Catching Up: July

We spent the first part of July gearing up for the medical campaign to Kumanii at the end of the month. Participants of this campaign came primarily from the Hillsboro Church of Christ (our sponsoring congregation), and from the Southside Church of Christ (one of our supporting congregations). Of course, we were excited to have members from Hillsboro visit us in Ecuador for the first time since we arrived on the field. This was also the first short-term group that Rusty planned for and organized all on his own since Kent was in the States at the time. He did have help from Alberto and some of the folks at the EQEB in arranging some of the logistics. Alberto had planned to go to Kumanii to help Rusty, but at the last minute was unable to, due to some issues at the EQEB, so Rusty pretty much ran things all week on his own. He did a great job -- everything went so smoothly and so well, and we had an awesome group of participants, too, which always helps! As it turned out, although we didn't know it at the time, the July medical mission set in motion the chain of events that led us to where we are now. (More about all that later.)

I had planned on participating in the medical mission as a kitchen helper. Jauna Reeger, who at the time was administrating Camp Bellevue along with her husband, Justin, had agreed to run the kitchen at Kumanii during the medical campaign. I was going to tag along and see what I could glean from her years of experience cooking for large groups out at the camp. However, the pregnancy caused us to rethink things, and in the end, I decided that going to the jungle for a week in my first trimester was probably not the wisest thing. So, I ended up staying back in Quito with the kids. I was disappointed that I couldn't be with the group the entire time, but I was able to spend time with them on both ends of their trip... the kids and I went out to Camp Bellevue for the two nights they spent there before heading out to Kumanii, and we joined them at the end of the week for a night at Chachimbiro to enjoy the hot springs and a day of shopping in Otavalo.

While Rusty was gone on the medical mission, the kids and I enjoyed having Italia Brewington and her kids stay with us in Quito for a few nights. Italia's husband, Jason, was one of the doctors on the medical mission, and the whole family stayed on in Ecuador for a couple of weeks after Kumanii to work out at Camp Bellevue. The boys enjoyed having other kids their age around to play with for a few days, and for my part, having the company of another adult made the week much less lonely.

Here are a few pictures of the medical mission:

Clinic day at Camp Bellevue. The team did a half-day clinic here before heading out to Kumanii.

There were 3 baptisms at Kumanii after church on Sunday!

Eye clinic

Clinic day at one of the villages

New friends

What a great group of hard-working, servant-hearted people!

For more photos, you can visit Gene's Facebook album by clicking here. Gene is a professional photographer and a member of the Southside congregation. He has come to Ecuador several times on short-term projects and has such a gift for capturing the beauty of Ecuador and her people.

 

And here are a few more random shots from July:

Look at all the goodies our friends at Hillsboro sent us!

Stephen enjoying a giant piece of pie at The Pie Shop in Otavalo

Our family at the market in Otavalo (thanks to Nathan Hall for this picture)

Catching Up: June

Rusty was gone to the jungle with 2 different short-term groups for about half of June, so the boys and I spent a couple of quiet weeks at home. Alex finished up the school year at Hansei. Ecuadorian schools let out at the beginning of July, but Alex's last day was June 27. There were a couple of special events at Hansei that we attended during his last month. We also continued with "English school" at home two days a week.

English Open House -- each grade performed a few songs or a play in English.

Parents' Breakfast -- breakfast was served to the parents while each class performed a song or a skit

Alex was invited to the birthday party of a little girl in his class at school at the beginning of June, so we got to experience our first Ecuadorian birthday party. It was a huge deal -- lots of food, a lady who came and did a puppet show and face-painting for all the kids, a piñata, fancy party dresses, the works! The kids had a blast, but I was completely worn out by the experience!

Captain America x2!

Benjamin was so fascinated by the puppets.

While Rusty was gone to Kumanii with the second group, Stephen fell (he was pushed by his older brother) and cracked his head open on the fireplace. I took him to the hospital where he was seen immediately and received 3 stitches, and the whole thing ended up costing about $60. (Compare that to the more than $2,000 we paid out of pocket WITH INSURANCE when Alex had a similar injury -- he got 10 stitches -- while we were in the States in 2012. Kinda makes you wonder. But, I digress.) I was very thankful to have our second car when this happened. Using public transportation or even calling a cab would have made the whole situation that much more stressful.

Brave little boy, just before getting his stitches.

About mid-June was when I began to suspect I was pregnant. I waited until I was 5 weeks before taking a pregnancy test, which was most definitely positive, and then spent the remainder of my first trimester fighting the nausea and the tiredness and trying to get over the shock of it all. I had decided I was ready to be done having babies, but neither of us had done anything "permanent" yet. We were actually discussing adoption and the possibility of adopting an older child, which is apparently easier for foreigners to do in Ecuador than adopting a baby. I guess I can be thankful that we got pregnant when we were still only in the talking stages and before we were in the adoption process because that would have made things much more complicated and stressful!

And finally, a few pictures of Rusty's time in the jungle:

Sunday worship in the new meeting hall at Kumanii

I think the baby has the most comfortable seat in the canoe!

The Kumanii fleet is loaded and ready to head downriver.

Catching Up: March

We began March with a few much-needed days of family vacation. Some missionary friends here in Quito own a condo on the beach and offered it to us for an unbeatable low-season price. (One of the perks to homeschooling is being able to take advantage of deals like this... as we are not tied to a school calendar, we can take our vacation days whenever we want and not just in August.) We spent several days just relaxing and enjoying being together. It was exactly what we needed after the frenetic pace of January and February. The resort was practically empty and so quiet and peaceful. There were several times we went to the pool and were the only people there.

One thing I noticed during our time there was how much of a difference nine months can make in the stress level of taking 3 children to the beach or the pool. The last time we went to the beach was a year ago this month (June). Ben wasn't walking yet and both he and Stephen needed nearly constant supervision in the water. Nine months later, Stephen is much more confident and can pretty much swim anywhere with his floaties. I took the two older boys down to the pool myself a couple of times while Rusty stayed in the apartment with a napping Benjamin, and I was able to just sit on the side and read my book, while they splashed and swam in the water. Of course, on the beach, we have to be a lot more vigilant since there are things like big waves and undertows to worry about. And Ben still needs somebody to be right there with him all the time, even in the pool. But it is getting easier.

Here are a few pictures of our time at the beach.

Boys and their toys

In the hot tub

On the beach

A beautiful view from the balcony

After we got back from the beach, Rusty headed out to Kumanii again for a few days. The entire student body of the Bible college participates in a mission trip each year, and when their first choice of locale fell through at the last minute, Kumanii was Plan B. They spent several days out in the jungle, participating in both "spiritual labor" and "physical labor." Here are a few pictures:

Bible class with some of the local kids

Bible studies

Making progress on the new kitchen

A typical village on the Cayapas River

Also in March, we finally bought a second car! You can read all about it (and see a photo) here on my other blog. We had been looking to purchase a second car for awhile, but were having trouble finding one that we both liked and that fit our budget. Buying a used car in a foreign country can be a tricky business, as several of our missionary friends can attest to! We found this car through the sale board at Alliance Academy (thanks to my sister, who works there and who had been scoping them out for us). It was being sold by a former missionary who was the original owner, so we felt sure we were getting a solid vehicle that had been well cared for. The price tag was right, AND it had an automatic transmission (pretty high on my "wish list" for a car). So we bought it -- and then Rusty spent the better part of the next three weeks trying to get the proper papers for it. I told him he needs to write a post about that whole experience for the blog!

Then, of course, Easter came at the end of March. We hosted a Passover Seder in our home again this year (for an explanation of why we do this, you can read this post on my other blog) and invited the Marcums to participate. Of course, with seven small children, it wasn't exactly a quiet, formal affair. Still, I hope everyone was able to glean something from the evening. We kept the Haggadah short and I provided the kids with some Passover activity placemats to color during the service. Here are a few pictures:

The Passover table. The Seder plate is on the bottom right corner, and in the middle on the left, you can see a copy of the Haggadah (the order of service). Here is a link to the one we used.

Homemade matzah!

We also did the traditional Easter activities of coloring eggs and going on an egg hunt in the back yard. And we participated in the Ecuadorian tradition of eating a soup called fanesca, which is made with vegetables, beans, and dried, salted cod (or, as we affectionately know it from our time in Portugal, bacalhãu). This soup is traditionally eaten on Viernes Santo, or Holy Friday -- which is, interestingly, a bigger deal in Latin culture than Easter Sunday. The kids weren't crazy about fanesca (okay, I'll be honest, I wasn't either!), but at least we can say we've tried it!

Look what I found!

Egg hunters extraodinaire

Catching Up: January

January was a busy month as far as the Kumanii ministry. There were 3 different construction groups that came for a week each, back-to-back, plus a church group that spent a few days out on the river handing out school and hygiene supplies in the villages. What this meant for our family was that Rusty was away from home a lot (like about 3/4 of the month), and I mostly held down the fort here in Quito. The kids and I did make one trip to Kumanii with Rusty, but that was about all I felt like I could manage.

People often ask me how I am involved with what goes on at Kumanii. In short, right now, I'm not. It's just too difficult with three small children. The lodge, while not as rustic as what I first envisioned, is just not very kid-friendly. I find that, although the times of separation are difficult for our family, it is easier and less stressful for me to just care for my kids in the comfort of our own home rather than hauling them out to the jungle.

For the most part, I'm okay with my lack of involvement, although I do struggle with feeling disconnected to what Rusty is doing. I remind myself that my kids will only be little for a few short years. Right now, they are my primary ministry and focus. I have the rest of my life to get involved in ministry outside the home, and as the kids grow, I hope that we can also begin to serve and minister more as a family. But for the next few years, I need to invest most of my energy to teaching, training, discipling them. So at the moment, my involvement in the Kumanii ministry is limited to more of a support role -- writing newsletters, updating our blog, correspondence, keeping track of finances, hospitality -- all things I can do from home.

Here are a few pictures from January:

When Rusty is gone, one of the things the boys love to do is have a sleepover in my bed.

Cutie patootie!

Loaded up for a trip to the jungle

During our family trip to Kumanii, we visited one of the villages on the river, and Alex got to play "Duck Duck Goose" with the kids.

The boys think that taking baths in the river is so much fun!

Thanks to all the construction teams, much progress was made on the new Kumanii meeting hall. Flooring and stairs were completed, a water filtration system was installed, and work was begun on the new kitchen.

Top Ten: Nyanya and Babu Visit Ecuador

As I mentioned in my last post, we were blessed to have my parents here in Ecuador over the Christmas holidays. They were here for nearly 3 weeks, so we were able to balance time spent in Christmas activities with showing them some of Ecuador.

When they first arrived, Mom and Dad took a couple of nights just for themselves at the Tandayapa Bird Lodge near Mindo. We were their taxi service to and from the lodge (about an hour and a half from Quito), so when we took them out, we got to see the lodge and lots of lovely hummingbirds and have lunch there. On the way home a couple of days later, Rusty stopped at a trout farm and the boys were able to catch several fish. They thought that was fun!

We also took Mom and Dad out to the Mitad del Mundo one day. While staying with the Marcums, they visited the Panecillo We also spent an evening all together in downtown Quito. We wanted to do a horse-drawn carriage ride around the Old Town, but the company that offers the rides had already closed down for the holidays.

A few pictures from our time together before Christmas:

Nyanya and the boys decorating the gingerbread house

Benjamin loved playing with Nyanya's hand therapy balls

And Talking Tom on the iPhone is one of the boys' favorite things to do with Babu!

At the Equator with Nyanya and Babu

An evening in downtown Quito

The day after Christmas, we packed up two cars with people and luggage and set off a little further afield. Our first stop was the lovely Paraiso Escondido near the mountain city of Ibarra. We spent 3 nights there and thoroughly enjoyed it! The highlight was ziplining across the river and then hiking through some old train tunnels. More details here in a post I wrote for my Writing Project 365. And a few pictures:

To get to Paraiso Escondido, we had to drive over this suspension bridge!

Nyanya and Babu are ready to zip-line!

Our family, ready to zip-line (Benjamin stayed back with his Aunt Julie)

Then, we headed out to Kumanii. Mom and Dad wanted to see the facility and get an idea of the work that is going on there, so we spent one night at the lodge, went to church in Loma Linda (a little village about a 5-minute canoe ride from Kumanii) the next morning, and then had brunch with the evangelists afterwards. It was a quick, but enjoyable visit:

Loaded up and ready to go to church!

Family pic at Kumanii

 After leaving Kumanii, we headed back to Quito, stopping for the night in Chachimbiro, which has some wonderful termas (hot springs). It was a good and relaxing way to end the trip. The next day (New Year's Eve), we drove the rest of the way back to Quito, stopping in Otavalo so Mom and Dad could do some souvenir shopping at the market there.

Mom and Dad flew home a couple of days later. We enjoyed having them here and introducing them to our life in Ecuador. And of course, the boys enjoyed all the grandparent time! We look forward to their next visit, whenever that may be!

For many more pictures, see my Facebook album, Christmas and My Parents' Visit.

A Visit from the Fords

At the end of September, we were blessed by a visit from Craig and Jeri Ford and their family. The Fords are good friends from our Harding Grad days and have been serving as missionaries in Papua New Guinea for the past six years. They recently transitioned out of that, moved back to the States, and are now living in Wyoming. For the past several months, while they have been "in between homes," they have been literally traveling around the world. We were so thankful that they made Ecuador one of their stops! It really was great to see them again after so many years. The Fords had the honor of being our very first overnight guests in our new home (although, I'm not sure how much of an honor that really was, since we were still getting things in order)! They were very gracious, though, and we enjoyed having them around. Alex and Stephen enjoyed making some new friends and keep asking when Hannah, Caleb, and Elizabeth are going to come back and play. I just tell them I think it's our turn now to visit the Fords!

Highlights of the Fords' visit included:

A day trip to soak and play in the termas (hot springs) at Papallacta...

Going to the Mitad del Mundo...

Dinner at our house with the Marcums...

And a trip out to Kumanii (actually, just Rusty, Alex, Craig, and Hannah went -- Jeri and I stayed home with the younger kids)

Thanks for coming to see us, Ford family!

Summer Learning

Back in May, I officially began homeschooling. I packed the first half (six weeks worth) of our phonics and reading program in our luggage, thinking that surely by the time we got through it, our container would be here with the remaining materials. HA! Here we are, nearly four months after arriving in Ecuador, and we are still waiting on the container -- although the good news is that it is now sitting in Guayaquil, so all we have to do is clear it through customs and get it here to Quito. Needless to say, we completed the first half of the phonics and reading program several weeks ago, but learning has continued while we wait for the rest of the curriculum to arrive. Here's a little of what we've been up to:

Rusty and I started Spanish lessons again. We ended up hiring a private tutor to come to our house because it was just easier than traveling back and forth to a school and trying to figure out the childcare. Our tutor has a daughter who is a Spanish teacher for children. She agreed to teach the boys for a few weeks while she was on her summer break. She always came prepared with fun games, crafts, and yummy snacks:

I used the Fourth of July to teach a little about American independence and the design of the U.S. flag. We made this handprint/footprint flag, as well as patriotic wands and patriotic Rice Crispy treats. Then we roasted hotdogs and marshmallows in our fireplace and watched fireworks on the Internet. Here are the boys showing off all their Independence Day creations:

Rusty took a trip to Kumanii in July to spend some time with the evangelists and see the progress being made on the new meeting hall. He took Alex with him, and they had a great time! Flexibility is one of the oft-touted advantages to home schooling, and for us, it will mean that the kids and I will get to join Rusty more often when he goes out to the jungle than we would if we were locked into a traditional school's schedule.

On the river

Alex and his friend Joscar watching the roof going up

Also in July, we enjoyed a three-day weekend in the town of Papallacta with several other homeschooling families we've recently connected with here in Quito. We played games, ate lots of yummy food, and spent time getting to know each other. And we of course we enjoyed the termas (hot springs)! I didn't take very many pictures this weekend, but here are a couple of the boys at the termas:

Alex and his friend Micah

Stephen

The last few days, we have been following the Olympics pretty closely. Alex is old enough this year to understand what it's all about and to enjoy cheering on the athletes. I found lots of great ideas for crafts and games related to the Olympics on the Internet, so I have been trying to do some of those with the boys over the last few days. On the day of the Opening Ceremonies, we made flags of all the countries we have either lived in or traveled to since 2006 (the year Alex was born). There are 12 in all (if you count Gibraltar) -- how is that even possible? The boys enjoyed coloring the flags and then waving them during the opening ceremonies. Alex is now able to recognize most of the flags and their countries when he sees them on the TV.

And finally, we have done a little book work. While in the States, I bought this Brain Quest Kindergarten workbook from Costco, and we worked on a few pages at a time until he finished it. Now, we are working on sight words and using some beginning readers from A Beka just for a little reading practice each day. Alex loves that he is able to read these books all on his own, and is quite proud of his new talent! Here is is showing off his Brainiac award for completing his Brain Quest book: