Jungle Adventures!

hey all,

alrighty, sorry for the delayed posting..but i've been super busy since i arrived back in Quito on Tuesday evening. busy with what you ask? finishing up the Spotlight sub-site on the HCJB site in time for Nov.1, and starting up Pan de Vida's website.

so, what can i say about the jungle... i had the priviledge of visiting a community called Inuawe - im quite positive i spelt that wrong, but it's pronounced "IN-NYA-WAY." it's a community of approx 160 people and was of the Shuar people. the focus of the trip was healthcare education... so along with Miriam (a nurse who works in community development) and Bonnie - the med student you've heard so much about - we trekked off into unknown lands in the Amazon rainforest.

Thursday morning, Bonnie, Alex (director of clean water projects) and i flew in a Mission Aviation Fellowship to Inuawe (sp?) about half an hour away from Shell, and landed around 11am. we were treated to lunch and ate some sort of wild bird soup, plantain, and taro root. strangely enough, Bonnie was getting giddy of taro root, cos it's a big asian thing... "mmm, i LOOOOOVE taro root!" and who knew you'd find it in the jungle. by the way, did i mention that they catch their food...like as in hunting, and killing, and cooking? yeah, we were really out in the wild. we slept in a wooden house thing...on the boards...well we had those small air mats you use when you camp, but it provided little comfort. by the end of Thursday nite, but legs looked like they had a disease...i was bitten all the way up my legs, and thighs. and that was WITH insect repellant. thank goodness for my malaria medicine...im sure i caught something with that many bites!!

friday morning came along and i was prepared to stay until monday, but soon realise that i actually was unable to help with the training. i was informed that saturday would be teaching the healthcare workers how to use NEEDLES. um....UM....i know i said i'd step up to the challenge, and Bonnie was more than ready to show me how to inject someone...but THAT was something i don't think i could have done. so yeah... i figured my time would be better spent back in Shell at the HCJB compound. returned to Shell on Friday with Alex by plane.

saturday, i went with another working visitor from england working in Shell as the radiographer of the hospital, Dan, to a town called Hola Vida, along with a married couple. we spent the whole day in the jungle. we went for a hike with a guide...swam in a waterfall, canoed, and visited a Quichua village. a well spent day. saturday nite was youth group with a local church.

sunday morning church went well, and Kara arrived safely at nite. she's working at an orphanage in Shell for the week, and returns to Quito today.

monday, i was able to get lots of work done. i got to present the Spotlight LIsteners' Club twice...once to the radio people in Shell, and the other in the evening to the missionaries in Shell. (by the way, Shell has more than HCJB missionaries...there are of course MAF missionaries, Avant, and a couple more.) when i was done presenting to the radio ppl, i could see their faces light up! though they themselves don't speak much english, they know that the SLC is definitely a great way to build relationships with teh community of Shell. the missionaries also seemed very interested...so if all goes well, the club should start up sometime in November! i also was running around talking to 3 big heads at Shell asking them for their input of the Hospital Vozandes del Oriente's part on the HCJB site... yah, busy day, and well spent.

so...my week in Shell was great. thanks to the hospitality of Bonnie's roommates, and the fellow ppl at Shell... Elizabeth, the other Elizabeth, Priscilla, Kirsten, Dan, Andres, Christian, Dr. Hardin, and the rest of the crew. good times spent in shell.... pictures to follow:

BOOOO I JUST TRIED UPLOADING PICS AND IT DIDN'T WORK...AGAIN! IM GONNA CRY IF THIS KEEPS UP...I'LL KEEP TRYING FOR LATER...

sorry yo,

dL