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Day 56 – Ecuador Update #10 (Last Update)

Day 11 – Church, Quito, and Fly Home

It’s our final day in Ecuador! We woke up and had the same breakfast as yesterday. Then we went back to our rooms and packed everything into our suitcases. After we got everything packed, we loaded into the bus, along with two other mission teams who were also leaving with us, and we headed out to church. The church we were going to was about halfway between Camp Chacauco in the mountians and Quito. After a nearly two hour drive we got to the church. The church had recently expanded and had a very nice worship center. With all the members and missions teams there it was standing room only. Worship at the church was great. It was in Spanish, but most of the songs we knew in English. Also at the end of the service there were multiple baptisms. It was so awesome to see the fruits of previous missionaries and local believers work. Following worship we had a quick lunch of sandwiches, chips, and fruit before we hit the road.

After leaving the church, it was nearly an hour drive until we reached our next stop. We stopped at a historic hacienda called “La Ciénega”. It was an old monestary converted into a hacienda (large fancy plantation) in the 1700s. It was very nice. There were numerous gardens and other areas to explore. Also while at the hacienda we had a coffee and tea reception and a local band played indigenous music for us. It was a great experience.

From the hacienda we left for another long drive. It took us nearly 3 hours to get to our next stop, the Equator. There we stopped, visited the monument, stood on the Equator, took pictures, got our passports stamped, and shopped. By the time we left the Equator it was dark. We drove into Quito to get food. Being a Sunday most everything was closed, including the mall food court where we planned on eating. We drove around for a while and ended up finding a KFC by the mall. We can confirm that KFC is better internationally than in the US, but the sides were different.

Following dinner we went to the airport. Steve shared a final devotion with us and we said our goodbyes. Then we went into the airport and went through immigration and customs. It didn’t take too long to get through, but there was a long security line at the gate for our flight, but we all made it through. After getting on the plane we sat on the tarmac for 45 minutes waiting for clearance to take off. The flight was long and most of us had trouble sleeping. We finally got into Atlanta at 6:30 AM. After getting into Atlanta we went through immigration and customs there. It took two hours to get through, but we made it to our next flight with only a few minutes to spare. The flight to Louisville went smooth and now we are all back at Camp Crestwood safe and sound.

Day 54 – Ecuador Update #9

Day 10 – Bible Club and Working at a Youth Conference

For the second day in a row we woke up to rain. Unlike yesterday, it was heavier and lasted throughout the morning. In the morning we had a breakfast of egg and ham scramble, cereal, rolls, jams, and pineapple juice. After breakfast we got in trucks and made the short drive into Patate. There we lead a weekly bible club for kids that meets in the local Baptist church in the city. There were around 30 kids there. We taught them about how God views us as beautiful and sees our potential when others don’t. We also had a craft and played a few games with the kids. The bible club lasted for a couple of hours. After the bible club we headed back to camp.

While we were gone this morning a youth conference with hundreds of youth started. We would spend most of the rest of the day preparing and cleaning up after meals for this large conference. For lunch we had soup, breaded pork, rice, mashed potatoes, and strawberries. For dinner we had beef with gravy, rice, mixed vegetables, lemonade, and fried dough in chocolate sauce. It was crazy helping out with both meals. There were so many people to serve and the camp does not have enough plates, bowls, cups, and silverware for everyone. As people finished we would have to wash their stuff and run it out to the others being served before the servers ran out of something. Despite the chaos the group had a lot of fun working together to serve others here at the camp.

Note: This will be the last update from the team until we get back into the states. We will fly out of Quito late Sunday night and should get into Louisville mid-morning on Monday. We will let everyone know that we made it back safe as soon as we can. We will post details of Day 11 in Ecuador late Monday or on Tuesday.

Day 53 – Ecuador Update #8

Day 9 – Final Work Day and Second Day of VBS

We woke up to the rain today. The rain was mostly a drizzle with some scattered showers. We had a breakfast of pancakes, bacon, cereal, and cantaloupe juice. Following breakfast we split up into our painting and carpentry teams for the final time and worked through the morning up to lunch. The rain died down in the morning and by lunch time the sun was peaking through small holes in the clouds. For lunch we had pork steaks, rice, plantains, and an unnamed jungle fruit juice.

After lunch all the teams loaded onto the bus and we made the hour long drive to our VBS site. We had 15 new kids today along with a hundred or so from the previous day. Todays lesson was the fall of man and we looked at the story of Adam and Eve. The children learned about their own sin and the sin they inherited from their parents. The VBS will go for a final day tomorrow where the kids will learn about God’s plan of redemption, but our team will not be there to help. We will be helping with a bible club in Patate instead while the other teams work the final day of VBS at Huachichico.

After our drive back from VBS we had a dinner of chicken, rice, squash salad, cookies, and peach tea. Then after dinner we started preparing for the bible club tomorrow. We divided into teams similar to VBS: bible story, recreation, and crafts. Following our prep time we had a little team time, then we had free time from 9 PM to bed time.

Day 52 – Ecuador Update #7

Day 8 – Work in the Morning and VBS in the Afternoon

We woke up to a cloudy day today. We had a breakfast of cheese empanadas, blackberry jam empanadas, hardboiled eggs, cereal, and a local fruit juice that no one can remember the name of (similar to peach juice). Following breakfast our team split up like yesterday and went to our work sites. We worked all the way up to lunch today. The murals are almost done and the carpentry crew finished up and is now working on re-sealing the wood exterior of the chapel. For lunch we had chicken, rice, a vegetable salad (cauliflower, broccoli, walnuts, ham, and mayo), and an unnamed jungle fruit (we were told it was similar to star fruit).

Following lunch we loaded up onto a bus with all the other teams and headed into Ambato to do VBS for the kids in the neighborhood of Huachichico at the local Baptist church. We will be doing this VBS for three days.While our group was working this morning the other teams from other parts of the US worked on VBS prep. The drive took a little over an hour. Once at the site we divided into three teams: crafts, recreation, and bible stories. Each team spent half an hour practicing and preparing before the kids arrived. When it was time to start we had 108 kids! Many of the kids that came were not part of any church and some had never heard the Gospel. Because there were so many kids, we divided them into three age groups and rotated them through the three areas (crafts, recreation, and bible stories). The VBS went for two hours. The kids were great and learned so quickly. After VBS everybody loaded back into the bus and we headed back to Camp Chacauco.

As soon as we got back, it was dinner time. We had hamburgers, fries, peaches, and soda for dinner. After dinner a Salasaca Indian family opened up a market in part of the dining hall. There we so many things to buy! Everyone did the majority of their souvenir and gift shopping there. After the market we had some free time before bed.

Day 51 – Ecuador Update #6

Day 7 – Work Day and Evening Worship in Poatug

This morning we woke up to a clear day and a perfect view of the volcano. We had a breakfast of pancakes, bacon, jam, cereal, and fresh orange juice. Following breakfast we split up into three teams to go do manual labor. A team of four stayed at the camp to build, sand, and polyurethane tables and benches to be given to area churches and ministries. The rest of the group split in half and went to two local communities, Gamboa and Arteson. There at the communities the teams painted murals on the exterior of the community school buildings. The teams worked from 9:30 AM to 12:00 PM then returned to camp for a lunch break. For lunch we had an Ecuadorian salad, rice, pan fried sea bass, fruit coctail, and lemonade. The teams returned to work at 2:30 PM and worked until 5:00 PM.

After a little time to rest and clean up a team that was working at Camp UNPES arrived. Following their arrival we had a dinner of tacos, ice cream, and soda. After dinner our team loaded into a number of trucks and we headed up the mountain on a bumpy dirt road to the community of Poatug. There we visited the community church and participated in their Wednesday night worship service. The church had only ten adults, but had three times as many kids. In the service Joel and Jessie gave their testimonies. After the service we went back down the mountain and everybody quickly went to bed.

Day 50 – Ecuador Update #5

Day 6 – Visiting the city of Ambato and the tribal community of Apatug

The first morning at Camp Chacauco was wonderful. We had a breakfast of egg and ham scramble, cereal, rolls, jams, and fresh strawberry juice. We then had free time until 10:30 AM because we had to wait on another missions group to travel to Ambato from Quito. The group of 5 is from a church in northern Georgia and we look forward to working with them for the remainder of our time here in Ecuador. At 10:30 AM we were given the second half of our tour of the camp, we had the first half when we arrived. Today we toured the construction of the seminary they are building on the camp property. When completed and accredited, it will be the first bible college in all of Ecuador!

After our tour we loaded into the bus and drove out of the valley and up to the city of Ambato. The city has nearly 400,000 people in it. When we arrived we got to walk through a small section of downtown on our way to a restaurant for lunch. We went to a brick oven pizza place where we had wonderful pizzas. After our lunch we got in the bus and toured the city from the bus. We made stops at many of the Baptist churches in the city and learned about how God was working in the city.

After our bus tour we headed up further into the mountains to a tribal community in Apatug. This community is only 1% Christian, but we got to visit the one church in the area. We met with a couple of the members and got to hear how they have been ministering to their community and how they have overcome persecution. When the gospel first reached the community, the Catholics were outraged. The Catholic church organized a mob which beat down the building where a bible study was happening. They then dragged all those out of the rubble, stripped them naked, beat them with bull nettle (a thorny poisonous plant), marched them up a tall mountain, threw then in a freezing mountain stream, then tied them up to die at the top of the mountain. Fortunately they were able to break free and return home. The persecution continued in the community, but the believers were persistent in studying Gods word despite the persecution from the Catholic Church. Over the years the gospel has further spread and some of the physical persecution has subsided. The Christians are still heavily persecuted verbally and economically. Today we visited the church in that community. They had recently expanded and now have well over a hundred at every weekend service! The gospel is spreading despite persecution in this distant community!

After our visit to the church in Apatug, we headed back to Camp Chacauco. Upon arriving the group from Georgia got moved in and our group had a little free time. Then we had a dinner of pork chops, rice, mashed potatoes, fruit salad, sweet muffin, and peach tea. Tonight Brother Steve continued to share with us in 1 Samuel. Tonight we looked at the Israelites wanting to be like the other nations in wanting a king. How often do we try to look like others when we are called to be a light in a dark place? We finished the night with some worship and team time then headed to bed.

Day 49 – Ecuador Update #4

Day 5 – Travel to the Mountains

This morning we woke up in our wonderful hostel. The gardens and the river were so beautiful in the morning. We had a breakfast of fresh fruit, rolls, jam, and eggs. Following breakfast we packed up, loaded the bus, and headed toward the mountains.

We made many stops along the way. The first stop was at Nate Saint’s house, just under a two hour drive from the hostel we spent the night. For those of you who do not know who Nate Saint is, he is one of five missionaries that was killed in the 1950s by the Waodani tribe in the Amazon Jungle.  It was a privilege to get to see so many things from his missionary journeys. We then left the Saint house and headed toward the city of Banos. Along the way we stopped at a few waterfalls. Due to the rain and slick trails we were unable to hike down to the bottom of them. We did however get to ride a basket over the falls and canyon.

Once we got to Banos, Brother Steve talked to the group about the Catholic church and how it has held the people in Banos, Ecuador, and all over the world in bondage. He also told us that we should be light to the darkness instead of just attacking the darkness to make it appear darker. We had an hour in Banos to tour the city, shop, and snack at the local restaurants. It was a short drive from Banos to Camp Chacauco where we are staying.

Camp Chacauco is a very nice camp that the missionaries here have been blessed with. The land was purchased in 1999 and it has been under continuous construction since. It has beds for over 350 people. Right now we are the only ones here, but just like Camp UNPES it will fill up in a few days when the camp starts down here this weekend. Tonight at the camp we had a dinner of spaghetti, garlic bread, broccoli, flan, and pineapple juice. Before dinner Brother Steve gave us a partial tour of the camp. After dinner he shared with us about persecution and how God has worked through it here in Ecuador. It has been a great day of travel. We feel so blessed to be in a nice camp surrounded by God’s amazing creation!

Day 49 – Ecuador Update #3

Day 4 – Church in Tena and Kids Arrive for Camp

Today started out with an amazing breakfast of cereal, hard boiled eggs, and home made empanadas! Nearly everyone went back for seconds on the empanadas. We then split in half to attend two different churches for Sunday worship. One group went to First Baptist of Tena and the other group went to a church called ???, translated Christ’s church of the only path. Joel gave the sermon at FBC Tena and Kenny Newton gave the sermon at the other church. The churches had between 60 and 100 people there for the services. It was great to worship with the local believers this morning.

When we returned to the camp from the churches there were many kids already there for the camp that starts tonight. The camp is expecting over 200 kids from all over the jungle to come. Some kids will be walking over 7 hours just to catch a bus to take them to the camp. The camp will look very similar to a church camp in the states. There will be times for bible stories, skits, songs, sports, and of course food (only better than American camp food :P). We had a lunch of hamburgers, an Ecuadorian soup topped with popcorn (adding popcorn to soup is a traditional way here), and fruit juices.

Following lunch our group had to move out of the camp. Because there are so many kids staying at the camp, we had to give up our beds. Even still some kids are sleeping 2 to a twin size bed. We checked into the Yutzos Hostel this afternoon. It is a very nice hostel with tropical gardens, restaurant, internet, nice rooms, and it is located on a small local river. It is very much an upgrade over the bunks and concrete floors at Camp UNPES. After getting settled into the hostel, and before returning to camp, Brother Steve shared some more with our team. He talked about the call he and his wife received to come here. It was so encouraging to hear their story and the amazing ways God had used them. We also had some team share time before we returned to the camp. The hostel is about a 20 minute drive from Camp UNPES.

Back at UNPES we had roughly 30 minutes before dinner to play with the kids and get ready for supper. For supper we had chicken in a mushroom sauce, rice, broccoli, a sugar cookie, and soda. Following supper we went down to the worship center with the kids for the opening program of the camp. We only stayed for the first skit and first two songs, but even those 20 minutes were awesome to be a part of. The kids were so full of energy and so happy to worship in song. At 9 PM we went back to the hostel. We stopped by a local ice cream shop in Tena on the way back. We will head into the mountains tomorrow and make many stops along the way.

 

Day 48 – Ecuador Update #2

We just checked into a hotel in Tena for the night. There are so many kids at the camp we are staying at that we had to leave to give them beds. We had no internet at the camp, but we do at the hotel. We are having trouble uploading photos, but the blog is working great. Here is a summary of what we did the first three days in Ecuador:

Day 1 – Arriving in Quito

We arrived in Quito just after 10 PM local time. It took us 90 minutes to get through immigration and customs due to the long lines, but all went smoothly. The trip down could not have gone any smoother. Nearly every team member tried to engage in spiritual conversations on the plane ride over. A few got to share their testimony and the gospel to people! Steve Thompson, the missionary we are working with the next 10 days, and a few of his staff picked us up at the airport and took us to the hotel. We stayed the night at the Howard Johnson Hotel in Quito.

Day 2 – Traveling to the Jungle

We woke up to a gourmet breakfast buffet at the hotel full of Ecuadorian favorites including fresh fruits and juices. Before leaving Quito, Steve shared with us from Ezekiel about seeking God’s vision and thirsting for Him. Steve then had to leave us for the day, but left us in good hands with a few of his staff. We left the busy city of Quito around 9 AM and drove into the mountains on our way to the jungle. On the way, about two hours into the drive, we got to stop at a natural hot springs. There we spent nearly an hour in the hot springs and then ate lunch.  The lunch consisted of either beef, chicken, or trout with vegetables, potatoes, and a mix of fruit juices.

We left the hot springs after our lunch and drove roughly 3 hours to Camp UNPES. This is the jungle camp where we will be staying at for the next two nights. The camp is located outside of Tena on the Napo River, the main head waters of the Amazon River. It is only a 20 minute flight to the Waodani tribe, the people from the book and movie “The End of the Spear”. On the drive we got to see some amazing scenery as well as get a nap or two in. We did all our traveling today in the camp bus which is  just like a tour bus. Upon arriving at the camp we got settled in and had a dinner of fried chicken (Ecuadorian style), with French fries, and an Ecuadorian salad of radishes, onions, and cilantro. Following dinner we spent about an hour as a team discussing the past two days and all that we were thankful for. Also tonight Pastor George arrived and shared with us. Pastor George is an Ecuadorian pastor that has worked as a missionary with Steve and Carol Thompson for 23 years! He is the head missionary at camp UNPES and the surrounding area. He shared that with the Lords help Steve, himself, and others have been able to plant over 30 churches in the area! Our team will get to visit a few of them this weekend.

Day 3 – Visiting Communities Along the Napo River

After a long and good nights rest the team got up around 7 AM. We had a breakfast of scrambled eggs, croissants, and jelly. Brother Steve led the morning devotion where we looked at the calling of Samuel as a child. This was the same passage that Andy preached on Wednesday night at the youth service in Shelbyville. After the devotional we headed out in the back of a produce truck to the Napo River. When we arrived at the port we took a long boat for a two hour ride down the river to a community called Santa Rosa. Our boat driver accidently dropped us off at the wrong town along the river, but our ride out of Santa Rosa was able to come get us and take us to where we needed to go. When we arrived in Santa Rosa we visited a church called, “Inglesia Fuente de Agua Viva” (Church of the fountain of living water). There we met with the pastor and he shared what God was doing in his community and surrounding area.

After meeting with the pastor we moved on to another community. This community received the gospel less than a year ago. In that year they have already out grown their church building that holds roughly 50 to 70 people. The community prepared us a traditional meal of tilapia cooked in banana palm leaf with herbs and lemon, yucca, grilled white cocoa  seeds, palm grubs, rice, salad, and local fruits. After the meal we got to interact with many members of the community including all the kids. There were 30-40 kids in this small community and we taught them the game “Duck, Duck, Goose!”. After some time playing we had a church service in the communities open air gym. Everyone came to the gathering. The women, kids, and youth all sang songs of worship for us in Chichewa, a regional language. Then Daniel from our team shared part of his testimony. Following Daniel, Jeff shared a message encouraging the local believers to continue the good work and reach the peoples outside of their community. Following the service we said our thanks and good byes and got back in the produce truck.

It was a long drive back to the camp we are staying at. Along the way we stopped at another community with a church that Brother Steve had helped plant. The members of that church ran a small zoo and museum for their source of income. We spend half an hour inside seeing local animals and playing with a monkey named Lucas. We got back in the truck and headed back to camp.

Upon arriving at camp we were greeted with dinner of Spaghetti, garlic toast, and peaches. The other group of short-term missionaries had arrived at the camp while we were gone. Following dinner Brother Steve shared his story about how he became a missionary in Ecuador with us. In short, God called him at the age of 12 to devote his life to missions. Many years later God told him and his wife it was time to go. Through a series of miraculous works and signs, God showed them that they were to come to Ecuador.

After Steve shared we started preparing for the kids camp that will start tomorrow. Our group will only be at the camp for the first day of camp before we head to Camp Chacouho in the mountains near Patate.  First in our preparations, we went down to the worship center and learned all the songs for the camp along with the motions. Then we divided in teams to set up the stage and make crafts for the kids. When all was finished it was 11 PM. We are going to visit a couple of churches tomorrow. Both Joel and Kenny B. Will be preaching tomorrow.