Day 3: The Tim and Josh Experience

Hola padres y amigos,

Today us guys were awoken from a slumber interrupted by a man known to us as Eric Fogg. By the yanking of ankles, us men were dragged to the floor in order to bring us to a state of awakeness. We as a group had our first mission at HCJB Global. We loaded items from Quito into our bus to transfer to the hospital of Shell. We had pancakes for breakfast. I ate 3. After our hunger was satisfied we loaded the bus and started our five hour journey to Shell. On the way to our destination, we stopped multiple times including a stop to a restaurant serving rotisserie chicken. One issue many of us found ourselves facing was a lack of running water in the bathrooms. After some of us used the restroom we attempted to us the sink that was not in use. In replacement for the running water there was a single bucket filled with water in the center of the counter. Such a replacement seemed to make some nervous but definitely brought us face to face with yet another third world experience. Also, we stopped at a town to treat ourselves to frozen goodies in a town known as Ice Cream Town. After our delicious treats many found themselves extremely high. This could have been caused by the serious increase in elevation. Then we traveled along the mountains to Baños. Yes, I used the baños in Baños (don't judge me). After our bladders were relieved, we visited the waterfall of holy water. This waterfall has historical value in the city of Baños which is illustrated in the cathedral. This opened many or our eyes as we gazed at the many statues, paintings, and even experienced a small portion of a Mass service. Once our visitation of Baños was complete, we went on our way to the many waterfalls just minutes outside of the city. We spent time at two of the waterfalls that we saw on our way to Shell. At the first waterfall seen, we came in contact with a group of seemingly local people that strangely asked for our picture. Once our picture was taken we learned that these people were Christian artists. They gave us a couple CDs in gratitude for our picture.  Random Fun fact: one minute of flight time on an airplane over the jungle in Ecuador equals one hour of walking on foot. Once arriving in Shell, our first stop was to the hospital where we unloaded the items we picked up in Quito. The hospital is located only steps away from the house of Eric Fogg. We helped drop the groceries that we had also brought along from Quito for the Fogg family. After the groceries were given, we ate as a group in some nearby picnic tables. Once all of our eating, planning for the next day, and cleaning was completed, we walked ourselves back to our hosteria where we unloaded our luggage from the bus and began with devotions. We discussed the outstanding moments of the day and in the end, Guillermo explained his own testimony which was seen as powerful for many of us. After prayer and explanations for  tomorrow, we found ourselves blogging. #bloggersforlife

Thanks for the prayers and support. Holla atcha boii in Ecuado'.

-Tim and Josh

The ice cream was delish

Group pic in front of the Cathedral from Baños

The waterfall in Baños

Another waterfall pic

Tim enjoying the water

Erica's friends perched like eagles beside her in a strangely symmetrical pose.

Unloading the bus at Shell

Picnic for dinner with the Foggs

Our four-legged friend we met along the way (the black spot is a beetle)

#bloggersforlife

Day 2: Sightseeing in Quito

Amigos y familia,
Today was another fantastic, fun-filled day.  We woke up and had a great breakfast consisting of crescent rolls with jam or butter, fruit, and eggs.  A special treat was liquid yogurt (think Danimals) which was very popular among the group. :)  During breakfast, we read a cool devotion written by Mr. Tuls, which reassured us that God is always with us, no matter where we are in the world.  After breakfast, we packed our day bags and hopped on the bus to La Mitad Del Mundo, The Middle of the World, AKA the equator.  The first order of business was balancing an egg on a nail on its tip (which is supposedly impossible anywhere, but on the equator).  We had a couple hours to walk around together and go treasure-hunting and oh boy, we hit the jackpot.

Dollars and arm fulls of souvenirs later, we got back on the bus to get lunch on the street.  Some of us had the most delicious pork, a type of Ecuadorian corn cooked two different ways, a fried plátano, and a piece of potato.  Others of us went to an actual restaurant and ordered their own plates which also tasted delicious.  Something that surprised us was that the pop made in Ecuador contains actual sugar instead of the US' beloved high fructose corn syrup.  We were surprised by the taste and that it actually tasted better.

Next we traveled to an Artisan Fair.  This market was filled with more goodies, lower prices, and many more people.  While there, a few of us learned that we can't barter (Sydney), shoes are crazy expensive, even when Eric helped us barter (Emily), and that when someone offers you "the best brownies in the world," they probably contain weed (Zach -- but no worries, none was bought).  Across the street from the market, we stopped at yet another "Art in the Park" type of market.  We had a little free time to look around, buy more stuff, but most importantly, play on the playground.  A group favorite was the seesaw and there will be bruised butts and sore muscles tomorrow.  Thus ended the sightseeing trip to Quito.

We came back to the house for more chill time, dinner at 7:30, and reflections after that.  Overall the day was great and we can't wait for another awesome day tomorrow!

As always, thanks for your prayers and support.  It's much appreciated to know we have people thinking about us at home.
Love you Mom and Dad and family!

-Emily Slenk and Sydney Asselin


PICTURE TIME! :D

Initial instruction

Group on the equator

Josh concentrating

Brad balancing an egg

The equator

Success

Uhhhh...no caption :)

The guys

Balancing eggs

Timmy's face makes this picture (2nd row, 3rd from left, red shirt)

Group pic!

The view from the top of the monument

Brad was pro at balancing the eggs everywhere

The leaders!

The llamas don't respond to English or Spanish...we tried both :)

Sra. Schuitema loved the llamas :)

Yummy food

Showin' off the goodies

Eric explaining how to chew sugar cane

Kendra enjoying the sugar cane! (purple shirt)

Sydney and Emily enjoying the sugar cane!

Erica loves sugar cane too!

More sugar cane. Yumm

The beloved seesaw 

Cracking up on the seesaw

Another favorite

Looooved the seesaw

Fashion show back home

Josh, Tim, and Brad chilling outside during free time. (Tim can be seen to the far right)

Day 1: Successful Arrival!

¡Hola a todos!  Parents, family, and friends, you can sleep well tonight – we have arrived in Ecuador safely with no issues!  Praise God!

After arriving in Ecuador, we were bussed to the guesthouse we are staying in at Quito.  We just finished dinner (9:30) and afterwards had a really great introduction to how much our group “wreaks” American.  Something that is as simple as counting to 5 on your fingers can be done many different ways depending on where you are in the world.  This simple exercise opened our eyes to Eric’s point about the way Americans view things differently.  A great example is time.  We think of time in a straight line.  On a timeline, past years are “history,” “gone,” “lost.”  They hold memories, but we can never get them back.  In Ecuador, the people think of time as a circle.  If they don’t get to something today, the opportunity will present itself tomorrow and they can do it then.  If they don’t plant their corn today, they can do it tomorrow.  If they don’t do it next week, they can do it the next week.  Every day is a revolution of time and no time is “lost” to them.  In the States, if a farmer doesn’t plant their crops by a certain date, they are out for the season.  They can’t plant it later.  This is because we live in a “cold climate.”  We have seasons that come and go and with them, certain responsibilities that we have to complete.  In Ecuador, the people don’t live this way.  It is easy to forget which month it is because there are no seasons here.  They live in a “hot climate.”  Time is circular.  It’s not lost here. 

Another aspect of culture that’s different that we discussed was the importance of work.  In America, people live to work.  They go into work everyday for a certain number of hours, and when five o’clock rolls around, everyone packs up and goes home.  The paychecks are fairly constant and reliable.  We live to work.  In Ecuador, people work to live.  They go to work, work until they’ve made enough money for the day, and then quit.  And they do it again tomorrow…and the next day…and the day after that because time is circular.  This also reflects in the way they regard their relationships.  At 10:30, when it’s time for a break, no matter where they are in their work, they will stop.  No work should ever get in the way of the building of a relationship with a friend.

All in all, I think we all have a lot to think about tonight.  The conversation challenged us to acknowledge that the world isn’t as we view it.  Our worldview isn’t wrong.  But it’s not the only right one either.  This was a great intro into our time in this foreign country and helped us realize that we are the ones that need to change our mindset as we travel into an alternative worldview.

Thanks so much for prayers and support!  Since it’s my turn to write the blog post, and it’s the only form of communication I have with people back home, I just wanted to say hi to my family.  I love you lots and I’m missing you tons!  Mom, thanks for the package and care that went into contacting people and the time it took to write everything.  Although it took all of my self control to not open it early, it was worth it.  Thanks!

Also special howdy to the MLA swim team.  Love you guys, miss you, and keep swimming hard! Bye for now everyone! <3

-Sydney Asselin

Bright and early this morning!

Finally here!!

Dinner together

Dishes crew! :)

List of Travelers

1. Mariah Nelesen
2. Julie Walters
3. Joshua Orton
4. Brad Timmerman
5. Tim Durden
6. Kendra Wynia
7. Zach Dykema
8. Emily Slenk
9. Erica Slenk
10. Sydney Asselin
11. Mallory Boes
12. Mary Wynia
13. Andrea Schuitema
14. Amanda Cisneros
15. Guillermo Cisneros

Prayers for our Journey

We leave tomorrow and we're so excited!  We are praying that God gives us smooth and safe travels, health, and most of all that He works in us and through us, showing Himself to us in big and small ways!  For Friday, we specifically ask that God also protects Eric Fogg (the missionary we are working with) as he travels to Quito to pick us up and that things go smoothly in the airport as we are transporting some large ventilators for the hospital to use there.  We don't want to pay taxes on them!

Most recent itinerary

Here is the most recent itinerary from Eric Fogg.  Keep in mind that there will likely be some changes between now and then.

Recommended Films and Books

This Thursday we will watch the powerful film End of the Spear (available on Netflix) which chronicles the true story of five missionaries and martyrs, including Nate Saint.  The story is told through the eyes of his son, Steve.

The following is a list of other media that Eric Fogg recommends we watch/read before our trip in June:

• Beyond the Gates of Splendor
• Book by Elisabeth Elliot (1957) - written by the wife of Jim Elliot, one of the missionaries that was martyred
• Documentary (2004) - based on Elizabeth's book and available on Netflix
• The Great Omission: Fulfilling Christ's Commission Completely (2001) - book by Steve Saint
• When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty without Hurting the Poor and Yourself (2009) - book by Steve Corbett, Brian Fikkert, John Perkins