And the Journey Begins...

But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God. ~Acts 20:24

It's been awhile since I've blogged anything. I had a lot that I wanted to write from what happened at the end of my trip, but I ran out of time. Some of the kids were adopted the week I left. It was bittersweet to see them go, but knowing that they would be with families that could give them the indiviual love and attention they need was good to know. My time in Guayaquil was amazing. I was able to visit many people, and every second there was a blessing. I'm glad I got to stay for a week with some dear friends of mine who I may not ever see again. They got themselves into financial trouble and decided to leave Ecuador. They made mistakes, but we're praying for forgiveness and miracles- and just one more chance to see them.

What now, you ask?

Since my first trip in the summer of 2004 I've felt a special connection to Guayaquil. Even more so now.. I'll never forget returning to Guayaquil after being in Riobamba.. I was with my friend Joy and we had just hopped off of the 5 hour bumpy bus ride from Riobamba. Wacho was driving us from the bus station to my cousins house. On the corner of where the parking lot of the bus station and the main road were stood a little girl of about 3 years old. Her hair was in a thin greasy little pony tail, she had no shoes on, and was dirty from head to toe. She was so precious! And she just stood with her hand on the street sign.. just sort of waiting while the world went on around her. It's a picture in my mind that I won't forget. The kids in Guayaquil are heavy on my heart, and it's my goal to make a difference in their lives somehow. SO- I'll be working with a team of people to make that dream a reality. If you're interested in being involved somehow I'd love to know! Please pray!! Without prayer none of what has happened would have been nor will what's to come be possible... Specifically, pray for vision and direction, unity among those who will be helping plan the foundation work, and financial provision. I'm so thankful that I don't have any loans from school, however.. neither do I have anything in my savings, and VERY little in my checking! Ha! :oP Thank you to those who have been praying for me. I especially felt your prayers when I was in Riomamba. The Lord has heard you and he has been faithful. :o)

I'll try to update this with where we're at in the process of getting the foundation going.. so stay tuned!!

A Week at the Beach!

Hi Everyone,
I just got back from a week at the beach with the foundation! There was beautiful weather, so we're all tan and burned in some spots. We went to a place called Atacamas where some missionaries have a big house on the coast that they us use for free. It's a giant place that they rent out as a retreat center. It was perfect for all 35 of us (the kids under 10 years old stayed home). It took us almost 10 hours to drive there! And 10 hours back yesterday!! On the way down we passed an 18 wheeler that had flipped on the road. The roads are super curvy...some of the kids got sick on the way down. Blah! We did a lot of fun things while we were there! The 4 volunteers went to help be supervisors. My friend Joy and I got stuck supervising the boys becuase there weren't any guys old enough to supervise. It was fun though becuase they love to joke around and have fun. One night they stole my camera and took pictures of everyone sleeping, including me and Joy!! I didn't even know until I was scrolling through them the next day... Ay chay chay... But it was funny :) The waves on the pacific were much bigger and stronger than what I'm used to on the Atlantic. They really pulled us. Plus we saw some good sized fish jumping about 20 feet away from where we were swimming. I should've brough my fishing rod and we wouldn't have had to buy fish for dinner! We rented some boogie boards and the kids had a blast. :) One day we went to this place that sells cocadas. Cocadas are a sweet bar-like dessert that they make from coconut and sugar. They're really delicious! It was a cocadas "factory". We went behind the little shack where they were selling and saw how they shaved the coconut, mixed it in a huge pot over a fire and the put it out on a table to cool and cut it into slices. They let us drink some coconut milk and gave us samples! I'm going to look for this yummy recipe later! Later they made us a big batch of "batido de coconut" which is a milk/coconut/sugar mixture that was SOOOOOOOOO good! Yum! I love the coast!

I was very suprised this time though because the vendors were pretty rude! Some of the girls went to get their hair in tiny braids and the ladies were fighting over the girls- even pulling on their arms! One little girl was really scared until we finally said, no...none of you are going to braid us, we'll look for other people to do it. Another time there was a guy dressed in a barney suit walking around with boxes with suprises in them for kids "like a grab bag". He walked up to two of our youngest boys, shook their hands, and handed them the boxes with superman pictures, etc. on them. One of the boys started to open it and Barney said "okay, that's 3 dollars please!" Glenda was NOT happy, took the boxes from the boys and tried to give them back to Barney. Barney wouldn't take them back, so she forced them back into the bag. Barney insisted that she had to pay for the boxes, but she just explained that the boys thought they were gifts, and that she would not pay. Barney said "heeeey, we're just doing out job..." Eventually he walked off, but it was a scam to try and get the kids to open the box and force them to open. It was pretty rude. I've never experienced anything like that on the coast before... I like Guayaquil better I think ;)

Other things I did enjoy were hammocks, WARM AIR!, and eating oranges the special way they do on the coast. They peel the orange part of the rind off, cut a hole in the top and suck out the juice...then they eat the whole orange. It's SOOOO fun to eat it that way. :) I was excited when we found them selling oranges that way.

One day we got to take a boat ride. We had a guide that was telling us about the sea animals and the vegetation. They even gave us a demonstration about how they look for the sea shells. It was fun becuase as we strolled along the shore we could see the little red crabs sitting in the trees! They looked like little Sebastians from The Little Mermaid! :) It was fun! They we went up the other side and they let us get out and walk on an island. On the island we got a fresh coconut, but the top off with a machete and all tried coconut milk straight from the fruit- that had just come from the tree! Que vacaaaaaan! It was soo cool! The sand was really squishy and my feet would sink 2 or 3 inches with each step. They said if you go in a little ways and dig 2 meters down they get fresh water! This is because the sand is so fine that it acts as a filter. It was really interesting!

Well, I think I covered quite a bit. Last week Joy and I went out to eat tortillas with the cook from here. She wanted to take us out so we went with her, met some of her family, and ate yummy food!! That's another recipe that I'm going to have to look up. Sooooooooooooo good! :) Anyway...I have a lot of homework to do today and tomorrow! I'm leaving for Guayaquil on Tuesday where I"l lstay for two weeks before going home. From there I don't know how much I"ll be able to update you. Internet won't be as accessible. Love you and miss you all! See you soon!

Love, Emily

The Jesus Film Outreach!

Hi Everyone! I'm praising God for the FUN I've been having lately. The other volunteer, Joy and I have been able to get out quite a bit this week and I feel like I even know my way around the city now. (Although, we did get lost the other day...it took us an hour and a half to find the film developing store. Ha!) :) Anyway... I have to tell you about an AWESOME experience I had last night. Through the hospital ministry called Altas Cimas we met a guy that works for Samaritan's Purse. His name is Franklin and he's in charge of the projects that Samaritans Purse does in this part of Ecuador, although I guess he travels all over with them. But anyway, last night (Saturday) we went with him and a small group of people in a small town in the mountains called Penipe (about 45 mins from here) to show the Jesus film in an area that was affected by a volcano that erupted about two or three years ago. It was incredible! We drove onto the football field in the middle of all of the houses, without giving them any notice and started unpacking. In fact, some of them walked up to us and said "Hi, how are you? What are you doing? Are you guys camping?" :o) It was funny.. We set up the screen and sat on some giant stairs to watch the movie. IT WAS FREEZING COLD! The lady that I sat next to went to her house and got blankets to share with us. The people were so kind and welcoming. I would guess about atleast 30 people, maybe more came to watch the movie with us. Great turn out considering one person told me that about 40 people live in that little sector. It was great actually... I don't mean this negatively, but they seemed to me like the hicks of Riobamba. They were wearing their rubber boots and flannel shirts, some had ponchos and they were kind of rough around the edge. They were smoking and laughing and when we went to sit with them they were drinking whiskey- and kindly offered us some! They insisted it would warm us up. :) One of the guy volunteers drank some from a plastic cup, but I don't think he realized what it was until after he was already drinking it. They just offered him a cup, he drank it, and all of the Ecuadorian men started laughing really hard. :o) It was great! Anyway...we watched the movie and then Franklin shared his testimony and invited people to know Christ as their personal savior. He prayed with them and invited all that had invited Christ into their hearts to stand up and come to the front so he could pray for them. EVERY single person stood up and went to the front. PRAISE GOD for that kind of response! They kept thanking us over and over for coming and asked when we would return. There aren't any churches in that area, but Franklin will be working near that area with Samaritan's Purse for a few more years, so he invited them to visit any time. OH! by the way... one cute little old man was telling me about some gringos he knew...a missionary from MAINE named Nancy Jackson I think it was...does that name ring a bell anyone?? I thought it was an interesting connection. :)

When the volcano erupted people lost everything. The people were moved to refugee houses and the government said they would rebuild the houses for them, but they still haven't done it. So Samaritan's Purse is building 100 houses for the people so they can have their own houses. While we waited for the guys to set up the screen for the movie, Joy and I chatted with a woman who lived there. I asked her about what happened when the volcano erupted. With tears in her eyes she told us how without much notice the volcano erupted. They had heard that there was a chance it could erupt, but didn't really expect anything. Until one day the soldiers came up the side of the mountain telling everyone to leave quickly because the volcano was going to erupt. So they went to their houses to round up their animals and things. They were too slow! People died from the heat as the lava ran down the mountain. Hundreds of people just ran with nothing. They had no way to get money, no place to stay, only the clothes on their back. Most of them traveled far away to stay with family. But imagine.... most of these people are farmers with crops and animals. In an hour they had to leave it ALL behind. I tried to think of what that would be like for our family if our farm was destroyed. My dad especially would be crushed (me on the other hand...would that mean no more picking raspberries all summer??? :oD - just kidding...it would be horrible!) The cool part was that I've given to Samaritan's Purse before- operation christmas child and buying animals for people with our IV group. It was so awesome to see the how it all plays out on the other end. What a blessing! And it is SOOO incredibly beautiful up there. There's no way to describe the beauty of the mountains here. It's amazing... I have some pictures, but they don't compare even... I would recommend a trip to this part of the country! Especially if you like to hike. :o)

Anyway... I have a LOT of homework that I need to catch up on so I need to get going. Keep sending me e mails! I like hearing from you all! :o) Until next time....

PS- two more girls came today. They'll be volunteering for 6 months!!! yikes..that's a long time. But they're from Grand Rapids, Michigan! Ha! I have some family out that way and my grandparents used to like in Grand Rapids. :) Iiiiit's a smaaalll world aaaafter all.

Macas

Hi again! It's been WAY too long since I've given an update, so I apologize for that. We ended up staying in Macas for a week and a half. *phew* where to start! Well, the reason we went down was because Isaac had 4 kids added to his orphanage in 2 days. A 2 month old girl, 2 boys who had been living on the street and were arrested for stealing a stereo, and 1 other boy who was found on the side of the road beat up and in nothing but a t shirt. The last boy has paralysis on his left side and convulses quite a bit. This is all added to the 7 kids that he already had, so it was busy! I don't have time to tell everything, so I'll just touch on the things that were really interesting or that touched my heart... A few days after being in Macas 2 little kids were brought to us by the police. They were siblings, a boy 1 year old and his sister, 3 years old. They had been abandoned when their family moved to a different apartment- they left the kids alone in the apartment. They came to us with little protruding stomachs from malnutrition, they were dirty and both had sores on their feet, arms, and legs. They both had really bad diarrhea, and the little girl had sores on her head so bad that we couldn't comb it. They were in rough shape. They were brought to us in the early afternoon, but just before dinner the little girl broke out in tears. We were sitting on the couch watching a music video and my friend Joy noticed tears in her eyes so she went over to see if she was okay. The minute she said something to her she burst into tears. Joy picked her up to comfort her, but she continued to cry and say "Mommy". It was one of the saddest things I've ever seen. As she sat their crying the words to the song on the tv, when translated say something like this "you saw me when nobody saw me, you loved me when nobody loved me, and you gave me a name, I'm your little child, the apple of your eye, because you loved me." So of course it made me get teary eyed! The poor little girl cried for a good hour. I can't imagine what she must have been feeling... not having any idea what was going on, wondering where mom and dad were, in a strange place with a bunch of white people...The good part was that as soon as the grandparents found out about the kids they went to the judge and got permission to take custody of the kids. I think the kids were happy to see familiar faces.
On a happier note, I was able to get to know the kids better this time. We played with them a lot, and even taught some of them how to count and write their name. I always enjoy learning about the jungle when we go to the jungle. I learned a lot more about the plants, teas, and different food that they eat in Macas. One night they made us a special meal called "Ayampacos" (pronounced I-am-pacos) which is chicken and spices with onion, cilantro, etc. wrapped in a giant banana leaf and cooked over a fire. We ate them with boiled green bananas (they're called something else, but I can't remember...and they look like bananas). They also have a special grass that grows called "hierba luisa" that we boiled for tea! It was DELICIOUS and to me it tasted like fruit loops! :) The workers gave us recipes to make coladas (they're like energy drinks made from fruit and very liquidy-cooked oatmeal and blended in a blender). They're very tasty! I learned that Isaac had all kinds of fruits and vegetables growing in the backyard, including a lemon tree (but it didn't have lemons for some reason), guava, banana, another thing that looks like a banana-not plantains- I can't remember the name) yucca, papaya, papachinas, sugarcane, cilanto, and more I'm sure! One of the little girls that lives with him is a Shuar indian and she grew up planting all sorts of things. So she teaches Isaac how to take care of the plants. It's very interesting! Isaac says most of the kids even know how to use the machete better than him. Haha!
Another interesting thing that we did was making our own chocolate! Isaac bought "cacao" which is the fruit that has the seeds that we make chocolate out of in the middle. We cracked open the fruit to find really slimy beans that sort of looked like lima beans in it. We sucked the beans the get the slim off and spit them in a bowl. The slime looked pretty gross, but it tasted good! Then we cleaned the beans and put them out on the roof to dry. Isaac had some other beans that had already been drying for about a month, so we used those to make our chocolate. First we roasted them on the stove, and peeled a top layer off. Next we crushed them by hand as much as we could and then we stuck them in a blender with a little bit of milk. The chocolate bean itself tasted like baking chocolate. It wasn't bad! We used the chocolate to make hot chocolate. It was very tasty- especially knowing that we had made it aaaaaall by hand! :)
One of the great things about Macas is that it's pretty safe compared to the rest of Ecuador. In fact, I was able to walk downtown by myself to pick up one of the girls from school- something I would NEVER do in Guayaquil because it's not safe. People say the reason Macas is so safe is becuase if someone commits a crime they really have no escape. Macas is surrounded by jungle so they don't have any place to go without being found if they're in trouble.
Two days before we left another girl was brought to the orphanage. She was 9 years old and was found wandering Macas looking for her mom. Her mom had left the house and hadn't returned in a long time, so the girl went to find her. We thought she would only be there for a few days until they found the mom, but from what I hear it's been 5 days and she's still at the orphanage. She also cried a little when she first arrived at the orphanage, but the girls who have been there for awhile were very warm and welcoming. They took her by the hand and gave her a tour of the house, even inviting her to play with their own toys. It was nice to see how they took her under their wings.
Well, I think that's about it. OH- just a quick note about our weekend.... Friday was the 4th of July! So yesterday some other missionaries that live here in Riobamba invited all of the gringos they know for a 4th of July party. They let the Canadians go too, and even played the Canadian national anthem for them. :) I met several people from different parts of Ecuador, saw fireworks, and climbed a little hill to see the volcano Tungaragu smoking! I took pictures, but I'm not quite sure how they came out. I'll post them soon... It was really interesting though! Also- today about 20 kids from here were baptized! We went to the same place where the 4th of July party was, and they filled a big cement tank? thing with (freezing) cold water. A team from Texas was there and they had some games for the kids as well. It was a fun day and the kids were tired by the end! Even one of the Ark staffworkers was baptized!
We have an exciting event coming up in a few weeks! The kids are on summer vacation now for a few months and on July 22nd we're planning on going to the beach for 5 days. It will be needed time of relaxing for the Allans and a great time as well for the kids. The only problem is that it will probably cost around $1,000 for all of the people who are planning to go. The housing is free because some friends have a beach house that they're letting us borrow. However, other expenses including a bus for $150 a day and food, add up quickly. You can pray with us that the funds will come in for our little excursion!!
Oh! Also- the little boy that has cystic fibrosis and was in the hospital came home today!! They fattened him up and he's not coughing as much anymore! Thank you to those who prayed for him! Everyone is very happy to have him home and feeling better.
Well- I have buckets of homework to do so I have to get going. Keep sending me e mails! I love hearing from home!! Love and miss you all!

*Phew*

We're back from Macas today! I have lots of stories to tell, but not enough time! Check out the pictures though! I'll update soon!

Macas Again!

Hey! Tomorrow I'm headed off to Macas again, so don't expect any more updates this week. Isaac got 4 news kids in 2 days including a 2 month old, 2 who were caught stealing (but, I'm told are very sweet kids), and one with epilepsy. So along with the other 7 things are pretty busy. Another volunteer, Joy is going too! I'm SUPER excited! Macas is much warmer and a bit more laid back than here in Riobamba. Anyway.. keep sending the e mails! I love hearing from everyone. Hasta Luego! :)

A Night on the Town :)

Hi Everyone! So, the good news first.. Last night was a lot of fun! There are a group of 5 volunteers here from Canada for a few weeks, and one from North Carolina that will be here until August. It's been nice having other "gringos" to converse and hang out with. The Canadians invited us Americans out to dinner with them. They taught me how to ride the buses and which ones take me to the orphanage, center of town, etc. They're staying in a nice hotel downtown for $8.99 a night per person. Anyone want to come visit me?!? :) We were walking to catch a bus and it started to POUR! We were soaked within 5 minutes and we hadn't even begun to find a place to eat or run the errands we needed to do, nevermind finding the right bus!!

Anyway...we decided we wanted to go out for street food. We've heard all the warnings about eating street food, but decided to take the risk anyway. (In case you're wondering, we're all feeling fine today. :) As we walked along the road a guy started clearing a table for us and was very persistent, as well as rather funny and amusing so we decided to eat there. 3 of them ordered "Guatitas" which is a potato and cow stomach soupy-ish thing over rice. They said it was good! *shrug* I stayed safe with fried chicken. We also had DELICIOUS cheese empanadas. :) Interestingly, I noticed a guy faking a disability to beg for money on the streets. He was standing around talking to his friends one minute, and the next was on a special bike for someone who can't use their legs. It has three wheels and has handlebars so that you crank with your hands instead of your legs to move. He hopped onto that, letting his legs dangle and went off to beg. It was an eye opener to me, as I often feel very compassionate toward people who I see on the street begging, especially when they're handicapped in that sort of way. Anyway..we finished the night by getting ice cream, and then headed home.

Unfortunately, one of the little boys here is very, very sick. In fact, the doctor gave hime 15 days to live. He's been sick his whole life and was severely malnourished as a baby. He was in the hospital as a baby and the nurses would give him food, but his mother would go in the room and eat it instead. The Allans daughter has been taking good care of him since they got him, but on Monday he was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis which means that he has really thick mucous in his lungs, making it hard to breathe. Right now he also has pneumonia, so it wasn't looking good. Everyone here has been praying for him, and he's starting to look much better! You can keep him on your prayer list too!

The Canadian team here wants to climb the volcano Chimborazo next week, so I think I might do that with them. They're going out to eat lunch today...an Ecuadorian delicacy...cow testicles. yuuuuuuuuuck. I'm not that crazy!! Anyway.. I miss you guys all like crazy! Write to me! I hope to hear from you! I love getting e mails from home!! :) Hasta Luego!