Retreat with God at Greenwood Furnace State Park

Tuesday afternoon:
Lord, I give you this time and place for the purpose of knowing your heart, your plans and your purposes for my life and for the life of our church. I give you complete and unlimited access to my mind heart and soul.

Tuesday evening:
I struggled getting the fire started with wet wood. I did a lot of fanning to get the wet wood to burn. Lord, might this be what you are calling me to do – to fan the flame – in my life and in the church’s life?

How do I fan Lord? By blessing! Actively blessing! Don’t just wish them a blessing, but seek tangible ways to actually bless them. Begin by praying everyday – “Lord, make a blessing to someone today!” And then watch for opportunities. Watch how God uses you to bless. Bless Judy! Bless your children! Bless your church family! Bless your neighbors! Invite others to join you in praying this prayer. It will become contagious and spread throughout the community!

Wednesday morning:
There was only one other camper in the campground. On Wednesday morning, he invited me over for coffee or tea. “Lord, I came here to be with you not other people.” A few minutes later, we were sitting around his campfire. He was 62 years old and retired. He and his wife come here two weeks each year and it’s close enough for his wife to travel to work each day. I shared that I was a pastor and was here to spend time with God.

He asked if a skunk visited me last night. I told him it scared me to death. It was dark and I was sitting by the campfire when I suddenly saw a shadow move behind me. I turned and there was a skunk facing me less than five feet away. I jumped. It jumped. For a brief moment, I froze and watched it turn. I was terrified, sure I would be sprayed. But the skunk walked quickly away. I grabbed the flashlight, went to the car and shut all the windows. A few moments later, an owl started to howl. Suddenly, I saw another shadow beneath my feet. By instinct, my foot went flying into the air sending my flip-flop flying higher in the air and landing in the campfire. I quickly picked my flip-flop out of the fire, grabbed the flashlight and began looking for other creeping creatures of the dark. It’s amazing how spooked one can get when you are alone and your imagination starts to run wild.

After about an hour of sharing stories and laughing together, I returned to my campsite ready to listen to God.

Wednesday evening:
I was lying on my hammock behind my campsite down by the stream when I heard someone making noise at my campsite. It was my neighbor with two hot meatball sandwiches. What a blessing! Are you trying to teach me something Lord?

Thursday morning:
I woke up early and didn’t see anyone stirring at my friend’s campsite. I built a fire, cooked my breakfast and heated water for tea. An hour later, my friend dropped by and invited me over for tea. Since I had already had two cups of tea, I declined the invitation. “Be sure to stop by before you leave!” he said.

Thursday afternoon:
As I was washing the dishes and preparing to leave, I sliced two of my fingers deep enough to cause the blood to run off my hand onto the ground. I ran to the water pump and after washing them off, they were still bleeding. Who else to go to but my friend? He found some iodine and band aids. I felt like a little boy as he carefully treated the cuts and put the band aids on. “You have been like an angel to me this week”, I told him. “God gives us what we need,” He said.

God, I came here to listen to you. In words, you told me to fan the flames by blessing others. And then you showed me how to bless by example!

First, you showed me that blessing begins with bold invitations and giving one’s time. My friend blessed me by boldly inviting me over for tea and sharing his time with me.

Secondly, you showed me that blessing is sharing acts of kindness to one another. My friend blessed me by giving me two hot meatball sandwiches.

Thirdly, you showed be that blessing is helping someone in need. My friend blessed me by being there for me when I cut my fingers.

I was waiting for words of instruction Lord, but you gave me so much more. Thank you Lord! Thank you camper friend!

Home Again

Wow! It's been almost five days since we returned to the states. Our flights home Friday night and Saturday were tiring but went well. Thanks to Judy's parents for picking us up at Kennedy airport!

We are still adjusting to the American culture and way of life. Our trip to Ecuador clearly helped us have a clear break from church and church responsibilities. We return to New Holland with a new perspective and renewed vision of church and mission.

Some of my routine spiritual disciplines of contemplation, prayer and scripture were interrupted at times on the trip. But I found myself acquiring new spiritual disciplines of hospitality and play. People and relationships are what matter! Loving, caring, encouraging, and playing and praying together is what matters. These new spiritual disciplines have the possibility of bringing great joy and contentment!

This past Sunday, Judy and I visited a church that offers several worship services. We attended traditional worship service together at 9:15 and then Judy attended a contemporary service while I attended a "Hope and Healing" service. We both came home inspired and motivated to implement some new ideas at New Holland.

Sunday evening, we went to a concert at Longs Park by a well known Irish band. On Tuesday, Judy and I left for Big Valley. On the way, our tire went flat along route 30 just west of Greenfield. We spent two lovely nights together in Big Valley - reflecting on our summer, our future, and just enjoying being alone together.

Thursday night, we picked up Renate - the IVEP person from Paraguay who will be living with us for the next year and working at the New Holland Early Learning Center. We can already tell that she will be a great blessing to our family, our church, and to the ELC.

This morning, I attended the Missional Cohort group I am part of at Lancaster Mennonite Conference. It gave me the opportunity to reflect deeply on God's call for us as a church to be missional and my role as pastor and leader. I came home encouraged and challenged.

Tomorrow, we will be attending my niece's wedding and will be spending lot's of time with extended family. And on Sunday morning, we can't wait to worship again with our church family at Refreshing Mountain Campground.

We deeply miss all of friends in Ecuador, but we feel renewed, refreshed, and excited about returning to God's call for us in New Holland! Judy returns to pastoring next week, and I return on September 3.

Quito Airport

It is 9:45 p.m Friday night and we are waiting to board the plane in the Quito airport. It flies to Guayaquil and then to Atlanta. We hope to arrive tomorrow afternoon at JFK at around 12:30 p.m. Tomorrow night this time, we hope to be back in our own house.

Today we stopped by our spanish school in Quito and were able to say one last goodby to our professors. It was hard to leave Dany and her family tonight. But we look forward to returning to family and friends back home!

Praise God for all his presence and all his good gifts!

We Leave Tomorrow

This morning we are driving to Quito. Tomorrow evening we fly from Quito and arrive home late Saturday afternoon. As we prepare to leave Ecuador, there are many mixed feelings.

WHAT I WILL MISS MOST ABOUT ECUADOR...

The people - their warmth, friendliness, and high value on relationships.

Social activities - they know how to have fun, make time to play and be with each other.

Community - children and families live in a supportive and close community.

The music - so expressive and such an integral part of this culture.

The mountains, lakes and scenery - God's extravagant beauty.

The architecture - colorful, creative, little wasted space.

The indigineous people - the way they have preserved their colorful traditions.

The church buildings - old, beautiful, full of art to express the biblical story.

The church people - they know how to celebrate and are not embarrased of public expressions.

The weather - nearly perfect temperatures year round.

The markets - fruit markets, artisan markets, meat markets, flower markets, food markets, etc.

The bread - fresh baked bread of all types on every street corner.

The fruit - the sweetest and greatest variety of fruit you can imagine.

The juices - juice at every meal made fresh directly from the fruit.

The meals - very satisfying and yet I was able to lose wieght.


WHAT I WILL NOT MISS WHEN I RETURN HOME...

The roads - bumpy, filled with potholes, unpaved, drivers rule.

The drivers - they are very impatient, reckless, and constantly blowing horns.

Waiting - things seem to be rarely on schedule.

Malaria medication.

Photos

An Alpaca seen in the wild in the mountains. There were also many wild Llamas in the mountains and volcanoes.










A view of rooftops in Cuenca.









Twisty, winding dirt roads in the mountains on the way to Cuenca.

A view of the basillica in Cuenca.

Another view of the front of the basillica.

One of the many iguanas running wild in the park in downtown Guayaquil.

Judy, Dany, Jessica and Janelle in front of one of the large typical trees.

The inside of one of the cathedrals in Guayquil.

Birthday Celebrations

Yesterday (Tuesday), we were privileged to celebrate Daniella's mother's birthday in traditional Ecuadorian style. At lunch, her grandmother made the meal and uncles and aunts were present. A special music group (mariachi) surprised her with special music. The group consisted of trumpets, guitars, violins and vocalists. The music was accompanied by dancing and shouts of "Viva a Cumpleanero" - Life to the birthday person. What a fun celebration. In the evening, we went to a second birthday party at a farm attended by friends that graduated with her from high school.

In the afternoon, we visited a village and a museum that had a real mummy dated from the 1500's. We also visited a zoo and ate very sweet bread found only in this village. This village (Guano) is also known for making rugs made out of wool. They gave a large 30 by 80 meter rug to President Reagan many years ago.

Today, it is Daniella's sister's birthday, so we get to celebrate again!

Cuenca and Guayaquil

We traveled to Cuenca Saturday morning. It was about a five hour drive through the mountains. As usual, mountain roads are very slow and rough. Cuenca has some of the oldest and most beautiful architecture with large cathedrals and basillicas. It is the third largest city of Ecuador. We visited several large Catholic cathedrals Saturday night and Sunday morning. We were greeted by beggars sitting at the entrances. Street vendors were waiting to sell you a variety of food when we exited.

Most churches were very full during the services, especially Sunday morning. Worshipers were very expressive and public with their faith. Churches filled from the front to the back. Many were seen kneeling and praying. Hundreds went forward at the end of the service to be sprinkled with holy water. There is no embarrasment of public expression of their faith.
Why are North American Christians so private with their faith? Why are they embarrased to sit in the front, to kneel at the altar, to be seen praying. Most other cultures around the world are much more expressive of their faith. Even other religions in our own country are more expressive and public then most Christians. Why? Lord, help me to be less private and more public in my expression of faith when I return to the U.S.

On Sunday afternoon, we traveled to Guayaquil through more breath-taking mountain views. We descended through the cloud forests and finally to the coastal plains where we were greeted by fields of banannas, coca trees, rice, and sugar cane. Guayaquil is the largest city in Ecuador and very modern. It has very much of an American feel. Sunday evening, we visited another cathedral. On Monday, we visited a museum which gave the history and culture of Guayquil and a museum of religious art.

Early missionaries attempted to communicate their faith through religious art. They focused on fire, earth, water and air. Fire represented the Trinity, the earth represented the religious church, water represented the saints and air represented angels. The purpose of the art was to transport the biblical text to the people through fire, earth, water and air. For example, incense, special garments, precious stones, gold and silver keys are all earthy items that convey religious truths.

I am challenged to ponder how we might use the arts and media to share Jesus in our culture.

More of Riobamba

Beautiful, quiet, tranquil, retreat, gardens, flowers, manzanas (apples), horses, sheep, cows... these words describe Daniella's grandfather's farm up in the mountains. We visited it yesterday and today, Judy and I will be going there for an overnight retreat. It is one of the most beautiful and peaceful places on earth. Judy and I are really looking forward to spending some quiet time with God and with each other today and tomorrow. Below are a few pictures of his farm.



We will remain in Riobamba till Saturday when we leave for Cuenca and then Guayaquil. We continue to absorb the daily life and culture of Ecuador. The daily routine is quite different from the states. Most wake up between 6 and 7 with breakfast around 8 a.m. Work begins at 9 and runs till 1. Almuerzo and siesta from 1 till 3 and then work from 3 till 7 p.m. A small evening meal around 8 and eventually bed.

Riobamba is a large city spread out over several miles with population of approximately 125,000. The city seems to be either middle to upper class or else poor. The rich are owners and managers of stores, businesses, and farms in the surrounding mountains. The poor are house helpers, maids, and employees.

I wonder if the city could exist without the poor? Could the poor exist without the rich? What should the objective and goal be - to make the poor richer? Should the rich be poorer? Which group of people are the most happy, joyful, and contented? What would Christ do? What would his objective and goal be?

It's a totally different world than the jungle or the indiginous villages in the mountains where the farms are. And yet in Riobamba, both worlds exist. Elderly indigenous women dressed in brightly colered clothing bent over carrying huge loads on their backs. Men and boys dressed in dark clothing with dark hats. So many similarities to Amish and yet so different. All of this in the middle of the city of Riobamba with buses, taxies and busy streets. Beggars, street vendors, sirens, alarms, roosters crowing, dogs barking - just a few of the noises I hear from Daniella's house as I write this.

Many similarities to New Holland and yet so different.

The architecture of houses are very different. Chickens, dogs, flowers, and other animals on the rooftop, often with rooms for the house helpers. No clothes dryers - wash is hung on clotheslines on the rooftops. It dries quickly in the hot sun and breezes. No air conditioners or furnaces - it is just right during the day and a bit cool at night.

No shopping centers, movie theatres, or Walmarts. Instead hundreds of little shops lining the streets. Shops selling bread, clothing, fruit, food. Shops with raw meat hanging on the sidewalk. Shops offering services such as internet access, copies, long distance telephone calls. Small places to eat with a whole roasted pig out front on the street. Instead of shopping once a week or once a month, most people shop every day obtaining fresh bread, fresh fruit, fresh herbs and spices, fresh meat, etc.

This morning, Janelle has been invited to watch Daniella's father do surgery. At first we thought he was inviting her to an opera, but we later discovered it was an operation.

Last night, we were privileged to watch a true South American futbol (soccer) game. An Ecuador team from Riobamba played Venezuela and won 1-0. It was quite an experience to experience the excitement of a large crowd of Ecuadorian soccer fans.

Yesterday, we had lunch with Laura and her family. Laura stayed with us in New Holland for a week last fall. Her father and mother are leaders in their church. They treated us to a wonderful almuerzo (lunch). Below is a picture of us seated around the table. The other picture is for Paul Snader and Tim Martin. It is a picture of her father with boxes of bibles. He is a leader of the Guideons in Ecuador. He gave each of us New Testaments that are in both Spanish and English. Judy and I are really enjoying reading the bible in spanish and discovering how much spanish we have learned!

Riobamba

This morning (Wednesday) Judy took an early morning walk with Daniella’s grandmother. She thought it was to be a walk around the town, but instead it was to a park where more than 300 persons gather each morning at 7 a.m. for an hour of aerobic exercise.

We visited a historic church, active convent, and museum with some of the oldest art in Ecuador. Riobamba has some of the richest and oldest religious history of Ecuador. I found the room that focused on the trinity the most interesting. It had a sculpture of Christ, the Holy Spirit as a dove, and God as Father. It is the first time I’ve seen an actual depiction of God in sculpture.

From Daniella’s roof, we can see three volcanoes capped with snow. God has extravagantly given Ecuador some of the greatest beauty on this earth.

We just got finished eating some roasted quinea pig. It was very tasty.

Justin leaves this afternoon for Quito and flies back to Memphis early Thursday morning. The rest of us have only a little over a week left in Ecuador.

Below are some pictures of Riobamba.

The first one is of one of the historic churches in Riobamba.

A man in the market waiting for someone who needs some clothes mended.

This one is for Scott. It is one of ten stands in the market selling roasted pigs.

Some indigenous ladies sitting on a street corner.

Chimborazo

On Tuesday, we went to Chimborazo which is Ecuador's highest summit. Its last eruption is thought to have occurred some time in the first millennium AD. Its summit is the spot on the surface farthest from the center of the Earth, measuring 20,946,232 feet from the Earth's core to the peak. We traveled on a dirt road as high as we could drive. Then Judy and the children hiked to a cabin that was 5,000 meters in altitude.

Chimborazo has breathtaking views. Hoever, due to the high altitude, I had difficulty breathing. During the three hours of waiting for the rest to return, I became sick with altitude sickness. When we returned to Riobamba, Daniella's father took me to his doctor's office in the hospital and insisted on checking me out. Everything was fine except for high blood pressure which is normally low for me. He said rest would cure me and this morning I feel much better.

It seems like when I get in altitudes over 9,000 feet, I am very short of breath. Both Quito and Riobamba are over 9,000 feet and yesterday we were at an alitidue of over 16,000 feet. The other time I had altitude sickness was when I climbed Pikes Peak at 14,100 feet.

Pictures from the Jungle

Jessica trying out the blowgun.


Our teachers with us in the jungle.



The Tarantula


Crossing the river before an hour walk in the jungle to our second village.


Judy in front of our bed


In the distance, Judy is sitting at the table where the tarantula came while playing a game in candlelight with the teachers. Our beds are in the foreground on the floor covered by mosquito nets.


Janelle in front of the house where she, Justin and Jessica stayed.

Judy and I and the teachers stayed in the top floor of this house


Our luggage in one canoe. We all traveled in another canoe like this one.

More From Ecuador

JUNGLE: On Monday, we walked to a waterfalls along a beautiful jungle path. It is extremely hot in the jungle, but is more beautiful than we ever imagined! On Tuesday, we hiked about 1 1/2 hours and then deep into a cave using candles a couple flashlights.

On Wednesday, we traveled to a second village where we had our first close encounter with a huge tarantula spider that crawled within inches of Justin's head before we discovered it. We went to sleep hoping there would be no more tarantulas. The next morning, the guide showed us where they live inside the bamboo walls and then come out during the night.

On Thursday, we traveled by canoe about five hours in the rain. We packed 12 persons in a long dug out canoe. It was constantly filling up with water, so we were using bottles and hats to bail out the water. About ten minutes from our destination where we were to camp on the beach, we went through some very wild rapids. This time our canoe filled with water and a few moments later it began to sink.

Two of our professors could not swim and were rescued by our guides. The rest of us managed to swim and hang onto pieces of wood until another boat came to rescue us. Our professors were certain they were going to die. Later they said they saw their life flash in front of them. It was a very scary experience for them, but it bonded all of us together.

On Friday we returned to our first village and sat around the table in candle light and had a good time of sharing togeether. The professors learned a bit more about our God.

The villages remind us of Africa. The living conditions are very basic with open bamboo huts and thatched roofs. The roosters wake us up each morning at 4 a.m. On our first night a chicken came into our room and tried to get into our bed through the mosquito net.

The jungle experience showed us once again that life is all about priorities. We thought large cock roaches were bad until we were confronted by the tarantulas. Sitting on the bottom of the canoe on two small sticks for four hours was a pain until the canoe sank. When life is stripped down to the bare essentials of survival, everything changes.

RIOBAMBA: We enjoyed going to Daniella's church on Sunday morning. We were greeted by about six greeters who welcomed us warmly. We sat near the front of the large auditorium that seated several hundred people. The first hour was a celebration of praise and worship. The offering was also a great celebration with everyone coming forward with their offering. The second hour was preaching, prayer and response.

We were privileged to visit on the Sunday when about 25 people were baptized. We went next door to a hotel's swimming pool for the baptism. The baptism was quite unique with continued celebration and praise and worship during the baptisms.

BANOS: Sunday afternoon, we were treated to a huge lunch at the family of one of the persons who was baptized. From there, we traveled to Banos where we hiked to a beautiful waterfalls. On Monday, we visted another waterfall and visited the local community.

As we were ready to leave, we discovered that the local volcano was erupting. On the way home, we saw huge clouds of ash above the volcano. The volcano is only about 10 km from Banos, but the ash is blowing away from Banos toward Riobamba. We expect to wake up to volcanic ash Tuesday morning. To the right is a picture of the volcana spitting ash. Below it is a picture of Judy holding some lava from the volcana and standing in front of a house destroyed by the lava.

We continue to be stretched, to be refreshed, to learn to receive Ecuador hospitality and to experience the presence of God in many ways. Thank you for your prayers and we continue to pray for everyone back home. It will be great to return!

Jungle

We arrived back in Quito late Saturday afternoon, then traveled to Riobamba Saturday night. We are now at Daniella´s house with her family. They welcomed us with great hospitality. This morning we are going to their church and then this afternoon to Banos for overnight. We had many experiences in the jungle we will never forget including large boas, heavy storms, tarantula spiders, and our canoe that sank in the rapids spilling all of us into the river. We praise God for our safety and for our teachers safety. Several of the teachers did not know how to swim and nearly drowned. It was a week we will never forget! I hope to write more later with some pictures.

Below is a brief excerpt I wrote on Wednesday but could not upload to the internet in Tena because it was too slow.

We arrived in the community in the jungle Sunday evening after a long bus ride through exhiliarating moountain views. On Monday, we walked to a waterfalls along a beautiful jungle path and went swimming at the base of the waterfalls. It is extremely hot in the jungle, but is everything plus much more than we ever imagined! On Tuesday, we hiked about 1 1/2 hours to a cave and then deep into the cave. Today, we are on our way to a second community where we will stay tonight. Tomorrow we travel by canoe four hours to a beach along the river where we will camp. Friday more canoe and return to first village.

The community reminds us much of Africa. The living conditions are very basic. Many stories to tell, but little time now at the internet cafe in Tena. We have had severe thuderstorms, heavy rains, and strong winds. In the community, we have been staying in bamboo huts with thatched or tin roofs. The heavy rains and winds come through the bamboo walls, so lat night was quite interesting. But the next two days could be much more interesting.

It is a great experience to be living right with the people in the community. It has been a lot of walking in high boots through a lot of mud. We´ve given up on keeping our clothes and bodies clean. It has been a great experience, but we will really be looking forward to returning to some of the conveniences we have gotten used to.

Love to all!

Jungle

We arrived back in Quito late Saturday afternoon, then traveled to Riobamba Saturday night. We are now at Daniella´s house with her family. They welcomed us with great hospitality. This morning we are going to their church and then this afternoon to Banos for overnight. We had many experiences in the jungle we will never forget including large boas, heavy storms, tarantula spiders, and our canoe that sank in the rapids spilling all of us into the river. We praise God for our safety and for our teachers safety. Several of the teachers did not know how to swim and nearly drowned. It was a week we will never forget! I hope to write more later with some pictures.

Below is a brief excerpt I wrote on Wednesday but could not upload to the internet in Tena because it was too slow.

We arrived in the community in the jungle Sunday evening after a long bus ride through
exhiliarating moountain views. On Monday, we walked to a waterfalls along a beautiful
jungle path and went swimming at the base of the waterfalls. It is extremely hot in the
jungle, but is everything plus much more than we ever imagined! On Tuesday, we hiked
about 1 1/2 hours to a cave and then deep into the cave. Today, we are on our way to a
second community where we will stay tonight. Tomorrow we travel by canoe four hours to a
beach along the river where we will camp. Friday more canoe and return to first village.

The community reminds us much of Africa. The living conditions are very basic. Many
stories to tell, but little time now at the internet cafe in Tena. We have had severe
thuderstorms, heavy rains, and strong winds. In the community, we have been staying in
bamboo huts with thatched or tin roofs. The heavy rains and winds come through the bamboo
walls, so lat night was quite interesting. But the next two days could be much more
interesting.

It is a great experience to be living right with the people in the community. It has
been a lot of walking in high boots through a lot of mud. We´ve given up on keeping our
clothes and bodies clean. It has been a great experience, but we will really be looking forward to
returning to some of the conveniences we have gotten used to.

Love to all!

Last Day in Canoa

Today is our last day of classes in Canoa. Saturday, we leave at 6:30 for Bahia and then an 8 hour bus ride back to Quito on bumpy twisty roads. Hope to arrive in Quito by 5 or 6 p.m. Saturday. Pray for safety. Sunday morning, we leave at 6:30 a.m. for another long trip into the jungle with our spanish teachers.

This week has been a very restful and refreshing week. The people here live in small houses made of babmoo or concrete. Most people are very friendly. I imagine often what it would be like to plant a church in a community like this. Yesterday, Judy and I rode back from San Vincente on a bus full of children returning from school and other travelers. There is a strong sense of community. Very few have cars, some have motorcycles, most use the buses or motorcycle/bicycle taxis.

We will miss this place, but we are eager to move on to the jungle and experience living with the indigenous Ecuadorians in their small jungle villages. Pray for health and safety and learning as we continue to travel. We have experienced your prayers in many ways and have felt a keen sense of God´s presence with us. Blessings to you all!

More of Canoa

It´s Wednesday afternoon in between spanish classes. Jessica, Janelle and Justin are having surfing lessons and Judy and I are in internet cafe. Yesterday, I did something I always wanted to do - have a lesson in para gliding. The children also did it. Prices are very cheap in Ecuador. We glided off a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. What a sensation. I glided to within five feet of a falcon and then watched it dive a couple hundred feet to catch a lizard or snake. Yesterday morning we encountered our first snake. It was a 5-6 foot constrictor crawling within ten feet of our rooms where we sleep. One of the natives caught it and carried it away.

We are having a wonderful relaxing week with family and new friends. Judy and I usually get up about 6:30 for quiet time. Breakfast is at 8:30. Classes are from 9-11 and 3:30-5:30. Almuerzo (lunch) is at 1 and merendar (evening meal) is at 7. Then we play card games as a family and with whoever else is with us till about 9.

Spanish continues to be a lot of hard work, but it is more relaxing by dividing it into morning and afternoon classes. God has given us this week to truly relax and gain new perspective on life and the world around us. This week should be good preparation for next week in the jungle. Even cold showers feel great. We all have been in great health the last couple days.

I have pictures I want to upload, but I forgot to bring my adapter to upload the pictures and a friend´s camera ran out of battery. Maybe tomorrow or next day. God bless. We think and pray often for our family and church family back home.

Arrived at Canoa

Wearrived at Bahia 7 a.m. Satuday morning. Bicycle taxi took me and our luggage to the boat. Small boat taxi to St. Vincente, then taxi to Canoa. Rested Saturday.

Reflections from Judy journal: Wehave two rooms on ground level overlooking the Pacific ocean. Rooms are not that great - cold showers, thin sheets, soft mattresses and old towel. Outside is fabulous - 3 cabinas with hammnmocks and bamboo benches, coconut palms, flowers. A low key relaxingplace. Should be a good place to reflect if we don´t run away from that time and fill it with other things. After a good nights sleep, woke up to no electricity and no running water. I was dreading taking a cold shower, but I found I was angry that there was no water at all. I take these things for granted as givens rather than as gifts. I am obviously a spoiled American. The place is not quite what I expected but I do beleive that this is wehre are to be. This will provide the opportunity for some quality, close family time.

Ron: After waiting for 45 minutes for internet cafe, I have only 10 minutes till need to take 30 minute walk back to lunch. Terrible keyboard, so may be mistakes.

We have so much to be grateful for. Cold showers, windows, coconuts, mangos, returned appetite, health, children, familky, new friends. It´s a bit harder to be thankful for roaches, spiders, bugs, cold showers, soft sinking beds, but there is so much to praise the Lord!

Love to all.

Next Two Weeks

We leave late tonight for our bus trip to Canoa. Pray for good health. Jessica has been sick with stomach problems the last three days. She had to miss the last half of spanish classes this morning. The rest of us are also not feeling as well today. We must have eaten or drank something bad the last couple days.

We learned more today about our plans to travel and study in the jungle. We will be living in a small indigenous Indian village and will be participating in traditional village activities. We will be taking a three day trip into the deep jungle. The first night we will stay in another Indian village. We will get there by a one hour ride in the back of a pickup and then a one hour walk to a river. At the river, we will paddle canoes for 4-5 hours down the river into the jungle until we arrive at the village. On the second day, we will take motorized canoes 2-3 hours up another river until we arrive at a camping place by the river. We will sleep on the ground in tents. This will be a stretching experience for Judy and I. We will have an Indian guide with us in addition to our five private Spanish teachers to give us lessons each day.

Since we get back from Canoa Saturday night and need to leave for the jungle Sunday morning at 6:30, we may not be able to have access to the internet for the next two weeks. We return from the jungle, the following Saturday night, July 28.

Justin Arrived

We picked up Justin last night around 11. It is so good to have Justin with us. Today is our last day of classes in Quito. Tonight we leave by bus for Canoa at 11:00 p.m. We expect to arrive in Bahia around 7-8 a.m. Saturday morning where we will take a boat accross the river and then ride on the back of a pick-up to Canoa. Canoa is a remote fishing village along the coast where we will be taking Spanish classes next week. We plan to return to Quito next Saturday and then leave for the jungle early Sunday morning. We will probably not have internet access in Cano, so you may not hear from us for a week or two. The internet here in Quito is often down also. Yesterday, we went to Old Town again and visited the church of San Fransisco - an old church and museum of art used by missionaries of the order of St. Francis. Very interesting. Need to catch the bus to run to classes.

Old Town Quito

ONE WEEK ago tonight, we arrived in Ecuador. We have completed five days of spanish and are discovering that four hours of spanish class and a couple hours of homework each day can be exhausting. It reminds me of an intesive German class I took one summer in college. Judy and I have exams tomorrow, so we stayed home tonight to work on homework while Jessica, Janelle and Dany went to watch a movie.

We went to two museums this afternoon in Old Town Quito. The first museum was the oldest church in Quito built in 16'th century. We learned a lot about the history of religion in Ecuador. The second museum was about the history and culture of Ecuador.

We met the protestors again today at the Presidents office in Quito. The protesters are indigenous Indians and are protesting against the destruction of the forests and farm land. We were able to walk into the crowd that was shouting angry chants and holding spears.

This morning in devotions I was struck with the possibility that our praises and shouts of joy pave the way for God to ascend. They open the door for God to appear. The sounding of the trumpets makes visible the Lord God. May the Lord appear in the midst of your praises and shouts of joy this week!

Psalm 47:1, 5
Clap your hands, shout to God with cries of joy! God has ascended amid shouts of joy. The Lord amid the sounding of trumpets.

OTAVALO

We returned this evening to Quito after a wonderful weekend in Otavalo. Friday evening we visited a beautiful waterfalls. On Saturday, we visited the largest market in Ecuador and then visited Quicocha Lake - a large lake surrounded by a snow-capped mountain. God gave us a beautiful sunset overlooking the lake and the surrounding valleys. We stayed in the Hostel Rihcon del Viajero. It was great fun meeting other travelers from around the world at the hostal and in local restaurants. A group of about 12 Christians from a Presbyterian church in Alabama were staying at the hostel while doing a service project in a local Indian village. The view below is from the roof of our hostel.

The owner of the hostel is from the states and is married to an Ecuadoran. I had a number of very interesting conversations with him about the local culture and present day challenges and opportunities. The Indians now have much of the economic and political power in the town. Many have moved in from the surrounding villages. Their wealth and influence began with their large market. Many of them now market their products throughout the world. Much of the money in Otavalo comes from outside Ecuador - the US, Europe and Spain. The cost of living does not reflect earning power like it does in the states. Most common laborers earn about $100 per month and would not be able to live without money coming in from outside. Even the large Indian market in Otavalo is supported primarily by outsiders - tourists visiting from around the world.

As we were walking the streets Friday night at about 9 p.m., we ran into an interesting protest march. There was a large crowd with loudspeakers, spears and loud chants. The girls were out walking on their own. I wanted to follow the march and observe more but Judy was quite concerned about our safety so we returned to our hostel. About 30 minutes later, the girls returned. Otavalo is supposed to be a very safe town for tourists even at night, unlike Quito.

This morning (Sunday), I woke up early and went on top of the hostel for a time of being alone with God. As I was lying in the hammock listening to the rain fall on the tin roof, a hummingbird tasted a flower a few feet away. Judy and I then visited a Catholic church that was standing room only. It was a large very old cathedral with more than 400 indigenous Indians attending. We stood in the back for about 15 mintues observing the worshipers. They seemed to take their religion very seriously with rituals a vital part of their worship. We found the place to be rather unfriendly and unwelcoming with several turning around and giving us glances that to us said "What are you doing here?". As we left, several beggars were rather forceful in trying to get us to give them something.

We then walked a couple blocks to an evangelical church that was already in progress. We walked into a large room and immnediately a very friendly Indian lady came running to us and led us up the stairs to a packed large room where the worship service was taking place. Another lady sitting in the back along the wall immediately made room for Judy and I and insisted on us sitting with her. Again the room was full with mnore than 300. It wasn't long before we spotted Jessica, Janelle and Dany sitting in the front row. The right wall was lined with men's hats. The Indians remind me in many ways of the Amish. The sermon included scriptures from Genesis, Philippians and Revelation. It was fun picking out some spanish in the sermon. The Phillipians 2:11 text stuck out to us - "That every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father" I was suddenly overwhelmed with the thought that some day, I will join all of these "strangers and yet brothers and sisters in Christ" in heaven.

Both churches were made up of 99.9 percent Indians. You can tell them by their colorful dress, long black hair, and very short stature. When we stood, it felt like Jessica and I were giants. When we left, Jessica and I needed to stoop to get through the doorways. The contrast between the two churches was astounding.

This afternoon, we traveled back to Quito. The roads and drivers are quite daring which makes for quite interesting and dangerous travel up and down the mountains. Our most interesting event was a traffic jam in the mountains caused by a protest group blocking the road. When we got there, the police were rounding up all the protesters and they were reboarding their large dump trucks and buses and heading to Quito for another protest. Perhaps we will see them again in Quito this week.

So much more to say, but Jessica has been begging to use the computer. Blessings to you all!

More of Quito

Our day began with a trip up the teleferico - a mountain overlooking Quito. Then more spanish classess in the afternoon followed by an hour of free salsa dancing lessons. Our homework after the second day of classes is to write a composition about our family. After spending an hour writing a composition in spanish, it is amazing how fast and easy it is to write this in English. Tomorrow we have spanish lessons in the morning and then travel to a hostel in the moutains near Otavalo. For breakfast this morning, we had the sweetest fruit on earth called chirimoya. It is as large as an apple - green on outside and white inside. It is like eating sugar.

Psalm 43:3-4 Send out your light and your truty; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling. Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy!

Quito Ecuador

We arrived in Quito last night around 10:30 and Dany and family were waiting for us. After visiting with Dany and her parents, we went to bed exhausted about 1:00 p.m. This morning Dany went with us by bus to our spanish school. Our spanish classes were initmidating at first, but on the bus home, we were amazed how much we learned. We each have a private teacher.

This evening Dany took us to Old Town Quito to see the magnificent cathedrals and architecture. For lunch we enjoyed authentic Ecuador food including molte with fried fat, pork, fried plaintanes, toasted corn and potatoes. It was a gorgeous day with highs in upper 70's and lows in the upper 50's. We love Quito so far.

My soul thirsts for the God, for the living God. (Psalm 42:2) Show us your aliveness O living God.

Leaving for Ecuador

Tomorrow morning we leave our house at 3 a.m. for Kennedy Airport. After a five hour layover in Atlanta, we hope to arrive in Quito by 9 p.m. (10 our time) Tuesday night. Dany can't wait to pick us up at the airport. We will be staying in Dany's apartment while we are in Quito. On Wednesday, we will have our first day of Spanish classes. We hope to update this blog and have access to the internet while we are in Quito and hopefully throughout our trip. Our week in Canoa is in a remote fishing village without any internet cafes. Our week in the jungle will also be without internet access.

We have made a few changes to our time in Ecuador and there will likely be more changes after we arrive. Below is a revised schedule as of now:

July 4-13 Attend Cristobol Colon Spanish School in Quito
July 14-20 Attend Spanish classes in Canoa at the beach
July 23-27 Attend Cristobol Colon Spanish School in Jungle
July 29-Aug 10 Visit Dany's and Laura's family in Riobamba
August 10-11 Return to Quito and fly home (Friday-Saturday)

More DMIN Reflections

Below are a few more reflections on my DMIN classes.

During the firstweek, we focused on spiritual renewal movements and leaders of the 16’th to 19’th centuries. Since our class consisted of Presbyterians, a Catholic, an independent Baptist, an Assembly of God Pentecostal, myself as an Anabaptist, and an Advent/Lutheran professor, we had some quite lively and animated discussions. As an Anabaptist, much of the time I was in the minority and yet I felt respected for the most part. I felt most troubled with reformed Calvinist theology and most at home with Methodist theology. And even though there is much to Luther that I disagree with, I gained a new appreciation and understanding for Luther and his beliefs. I even kind of grew to like the guy in some ways.

I also gained a whole new perspective on how different our beliefs are as Anabaptists. Some of the core components such as salvation, grace, sanctification, interpretation of scripture, Jesus' call to discipleship, and roles of leadership and laity are quite unique and different. After being exposed in-depth to the rich differences in our theological streams, I gained a new appreciation for why people believe the way they believe. At the same time, I feel more rooted than ever in our own Anabaptist theological understandings. I wish I would be at New Holland the next four Sundays when Brinton Rutherford will be sharing on the theme of Anabaptist core values. Blessings to my church family!

Cruise Pictures

Tuesday evening, we all went on a cruise exploring the Boston harbor. It was a great night of fellowship and fun!

Home Again

It's so good to be home again with Judy and family! I love Lancaster county! Thank you Lord for safe travel! On the interstate, a tire flew off the back of a pickup truck in front of me and bounced and rolled back and forth between the concrete barriers on both sides of the road. Thankfully, both I and the trailer truck beside me came to a stop before the tire/wheel hit our vehicles.

I waited patiently for the Lord.
He turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of a slimy pit and set my feet on a rock.
He gave me a firm place to stand.
He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to God!
Psalm 40:1-3

Almost Done With Classes

Tomorrow is the last day of the DMIN classwork for the second residency. My first year project has been accepted. My second year project and final thesis have been approved and I have been officially accepted as a DMIN candidate. Tomorrow noon (Friday), I begin the drive home. I can't wait to see you Judy, Janelle, and Jessica!

The title for my second year project is "Spiritual Exercises for Life and Blessing" (Blessed to Be a Blessing - A Way of Discipleship). What are the things that rob God’s blessing and life from people in the New Holland context? What opportunities exist in New Holland to give life and blessing? How did Jesus receive the blessing of the Father? How did Jesus bless and give life in his context? How might our church and community be transformed if we received and shared the extravagant blessing of God?

These spiritual exercises will invite people to come to God to receive God’s blessing and to go forth sharing God’s blessing with others. Through prayerful listening and dwelling in the Word, participants will be led into mutual dialogue with God and the riches of God’s spiritual blessings. When blessed by God, one cannot help but bless others. Blessing others overflows from a grateful heart experiencing the joyful blessing of God.

During the next year, I will develop an outline of the spiritual exercises and their purpose and target group. I will test one or more sample exercises in a pilot group. For the final thesis, I plan to complete the spiritual exercises, implement them in a test group and record their impact on participants. The goal is to bring spiritual renewal to our church and community by developing disciples who are experiencing God’s blessing and who are actively blessing others.

Week One Completed

We completed the first week yesterday - very motivating and engaging studies about spiritual renewal movements during 16'th - 18'th centuries. Today, I traveled to the seacoast north of Boston. Visited Halibut Point State Park - beautiful place and then spent afternoon and evening in Rockport. I miss Judy and children and my church family!

Psalm 37 - Trust in the Lord and do good, take delight in the Lord, commit your way to the Lord, be still before the Lord, wait patiently, do not fret, and refrain from anger.

At Gordon-Conwell

After a long drive on Sunday, I have now completed the first two days of classes. There are six students this year. This week we are reflecting on spiritual renewal in the 15'th through 18'th centuries. This is a time of great reformation with many issues of debate. Where is God in the midst of it all? What would cause Christians to kill other Christians simply because of differences in belief? Today, most Christians don't shed blood over differences among ourselves, but we still have many weapons to inflict great pain. Will unity in the church ever be possible before heaven? As a class, we represent Catholic, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Baptist, Congregational, Assembly of God, and Mennonite. It's been a rich experience of dialogue and interaction.

Had an unfortunate accident tonight - someone rear-ended me while I was waiting to pull out onto a busy highway. Thank you Lord that no one was injured.

Psalm 34:
Lord, teach me to boldly worship you - extol, boast, rejoice, glorify, exalt you (1-3).

The theme of gaze continues in this Psalm. Those who look to him (gaze upon him) are radiant (5). The eyes of the Lord are (gaze) on the righteous (15). Lead me into the depths of this mutual gaze today Lord.

Return from Promised Land

We had a wonderful weekend camping at Promised Land State Park - one of most beautiful displays of God's creation. Judy is now back at work and I am preparing for DMIN class and trip to Ecuador. Also continuing the first week of Ignatius spiritual exercises focused on cleansing from sin. I am looking forward to the benefit auction at church on Saturday.

Meditations from the Psalms:

Psalm 29 - Note the many voices of the Lord conlcuding with "In his temple, all cry 'GLORY'!"

Psalm 31 - Note all the present, past, and future descriptions of God's works concluding with the exclamation in verse 23 "Oh love the Lord all his saints!"

Psalm 32:11 - Rejoice in the Lord and be glad you righteous, sing all you who are upright in heart.

Psalm 33 - In Psalm 27:4, David gazes upon the beauty of the Lord. In Psalm 33, the Lord's gaze is upon us. The Lord looks down and sees... (13). From his dwelling place he wathces... (14). The eyes of the Lord are on... (18). As you gaze upon me O Lord, show me what you see.

Anniversary Weekend

Judy and I leave this morning to celebrate our wedding anniversary by camping at Promised Land State Park in the Pocono mountains. We also hope to attend a music festival in nearby Milton. - Ron

I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. Psalm 27:13-14

Return to New Holland

Had two lovely days of retreat in Big Valley with Judy. Read books for DMIN class in mornings. Spent yesterday afternoon on top of mountain at bird lookout overlooking Allensville and Belleville - saw Indigo Bunting and Baltimore Oriole. Evening campfire with hotdogs and marshmellows. Last night delicious strawberry shortcake. Spent this morning going through the first spiritual exercise of the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius of Loyola. - Ron

Wednesday: One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may DWELL in the house of the Lord and GAZE upon the beauty of the Lord. Psalm 27:4

Thursday: The Lord is my strength and my shield. My heart TRUSTS in him and I am helped. My heart LEAPS for joy and I will give thanks to him in song! Psalm 28:7

Beginning the Sabbatical

Judy and I leave today for a couple days of retreat in Big Valley. Thank you Lord for a beautiful morning! - Ron