LEFTOVERS!

Last week, some friends from school invited us to travel by bus to the base of the active volcano, Tungurahua.  Hoping to get some "friendship-building time" and some photos of an active volcano, we quickly accepted.
After an 80 cent, two-hour bus ride, we arrived at Peulo, literally at the end of the line in the High Sierra Andes.  Isolated and silent, this was no tourist spot.  A motley crew, two English-only speakers, four Spanish-only speakers (Leda, the grandmother, her two grandchildren, and her daughter-in-law) and one fairly-fluent English speaker, Margarita, we soon discovered we were visiting Leda's sprawling acreage at the very base of Tungurahua.  Leda doesn't live here any longer because in 2010 Tungurahua erupted, destroying most of the village of Peulo and depositing an ash that would stunt fruits and crops.  But, she comes back frequently, not to stay, but to check on her vacant house and fields.
We followed her across dead corn fields and through groves of trees that suspended blackened nutshells and stunted apples.  Margarita explained that few people remain in the area because they are afraid of an imminent eruption.  Leda loved being here.  She loved telling us about the property and her life 'before" and seemed to proudly embrace the "leftovers;" her leftover land, lifestyle, and livlihood.

The volcano had left her something, and we sensed that she loved the present.  She loved being there, crossing her fields, climbing over fences; grandchildren trailing along, all of us trailing along!  Leftovers, which remind us of who we are now because of what we were once upon a time, are important.  They store information about our past, or, at least, indicate what had been.
She showed off a few raspberries, cabbages, and cracked open dried peas in a pod.  She loved being here with her leftovers. This was a fine day.  She had "leftovers" and was grateful.  Tungurahua stayed hidden for hours, but as we started down an isolated road toward the Town Center, she showed her icy self, just a tiny bit.  "Ah," they said, "she likes the Americanos!"
Five hours and one mean thunderstorm later, the bus arrived 45 minutes late to carry us back to Riobamba.
We got home that evening, grateful for a trip with spectacular views and with a new appreciation of the value of "leftovers," presented to us through friendship.

"They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over."  Somebody important thought leftovers were valuable!

Thank You, Saint Louis Track Club!

We never know how useful our past opportunities will play into our present situations.  By that, we specifically refer to the 15 years we were members of the Saint Louis Track Club.  We were beginning runners when we joined, but experienced runners ran hundreds of miles with us through the years teaching us how to eat, how to dress, how to hydrate, and how to train for full and half marathons. They ran with us in the rain, sleet, snow, humidity and sun. They ran with us across our first finish line and many more to follow.

Now, we find ourselves in a city in the Andes, and we haven't seen one runner! No one runs!  But our 15 years of training is paying dividends here even though we aren't lacing up for runs. We could never have known how useful  our past opportunities (training runs and official races) would play into our present situation.  

Here, we depend upon our muscles and joints to get us everywhere we need to go: laundromat, supermarkets, bakeries, church, and work.  If we ran for hours at a time then, we can easily walk a few miles to accomplish daily chores now.  
Here, in the church services, the congregation stands for up to an hour  or more for prayer and praise  time.  If we ran for hours at a time then, we can easily stand for one hour or longer to praise our Lord now.     

The Nazareno escuela band and students have been training for weeks to participate in the April 21 Riobamba Founder's Day Parade.  On the days that they would go out for their two-hour training marches in the neighborhood, Jim and I would join them.  We considered it our exercise because if we could run for hours at a time then, we could walk with the school band for two hours now. 

On Saturday, April 21, the Nazareno Unidad Educativa Cristiana dressed in uniform on the day for which they had prepared.  Our students lined up in perfect rows, crisp and confident.
We had been invited to walk with the administrators and teachers.  The weather was an answer to prayer: partly cloudy-no bright sun and no rain!  As a result, thousands of spectators lined the streets to watch universities, public and private schools and military divisions march on this day of celebration.  We walked for more than two hours; teachers and staff lined up behind rows of students who stepped in perfect formation.  Their training had paid off.  The day of the march, they passed with flying colors!  Our training had paid off, too. If we could run for hours at a time then, we could walk now for several hours in support of a school that we deeply appreciate and respect. 

Our past opportunities are intentionally playing into our present situation! 
Funny, "...they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."  (Isaiah 40:31)
has a pertinent meaning for us in Riobamba.  Training always pays off!

The Question is Why, Why, Why?

Each day after school ends at 1:00, we walk toward the Town Center on the cobbledstoned streets of Ayacucho, 10 De Agosto, Primera Constituyente among others.  We are hunting.  We have become hunters, and we are hunting for food.  Riobamba has corner after corner of family kiosks, but we must be vigilant of what we ingest and drink.  So, we have a choice: prepare food ourselves or find little restaurants.  
Here are the steps of dinner preparation for a simple meal:


1. Identify the meat in the supermarket as chicken
2. Buy fresh vegetables at the indigenous open market
3. Buy fresh bread at a bakery
4. Buy 5 liters of bottled water close to home, so we don't have to carry it far
5. At home, scrub the vegetables to death, soak them for 20 minutes in Vitalin to kill things on them
6.  Skin chicken and season it, place it in an oven with a Centigrade dial (figure that out mathmatically  and pray for the best or call our missionary friends in Quito for advice.)
7. Rinse the vegetables with the clean bottled water that you carried home
8. Steam vegetables
9. Two hours after arriving home, place dinner on table. 
10. Eat like there is no tomorrow
                                           
 OR

Go to one of the quaint little restaurants tucked away on the side streets that we've walked miles to find, and buy a complete dinner: soup, salad, entree, bread and dessert for as little as $3.00 per person.  Meet the people at the table next to us who ask us where we are from and who want to practice their English.  Answer their question, "Why are you here?"  Tell them, "We work at the Nazareno Unidad Educativa Escuela.  We teach the children there."  They all know where the Nazarene school is. We are proud.

We pay and leave our business card that says in Spanish on one side and English on the other, "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."  (Jeremiah 29:11)

The question is why, why, why prepare a meal at home when we can go out and be filled!

Important Things to Remember in Riobamba

We have had the privilege of traveling to many different countries during our 42 years of marriage.  Before this adventure, we would pack our backpacks, buy a Eurorail Pass and take off for 2-3 weeks in many different countries.  As we entered different countries, we were confronted with different languages, cultures, traditions and currency.  We never made reservations; just stopped wherever the train took us.  In some countries, we could drink the water, we could eat off the floor, toilets were free :), toilet paper wasn't free, but was available to buy from the toilet attendant.  In other countries, if you dropped your bread, you just left it, public toilets were hard to find, you better have toilet coins and your own toilet paper (tp), the attendant bangs on the toilet door if you stay too long, laundomats were scarce, and you had better not sing in the shower for fear of water getting in your mouth.

Things to remember here in Riobamba: a combination of all the above.  DO NOT drink the water, don't eat the bread you drop, don't EVER flush tp down the toilet..  Public toilets are free, but tp is not supplied, and bathroom soap isn't either! 

Laundromats here abound and are very clean, and they have attendants.  Bakeries are everywhere, but don't expect change from a $20.00 bill. There's a parade every weekend. There's no Starbuck's and Juan Valdez's coffee costs $20.00 for two pounds.  You can't take anything into a supermarket; a guard takes it and puts it in a locker...even your water bottle.  Banks are protected by a guard in the lobby with a silver sawed-off shotgun.  Meat markets are plentiful and the skinned animals dangle.  Modest dress is practiced. We rarely see a smoker and butts are non-existent.  Everyone speaks to us, and they all want to practice their limited English with our limited Spanish.

Everyday is a day of discovery and exploration.  But, then, all cultures are! And, this culture is surrounded by the magnificent volcanic Andes Mountain Range.  We pray your week is full of discovery right where you live, too.

Up Close and Liking It

Our first full week in Riobamba, Ecuador has been so much fun. The reasons are listed below:

• Teachers pray before class
• Students meet in assemblies for prayer and value lessons each day
• Students love their teachers
• Teachers love their students
• Students say "grass shoppers" instead of grasshoppers
• One teacher puts new English vocabulary words inside the Christian fish sign
• Little students give hugs freely
• Older students greet with kisses
• Humberger for hamburger
• The Lunch Wagon serves full meals during recess
• Pencil sharpeners are boxcutters
• The tile floors are as slippery as oiled glass
• Riobamba town center has cobblestoned streets
• Everyone wants to practice their English
• We have thunderstorms, then sunshine; no t.v. but 700 songs that our son downloaded on an iPod with dock
• Clear days accent the snow-covered Andes
• Open marketplaces offer everything from cell phones to tailor-cut clothing to bakeries to underwear
• Iron gates, when opened, display garden-groomed homes
• All the dogs in the world reside here
• Food kiosks on corners fry up plantains, chicken, FF, and corn cakes
• Every car and truck has an alarm system and they are tested at all hours of the night
• Christian education makes a difference
• Parents struggle to pay the $43.00 monthly tuition
• Parents struggle to pay $23.00 for a uniform
• But, a Christian education makes a difference
• "If I were to wish for anything, I should not wish for wealth and power, but...for the eye, which ever young and ardent, sees the possible."  (Kierkegaard, 1813-1855)
• We see the possible in each child
• Paul said, "A great door for effective work has opened for me..." (I Corinthians 16:9)
• We are up close and we like it...here.  We feel privileged to be a part of the effective ministry of the Nazarene denomination in Ecuador

We Met Obedience on Good Friday

On Good Friday, we went with the District Superintendant to Shell, Ecuador, about a 3 hour drive east of Riobamba, for a cooperative Good Friday service that included 8 Nazarene churches in that jungle area. When we arrived, a little late due to road conditions, the church was full, but they had waited in the heat and humidity.  Children sat quietly and obediently in the laps of their parents.  The services began with two drama presentations by the teens, followed by congregational singing.  The hymns and choruses were in Spanish, but the melodies were familiar!   More rows of chairs were added until the back row extended almost out the back door.  The District Superintendant preached for 1 1/2 hours with fervor and the congregation unabashedly responded with great fervor!  After the service, several greeted us and asked questions in broken English and we answered in very broken Spanish, but their warm hospitality was genuine.  We felt as though we had met obedience in those families who had gathered to hear the gospel on Good Friday.  But, we saw more!   We met a young American Dr., his wife, and three adorable children who worked at the Shell Hospital.  They had accepted the assignment through Samaritan's Purse and had extended their stay once already.(www.samaritanspurse.org)   They could have stayed in American and had a lucrative career; they chose "something better," he said.  Their children attend a school for missionary children there, and they are active members of the Shell church. We also met another another American man and his family.  He is a bush pilot, and they have lived and raised their family there for almost 10 years.(www.maf.org)  They are active members of the Shell church.  Obedience had legs that day and it was walking on that property!  During our devotional time this morning, we thought of all the gifts and talent that we had met on Good Friday at the church in Shell, which was the base community for Jim Elliot.  Auca Indians are a part of the Church of the Nazarene because of the obedience of a few who went into the jungle 56 years ago.  Our churches are a small part of a community that God has linked together to bring His compassion and His Word to those who had for decades only seen God reflected through His creation.
It was a good day and a mighty big stepping stone that had obedience branded all over it!
Now, that was a Good Friday!.
   Keep looking up...and Celebrate Easter with great fervor and obedience.

More Than We Could Ask

We arrived in Quito, Ecuador at 11pm, April 3, 2012. We had anticipated our next stepping stones and now we were about to see what we had only imagined.   It's a good thing we had on our Tevas with gripping power because we would need them to stay on the stones!
The Fischers, who serve in Quito, met us and drove us to their home where we slept very comfortably.   Early on April 4th, we headed to Riobamba, 9,000 feet into the Andes and our assignment location for the next few months. Touring Riobamba, we were grateful to see the Nazarene churches and how, through the church, God continues to make His manifold wisdom known to everyone.  After a KFC lunch (cultural meals will come later!), we moved into our apartment, which was more than we could have asked for or expected.  Spacious and safe, only God could have provided such an answered prayer. It is located only 4 blocks from the school where I will teach and Jim will work. On certain days, Jim will work at the district office, located a bit further from our apartment.
We will travel east into the Amazon Basin early on Friday morning to attend Good Friday (Viernes Santo) cooperative services with several Nazarene churches in that jungle area.  This area is where the five missionaries were killed by the Auca Indians in 1956.  Perhaps you saw the movie, "The End of the Spear" or read the book, Through Gates of Splendor ,which tell the stories of these men, their deaths, and, as a result, God's powerful purpose.  The Good Friday services will undoubtedly give a spiritural peak into what a powerful God is doing in surprisingly remote areas of the world.
God was good to give us steppingstones of  surprises this week.  They were in all shapes and sizes but large enough to carry us further down the river! 
We will always post photos of people, places, and events.  In the meantime, keep looking up and wear a shoe with a good grip...you never know! Keep us in your prayers.
              Gratefully, Jim and Linda