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!