"Where are you from and which organization are you with?"
On our travels through Ecuador, we met lots of people from many different countries as well as the states. Fairly discernable, either we approached the individual, the couple, or the group, or they approached us and that two-part question typically followed the greeting, "Hi." On a rare occasion, we got caught up in the notion that we were "islands" just out there. Planted. All alone. And, the language barrier sometimes made us feel as though we were alone. Perhaps we were just hungry to hear our language, to experience our food, our culture. All of that is part of Culture Shock. As a result, we naturally navigated toward "like-ness," and perhaps those who were fairly discernable did the same. As a result, we met a lot of people from around the world..
Read Bill Hybels' book, Just Walk Across The Room
Here is a list from memory:
- Lots of people from Texas - Austin, Houston, Dallas
- Seattle: physical-therapist interns
- Mississippi - dr.
- Alabama - worked in the orphanages
- Canadians - many there with many different organizations
- Utah - doing graduate research in the jungle
- Ft. Smith- Baptist church working in Shell
- Ohio
- Wichita, KS.- dr. with a medical team
- Boston - medical team
- Denver - students
- Scottsdale - teacher in Riobamba
- New York - Deaf group
- Chicago - traveller
- Pennsylvania
- Michigan - pastor
- Portland, OR - church builders
- Scotland
- Ireland
- Australia - volunteer work
- Japan - volunteer work
- Germany
- England
- Belgium - Spanish immersion students
- Minnesota
- Nicaragua - Christian music composer/singer
- California - dr and family
- Phoenix -medical team
- St. Louis - Wash U. group
- Oklahoma - teacher
- Colorado - teachers
- Kansas - MidAmerica Nazarene University - interns
Our conversations were easy, inviting, and informational. All of these people had purposely chosen to visit Ecuador. Some of them traveled alone while some were with friends or small groups. Some had their own agendas while others had planned and prepared for a long time for a particular assignment. Often, what we thought would be a short conversation, led to coffee and sharing experiences. They were there with medical teams or Samaritan's Purse or Missions Aviation Fellowship or their denomination or just backpacking through South America. We were there as Mission Corps volunteers with the Church of the Nazarene assigned to teach English. More than once, we walked away re-charged and re-energized and grateful that we "stopped."
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One simple conversational stop on a street during our second week in Riobamba was the springboard that developed into our circle of American friends who shared coffee, lunch, dinner, cultural information and friendship through the distance of our stay.
We walked across the room, the street, the store, the kiosk, the yard, the plaza, the bus station, the hotel lobby to meet them. They walked across the marketplace, the steps, the church foyer, the school yard, the swinging bridge to meet us.
Our lives have been enriched because of the people we met while in Ecuador. Listening to what they are passionate about and hearing their stories of why they came to Ecuador inspired and encouraged us.
God determines our steps (Proverbs 16:9b); so, too, He is in charge of our stops. Stop us, Lord! We always want to meet new people, to learn of their passions, and to recall our purpose.
That bridge from us to them.....from them to us - never let us be afraid to cross it.
Look for your bridge this week....and keep looking up!
Jim and Linda
What do you take when you leave America to live in another country for three months? How can you pack it all in one carry-on each and one checked piece of luggage each? This was our dilemma when we were assigned to Ecuador for three months. More of a challenge than we had faced when leaving on two-or-three-week trips, we began to make lists (see February 10, 2012, "Sticky Notes and Lists"). We gathered and took a lot of stuff, and, surprisingly, used just about all of it (Linda didn't need her running skirt!).
On our flight home from Miami to Phoenix on June 30, 2012, we sat next to an Occupational Therapist who had spent the previous two weeks with a medical team assigned in Haiti. She was a fascinating person and during the conversation, we asked her what was the most valuable and most useful item she had taken with her to Haiti. Without hesitation, she answered that her Surefire flashlight was her most valuable and useful item. Her team had been assigned to a remote area where they helped those in need of prostheses and/or physical therapy. Electricity was unpredictable and her flashlight became especially necessary during the nights. She asked us, "What was the most valuable/useful item you took with you?" Without hesitation, we answered, "Our Marmots." Our weather was just as unpredictable as her electricity. Whatever we layered underneath, our Marmots were faithful to keep us warm.
For future reference, just in case you go and spend time in South America, here are some things you should consider:
- Get all your shots - Tetanus/Diphtheria; Hepatitis A and B series; Typhoid; Yellow Fever are the important ones
- Take those travel-sized packs of Kleenex, the ones made in America
- A packet of medicated band aids, variety of sizes ( or you can go to the pharmacy and buy 2 band-aids for a nickel)
- Visine (for the volcanic ash)
- All the Germ-X packets your backpacks will hold
- Peanut butter - don't chance trying to find your favorite brand and breaking the bank to fund it when you finally find it
- Decaf tea bags - while there is plenty of good tea and coffee there, decaf anything is difficult to find and when you do, it's expensive. Hot water is free.
- Ziploc bags of all sizes - you'll be SO glad you have these
- Ear plugs - good ones, no kidding
- Twistees like those you find in the produce department and use on the plastic bags that you have filled with fresh fruit and vegetables (These are valuable little items)
- Taco mix (you can NOT buy this there) and your favorite gum - which you CAN find, but you will need to have your family members send funds
- Buy a local phone, put minutes on it and keep minutes on it....it could save your life
- Bring a Jansport or Northface or similar backpack (fitted to your weight/height) with a detachable daypack (forget the purse thing)
- Lint roller to roll off the cat/dog hair that stays on AFTER the taxi ride
- Your Kindle loaded with good reads
- Spanish for Travellers
This list includes things that you either can't buy or are expensive when you do find them. They make travel easier, cleaner, and healthier. They remind you of home.
-Your Bible and devotional book - above all. When life is going smoothly, we think we don't need these. But when life leads us into scary places, when our heart is pounding out of our chests, when we don't know who is on the other side of the door, when we don't know where the road goes, when we aren't sure whom we can trust, when we can't see the next steppingstone...but we are delivered, then we want to fall flat on our face and say, "Thank you, Jesus!" For us, there was no better way to say 'thank you' than to dig into our backpacks, pull out the Bible and read about the Refuge He was and is.
...if you go to South America, take these things....
Keep Looking Up and we will, too! Jim and Linda
When our plane landed in Phoenix on June 30, 2012 at 6pm, the air temperature registered an unbelievable 86 degrees. Where was the 106, 110, the 116 degrees that we had longed for?
We had been looking forward to opening up and inviting the sun to warm us, really warm us! We had so enjoyed the "hot" weather that greeted us as we stood on the Equator. Actually, it wasn't that hot, but Quito is the highest capital in the world at 9,350 feet - and close enough to the sun to make that day's 66 degrees a very sweaty one. And, we loved it! We distinctly remember that our fingers and toes were warm and our lips were not purple. We wanted to roll in the sunshine and warmth that day, and we couldn't wait until our Arizona weather toasted our arms, backs, and faces.
The sweet lady who sat on the plane next to us last April 3, 2012 as we flew into Ecuador was delighted that we were going to live in her country for three months. She had been born and raised in Ecuador and was returning to Quito from a visit with family in Miami. She eagerly supplied us with information and facts about her beloved country. Then, we told her where we would live for three months and she said, "Oh. Oh, it's cold in Riobamba. We call it frio in Rio. Frio means "freezing." Her follow-up question? "Did you bring enough clothing?"
We soon learned that just because Ecuador is located in South America, doesn't mean it's hot there. Two days later, we learned that the sweet lady was correct: it was frio in Rio...most of the time, too! Riobamba is located in the center of the country in the Sierra Region of the Andes Mountain Range. Its altitude is 9,035 feet, which is terribly close to two miles high, which accounts for the constant chilly weather. The highs average in the mid-50's with showers and humidity and the lows hover in the mid-30's. Snow blankets some of the surrounding mountains.
Yes. We did bring enough clothing, and we layered everything we had. We layered during the day because the buildings, hospitals, schools, churches, businesses, and restaurants are not heated. Our Marmot coats became our most reliable piece of clothing.
We layered at night because homes/apartments are not heated. We slept under three very heavy alpaca blankets. We showered at night because we were not brave enough to shower in the morning at 5 a.m. when our alarm gently reminded us to get up and layer as quickly as possible.
Ecuador is in South America, but not all of South America is warm. It was a learning process for us. Observe the children: they layer in the morning when it's cold, but they unlayer in the afternoons on days when the sun peeks to favor their world. They learned from their parents who learned from their parents who learned from their parents how to get and stay warm.
We were never sleepy during the day. The crisp weather jarred us into attentiveness and alertness. We could see our breath every morning as we walked to school. And, every morning, the children warmly greeted us while all bundled up in their uniforms and coats. Another chilly day...and all of us hoping for "sol por la tarde!"
Now, we are home...in Phoenix and it's meeting our expectations of high summer temps. But we have the best of both worlds: the reality of and appreciation for the present heat and the memory of and appreciation for a warm experience in "frio Rio!"
Keep Looking Up and we will, too! Jim and Linda
On our travels through Ecuador, we met lots of people from many different countries as well as the states. Fairly discernable, either we approached the individual, the couple, or the group, or they approached us and that two-part question typically followed the greeting, "Hi." On a rare occasion, we got caught up in the notion that we were "islands" just out there. Planted. All alone. And, the language barrier sometimes made us feel as though we were alone. Perhaps we were just hungry to hear our language, to experience our food, our culture. All of that is part of Culture Shock. As a result, we naturally navigated toward "like-ness," and perhaps those who were fairly discernable did the same. As a result, we met a lot of people from around the world.. 
We walked across the room, the street, the store, the kiosk, the yard, the plaza, the bus station, the hotel lobby to meet them. They walked across the marketplace, the steps, the church foyer, the school yard, the swinging bridge to meet us.
