Mural Painting

 While at Dulce Refugio, we worked with the kids and leaders to paint a mural on one of the walls of the new building.  It was a blast!

Ecuador update: Looking back, looking forward

This is a brief recount of where we’ve been and what we are doing now in Quito, Ecuador.

Nate, Cecilia, and some of our work-mates at the church, Dulce Refugio

Ecuador, Deep and Colorful

We´ve been in Quito, Ecuador since Tuesday, May 4.  We´ve seen and done much, but mostly we´ve just been living here with the family and enjoying the rich experience of being in the hot sun of the day and the cool breeze of the night.

We´ve gone to a parade held by the school where Edwin, Cecilia´s brother, teaches. 

The parade was set to begin at 10:00 AM, and sure enough, people were arriving, getting ready, and assembling on the street at 10:00 AM sharp.  Parents and locals gathered for the procession of the yough. 

The parade began with the ¨War Band¨setting the beat.  All drums, some snare, some bass. 
The batonistas surrounded the drummer boys in front and behind, twirling their batons. 
The valedictorian of the school and the two other best students led the procession bearing the flags of the nation, the school, and the city. 

Following was a display of the many cultures, dances, and people groups within Ecuador.  The entire school from the youngest first graders to graduating high-schoolers had a part to play. 

In the park nearby, some kids were setting off firework rockets that boomed overhead, and seemed to match the beat of the drummers.  One mis-fired and landed in a half-constructed building across the street from where we stood watching.  Lucy it exploded on the ground behind a brick wall, hurting noone, just setting off a few car alarms.

We watched from the shade of a building, Cecilia, Nate, and the moms, Maria and Christine.  It was a seemingly endless parade of children, bands, and cars dressed up to portray the rich culture of various different parts of the country. 

I was struck by the amazing fact that here in Ecuador, the culture, the history, the dances, and the people are connected and celebrated by all.  It´s not for the tourists to come and pay to be entertained.  It´s close to the heart of the people, and it´s celebrated in the streets far far away from the tourists with their cameras.  To be there was like being included in a procession that has been marching along since the distant past, before the spanish came, before there were written records and recording devices to capture the moment forever.  It was like being invited as a very special guest, and I will always remember it. 

Back from Ecuador

We returned from Ecuador on January 28th to the warm greetings of friends in the cold city of New York. Here are some photos of our time in Ecuador.

My daily literature for the trip. This book is AWESOME! and it has some history about how Mercy Ships got started.

Quito in the morning, fog hovering over the city.

I never thought I would have been ice skating in Ecuador. This is me and John, Cecilia's high school track coach.

We went to visit for lunch, and we ended up ice skating, going to their house, and staying for his son's birthday party. We sang karaoke, ate dinner, and had cake, but we never ended up eating lunch. That was the way our trip went. We made plans, and changed them on the fly constantly.

Truck full o' meat. Looks yummy!

Walking the streets of the "old town" in Quito with Cecilia and Edwin.

Some of the family at the church. It was Jordhy's baptism that day. he's the kid with the icecream cone to his face and the gray suit on. Cecilia and I are his godparents and we are happy to do our best to provide a good influence in his life and to teach him English. He's very interested in learning.

I can't tell if Mauricio is laughing with me or at me. It's probably something I said wrong in Spanish.

The "hermanos" of the church. These are the young leaders who keep the place fun and interesting. It's an honor to know each one of them.

Nate is teaching math! How did that happen?!

Now Cecilia's teaching math!? Edwin invited us to teach his math classes for a day. We taught a basic lesson in arithmetic progressions in English. I think the students understood most of what we said, but I have no idea what they were saying!

Cecilia and Abuelita at Ceci's birthday party. The cake in the foreground was made by Cecilia's mother. It's a Raisin Orange cake, and it was deeeelicious!

I hope you have enjoyed this photo tour of our latest trip.

We had a wonderful time and we will be back someday in a year or two.

We now look forward to our next adventure with Mercy Ships and will be fundraising full time. If you would like to donate to our work, please just click on the donate button at the top of this webpage and follow the links. You can set up a one-time tax deductible gift or make a monthly contribution to keep us going while we are in Africa for our 2-year commitment. We will keep you updated on all our stories and travels. Thank you for your partnership in this work of mercy.

The Calling, Chapter III

Rewind, January, 2009

Ecuador in Winter is like Springtime, and we're here. Thank God, because the cold winter months in Upstate New York are pretty tough to bear for a Southern girl like Cecilia.  Before we left, I went in to my Boss' office to tell him we had bought plane tickets to Ecuador and we'd be there for the whole month of January.  Amazingly, my boss was sympathetic, and told me I could come back to work when I got back to the US.  I'm just glad I wasn't fired on the spot.
We spent Christmas with my folks in Massachusetts, and now in January it's Cecilia's turn to be home. She's been away for so long that you can't help but see it on her face. She doesn't always show it, but I can see it. Relaxation.

This time it's only me and Ceci. We don't have any special itinerary, no important things to do, just spend time with the family, travel a little, and really introduce me to Quito.  It is here that I begin to really understand a different way of life.  It is here that I get a chance to loosen my grip on my own life.  Jesus once said "If you want to gain your own life you will lose it, but if you lose your life for my sake, you will find it."  That saying resonates with me here in Quito because there's no way to get by without a guide.  As a foreigner who doesn't know the language or the customs, I must constantly put my life in someone else's hands.  Jesus tells us to do just that.  "Lose your life.  Give it to me. Trust me."  Some foreigners who are afraid of getting hurt or dying might not ever leave the house in Quito, and it's a pretty modern city.  Cecilia grew up with a very clear understanding that she had nothing but God to take her through life's difficult struggles, and that she's at His mercy.  That was true when she went to Zamorano University in Honduras with no money.  It was true when she transferred to the University of Arkansas and arrived in the US with $40 in her pocket and spent the first $20 on cab fare.  It remains true even when we got married, we started with no money in the bank, and had to rely on God to help us pay our first month's rent.  God has provided, and given all that was needed.  I believe people who tend to desire security and financial independence, like myself, can learn a few things about faith from our brothers and sisters who grow up in poor countries.  It was not the first step, but a very important one on my road toward missions.  I am continuing to become more able and willing to lose it all for the sake of Christ.

It was a work of faith to even come here to Ecuador for a whole month.  When we came back I was encouraged that it was right.  My boss said after our return, "Nate, we missed you for the month you were away, but you picked the perfect time to go.  We might have had to lay off someone during the Winter if you hadn't taken your trip that month."
Now fastforward to January 2010.
We are looking forward to our next trip to Ecuador from January 4-28.  The tickets are bought, and we are ready to go.  I have been to Ecuador many times now, and it is not as new and dangerous to me anymore.  I believe it is almost a home away from home now.  I look to the horizon though, and prepare for our next big step of faith. We are going to Africa to work with Mercy Ships.  Our faith will grow and we will gain experience working with the poorest of the poor in the World.  I am excited how God will use our willingness to go, and I am excited for you too!  God will use you if you call upon him to take your life and make it His.  He is a truly Awesome God, and believing is seeing.

Please comment on this post if you have a great story of faith to share!  

Quito on a shoestring

This is Quito, city in the sky.  At 9000 feet above sea level, it's a bit hard to breathe when you first step off the plane.  A little acclimatization and you're off and running.  (Just don't play too much "ecuavolley" or you'll tire yourself right out).  

Cecilia and I are gearing up for our next big excursion down south. The dates are still flexible, but we are going sometime in January. I can't wait to see all our old friends and family again as we go to be with them, pray with them, and work with them in any way we can. If you are one of those people who we have already asked to join us, these pics are meant to entice you further. You know who you are...(O'hara, Jaxon, Maya, Andy....) By the way, our budget is about zero, so we'll be working hard to stay for a few weeks on an income of little to nothing. It'll be fun, and we'll blog about all the great things you can do in a big South American metropolis for about $5/day.