Earlier this week in the capital city of Quito a sinkhole was created partly as a result of all the rain our country is getting these days. It is a rather large sinkhole right in the middle of a major "cloverleaf" interchange. As you can imagine it's caused major traffic issues in a city that already has traffic issues! Schools have been closed for the past couple of days to help out with the traffic.
I'm posting some pictures and a video of it. I found the video on You Tube so it's something that someone here put together. I do have to warn you that the music is a bit dramatic!
We have been having problems with our school computer this week. Consequently, son Josh has had to use mine. I've hardly had a chance with it all week! I'm pretty fed up with all the problems and we have decided to replace the old with a new laptop. I'm not sure how or when but it needs to be soon!
The past two weekends have been really good ones for me. We had a volunteer group down from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. There were only six in the group that turned out to be a really good group to work with. We thoroughly enjoyed the time they were here. I even got to get out of the house for some ministry opportunities which doesn't happen too often for me.
The first weekend they were here I accompanied them to a village outside of Guayaquil where one of our house churches meets. We did some sharing of the gospel to those who live in the neighborhood of the church that meets there. There is nothing so fulfilling than being able to share God's love with someone and see them respond!
The road to this village is often impassible because of the rains. It's not a paved road and the rains have turned it into a long mud pit. We were told it was passable the weekend we went. I'm wondering what it looks like when they declare it impassible! We drove and slid through mud that was as deep as the tires on our vehicle. There were also large "ponds" in many sections that made it difficult to determine just how deep they were. We kept to the edges and just had faith that we could get through. I felt like I was on an episode of "Amazing Race!"
During the week I was unable to accompany them because of school. However, last weekend afforded me another opportunity to go with them as we ministered to those who have been severely affected by the flooding. On Friday, Guy went out with them as they traveled by canoe to areas that have been isolated to deliver food packages. During their time there they saw a woman with her children living in a small one room "house" where half the floor was gone. On Saturday son Josh and I went with them as they returned to build a floor for this family. Only two or three people could actually get up into the house (it was too small to accommodate any more) so the rest of us stayed down below. I helped mostly by handing up materials to those doing the actual building. We actually built floors and walls in two houses whose families had been abandoned by the father. The houses were in the middle of a huge lake caused by the flooding. We were in water up to our waists bringing materials from the canoes to the house. We were there in the water for 5-6 hours working. It is so sad. I don't know how these people live like that. Those that don't have boats just sit on the ladder going up into their house or in the doorway with nothing to do all day. They have no way to work or get food.
Below I have some pictures of our experiences. Dh put together a video of pictures that I'm posting as well.
The house on the right is one of the houses for which we built a floor and walls.
This is a closer image of the house, above right, that we worked on. You can get a better idea of how deep the water is around it. The other house we worked on had water up past your waist. It's the house son Josh worked on and you can see it in the video below the picture.
This is the video of still shots that dh made. There is music to this so turn up your volume.
We are well past the second month of our rainy season and it has definitely lived up to it's name! We have gotten lots and lots of rain. Our back yard squishes like a sponge when you walk on it (which we don't do much these months). Here in the city it gives us a nice respite from the heat and humidity. We have had a much bigger problem though, with mosquitos and flies this year. Daughter Anna has been a particular target. At one point in time last month she had 20+ bites around each ankle. I've been trying to encourage her to wear shoes and socks, but neither one of my kids has ever been into wearing shoes in the house.
The countryside around Guayaquil has suffered tremendously from the rains which have caused major flooding. As you fly over the land you can see acres and acres of farmland under water. There has been a great loss of crops which is having a devastating effect on the economy here. Not only have hundreds of families lost their homes, but they are losing their only income as well. Prices are bound to go up making it even harder on the families who have lost so much already.
My husband Guy has spent a good deal of time helping people out. We have a network of house churches in many of the affected areas (..hm....makes you wonder if God knew what was coming!). We have been able to get funds to these house churches who have been going out into the areas where they live to distribute food supplies. Many of those they are helping have been unable to get help from the government (who is also working to help these people) or other groups. The church in this area know where the people are who are the most needy. They also know where to buy to get the most for their money in their areas. We will continue to help out in this way for as long as we have the funds to do so.
We would appreciate your prayers for the church that live in these areas as well as for the people they are ministering to. I am posting some pictures I found on the internet that are better than any we have for you to see.
This is an aerial photo of Guayas province.
This is the road into the town of Babahoyo, about an hour north of Guayaquil. The sign reads "Welcome to Babahoyo, A City With Luck!"
Also in Babahoyo, boats are available in place of taxis. Cost is 10 cents a ride to your destination.
This is a store owner in the Los Rios Province who it trying to clean out the water in his shop.
A displaced family
Across the Guayas River in Samborondon
This house is in Yaguachi, just about 20 minutes from Guayaquil.
President Rafael Correa visiting Naranjal Province.
Naranjal Province
Rains have also caused lots of mud and rock slides. This is in Azuay Province in the mountains.
A couple of days ago Anna and I went on our weekly trip to the grocery store. We have very modern grocery stores here even though there are only two main grocery store chains. However, there are a few things different about our stores in what they sell. I had my cell phone with me and took some pictures thinking you might like to see. Enjoy!
First of all, this is where we shop for our weekly purchase. The name takes some getting used to but now I don't think twice about it.
Tuna is hugely popular but not usually eaten at night (it will make you sick :)). They do all kinds of things with tuna here including making a puree of it in the blender in order to make it stretch a little farther. You can buy them in cans that range from about 6 oz. to a couple of pounds. they come in cans bigger than the one shown but this was the biggest they had that day.
Tomato paste is another item that comes in jumbo sized cans. The small can is the only size I have ever bought. I've never had a recipe that used more. It's a popular ingredient for how they make spaghetti sauce.
Here in Ecuador one drinks, not eats, yogurt.
You can probably tell what this is. It's a frozen pig. It was in the freezer section below the apple pies. I've always been curious as to who buys these and what they do with them.
Several months ago my good friend Debbie and her husband David, who are missionaries in Ambato, had a group of World Changers come down for ministry. World Changers is a program for youth who want to get involved in international ministry. The following is a video of this experience. I post it because I wanted you to see that part of Ecuador. Ambato is in the mountain region. Life there is very different from here on the coast. Watching it makes me want to escape the heat here and go where it's cool! Enjoy!
We attended the wedding this past Saturday night. It was a lot of fun and quite the party! It was also much more American than Ecuadorian. Kimberly lived for a couple of years in the States with her brother who lives there.
The church ceremony was set for 9:00pm. Most weddings don't begin until then regardless of the time put on the invitation. However, the time on the invitation indicates the formality of dress. The later the time, the more formal the wedding. Nine at night means long gowns for the ladies and tuxes/nice suits for the men. I don't own a long gown and couldn't see buying one for just this occasion. So I wore the street length dress I bought for my niece and nephew's wedding a couple of years ago. It was okay, but I did feel a bit underdressed. It was fun though, seeing all the glitter of the women's fancy dresses and the flash of the faux diamonds.
We arrived at the church at 9:00. The bride began her march down the aisle at 9:30 so we didn't have to wait very long. We had our first clue that it was a more American wedding than Ecuadorian when the maid of honor wasn't wearing red. That is the tradition here regardless of what the bridesmaids are wearing. Peach/Orange is a popular color for bridesmaids (I'd bet that 90% of the weddings I've been to used those colors) and I don't think red goes with Peach/Orange very well. At least the shades I've seen don't look good together usually. Anyway, she had chosen a bright apple green dress with wide magenta sashes. It was so bright and cheery. The maid of honor was in a different dress that was the opposite color scheme, magenta with green. They were gorgeous dresses.
Of course, the bride was beautiful. The ceremony was a bit long (a full hour) and seemed filled with everything that Kimberly had ever seen done and liked. But it was good and I enjoyed it. The reception afterwards was held at the Sheraton Hotel in one of the ballrooms. It was elegantly done.
The food was incredible. We had a buffet of appetizers then had a buffet for the main meal. There was chicken, beef, ham, and fish, with rice and salads. We didn't go hungry! And the desserts! I only had a bite or too because I was just too full.
The music was a mixture of taped stuff with mostly live singing. The singer was very good and she emceed the reception as well. The only surprising thing was that the father of the bride (and pastor of the church we used to go to) danced with his daughter. (very traditionally, Baptists here don't dance-guess times are changing here too!). She then danced with her new husband and court (bridesmaids and groomsmen). Afterwards came the mariachis provided, I think, by a relative who is Mexican. Mariachis are very popular here. I personally love them- but they are so loud! That was fun.
My favorite thing was getting to see and visit with lots of friends I haven't seen in a long time. I wish I had brought my camera. The only downside to going to a wedding that begins at 9:00 is that it ends really late. We got home at around 3:30 am and then had to get up to take a volunteer team to church! But it was fun and quite the most elegant wedding I've ever attended.
Last Saturday afternoon I went to a wedding shower for the daughter of a good friend. I thought I would share my experience there. It's been a really long time since I have been to any kind of shower in the States. I can hardly remember what they are like. The only showers I've been to here have been within the evangelical Christian community. They are a bit different from what I remember.
First of all, I thought the shower was at 4:00. Most afternoon events start at 4:00. I left at about 4:10 so that I wouldn't be the first one there. Ha! I took my daughter to her friend's house where she was going to stay while I was at the shower. As I got into the car and got out the invitation to look at the map I had been given to help me find the home where the shower was being held, I noticed, to my dismay, that the time for the shower was 5:00. It was only 4:35. So I drove slowly, took my time and arrived at 5:00. I knew I would be the first and sure enough, I was. The maid that let me in was still cleaning the living room! The shower, however, was to be held out back in a covered terrace made for hosting parties.
As I walked in I saw a few people, including the mother of the bride who is a good friend. The others there were those who were not just guests, but also those who were helping to put on this show...uh, shower. I sat down with one of the ladies and we chose a seat close to the pool at the edge of where the roof ended, hoping we would get a breeze there. Knowing I was on time I knew I would be there for a while before things actually started. Slowly people began to arrive. After a while they put out some fun activities for people to do while guests were arriving. By 6:30 most of the 50+ people had arrived and things were ready to get started. All the guests were given a balloon and a straight pin. As the bride-to-be "arrived" (she was in the house waiting for her entrance) we all popped our balloons. I thought that was a fun thing to do!
The program started off with a power point program done by the bride's best friend about their friendship. The computer that they were using was hooked up to the amplifiers and was used for the power point presentation as well as the music that was played throughout the shower. That was followed by one of the ladies who went up and gave the bride godly advice. Not having a microphone, and speaking directly to the bride in her normal soft voice, we couldn't hear a thing she said, but I'm sure it was good advice that was given! When she finished a group of the bride's friends came running in dancing around her with masks. No one at our table really knew what that was so we just waited for the next thing, the next thing being another discourse by another lady dispensing more godly advice. She didn't need a microphone so we could enjoy what she had to say. During all of this we were served sandwiches and colas.
After this we played games. They had made up a nice bingo-type game handing out cards with big purple hearts and wedding related words. We were told that we were going for 5 words. However, that happened quite quickly and there were quite a few who had "bingoed." There weren't enough gifts so they decided to make it ten words. Same thing happened. It was a bit chaotic as all the ladies were giving their advice on how to play the game. There not being a microphone made it hard to hear which meant that someone was always repeating for their area the word, usually at the same time a new word was called out. I never really knew how many I needed, but it really didn't matter as I wasn't getting very many words covered. The ladies at our table were having a good time regardless. Another "game" type activity was done where the bride was given a household item (like a broom) and someone shared about that item making it analagous to being a good housewife (like, you sweep out your house to keep it clean, so sweep out the sin in your life to make your relationship clean, etc.). We couldn't hear that either so we watched and visited with each other at our table. During this time we were served a plate with an humita, an ayaca, and a piece of spinach torte with the usual cola.
By this time it was past 9:00pm. I was way past the time I had planned to pick up dd. Many people were starting to leave so I didn't feel too bad doing the same. However, the next activity (which I believe to have been the last) looked like a fun one so I waited a bit to leave. Loaded with a package of paper napkins and straight pins, the bride's friends proceeded to "dress" her, making a wedding dress, veil, and bouquet of flowers out of the napkins. It was really cute. I forgot to take my camera but remembered that my cell phone takes pictures. So on the way out I got a few shots. However, the pictures are not too good.
PS- I'm editing this to include the information that I had to pay $10 to go to this shower!
Norma and Kimberly Campos, the mother of the bride and bride to be.
A displaced family
Across the Guayas River in Samborondon
Rains have also caused lots of mud and rock slides. This is in Azuay Province in the mountains.
