that i've been burnt...but im sure it will result in a killer tan :P anything else? ummm....no, i think that's it. oh yeah, and rainbow...my water bottle stinks...just like in africa! i don't know what it is about water south of the equator, but when it's been sitting in your Nalgene after a day or two...it starts to smell like sulfur..or some really bad odour.

ok, hasta luego!

oh yeah, and my spanish is getting better. Pablo and Gaby helped me out a LOT during the road, trip and i taught them more english...

ok...chao!

dL

living it up

hey all,

i have a home now! James found me a great little Ecuadorian family to live with. we spent yesterday checking out two places, and after weighing my two options for about an hour, i decided to live with the Aguilar family...kinda like Christina Aguilera...but not quite :P

my host family consists of a Fabian (dad), Patricia (mum), Fabian Andres aka Fabby (25yr old son), Gabby (23yr old daughter), and Christian (20yr old son). what's really cool is that Fabian Andres is in graphics design and has his own company, Gabby just finished culinary school and Christian is in school for sound production/engineering! the guys jammed last nite with their guitars and spanish flute! ever heard a spanish flute?? it's beautiful...and the way they play guitar here is really melodic.... im embarassed to play my usual G, C, Em, D :)

im set up with my own room and bathroom...and i can see Cotopaxi mountain from the kitchen...Cotopaxi is Ecuador's highest active volcano...i think i read that the last time it erupted was 1904. here's a little bit more about it: Cotopaxi

after a trip to the grocery store, i had my very first spanish bible study. every thursday the Aguilars host a bible study, and while i didn't understand much of what was going on, i understood bible verses and was able to look them up :)

this morning was my first time on transit. Fabby accompanied me to the parada - bus stop, then on to the trolley. the trip took about half an hour...walking...bus, and trolley. as was expected...i have no personal bubble...i think i have to get use to that.

today will be my first offical day of work...and im going to be learning how to use this new framework program called "Mambo". im also going to be getting in contact with the head of Extreme Response to see how i can get involved with Pan de la Vida street ministry here...

apparently im going to a place called Tousoup(??) with Gabby and her friends this weekend. it takes about 5 hours to get there and we're leaving at 4am on saturday morning...ugh. we'll see what it has :)

once i get my laptop hooked up here at the office (Aguilars don't have internet) i'll try to post some pics.

hope things are well in Vancouver and where ever else you are. hey, it's CANADA DAY....if you're reading this...stop what you're doing and head down to Granville Island to enjoy an afternoon of free jazz...you won't be disappointed! haha i just told James it was Canada day...we both went "woo hoo..." in case i forgot to mention, he's from Calgary...so im working with a fellow Canadian.

oh yes, and i have to mention these girls. i met two nurses from the states yesterday while in the guesthouse. one is graduated while the other one is working thru her degree...but it was really cool to meet them and hear about the work that they are doing across the street at Hospital Vozandes. this is the medical ministry of HCJB, and it is a well respected hospital in Quito. they told me that there is this other hospital across town where, they will diagnose you, but you have to buy the equipment they need to operate on you...eek! so you have to go by your IV stuff, and scalpul, and bags of whatever liquid they hook you up too....that...is scary.

ok, im off!

con mucho amor,
dL