on my way home...

la Finca... and la Family

2011-10-11T00:17:00.000-05:00

i had a sweet time last month on a weekend trip to the Lucas family farm. it was only a 3hour bus-ride from the city, but it had been a long time coming, i was finally free to be able to go along...

i loved the swim (and shampoo) in the river...

i loved lounging and listening to all the commotion created over mealtimes...
i loved imagining all the history in this humble country home, and wishing the walls could tell the story...

i loved the fruit...and the silly fun "working" in the fields...

i loved thrashing through acres of fallen cacao leaves...

i loved catching mandarins and eating all the ones that split open when i missed...

i loved tromping with friends under the shade of endless plantain trees...

but what i loved most was being with a family... i hadn't known how much i had been missing it.

and though i was a invited guest, an added part, welcomed and included in all the 'to-dos' and in all the relaxing... there were moments over the course of the weekend when tears filled my eyes, and i felt the pangs of homesickness more than i have ever felt in the past seven years combined.

i hadn't expected that, it caught me rather of guard... but i relished being a silent observer, and felt like i couldn't get enough.

the teasing banter between cousins, the rough uncle-hugs, the playful arguing of women's voices from the kitchen over who paid for this and who paid for that, the chorus of laughter over the simplest of family jokes...

it all brought 'home' flooding back. And in a culture and in a context so foreign, it was all so wonderfully familiar...

it was family.

a new thing

2011-09-08T23:53:00.000-05:00

We had a baptism at camp recently (during a church retreat), and these are a few pics of some new life in our block 10 community. Luis came to camp as a volunteer this past winter and has been loving the youth bible study that has been continuing these last number of months. He came to the beach this day decided that he would declare his allegiance to Jesus, who, he explained, had replaced his sadness with joy. His mom, Carmen has been a believer among us for a few years now, and she was beaming.

Alex made his decision a bit more spontaneously, and after watching Luis's conviction and decided-ness, told Luke he was sure he wanted to be baptized too. He and his three siblings have come out to youth group in block 10 for years, and after serving as volunteers during camp, they like Luis also continue in the youth discipleship bible study and keenly gather with us when we are together as a church family in block 10.

A bunch of youth came to camp for the retreat, and as you can see, there were lots of love and hugs from the block 10 crew....to warm him up.

As we watched Alex out in the water, Carmen leaned into me and said "when i decide to be baptized Janna, will you baptize me?" And I said, "of course i would love to Carmen" (I had already told her this in previous conversations when she had expressed interest, but hesitation). "I want to go now then" she said. And I smiled and said "that's why i put my shorts on before we came down to the beach... just in case." She told the crowd, through tears, that God loves her, and forgives her, and that is why she wants to follow Him.

Following... walking in Christ's footsteps, behind Him, walking into death, and walking into life...

...into life.

"I, even I, am the LORD, and apart from me there is no Savior. I have revealed and saved and proclaimed, I and not some foreign god among you. You are my witnesses", delcares the LORD, "that I am God... Forget the former things, do not dwell on the past, See I am doing a new thing!" Isaiah 43

to inspire (me?)

2011-07-23T20:12:00.000-05:00

SO, I want to post a few of my personal highlights from our 2011 camp season. I recently circulated a more formal camp letter, but still feel the need to express my own ‘digestion’ of everything and at least publicly and personally return thanks to God for the many sweet ways He was faithful through those days… I need to breathe out a bit.

I realize it’s been 3 months since it was all said and done, but for a number of reasons, it has taken me this long to pause, reflect and comment. (I have some legit reasons like dengue fever and others not-so-legit, like procrastination and visits of friends!) But it’s good for me to remember, I need to remember, and so I write. I am realizing, that at this time of year it is especially important that I do, ‘cause life has slowed, and I find myself so… so short of breath, craving Gods purposes and significance ….inspiration. During the craziness of camp season year after year, the LORD’s call to me seems so loud, so clear, His purposes seem so much more obvious - like something breathed into me - and even as if some One else was doing the breathing… but these days in comparison, these days I feel like I need air.

I know I wrote about my fear before the season began, how would I do standing alongside, as others held the torch and carried the program? Would I be tempted to step on toes, and would i? Could I resist and keep an arms length, and yet still engage with my heart?

I remember the first week, it was the most painful, really. I remember escaping the first few mornings to ‘keep the dogs from interrupting staff devotions’ because sitting there, without a role of leadership felt awkward and uncomfortable. But towards the end of that week I began to feel less and less forlorn. Willian organized and gave leadership to the maintenance crew, and Johanna supported our dish-washers and junior counsellors so lovingly. As a team they maintained great communication with the directors and worked hard at peace-keeping and assisting wherever help was needed, motivating, pushing, and praying. It was actually a source of great joy for me to be available to the two of them as they extended their shoulders (ears, and hearts) to many others. I praise God for the confidence they felt in the task of shepherding the flock they had been entrusted, and indeed they did so, so effectively. They inspired.

Consequently, it became easy for me to spend my time keeping the books, working with Marlene to keep the kitchen stocked with food for our menu, and running to town for odds and ends for the program that had been forgotten by directors etc. When I wasn’t sitting on the little yellow 9 de marzo buses, to and fro from camp, I enjoyed popping in and out of the kitchen, to chop vegetables or wash dishes (though they never really needed my help). Marlene had her team of ladies to cook each week, and it was sheer pleasure to observe as she gave directions and empowered others to complete their tasks. Every lunchtime meal consisted of a huge big cauldron of soup, two enormous pots of rice, plus enough chicken or fish to satisfy anywhere between 130-190 people, depending on the given week.

What impacted me most, as a mostly silent observer, went beyond the miracle of serving up sufficient food at EVERY meal, though an impressive feat in and of itself. To this day what I remember is the energy with which these ladies served. On their feet from 5:30am until 9:00pm (with a 2 hour rest in the afternoon), slaving over large frying pans of plantain (in the 38’ heat of the day), or standing at the sink to peel 16 pounds of shrimp, or bending over to prepare 3 bucketfuls of fresh passion fruit juice, their job does not pretend to be the most demanding of the whole camp program. It just simply is. So what encouraged them?

I watched. I was a witness. Something moved them, invigorated, and motivated them. An influence that stirred and enlivened, roused energies first thing in the morning to make 350 cheese empanadas, and produced perseverance until the very last spoon had been washed, dried and stored in its Tupperware bin. Somebody, something, egging them on, inducing joy, affecting their pulse, and filling them with “ganas” to serve?

I’ve become convinced of the answer, and it’s pretty supernatural. It not only happened in the kitchen during those 5 weeks of the camp season, it happened in the cabins, it happened on the chapel stage, it happened in the volley-ball court, and all of life beyond camp holds the potential for this…

INSPIRATION. Spirit-filling: God breathing Himself into people, and people breathing HIM, HIS life, into what they do, and into the lives of others. Willian and Johanna, believing in, loving, pushing-proding, and giving of themselves, and Marlene, living, moving, and breathing the love she had for Him by filling empty stomachs. Their sacrificial service and God-given capacity at work did something - it inspired. Full to overflowing, and so sure of their purpose and calling and living it, they poured spirit - God’s Spirit - into life as they shared it with others. And that life-giving surge, hope and purpose from God Himself, motivated and gave life to others, who in turn served passionately and spread that same life to yet others…

...to me.

fotoshoot with friends

2011-02-12T00:20:00.000-05:00

enough said

a Christmas review...

2011-02-11T22:04:00.000-05:00

So this will mostly be pictures - i just want to give you a bit of a photo-documentary of my holidays, starting with our little Charlie Brown tree. I proudly put a star from Kenya on the top...and was reminded oh SO often of Christmas in Sudan 365 days past.

These are daughters of a friend Tania - Jennifer is Mom and Dad's sponsor child and Dianita is 5 years old this month, i visited the hospital the day she was born! This particular day i was delivering a few gifts i had brought back from Canada for the family.

Katherin came to help me with some baking one day, kinda awkward to get ourselves AND the banana muffins in the picture...

Our school kids in their Christmas pageant - i had a good picture taking position just behind the piano...it was nice to be able to help out that evening and be involved somehow despite no longer having much to do with the school at all!

After seeing Voyage of the Dawn Treader, these girls couldn't resist a photo shoot by the fountain just outside the mall.

This sweet little guy was receiving his treat bag the evening Josue and Natalia hosted a Christmas program at the camp for the community and families of Arenal.

More treat bags and smiles of a few Arenal girls who have been faithful campers at El Faro these last couple of years. Feliz Navidad!

Nikki, her brother Gavin (visiting), Luke and I, zip-lining on Christmas Eve...a new tradition!? We had a 3 day get-away in Cuenca over Christmas to enjoy the cooler air, and to just relax.

Ok, so some traditions we HAD to keep. To go with our Chicken dinner we broke out the Christmas crackers and wore the goofy crowns proudly. Luke and i were the only members of our "team" here in Ecuador this Christmas that didn't have family visiting. But alas, we had both just been home for Thanksgiving...so no complaints. :)

Roomies

We stopped on the drive home to honor the "llama crossing".

Can you say, "alpaca" up close and personal?

On the 30th we had a big pyjamada here with a bunch of the girls, it was Johanna's birthday and a great excuse to get together. These ladies love to be together...to cook, to talk, to sing, to play - we did it all. What blessed me that night was to look around the room and to have to count on 4 hands the number of girls beyond the age of 19 who are single and holding out for a man worthy of the wait! :) Thank you God for inspiration when i wonder what i am doing here?

Alex and Maria Jose and baby Alison. I finally had them over for dinner and a visit after being in Canada for the first 3 months of Alison's fragile little life. Praise the LORD that she is now healthy, and Maria Jose as well!

i would take one of these please...

New years eve, before the big hurrah i was trying to teach Daniel how to SMILE for pictures. Neither of us managed to pull off a real natural one in this picture, but it is worth documenting. :)

Mi Tio Felipito at Marlene's house, which is becoming a wonderful tradition.


Long after midnight, we still were waltzing around the paved streets of block 6 celebrating 2011 - the streets might as well have been paved with gold, it felt SO good! Hard to believe its the same Bastion. Bring on the rainy season!

So that was the end to my 2010...a few little snippets at least. I am doing much better at getting my camera out and taking pictures, I admit, so here is hoping that i'll be able to keep you much more current in 2011.

por favor Dios...

2011-01-17T15:12:00.006-05:00

among many other things that are yet to be written, i've been wanting to tell you about my experience last Sunday. this will just be brief.

it was Jan 9th, the first day of voting in the Sudan Referendum. thousands of Sudanese from all over the South, were flocking to the voting stations, to cast their vote for independence from the tyrannous North. many full of trepidation, many so hopeful for peace.

and i sat with brothers and sisters in Bastion and listened to them pray "por favor Dios..."

minutes previous i had done my best to explain the gravity of the situation in Sudan, the danger of explosive violence in border disputes, and reinforced armies in both the North and South, where corrupt and inexperienced political leadership threaten the potential for agreement and the safety of civilians.

i also shared briefly about my sisters involvement (my visit there last Christmas), the presence and exit of mission organizations and ngo's during this time of tension, and the weight and significance of those 5 days of voting for millions of Southern Sudanese. (approx 2 million who are still displaced and not living in their homeland because of years of civil war and violence.)

i presented Chris's slideshow of pictures, to put faces on the numbers, and shared the need for prayer.

and then...like a small quiet chorus, people prayed, "please God, please..."
for Al Bashir in the North, and for Salva Kiir in the South, for the thousands of brothers and sisters who are the Church in Sudan, and for the physical, emotional and eternal consequences of the decisions of those in leadership....for forgiveness, and for peace.

i was so blessed to stand in the gap that morning. and i was so challenged to hear dear friends beseech God on behalf of other beloved ones on the other side of the south Atlantic ocean, worlds and worlds away.

"por favor Dios", "please God, please."

why do we not pray this way?

For most recent news and to follow the state of Sudan, bookmark these sites...
http://www.sudantribune.com
http://english.aljazeera.net

i love a child

2010-12-19T16:04:00.005-05:00

An Advent Monologue

by Walter Wangarin, Jr.

I love a child. But she is afraid of me. I want to help this child, so terribly in need of help. For she is hungry; her cheeks are sunken to the bone; but she knows little of food, less of nutrition. I know both these things. She is cold, and she is dirty; she lives at the end of a tattered hallway, three flights up in a tenement whose landlord long forgot the human bodies huddled in that place. But I know how to build a fire; and I know how to wash a face.

She is retarded, if the truth be told, thick in her tongue, slow in her mind, yet aware of her infirmity and embarrassed by it. But here am I, well-traveled throughout the universe, and wise, and willing to share my wisdom.

She is lonely all the day long. She sits in a chair with her back to the door, her knees tucked tight against her breasts, her arms around these, her head down. And I can see how her hair hangs to her ankles, but I cannot see her face. She’s hiding. If I could but see her face and kiss it, why I could draw the loneliness out of her. She sings a sort of song to pass the time, a childish melody, though she is a woman in her body by its shape, a swelling at her belly. She sings, “Puss, puss.” I know the truth that she is singing of no cat at all, but of her face, sadly, calling it ugly. And I know the truth, that she is right. But I am mightily persuasive myself, and I could make it lovely by my love alone.

I love the child. But she is afraid of me. Then how can I come to her, to feed and to heal her by my love? Knock on the door? Enter the common way?? No. She holds her breath at a gentle tap, pretending that she is not home; she feels unworthy of polite society. And loud, imperious banging would only send her into shivering tears, for police and bill collectors have troubled her in the past.

And should I break down the door? Or should I show my face at the window? Oh, what terrors I’d cause then. These have happened before, she’s suffered the raping of kindles men, and therefore she hangs her head, and therefore she sings, “Puss.” I am none of these, to be sure. But if I came the way that they have come, she would not know me different. She would not receive my love, but might likely die of a failed heart

I’ve called from the hall. I’ve sung her name through the cracks in the plaster. But I have a bright trumpet of a voice, and she covers her ears and weeps. She thinks each word an accusation.

I could, of course, ignore the doors and walls and windows, simply appearing before her as I am. I have that capability. But she hasn’t the strength to see it and would die. She is, you see, her own deepest hiding place, and fear and death are the truest doors against me.

Then what is left? How can I come to me beloved? Where’s the entrance that will not frighten nor kill her? By what door can love arrive after all, truly to nurture her, to take the loneliness away, to make her beautiful, as lovely as my moon at night, my sun come morning?

I know what I’ll do. I’ll make the woman herself my door-and by her body enter in her life. Ah, I like that. I like that. However could she be afraid of her own flesh, of something lowly underneath her ribs?

I’ll be the baby waking in her womb. Hush: she’ll have the time, this way, to know my coming first before I come. Hush: time to get ready, to touch her tummy, touching the promise alone, as it were. When she hangs her head, she shall be looking at me, thinking of me, looking me while I gather in the deepest place of her being. It is an excellent plan! Hush.

And then, when I come, my voice shall be so dear to her. It shall call the tenderness out of her soul and loveliness into her face. And when I take milk at her breast, she’ll sigh and sing another song, a sweet Magnificent, for she shall feel important then, and worthy, seeing that another life depends on hers. My need shall make her rich!

Then what of her loneliness?? Gone. Gone in the bond between us, though I shall not have said a word yet. And for my sake she shall wash her face, for she shall have a reason then.

And the sins that she suffered, the hurts at the hands of men, shall be transfigured by my being; I make good come out of evil; I am the good come out of evil. I am her Lord, who loves this woman.

And for a while I’ll let her mother me. But then I’ll grow. And I will take my trumpet voice again, which once would kill her. And I’ll take her, too, into my arms. And out of that little room, that filthy tenement, I’ll bear my mother, my child, alive forever.

I love a child. But she will not fear me for long, now. Look! Look, it is almost happening. I am doing a new thing-and don’t you perceive it? I am coming among you a baby.

And my name shall be Emmanuel.

since bein' back

2010-12-16T15:56:00.017-05:00

i decided today that i would write a very unconventional blog post...at least unconventional for me. i have been wanting to tell about what i've been up to since bein' back, so here goes.

first (and this within 12 hours of planting my feet upon Ecuadorian soil), a graduation of two block 10 high school students that i have grown to love very much, Geannella and Edison.

Edi (20) was one of our youth (and one of my favorites), back when i first got involved in bl.10, and now he and his "wife" live in a little bamboo house attached to his mother's, where he- the man of both homes since the sudden death of his father 4 years ago - works full time for the municipality (landscaping) and has been studying with Geannella on Saturdays and Sundays to finish their secondary ed. together finally.

though you might be tempted to think as i, that such young love will never last, we have seen something so special and unique in this case. indeed, their going-on 3 year relationship reflects genuine respect and self-sacrificing love...and i feel so blessed to share some of life with them, and want to pray them through the years ahead.

may God use their example in Bastion, of love and sacrifice for one another - He has begun something very cool in their lives.

this Sunday i hope to spend the afternoon with them making lasagna at their house - Geannella has been waiting patiently to learn since they finally got a stove of their own that has an oven!!

ok, lets see. Less than a week after i returned we had a bit of a spontaneous gringa event (while Rachel Bryant was visiting) of shopping downtown and visiting Sweet and Coffee our favorite java shop, and it turned into a movie and sleepover back here in Caracol. Spontaneity is always fun.

oh yes, and i helped Luke paint his and Daniel's new place - see Luke's blog for pics- that was fun and we got caught up. (He, Dale and the 4 Horst boys make up the male constituents of our team...obviously absent from the pic.)

and so, as you might have guessed, not only was it fun to return to my place amongst our team of Canucks (and Erin), but it was sweet to be reunited with Ecuadorian family. Erin was so kind to host an American Thanksgiving dinner with all the fixings at her place the next week, and it was great to spend time with friends that work at the school... good good friends. the turkey was delicious, we made great gravy (if i do say so myself!) and the best perk of all is that i get included as honorary "school" personnel - and can hang out with friends at all their parties. :)

so dear friends like Maria Eugenia, Esthella, mi tio Felipe... i've been simply enjoying being on the same continent as them.

and then of course there are other favorites that its been nice to work alongside again... many of whom sit around the table when it comes to camp administration, or camp program. and oh, have we sat around a few tables since i arrived back. lots is going on this time of year, and our program team is enjoying each others company... most days. :) the other night, we were together for four hours, how terrible long for a meeting, but alas it didn't qualify as a meeting, not to worry... we had pizza.

this very team hosted a training weekend at camp two weeks ago... a great retreat, well planned, and lead with workshops in evangelism, counseling and conflict resolution. there was lots of fun had, and lots of 'wheel-turning' thought provoking discussion. approx 50 volunteers attended, and though many of them are young we are trusting the LORD to provide the laborers needed to continue this vital ministry of discipleship. may God bless this effort and use these days and the upcoming 2011 season to continue to do His Kingdom building... through camp.

please keep us in prayer as you consider the camp season - Daniel, David, Carlos, Willian, Anita, Johanna and i ...its a full load of responsibility and with lots of pressure as this crew takes leadership amidst their peers. thank you.

this pic just for curiosity sake (or for pica like we say in Spanish :) ...yes the beach is just as spectacular as ever.

ok, can you believe i am writing this post? i still can't.

i did want to tell you that Nikki and i hosted the grade six girls (they will graduate from the school in January) for a sleepover back in November. it was really fun to do that together, as we don't really 'serve' or share ministry together... ever. these sweet girls are very good friends with each other and special to both nikki and I because they were in the first class we taught 5 years ago. back when we both taught English in the school - another life ago. anyways. i am pretty sure our pyjamada was the highlight of the month for these girls, or maybe the trimester, or possibly the whole year. Seniorita Liliana came and hung out too, and it will definitely be a special memory for us... one of those occasions we know we wouldn't survive twice. :)

ok, just two more pictures to end this foto-documentario. Luke making coffee for us in his new place, looking rather 'at home' the night of Nikki's birthday when we landed to watch Princess Bride and eat homemade ice-cream cake. and Nikki and me... with one very-madly-melting, yet delicious, mess.

that's it. that's me, bein' in Ecuador again.
until i take more pictures at least.
xo.

extravagant jasmine

2010-12-14T08:15:00.006-05:00

Nikki and i have a jasmine bush planted outside our living room window. We actually have tried to get this plant to blossom for oh,...over a year. And this month it finally did. The scent is strong, and exquisite, though not appreciated by all. The little blossoms only open at night and for this reason the plant has earned its Spanish name "Dama de la noche" ... the Lady of the night.

Last week, during our volunteer training weekend we looked at what it means to share the Good news of Jesus.

"Through us, God brings knowledge of Christ. Everywhere we go, people breathe in the exquisite fragrance. Because of Christ, we give off a sweet scent rising to God, which is recognized by those on the way of salvation - an aroma redolent with Life. "

Our lovely jasmine plant has had me thinking.

I want Jesus to permeate my interactions with people...just like the sweetness of our "lady" wafts through our immediate neighborhood each eve. And i want to spread the undeniable fragrance of Life... and fill up my spaces, and my conversations so that there would be no room for the hopelessness of death. And i want to be poured out, extravagantly spent for Jesus sake and for love of His name.

"Be imitators of God therefore, as dearly loved children, and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." Eph. 5:1

on the receiving end

2010-11-09T09:56:00.005-05:00

and I'm not sure i'll ever get used to it, this side of heaven.

These last three months have been one big gift, and it honestly feels like i've constantly been on the receiving end... and stuck somewhat permanently!?

Despite my wrestle with this, and my efforts, i have been able to do little else than sit in my place in life, and simply receive.

And let me tell you, i've tried my darndest to switch sides.

If you had a month to read this blog post i would list for you ALL the ways i have been "given to" during my time here in Canada...but you don't. So let me just briefly give you the synopsis of my last 48 hours, a small representative sample if you will, from the last 103 days of my life.

in the last two days i received the gift of...

the corporate prayer of my church community
a surprise reunion/visit with a dear camp friend of days past
many hugs and deliberate, heartfelt goodbyes
a 1/4 chicken dinner on (and with) my dearest Dad
the promised prayers of a precious friend who gets this Kingdom thing
an impromptu chat of courage and wisdom under a street light with another one
an invitation to dinner from loving supporters
a personal and generous cash gift for any need, from dear family friends
lunch out, courtesy (and company) of a sweet little sister
a discount price on a new pair of sandals, compliments of a surrogate father
time to sing and drive alone, two things i love to do in the rain (and with a full gas tank)...

yes. SO blessed.
but i have to tell you, i am convinced that this receiving thing is not getting any easier as time goes on. and i kind of wish it would.

it's so much more comfortable to give than to receive.
so much easier on my pride.

and i'm convinced that that's exactly why i continue to find myself in this place.
over and over and over again God has poured out kindnesses to me during these last 3 months, and i SO wish i could "out-grace" Him, and give back....very obviously my problem.

to drive home His point, the LORD even had a sense of humor about teaching me this lesson. the TWO Sundays that i managed to #1, BE at my home church, and #2, have my head together enough to ready my offering in my pocket... God GAVE ME BACK my offering through a dear lady in our church community, completely unbeknownst to her, who discretely handed me a small white envelope (containing the exact amount i had just given!) with a smile.

so not just once. this happened twice.

ok. i'm getting the point. though i know i am far from learning this lesson.

and yes, my problem runs deep in my human veins, its in my heart.

LORD you are a Giver. And i am beginning to understand just how resistant my heart is to the gift of your unmerited favor and forgiveness, your mercy and your grace.

Please keep making me humble
and thankful
and ever mindful that i am
and will be eternally ...

on the receiving end.

de Light

2010-06-17T17:20:00.008-05:00

The more i look at this picture, the more i love my life.

Even though i wasn't out in the water with them, the enjoyment i received watching their delight from the shore was exceptional. It was a retreat weekend with a visiting rental group, and as per usual, I spent my time with the jewels in the kitchen, friends from Bastion who came to serve the visiting guests from behind the blue ceramic counters. Thankfully, Saturday afternoon, a quick dip in the Pacific was possible before heading back to the kitchen to prepare and serve a favorite Ecuadorian merienda, perhaps before shelling 10 pounds of fresh salt-water shrimp, or peeling 15 pounds of potatoes, i can't remember which. In any case, on this particular weekend, their company made even the hugest pile of dirty dishes a delight, and I felt the significance of what God was doing, very deeply.

Marlene (left), a single mother of 5 from Bastion, is the most gentle, humble servant of a head-cook in the southern hemisphere, i am sure. With now 4 years of experience in our El Faro kitchen, she skins the chickens and rules the roost with great, undeniable love...the Jesus kind.

Rosa (middle), is a local mom, a member of the community of San Vicente - Playas. She is teachable and kind, and with only a third grade education she defends her 3 children, constantly battling the irresponsibility of her drunken husband, a violent neighborhood, and the insecurity of the family's welfare business, the local fishing trade.

And Gema (right), a mere acquaintance prior to this weekend, came along for the ride because the Holy Spirit had made it so clear to me that this particular retreat was His provision for her.

What i learned as i listened to Gema, amazed and humbled me. This 21-year-old mother, now living in the out-skirting squalor of North-end Guayaquil and struggling to cut out an existance for her family -one sick husband and one precious toddler - had herself wandered the downtown city streets as an 8-year-old child. Caring for her siblings and fleeing from an abusive father after months of suffering under his roof, they begged and slept and wandered homeless. Her mother had abandoned them, and they had had no where else to sleep safe, but tucked together against the concrete buildings of the inner city alleyways.

Somehow...and i have no idea by what means (nor do i know the details of her youth and transition into adulthood), God continues to write Gema's story. She played in the waves for an hour with Marlene and Rosa that day, claiming it to be only her 2nd visit to the Pacific EVER. The first of which, she confessed, she couldn't remember.

As i stood on the shore, giggled and took their picture, i felt wonder-struck. God continues to write Marlene's story, and Rosa's story and Gema's too. Each one, a product and reflection of His great many mercies. How mysterious and perfect this orchestration, and what delight for them to share life, laughs, and lessons for a weekend.

And so, the more i look at this picture, the more i love my life. And its because I can see Jesus.

Jesus in Marlene when she quotes God's Word and gives testimony to the strength He has provided her.

Jesus in Rosa when she speaks her questions outloud, and prays for her family with straight-up faith.

And Jesus in Gema, soaking and resting in the love, trust and light of new-found friendship and the Lord's breath-taking creation.
--------------------------------------------

"You are the light of the world." - Jesus.

on Earth as it is in Heaven…

2010-05-24T15:15:00.013-05:00

Campamento El Faro – “lots of people, crazy games, creative handy-crafts, skits, good food, team competitions, tuck, free time, gorgeous sunsets, talent shows, starry night skies, bonfires, pillow fights, cabin devotions, good food, chapel worship, big ocean waves, sand castle contests, staff-camper futbol games, scavenger hunts, and good food, etc. (El Faro Agenda, 2010).

Our first week of teen camp was for youth ages 15-20+, which turned out to be a much smaller group than usual, with only 62 campers and a team of 34 staff. The atmosphere was unique, with a large number of returning campers. Some were faithful youth leaders who have been growing up in the bastion church communities, others came with a history of faithful floating in and out of the youth ministries, others included some of our favorite ‘park guys’ who have come to camp for years on end, and only a few handfuls were first-timers with varying experiences of faith and Jesus.

On the Thursday evening, while the entire camp was crouched around the bonfire, I wandered away to talk in the quiet with a camper with whom I have developed a closer friendship over the last few years. Listening to her share her feelings that night, I was delighted to hear evidences that God was convicting her about some bad choices that she was making, as a child of His, and challenging her about her lifestyle. One part of our conversation that evening struck me, and I confess that I couldn’t stop reflecting on it throughout the rest of the winter holiday months, as people came and went from camp. And it was simply this. She shared with me a cell-phone text message she had received from her boyfriend, Jorge, a 25 year old campamento alumnus from years past, but who now had out-grown the requisites for camp attendance, and he wrote to her this: “enjoy camp, say hi to God for me.”

I thought long and hard about Jorge’s words that night, and I continue to ponder them. Like hundreds of others, Jorge had experienced God at camp. And though it was perhaps 4-6 years into the past, he had not forgotten.

But Jorge was so wrong; God is not ONLY at camp. He can’t really believe that, can he? So why is that his perception? My mind streamed with thoughts that evening. And what is it about camp anyway? Why does God so unmistakably show up there? Why does He choose camp to speak so clearly, to reveal His heart and touch lives so deeply? What is it about camp?

“Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us, and His love is made complete in us.” 1 John 4:11-12

We interviewed a few campers that week, asked them why camp was significant; I was especially curious as to their responses. Some youth, like Diego for example, were challenged and changed by their experience of Jesus during the week at camp, broken and humbled by His unconditional forgiveness and love for them, and able to understand the eternal significance of what they experienced. “The truth is that before coming to camp, I felt a heavy weight of guilt…but on Wednesday this week, I realized that with Jesus and by His side, everything is possible and with Him everything will be ok. The Lord put words in the speakers mouth that hit home, in the lives of my friends and in my life too, and on Wednesday all my past life died, and I was born with a new life in Christ.” – Diego

Others, expectedly, came and went from camp (seemingly the same way that they came) and we are left to keep wondering about the work of God in their lives. One special case, Galo, a favourite block 6 park representative (of Jorge’s vintage), came this year for his 7^thcamp experience, having only missed two years since he first attended in 2001. “I love it, I come every year and I just know that for one week I will stop working and go to camp, I just like it, its become a part of me, stuck into my lifestyle since I was little”. When asked what camp offered him, Galo struggled to put it into words. “You can just leave the stress of the city, leave the world there, and you can come here….and it’s another place. When you go back, it’s back to reality…but here it’s real too, cause this is reality, but there it’s another reality. Here it’s simply…how can I say it, here….it’s like, it’s like…we could say….magic, yeah, I guess you could say, magic.” – Galo

What is it about camp?

In the weeks that followed, I was amazed to watch hearts softened and filled with hope. During junior high camp, with 107 wildly energetic teens, and 53 staff-team members, the changes in demeanour and attitude among the volunteer staff had God’s fingerprints all over them. Somehow youth who would normally crawl out of bed begrudgingly at 9am at home, were setting up the chairs for staff devotions at 6:15am –albeit with serious bed-head - but with a smile. Others, who typically would not stoop so low as to clean their own toilet, scurried off with a song to disinfect the washrooms of 160. One maintenance crew volunteer, (Armando will eat me alive when he finds out I’ve named him in this article) after being stuck meal after meal washing the gigantic rice pots, was filled with even more enthusiasm and joy when somebody passed him the microphone and invited him to help lead the evening worship sessions.

Something was being poured into these youth, something that was moving them, motivating them and transforming them. What is it about camp?

“And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.” Rom 5:5

Again this year we were blessed to be able to offer a week of camp to the children of the surrounding communities of Arenal and Playas, as well as bring 120 kids on the bus from Bastion for a full five days of fun. These two weeks of kids camp reflected more of the same; counsellors alongside campers, like big-brothers and big-sisters, eating, sleeping, singing, dancing, reading, praying, playing…for five 24 –hour days, non-stop. And lives were changed. One counsellor commented that his camper, Kevin, formally a distant rebellious pre-adolescent from the streets of block 10, had been transformed into a compliant, friendly even affectionate kid in the context of camp. Another boy, Jorge, a favorite student of mine from Hope of Bastion school, added to his craft the words “I love you God”…his own expression, and fruit, at least in part, of his experience that week. Perhaps because he watched the enthusiasm of his counsellors as they washed the breakfast dishes together, or as they jumped without tiring during yet another crazy song. Or perhaps he was inspired by the hug he received after he scored a goal for his team, or by the prayers of his junior counsellor as he observed quietly (uninvited) near the circle of staff devos early one morning.

THAT is what it is, about camp. Can you put your finger on it?

It’s why first time campers stifle back the tears when the buses load on the last day, and why the first words out of the arenal kids mouths now when I see them are “is there going to be camp next year?!?” It’s why the Galos choose our smoke/substance –free beachfront for their one week of winter holiday, and its why the Jorges believe there is a God. It’s why the Diegos now live with freedom, trusting in Christ’s forgiveness, and why the Armandos and other tired and bruised youth leaders continue to march-on with courage in their congregations.

Hope.

It’s profound and SO significant. And God pours it out from on high as we love one another in close-knit community, in play, in feasting, and resting, and as we worship together. God “has set eternity in the hearts of men” (Eccl. 3:11), and He is unmistakably manifest when we share life together, loving one another and serving one another as His body - each part especially equipped and designed - for the sole purpose of worship, giving to Him the glory that is His.

Camp is a Kingdom combination that was God’s idea from the beginning, and it only leaves us wanting more. A tease, if you will. A taste of what we were created for. A glimpse of glory that is equal perhaps to no other experience in our daily, weekly and yearly routines. Hope of another world to which we belong, where we will enjoy a perfect relationship with our Creator and perfect relationship with one another.

Heaven on earth. I am convinced that that is the magic of what happens at camp.

“Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Matt 6: 10

Thanks be to God, for His work at El Faro during the 2010 season. For the hope that He poured into many who contributed to making it possible, including 14 college students from Ontario, 16 young adults from Nova Scotia, 15 high school students from New Jersey and the hundreds of praying, supporting believers in camp ministry from all their sending church communities back home and the church communities here in Guayaquil.

To God be the Glory, and may that same Hope of Eternity infest our church communities all over the globe.

just bananas

2009-07-11T22:50:00.006-05:00

there she was again.
a lady...well, a woman that I always see in the town of Playas.
she is short, dark skinned, with a mess of dark hair and walks uniquely...i can spot her blocks away, swinging/dragging her right leg along. maybe she had polio as a child, or at some point in her 30-odd years? in any case her leg is good for nothing but bearing weight now, and even that obviously painful...her knee bending backwards and her foot loosely askew. usually dirty and sometimes barely clothed, she is distant, with dishonest eyes, and no smile.
yesterday I got closer to her than I've ever been.

she begs. she's asked me for money from time to time, sometimes while sitting eating seafood at a local restaurant, or just passing on the street corner, though she never gets too close. i'm just another gringa. and playas always has its gringas. i have never given her money, she seeps the typical 'user' persona, but i have felt the same pang of regret each time i have denied her request, wishing to have had in my hand something to offer her.
yesterday i was coming out of the market, the back side, and walking alone towards the public yellow bus which would take me back to camp. i had bought eggs, and bananas.
and there she was again. standing near some other local drunks, looking so forlorn...lost.

my first thought was my bag of bananas, at least i had something this time.
bananas in Ecuador are like.... maple leafs in Canada (if they weren't seasonal and could be eaten, ok it's a lousy comparison but you get me)...a dime a dozen. well, now with the inflation, you are lucky to get 3 bananas for a dime...but that is still cheap, and they are always everywhere. they are no treasure, nothing special ...and in fact, in parts of Ecuador, they are used only as pig food, void of value. nobody goes out of their way to thank you for a banana...it's only worth three pennies.

yesterday that was all i had. i approached her.
now, i can't even remember what i said, but i looked into her eyes. they were kinda glazed over, but she looked back at me and started to mumble something that i couldn't make out. i realized then, that in this particular interaction we weren't going to communicate well. she reached for me, and i reached into my little plastic bag to give her a few finger bananas, "how many could she eat?" a pained expression came over her face, tears spilled down her cheeks and she continued trying to tell me something, but her sounds made little sense. she reached for the skirt of her tattered one piece jumper to lift it and show me, but i stopped her, touched her hand before she exposed herself there in the middle of the street.
i held onto her hand. scarred, with homemade tattoos, it shook and i squeezed it tighter. in her mumbling i made out words like "smoking" (which here probably means some concoction of cheap cocaine), and then she started making heavy pulsing hand movements that i understood better than i wished i had. before i could move back an inch, she touched me inappropriately and just shook her head, angrily. i joined her in the skaking of my head. her tears continued to fall.

in that moment i could only imagine a fraction of what this woman has suffered, time and time again. hard, cheap abuse and abandonment. maybe some of it due to her choices? or maybe not.

i wanted to say "this life is yours, you can choose ..." but i cut myself off in my head. is it really hers? hasn't something else got control of it?"
Jesus name came to mind, "He can make you whole again"...but again i stopped myself, then why doesn't He?!

she squeezed my hand back as i continued holding tightly to hers. i let go to give her a few bananas, and she half-peeled one and discarded it onto the ground. i shook my head for her not to throw the bananas away but to eat them, but she continued to make un-intelligable noises and look at me with such empty hopelessness in her eyes ...

thoughts raced through my head. how to get her out of here? she needs so much help...she's roamed these streets, day and night no doubt for years. i'm just a silly gringa.
and sure enough, while turning to leave her, i heard someone yell from across the street "don't give her anything" ...and i was sure i was the fool in the eyes of those who had watched our interaction.

my eyes welled-up. Jesus WHY DO YOU LEAVE HER HERE?! i wanted to yell as i walked away, leaving her exactly where i desperately wished she weren't. i felt so powerless - my presence was only momentary (and my misealy banana offering, useless). and YOU LORD, have all the power in the world, why not end her misery? it wouldn't be hard, an overdose, a swerving car...is hell really worse than what she is living?

or does heaven hold a place for her?

how i longed for You, Jesus in those moments, wishing i could touch her and heal her, give her You...quick and easy. Just like Peter and John who made the blind man see; 'Not gold or silver, but what i have i give you...' and the beggar who only asked for alms, was freed from his bondage in darkness.

O God, and somehow, i just have bananas?

maybe next time we will be able to talk better...
i hope somehow she'll remember through the fog that we connected.
i would really like to know her name.

for the love

2009-01-31T16:17:00.005-05:00

I've been parked in John 21 lately, and it's been so significant. I feel that the LORD has been so purposeful in speaking these truths to me, for such a time as this.

It strikes me, as I read through the gospels, that Peter had a devotion to Christ...that perhaps went beyond that of the other disciples. Maybe? At least the impulsive nature of his words and actions made him stand out from the crowd on a number of different occasions during his three years with Jesus. The morning that the LORD appeared to His disciples on the beach (after His resurrection) was no exception. Peter was in the boat with the others, he had returned to his fishing. He had denied Jesus, abandoned his friend in the hours of His greatest need, and what would Christ still want with him anyway? He was a failure of a disciple. But, that foggy morning, as Peter recognized his Rabbi standing on the beach beakoning to them all once again, he, with characteristic reckless abandon, jumped into the water and swam the 100m to shore. The others followed in the boat.

What has caught my attention these last couple of days is Jesus question "Peter do you love me (He even adds, 'more than these')?"... And we read that Jesus asked him three times.

And then... at Peter's desperate attempt to convince Christ that he did indeed love him, Jesus tells him that one day he is going to suffer...he is going to be led where he will not want to go, he will be handed over to death, ...but he says, "Peter, follow me".

And what strikes me...is that Jesus knew that the ONLY thing that would enable Peter to follow Him to the end...would be Peter's LOVE for Him. I think Peter knew Jesus love for him more deeply than the others because of the grace He was experiencing that morning on the beach. For he had failed miserably in his committment, "Lord, even if all abandon you, I will not." But yet Jesus, singled him out, and called him again. "Peter, do you love me...? Come what may...but "follow me". Jesus knew that no other motivation would last! It would only be love that would compel Peter to follow the LORD faithfully to his death.

Paul says in 2 Cor 5:14 "for Christ's love compels us..." I have been thinking, reflecting on my own life and observing the lives of others...that if it's anything else that compels us...approval, pride, fear, competition, insecurity etc... it will fall short. We won't make it to the finish line. 'Only love compels to the death. Life is hard. Opposition is huge. Circumstances will happen in all our lives that will defy all discipline, determination and conviction. Love keeps burning when everything else disintegrates in an anshen heap.' (Beth Moore). Love will be what gets us up again after falling. Love will stand the test, the trial.

And Jesus here, believed in Peter. He knew that there would come time after time when Peter would have to answer that question again, as Christ's words would echo long after He was gone. "Peter do you love me?" And Peter would say... "yes LORD, you know that I love You." In suffering, in pain, in doubt, in fear, in lonliness, in heartache...."yes LORD, I love you..."

Jesus believed that Peter would make it to the end.
And Jesus believes that I will make it too.

Dios manda lluvias

2009-01-07T22:49:00.002-05:00

I am listening to raindrops tonight. Finally.
Today it finally has sprinkled, after a long, dusty, 8 months of 'dry season'.
And tonight as we sat around a little circle in block 10, singing to the Lord together, and i watched the drizzle outside and listened to the drops on the tin roof, I couldn't help but remember that it is God who sends the rain.

Tonight it had felt new. It had felt so fresh on my face and arms and sandled feet as we walked down the dusty streets to the church...finally.
And it came to me quickly as we sang, that even these last couple of weeks i have journeyed through a wasteland, a lonely place of discouragement, loneliness and fear that has felt void of fruit and purpose. But tonight something stirred so deep within me as I listened to the rain. Tonight I was sure in that moment, of the God I know, who surely would not waste one opportunity to teach me, if only I would ask that of Him....He loves me so.

I was reminded in that moment as well, of different 'dry seasons' in my life when I sought Him, but heard nothing and felt nothing in return. Times when I opened the Word but nothing stuck with me, when I prayed but my utterances bounced back from the ceiling, when it felt as though God had abandoned His work in me. But looking back on those times once they passed, I could see that God used those wastelands to create in me a hunger for His presence, and His voice...a thirst for a little rain.

The God i am getting to know on this journey, hasn't wasted the 'dry seasons'. He hasn't sat back and let them pass without purpose, and He loves me so much He is willing to take advantage of any circumstance to shape and mold me, that He might receive greater glory through my life.
And then...
...after emptying the storehouses of tears and bringing me to my knees in desperation and need...
...then... He sends rain. It feels new. It feels so right. And such a relief.

Tonight i knew I needed to share with those who sat around our circle about God's desperate love for me, for us - our God who is not willing to waste any circumstance, but use it for our good and His glory. A passage of scripture came to me, but i had no idea where to find it. I searched briefly in the minor prophets, and then thought maybe Isaiah? I opened to Isaiah haphazardly and there it was. Chapter 55.

"As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is My Word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it."

Oh God, with great purpose you speak...you send rain.

Tonight rain came to me from heaven; I could feel it as it fell around me, I could even smell it.
Tonight rain came to me from heaven; I could hear the Lord's voice, and He opened His Word for me.
Tonight rain came to me from heaven, and I could see God's hand at work in and through the life of a dear friend...
... a friend to whom this blog entry is dedicated and, because of a little rain, whose fingers are sore tonight.

a precious little nose I know...

2008-10-30T16:35:00.008-05:00

They call her Ñata ("little pointed nose") and they think she is six because she can touch her right ear with her left hand, from behind her head. This, apparently a common diagnostic tool for age... in the jungle. (I don't think i'm a believer.) She is one of two; her brother is probably seven. From their former home somewhere around the river 'hub' of Borbon, their mother wished to give them away, but their father did not agree at the time. Some months ago he brought them up-river 3 hours, and deposited them on the wooden doorstep of his aged grandmother in the little village of Santo Domingo de Onzole. He, according to community members, rarely visits and passes much of his time drunk, or working the land further up-river. Ñata and her brother Alex have since shared a roof with their great-grandmother who, due to undiagnosed pain, has lost the ability to walk and due to advanced catarachs, also cannot see. This dear woman passes the day away, observing what she can, only a cloudy view from her crickety porch, and smoking fresh tobaaco in her pipe. An aleged cousin of the father is supposed to deliver meals to the three of them from around the corner, however both Alex and Ñata's hair has discolored and their bellies extended providing evidence of mal-nutrition, parasites and/or worms etc.

I met this little wonder as she screamed/cried in my face that the boys had taken her balloon. She was SO very loud. Really it was just a piece of what was once an inflated balloon, that made her so upset that first day of camp. The kids who have grown up in Sto Domingo, have gotten to know her and Alex since they arrived. They pick on them. They bug Ñata and bully her because she is great at entertaining them with her reactions: huge wails, flailing fists, a mouthfull of abscenities...you name it. They notice that she and her brother wear ratty clothes, are not very clean...and spend all day outside playing while others are tucked away inside for a bath and siesta, and to do their homework. Neither of the two can go to school because both are without a birth certificate...unregistered. Dear little Ñata doesn't even have a name.

el rio onzole

2008-10-18T11:48:00.004-05:00

Tomorrow night a group of 11 of us (youth from Bastion) are headed north to the Onzole River (jungle) where we will help run a camp for kids from the communities there. We'll be gone til next Saturday. Please pray that God's Word will be planted in the hearts of many children and youth, seeds that will take root and grow and produce fruit for Christ's Kingdom. Pray too for God's work in our lives as we serve, and that our team will be a blessing to the community there. This pic I took last October during camp in Onzole.

inspirations

2008-10-09T00:16:00.003-05:00

It's been a little too long since I've posted anything...but I have been asking God for some inspirations. And on Monday night, to eat lasagna and rice...

God sent me eight.

lamentations 30 : love ?

2008-09-19T23:01:00.007-05:00

Today Nikki and I played tennis.

We chased the balls, hit them around a bit, and sweat a lot! Hoping to get better at it.

It's our new committment, to take one afternoon a week and spend it on some fun exercise...adding a little refreshment to the scurry of life here in our little corner of the world. It was fun today... we provided some amuzement for the "regulars" and finished off in the pool to cool down. I guess it's one step for us, although it feels like a big one. We both think, a healthy one.

See... we just gotta beat it the 'ugh'.

I've tried to describe it in more understandable terms in conversation with a few people since I last wrote. This past week since I've arrived back, it's felt like I've been at the circus. (Well not exactly, but bear with me.) And at the centre of the circus ring is a roaring, RAGING lion, an empty, hungry, mercyless beast with a hollow leg. A bottomless pit? It will need far more than me to be filled and satisfied.

And here I am, very free to choose the extent to which I engage in this circus entertainment (although it feels more like the Roman gladiator games), I stand on the edge. I can prance around, walk around, dance around, and the lion rages, somehow confined to the centre of the ring. I can carefully step across the ring, enter into its space, but still keep my distance. I can step in, and step out again. I can more bravely approach, gaining the approval of the crowds...and slink back again as if to tease. However, if I were to dive right in, engage with this wild raging lion as I'm expected to, i might surely and very simply.... be consummed.

I wonder if this picture helps... to read between the lines.

It's so easy here, in day-to-day living, to allow the countless needs to overwhelm, and to consume; to order my day, to dictate my plans and over-rule my oringinal job assignment.

There have been times, when I know I have become more like a slave to the raging lion, or riped apart by him, and rendered 'not so useful' by the circus Master.

I was reading yesterday and came across a precious promise. The king james version struck me.

"It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because HIS compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is THY faithfulness." Lamentations 3:22-23

His compassions fail not. His are un-exhaustable.

And so while I know that in order to dance with this pacing lion (and not be eaten alive), it'll take tactic, careful planning and lots of deliberate time with the Master...I know that God's mercies will not fail the people I have grown to love.

And this means that I can sleep easier, step lighter... and I can even play a game or two.

dinosaurios and the flood of "ugh"

2008-09-11T22:36:00.005-05:00

So I'm back home again.

Touched down about 8pm last night. Black night sky, lots of orange lights. Whew. I love runways. Thank you God for being on the ground.

Then I realized where I was. Bienvenido al Jose Joaquin de Olmedo International Airport, GUAYAQUIL. I wish I could describe for you the feelings that rushed over me in that moment. My "life" was really just twenty minutes away.

As I stared out the little window as we taxied to the gate, it was definitely a mix of emotions that swept over...Ahh. So nice to back, it's all going to feel so familiar again..., gee I'm tired, but thank you God for bringing me back here...

But what surprised me, and I write this tonight because I've thought quite a bit about it today (once I woke up at noon!) and talked about it a lot with Nikki...what surprised me, was the flood of "ugh" that I felt at the same time.

Just this "ugh", and I don't really know how to describe it to you. It was kinda like heaviness that distracted me from the excitement. I tried to push it away, but it kept sweeping through the peace of those moments, as I sat still safely inside the stuffy plane.

Whoa, am I ready? Its all going to begin again...deep breaths.

I don't think that "ugh" is good.

In fact, I've spent most of the last 12 hours thinking about how to take the "ugh" out of life here...or at least how to NOT let the "ugh" leak back in.

At this point I am hopeful, and I am SO glad for this frest start. Nikki and I have some ideas about how to help each other, and TOGETHER keep the "ugh" out.

I'm sorry to be so vague. I will write more, I even promise.

But I want to attach a picture and go to be early. Nikki and I went out together for a while this afternoon, and upon returning, there was a knock on the door.

Two cute little brown faces came around the corner smiling back at me (they had knocked and run away). Jhonny and Eddison had come to visit, and they seemed to welcome my hugs as if it hadn't been long since we had seen each other last... The kids talked a lot, which was nice. They talked about buying crates of beer (must have been with their dad), and about their dog that died (at their home in 'la sierra')...all of it with the cutest accents ever, of course. I tried to ask Jhonny about school, but didn't get too far with that. We played with some dinosaur magnets that I had brought from Canada, and read a Curious George book.

I just especially enjoyed holding them on my lap.

Edy could have used a very soapy bath... but dinosaurs and Jorge el Curioso were far more important tonight.

Goodnight Guayaquil, goodnight.

2008-07-25T15:45:00.000-05:00

Mercy y Daniel, Agosto 11, 2007

2007-09-03T15:36:00.000-05:00

the first wedding at campamento El Faro

waiting for the bride and all the girls

more waiting

...and more waiting

finally at the alter

or in the volleyball court :)

"sí prometo"

a love song

the rings and vows Ecuadorian style

hombre y mujer

Johanna, Ibis, Katerin and Mayi

(in the dresses that Liliana Lucas made)

the party (note the baby bride)

two that tried to catch the bouquet

a few faithful witnesses

and this is my favorite picture of all, it speaks for itself.

farewell Mercy, love the single club...

2007-09-03T14:31:00.000-05:00

"¿vash a abrir la puershta?"

2007-08-16T13:38:00.000-05:00

"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me...I tell you the truth, whatever you did for the least of these...

... you did for me." -jesus

These are the kidlets that make their home on our doorstep awaiting my arrival most days. It has been hard to feel lonely with them around. A few months ago, their family moved into a home just kiddy-corner to our little orange house, and Eliza, Felix, Jhonny and Eddison's second home became ours. :) They moved from la Sierra (the Ecuadorian Andes) to make ends meet more successfully here in the big city, we assume.

After the first day Nikki and I invited them in to play, I don't think there has been a day they haven't asked "vash a abrir la puershta?" (translation: are you going to open your door?) with their sweet mountain accents. They were hard to ignore from the very beginning... filthy dirty, stinky little things, with the cutest accents and brightest smiles around.

These days I see them in the morning, I see them around noon when I get home from school, I seem them EVERY time I come and go from the house, and without fail, I see them at night playing outside when I get home, usually between 9:30-11pm. The kids don't go to school.

Eliza can read a little bit (she's 10), and Felix knows his colours and numbers (he's 7), but Jhonny is only 5 and is desperately ready to go to school. (Edy, 4 learns everything BUT his colours from the rest!) We work on numbers and letters sometimes when they come over, our white board becomes quite entertaining. They love to draw pictures.

As for mom and dad...well, their father works at the local produce market and is only home occasionally. The boys have made numerous comments about how they like to "get drunk" and I can only assume where they have seen and heard that reality. Their mother, Rosa works at the same market in the wee hours of every morning and spends the rest of the day asleep and indifferent as the kids roam the neighborhood. From conversations with her, we have learned that she spends most of her time chatting (via cellphone) with her "lover". Most days, the boys tell me that Eliza is cooking supper. Somedays they tell me that they haven't eaten because they ran out of gas (propane) or because their parents haven't come home and they don't have money to buy plantain or rice. Eliza spends most mornings washing the families clothing by hand... herself.

How I wish for a better life for them.

I confess, it has been fun teaching them a few lessons these last number of months, lessons like
1) friends DO NOT take friends things without asking, (that's called stealing)
2) that one should not ALWAYS ask for things (begging :),
3) and that words like "PLEASE" and "THANK YOU" work magic.

...all of which have appeared to be very new concepts for them, and they have caught on remarkably quickly. We have had lots of good times together. Once we had chocolate chip cookies and milk on the front step, and sometimes we eat left-over soup and rice, late at night. On more than one occasion I've taken the shampoo and the hose to little Eddison (who for some reason hates to bathe even though his siblings beg him) and doctored cuts and scrapes with peroxide and band-aids. And every saturday morning we even trapess across the highway to kids club.

But the truth is, that the more time I spend with these children the more I am convinced that their greatest need is simply... love and attention; that somebody would notice, acknowledge, talk to, touch, and love on them. Jhonny, the most energetic, is often content to sit on my lap and just simply be held.

So, as cute and needy as they are, I assure you, I do not mean to paint a romantic picture of us as the heros of this tale. There are many days when theirs are the last little faces I want to see as I come up the walkway wanting to crash in a heap in my hammock. And there are many days when I have to close the door and tell them "tomorrow", or "later I'll invite you in to play". And sometimes love is tough, and not so much fun.

But, all that said, I do thank God for the opportunity once again, to see Him...and this time, in the dirty little faces of Eliza, Felix, Jhonny and Eddison.

after bible study a few weeks ago...

2007-07-24T14:47:00.000-05:00

i used to swear i'd never have a cat...

2007-07-24T13:36:00.000-05:00

... now I just swear.

Well, it's not really that bad. I actually have grown to love this cat, much to my utter amazement. But two weeks ago, i was so frosted I broke my broom in two, but it wasn't really her fault. Let me explain...

Jane was the Horne's cat. Or is the Horne's cat...she just lives with me now. And I have never been an animal person...and much less, a cat person. So since January we've been getting to know one another quite well, and I must say, I've adjusted and so has she, quite resiliently. I know that she likes her daily scratch behind the ears, a little bit of milk at night, the occasional scrap of raw meat, the tuna can to lick clean...and food in her bowl when the sun comes up. (This usually means that she wines until I get up, with the sun. :) A live-in alarm clock. She has also learned what I do NOT like... her claws and her teeth, and she has learned to jump up onto the hammock oh-so-gently now. We have had some great bonding moments together. I'm rather fond of her, and growing quite attached.
Up until about a month ago I was in the habit of leaving the kitchen and bedroom windows open, and when Jane needed to get out (to leave her scent elsewhere) she just slid open the screen on her own and got out. This allowed me the liberty to come and go without worrying about Jane, and she enjoyed the freedom to prance and prowl in the day or night as she pleased.

She's a smart cat.

Unfortuneately, Jane is also a pretty cat.

And it wasn't long before all the macho felions in the neighborhood learned where to find Jane... and where to find her food bowl. Ode to the poor naive cat keeper who always kept her bowl full. :)

So, without drawing you the complete picture, I finally realized the I was feeding not only Jane, but a number of cats from the neighborhood. And it was SO bad, that Jane's friends got so braizen they would try to get in even when I was home!

Well friends, I can maybe handle one cat...but I CANNOT handle more, not their fleas, not their bugs, not their raging hormones, and who knows what else! I am so thankful that Jane is fixed and there is no fear of her bringing me home sweet little kittens. I think if that were to happen I might break more than a broom.

So...

SEE JANE FREE. NOW SEE JANE STUCK.

Needless to say, the unwritten rules have changed and now when she's in, she's in...and when she's out, she's out. Poor Jane.

I think she's still happy though. Sometimes she puts her skirt on at night and out she goes, free to wander without consequences. Other times she cuddles up and sleeps as I do...

...her on her chair. Me in my bed.

I'm sure she misses you, Katie.

two sons, three pigs, four ducks, and one loud rooster...

2007-07-24T12:23:00.000-05:00

The following are some pictures that I took back in June when I stayed with Tatiana in her new home about an hour bus-ride to the outskirts of the city. Jhon Jiro was delighted to head off to his first day of classes in the nearby elementary school, and Tati and I organized her kitchen, cooked a big pot of cheese soup on her new stove, and washed clothes and kids :) in buckets of water on the patio (brought to us daily in a large truck tank).

Piter Emmanuel is growing steadily and healthy, and Tati seems to be healing just fine from her Cesearean delivery. Thanks to God for the blessing of Canadian and and Ecuadorian hands that helped to build her new home and provide for the three of them.

I don't know where you get a smile much cuter than this one. :)

a few more favorite shots...

2007-06-30T22:30:00.001-05:00

2007-06-30T21:21:00.000-05:00

Dear friends (very patient friends)…

More than two months have passed since camp, and here I am to finally sit and write about it. I have put this letter off for long enough now, that I can not only tell you all about camp, but also share with you about some of the lasting fruit of those three precious weeks back in March. In fact, I will go heavier on the latter. :) As you read this testimony, I hope you will believe with me that God’s heart beats in what we have grown to know and love as “camp”, no matter where it’s experienced around the globe….

I must say, it is with a great sigh of relief (still :) and a lot of joy that I look back over the pictures and remember the craziness of those three weeks, the first official camp season at Campamento el Faro de Esperanza (Lighthouse of Hope Camp)…

I remember the adrenaline rush as we drove in through the gate, a bus packed-full of kids who had only ever heard about this new camp. In the two months leading up to March, with so much prayer and so many hands, what had been only a worksite on a skinny strip of land on the coast of Ecuador for over a year, was transformed into a fully-equipped camp, cleaned and ready for the curious energy of 110 little campers. There were finished cabins complete with three-story bunk-beds, new mattresses and pillows, plus a fully-equipped camp kitchen, and a new beach volley-ball court etc. As the children unloaded and looked around with anticipation there was a sacred sense of history in the making…

Of course camp was everything we were all anticipating: tons of fun, with crazy games, intense fútbol championships, lots of good food, sweet campfires, special music, creative Bible lessons, challenging messages, great speakers, crafts and silly Canadian antics (thanks Halifax team!) that made for long laughs and many new friends. One highlight this year was a Noah’s Ark Musical that the counsellors prepared (for many hours :) to present at the kids camp.

On a personal note, camp had some new challenges for me this year. Besides co-overseeing the camp program for all three weeks with my faithful friend and Ecuadorian counter-part Daniel Lucas, this year I managed all the funding (which was a huge stretch for my lack of administration-accounting skills), co-directed the kids camp, and led a workshop on the life and character of Daniel for the Senior high camp (that is, the Old Testament prophet, not my faithful friend :). It was good to be stretched, and looking back, I know that I grew a great deal through the tough decisions, honest confrontations and lonely torch bearing moments that are so often characteristic of leadership. (I’d be happy to go into detail, just ask me. :) All in all though, it was a joy. There was no doubt for me that I was in the right place at the right time, and I feel like I’d do it again in a heart-beat.

I have to confess that through it all, perhaps the greatest joy for me was to watch many youth take on leadership roles and serve God with passion and great love. As co-coordinator of the staffing (all were volunteers) I so enjoyed watching God bless the lives of a number of kids as they served in the kitchen assistant cooking and washing dishes, or working on a small maintenance crew to keep camp functioning and clean.

Now, before you think that I delight in others pain, :) let me explain that my joy was born out of the memory of my own years as a volunteer potato peeler at camp. How thankful I feel now, for the way God began working in my life at the time, as I watched older youth love Jesus and give their lives back to Him as they served at camp. It was during those years that I came to know Christ personally, and God’s heart began to beat in mine.

This year it was especially sweet to witness the servant hood of a group of 6 youth from Daniel’s neighbourhood in block ten. Edy, Javier, Alfredo, Diana, Liliana and Carolina (the last four mentioned are all Daniel’s siblings) were part of a discipleship bible study that we led every Sunday evening of last year. Each one had made significant commitments to God at youth camp in 2006 and one year later they were among some of our most dedicated counsellors, Bible lesson teachers, and youth leaders. Praise God for His faithful work in each life, for lasting fruit of camp ministry and for servant hearts that continue to beat and carry the torch for kids club, and youth group in the block 10 community church.

Miguel
So, I want to tell you about this kid, Miguel, 18. He is known in Bastion as "Arrozito", (little rice?) and among us, he is affectionately numbered among the other "park guys" who make their hangout in the central park, block 6. Just for a little history (and I asked Miguel if I could share his story briefly) Miguel's mother abandoned the family when he was only about six years old. He then lived with his father, who did odd construction jobs to support the 8 or 9 kids left in his care; as a child, Miguel always worked with his Dad to provide for the family. One morning, when Miguel was 11 years old, he woke up and found his father, who had been in the hospital sick, dead, beside him in bed. Since the death of his father, Miguel has lived with his older siblings (who now have families of their own sharing the same space), and continued to struggle to keep at least rice and eggs on the table. Thanks to the income and generosity of his two older brothers, Miguel began to attend school for the first time (grade one) when he was twelve years old. Just last year (17 years) he graduated from elementary. This past year, with other financial help, Miguel was studying his first year of high school, but due to economic pressures and family crises, he ended up dropping-out part way through.
Miguel actually went to camp last year (2006) for the first time and there made a decision to accept Christ, along with many of his park friends. After camp, he, with many of them, attended a Sunday Bible study faithfully for a number of months. The study was designed to give the guys some real support as they came back from camp to ‘wage war’ on life as they knew it on the streets of Bastion: to wrestle with, and break the habits of violence, alcoholism, and drug addiction that had had them so entangled. After 6 months of the bible study, the leaders made the tough decision to not continue it because the majority of the guys had returned to their former way of life and were just ‘sobering up’ for the bible study each week. It became apparent that continuing might have done more harm that good. With much affirmation of the leaders support, the guys were challenged to remember their initial commitments to Jesus, and to take responsibility themselves to get the available help to make the needed changes in their lives. So in November of 2006, Miguel was the only one who personally sought the help of one of the faithful youth leaders in the Bastion community church. The two of them began to meet weekly to study the bible, to hold accountability and to pray together, and consequently, Miguel began to grow in leaps and bounds, experiencing the power of the Holy Spirit’s work in his life.
Miguel is one of the most generous, kind and thoughtful kids I have ever met, with a servant’s heart that reflects the heart of Christ. (More than once, I have arrived home to find that Miguel has weeded my entire flower garden by hand purely out of the goodness of his heart!) But it has been a lonely road for Miguel, following Jesus. He remains good friends with all of the park guys, but no longer drinks or participates in the party/disco scene with them ... usually only playing futbol with them in the evening or on the weekends. (And Miguel can play circles around some of them. :) But it’s not just on the streets of Bastion that he feels alone in his convictions and life choices, but in his home as well. This past year Miguel has dealt with a lot of criticism and negativity from his siblings and their families for the decisions he has made to live a life that is glorifying to God. In his own home, he endures the rampant effects of alcohol, promiscuity and drug abuse. He has confessed to me and given testimony, “God has saved me so many times”, whether from his desperate thoughts of suicide as a child, or from the effects of his bad habits in his teen years. It is so true, and God continues saving Miguel.
This year, it was thrilling to be able to invite Miguel to come and serve at camp, first for a few weeks in February to help in the finishing touches of camp construction, and then in the month of March, to be part of the team of youth leaders during the kids camp program. Miguel was so faithful to serve in the nitty-gritty jobs that received little recognition or reward, whether scraping rust from the iron window bars on the new camp kitchen (in typical Ecuador fashion), or washing toilets, scrubbing floors or emptying garbage buckets. He did it all with a smile. On more than one occasion he had the opportunity to give testimony of the work of God in changing his life, and during the older youth camp, he was able to share with his peers (many of the same park guys who began on the journey with him one year previous) what it has meant to him to make Christ LORD in his life. He told them, “I know Jesus and I will never be alone.”
Praise the LORD for His work one life at a time. God is in the middle of a rescue operation in the life of Miguel, and in the lives of many others who are learning to walk in the footprints of Christ and growing hearts that beat like His.

So, while many youth grew in their love for Jesus as they moved their hands and feet for Him at camp this year, there were also a number of youth who came to know Christ for the first time. And there were a significant number more who, though they had already acknowledged Christ as their Savior, chose to begin the journey of making Him LORD in their lives. On April 28th, we returned to camp, (this time the bus was full of community families) and a group of 8 youth (and a couple of women from the block 6 church) were baptized. It was a very significant celebration of new life.

And on a personal note, it was an extra special day for me; I had the privilege of baptizing two girls that were among the first little sisters I acquired here in Ecuador, Ibis and Katerin. My prayer that day, as I remembered my own baptism at camp (10 years previous), was “LORD, let it not be 10 years before these girls are celebrating new life with little sisters that you bring into their lives…”. Praise God for His work, and the joy, the sheer joy of watching His heart beat in those around us.

Now we are full swing into the new scholastic year (as of the end of April) which has meant the new beginning of not only classes, but also kids clubs, junior and senior high youth groups, bible studies and a lot of less-formal discipleship “life”. :) (In both block 6 and 10.) The scheduled, program part of life is certainly not my favourite…(and will always be my complaint, and excuse for my procrastination with these general updates), but I do want to mention a few studies (and students :) specifically in block 6 that need your prayers. This is the line-up of activities on Sunday afternoons/evenings.

Alex (a Bastion youth and church leader) and I are taking a group of 11 youth through a beginner discipleship study. A few in the group are new believers, a few are newly committed to Jesus, and a couple have known Christ for a few years but desire to better develop the disciplines of prayer and Scripture study in their lives. Please pray for, Johanna, Jessica, Ibis, Katerin, Alfredo, Jaime, Celi, Richard, Grace, Ana, Blanca and Marjorie. Pray that God will teach us about Himself, about His heartbeat for each one of us, and for this world.

Carlos (another Bastion youth leader) is meeting with a group of young guys (church youth) weekly to study the Bible and work through what “walking in Jesus footprints” looks like today, in Bastion. Please pray for Mauricio, Freddy, Juan Carlos, Gregorio, Reynaldo and Luis.

Willian (a church and youth leader) meets weekly with Miguel (the above testimony) and two other guys who made commitments to Christ this year at camp, Miguel (yes, another :) and Chamo. All have made significant changes in their lives, leaving the habits of violence, sex and alcohol behind, and seeking to know and walk with Jesus, honouring Him. Please pray for increasing trust and accountability between these four guys, and that their hearts would beat more and more as God’s own heart.

Had I written this letter back in April (as I planned) I would have written with much more detail about camp. But…as I did not, I pray that you will be blessed to hear today that work that God began, or continued at camp…He continues today. And the truth is, He continues working in the lives of other kids who experienced His heartbeat at camp in March, but who have forgotten, or deny it now, a few months later. I haven’t told those stories, but God-willing, one day I will. Pray for Eddison, Gabriel, Cruz, Gerald, Jonathan, Alexis, Titi and others to whom I believe the LORD longs to give His heartbeat.

Thank you for your faithfulness. I write to you, because I know that you care (enough to read four pages of an update :) because God’s heart for this world beats in you. Thank you for your prayers for camp this past year, for these kids, and for me.

When the LORD called out to Saul as he walked along the road to Damascus, Saul (blinded) responded with two questions, “who are you LORD?” and “what is it that you want me to do?”(Acts 22). Saul knew the name of He who was calling, but he didn’t know Him. Saul knew it was the LORD, (whom he was persecuting), but he didn’t know the LORD’s heart, nor the purpose for which the LORD was calling him. Like Paul, may those be my questions of the LORD today. He called to me 11 years ago when I first surrendered my life to Him, but He continues calling me today. May I be the kind of servant who responds, “who are you LORD, and what do you want me to do?”, and in that order. (How many times have I skipped to the 2nd question and never mustered up the courage to obey because I didn’t take the time to ask the first question, and put my trust in Him.)

Show me, teach me who you are Jesus, and help me to hear and know your heartbeat. And LORD, move me please by that same heartbeat to do what it is you have called me to do. Please, if you pray anything for me, please pray that I would continue to be faithful in God’s Word, making my number one priority to know Him. My housemate, Nikki has gone home to Canada for two months and left a nice cozy chair by her window upstairs, vacant. :) I have enjoyed it in the cool early-morning hours so far, and it is my desire to sit daily, to know God, to hear His heartbeat and to be moved by it.

In pursuit of His heart,
janna

“the LORD has sought out a man after His own heart…” 1 Samuel 13:14

p.s. I would be amiss if I did not mention that the LORD so blessed me this year with the visit of my dear sister for the whole month of March. She was such a support to me during the craziness of that month, and it was fabulous to share camp with her. Please, for more pictures and a detailed description of camp (and our trip to the Jungle together :) check her website: www.africanurse.blogspot.com

2007-05-16T15:52:00.000-05:00

i'm still alive, really. and about to spend some time on this blog, one of these days...

angels?

2007-02-06T16:39:00.000-05:00

I have been wanting to send these Christmas pictures now since December. This was the night of our school program and nativity... a few sweet little shepherds I have grown rather fond of... some precious angels minutes before their grand entrance.... and perhaps the most humble (and excited) heavenly host this side of the Equator. :) They sang Away in a Manger and What Child is This? (all in Spanish of course) as Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus were staged behind them on the platform.

greater things...

2007-01-18T19:20:00.000-05:00

“Very truly I tell you, all who have faith in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.” – Jesus.

Whoa. Greater things, LORD? I don’t know, I haven’t seen anyone raised from the dead lately. Nor have You healed any disease with the touch of my hand, or stopped the torrential rains that have officially arrived here in Guayaquil, with a word from my mouth. (Not that I’ve tried. I love the rain.) Are you sure you meant greater things, LORD?

So, I’m reading this great book called the Irresistible Revolution (Shane Claiborne), and he’s the one that has got me thinking about Jesus’ affirmation that his disciples are going to do even greater things than He. Could it be that Christ’s miracles were not so much an expression of His mighty power, as they were an expression of His love? After all, it wasn’t Jesus miracles alone that had lasting significance. Lazarus did eventually die again. The sick that were healed by Jesus’ touch were probably not immune to the common cold or other diseases down the road. And the thousands of men, women and children that ate from the 5 loaves and 2 fish, were hungry again the next day.

What was lasting about Christ’s miracles was His love. It wasn’t that Jesus healed a leper, but that he touched a leper…because no one touched lepers. “And the incredible thing about that love is that it now lives inside us. Jesus assures us that His Spirit now lives in us; He was going to the Father, but would also remain inside of us, and we in Him. We are the body of Christ, the hands and feet of Jesus to the world. Christ is living inside of you and me, walking the earth.” (Shane).

I am a believer in miracles, and Jesus’ power to do them, please don’t misunderstand me. The truth is though, I can get easily discouraged when not much can be seen. Little fruit, little progress. I guess that’s why Jesus said that those who have faith, will do what He did. Faith is the opposite of sight.

And love is what He did. And love is enough.

God has made me able to do great things, because I have access to that same love.

I guess that is what Mother Teresa meant when she said, “we can do no great thing, only small things with great love.” It’s love that makes the greatness.

(but I still don't get the "er" part.)

a fox with hornes for Christmas

2007-01-15T21:56:00.000-05:00

this is Boxing day morning, just after breakfast at our little hostel in Baños (these are the only two pictures I have of Christmas 2006)

...and this pic is worth a lot of words, words that I can't find. My love, and my prayers are for the Horne family in these days, for tomorrow morning a bigger hole will be left here in Ecuador.

Thanks God, that YOU are way bigger than any hole.

And that... is Esperanza.

mi gringa chira...

2007-01-13T21:38:00.000-05:00

que sola me has dejado...

a treasure in a jar of clay...

2006-12-29T15:58:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas everybody.

I’ve been thinking about you all…all of you who check in and out of this site. I’ve been waiting for an afternoon to spend writing, I’ve been wanting to tell you a bit about what God opened my eyes to see this Christmas. Perhaps it’s nothing revolutionary, but this year it was from God, to me.

I’ve spent Christmas away from family this year, and I really felt it. More than I imagined I would, actually. (Those who spoke with me on the phone, through a few tears, know it.) But with less distraction, (such as the usual fox traditions, and romanticisms like snow, lights, and music that are noticeably absent when one spends the holidays in Ecuador), it was cool to narrow my focus somewhat and spend some good time thinking about Jesus. I did ask God to give me more this year, more… understanding, truth about who He IS. And it’s so cool how God delights to reveal more of Himself, and so personally too.

So…I was thinking about the Incarnation. I always get stuck there. It’s an incredible thing. God got fed up with sin. Separated in His Holiness from the creation He designed to “BE” with, He came breaking through time, space and eternity…to pitch His tent here on earth with His beloved ones; to redeem, once and for all, the creation that belonged to Himself. He became Emanuel, as was long since proclaimed, “God with us”. Wrapped in human flesh, the Son left His glory. He came to live, to teach us how, and to be the perfect Lamb of God. He was the Ultimate Sacrifice, so pure that it cancelled the old covenant requisite of shed blood for atonement…and left humanity in a wake of righteousness, free for the taking!

And then I got to thinking of the throngs of people that just don’t get it. (Including myself on those days when I can easily find myself trying to earn God's love.) There are so, so many, and even many in the church, who work for God’s favor, as if they could gain it, like as if the LORD were Santa with a list of who’s been naughty or nice. Nothing could be further from the truth. God’s favor HAS BEEN granted. Wasn’t that what the Angels sang that very first night?! God Himself came to make peace, it doesn’t depend on us! And a living, breathing, loving relationship with the Father is free.

Grace.
LORD, please take off the blinders, so that more of your creation can see.

“And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For God, who said “Let light shine out of darkness” ….

…came to earth as The Light to redeem the darkness. And when He came, His Light shone out of such a humble vessel. A young girl, a carpenter, a donkey, a stable, a manger, a baby; all that was ordinary, weak, poor, dirty, and helpless. God took a broken, useless, humble humanity and turned it into a history of power and truth, redeeming the darkness with Light.

And I guess what struck me this Christmas, was that God continues redeeming. He who “ made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. For we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God, and NOT from us.”

The LORD continues to shine His light out of broken, useless vessels, in order that it might be obvious to the world that it is HIS power at work, His Spirit…in our lives. You see, the Light didn’t leave earth when Christ returned to the right hand of the Father. It remains in you and me. His Spirit stayed.

And He continues to redeem, and claim for Himself what is broken, dirty, weak, useless and poor.

He is “God with us”… still.

our little corner

2006-12-15T12:46:00.000-05:00

guts and glory

2006-12-06T13:21:00.000-05:00

Two weeks ago I bought a piano. Yeah... a big purchase. :)

When I came to Ecuador three years ago (November 2003), I brought with me a little Yamaha keyboard, donated by a family in my home church. I believe it was a blessing in the church here in Bastion and especially because it enabled me to spend time teaching a couple keen students to play that first year. Raúl (now 20), caught on so quickly and now takes turns with me on Sunday mornings. It is he who has been playing for youth group events, and on his own keyboard that he purchased a year ago. :)

In September, Dale asked me "Janna, what are your goals, now that we have started to do some formal worship practices with some of these youth...?"And I had to tell him that I love worship, but I had no goals, because fankly, there wasn't much joy in making music from that little tin box of a keyboard. :)

So since then, God has been patiently helping me get up the guts to make the purchase. And the truth is, I have really felt "Him" in this decision. It's cool that the LORD cares so much about these things and longs to be glorified in our little faith. I did wrestle. (Anyone who knows me well knows that I don't just make decisions involving chunks of money easily.) Anyways, the struggle is over and the joy is mine. Two weeks ago Dale and I went downtown to a couple of the best shops in the city and came home with a beautiful electric piano (ain't no keyboard), complete with a bunch of synthezied sound options...and SWEET weighted keys. It feels like a baby grand. :) (It's no Roland, for those who know what's out there...but it's great, and within my price range.)

Yes, the joy is mine...and Raúl's...and I pray it will bring blessing to many more. And most of all, may it bring glory to the Giver of good gifts, who gives us the joy of music in the first place.

jeny

2006-11-28T17:49:00.000-05:00

We have a new roomate. Her name is Jeny. She's sixteen and came to us last Friday, with no other place to go. Thanks for that extra bed, God.

She's got a history here in Bastion, attending camp for the last number of years, in and out of youth group since she came of age...everybody knows her, or at least knows who she is. Before Friday though, I never knew her.

She moved out of her house about 5 months ago, feeling threatened (in every sense) by her step-father. Her mom did nothing to defend her. She had been living in Block 6 with another family (family friend) until last week, when the economic stress within those walls became too great to bear, and the living conditions smelled of the same danger she knew in her mother's house. Dear Jeny.

So, she's ours for now. But this is totally bush-wacking territory. Would you please pray for her? And would you please pray for me? It's wierd, but wonderful, all at the same time. So far, we're working on her curfew...and spending a lot more time cooking. Beth and I were so lazy when it was just the two of us. :)

The first night Jeny and I sat up in the hammock and I listened to her lifestory. I couldn't help but wonder at the God-given capacity this girl has for love. She loves. I haven't gone into details, and won't... but it is amazing that her heart is still capable of giving.

Please ask God for His best for her. We don't know if that is... staying with us long-term? or if God is going to provide something else for her? She wants to work. Please pray for something that Jeny can pour her heart into that will help her feel useful. She's not feeling very significant these days.

Pray most that God's love would rock her world and fill her with the security and sense of purpose that He brought her to this world to know.

Thanks again LORD for that extra bed.

with a little help from my friends...

2006-11-15T13:39:00.000-05:00

and after a lot of patient waiting...
I am the proud owner of an Ecuadorian driver's license. :)

Beth and I spent about 6 hours in the Comisíon de Transporte office downtown yesterday (God bless her), and after a lot of waiting in line to pay, I got hustled through the computerized examination process (the officer just did it for me!! :) ...and they took my picture, printed the license and we were free to leave.

Now it's just a matter of practicing with a stick shift...

(With what car you might ask!?!?)
Yeah, yeah. I don't have a car...but if I did, it'd be a VW bug (an old one). I've already decided that much.

debriefing and rehydrating...

2006-11-13T16:59:00.000-05:00

It's been so long since I've updated about life here.

I was talking with my Dad on the phone yesterday, and bless his heart, he is so good at asking questions about the lives of people here (mostly the youth) that I care so much about. We talked for over an hour and I (with tears) came to the realization that I should be having "debriefing" conversations a little more regularly. :)

I have a good friend (you know who you are :) who likes to remind me to drink lots of water after a good cry, sincerly concerned that I get adequate hydration after extended expenditure of H2O. Haha. I am reminded though, as I ramble on here, that in the last couple of months I have found myself quite dehydrated on a number of occasions. Not that I have shed so many tears, but in this country the rate at which one loses water is remarkable (today it was a cool 92 degrees in the shade of our back yard because it was overcast). And on top of that, I have a terrible habit of drinking coffee in the morning, and forgetting my water bottle when I head to the school each day. :)

Thirst, and the body's elementary need for water, is a crazy thing if you have some time to sit and think about it...but I'll spare you more of my rambling. Suffice it to say that far beyond the obvious physical craving, I have seen and experienced a spiritual thirst here and a re-hydration that deserve much more than just the honorable mention I have time to acknowledge here. Maybe I'll elaborate a bit more in my next post about how I've been re-hydrated lately. :)

I also recognized again yesterday (through that same phone conversation with my Dad) that perhaps why so much time goes by between postings, and why I find it SO hard to sit and write home about the ministry here, is that I most often have no idea where to even start. So much is happening. And really, it's not that there is so much happening in my life. I think that it's the constant stream of crisis' that occur in the lives of the people I love here that makes a person (well, me) feel like I could pick a subject and write for hours.

I could tell you about Jessica.
She spent the night at our place on Saturday; I asked her about how things were going in her house this past week, and with tears she told me about how her Dad basically kicked her out. Her mom left about four weeks ago, escaping the verbal and emotional abuse of her spouse, but leaving her five kids to defend themselves against his insults and indifference. She is the girl I support (and represent as guardian) at the high school. Wednesday is report card day. She's been struggling with math.
LORD, I pray that Your love for Jessica would grow to be her confidence and security. Help her mom to remember how much her children need her. Break and soften her father's heart to his family's needs. There is no healing that is too difficult for You, God.

I could tell you about Miguel.
I've written about him before. He's one of the park guys, but the only one who seems to have decided he wants to live seriously for Jesus (so far). He's been doing a bible study with William (a solid young leader here in block 6) and although dropped out of his first year of high school last month, he's been taking big strides in his faith. Today, he was over talking with Bethany when I got home from school around noon. We made rice and lentils and talked with him about his future plans. It sounds like he wants to go to military training instead of continue high school for now. That is scary. Today he was saying he likes to get up around 5:30am and read his Bible outloud before anyone else in his house wakes up (he lives with three of his siblings and all their families).
LORD, I ask You to keep him close to You, and if he does go off to cuartel... give him courage, discipline, faith, and may he be even more excited about sweet times in Your Word in another years time.

I could elaborate a little more on William.
He is a shinning light right now, a faithful servant in the chuch, and a blessing and confidante of many youth in the community. His father just abandoned their home two weeks ago. His mother doesn't work outside their home. William has been studying full-time in university, plus teaching Christian Ed in our school in the mornings. As far as I know, his income and that of his younger brother (when he has work) is the only support their family of 5 has now.
God, continue to allow William to see how You are blessing the lives of others through him. Give him confidence in Your faithfulness and strength, when he feels weak. Provide according to Your will for his family, LORD.

I could tell you about Tatiana.
She's a 20-year-old mother (of a 4-year-old boy), who has been involved in our church, helping out with kids ministry for the last 2 years. She has been back studying (high school) and seeking to honour God and choose His ways in her life. Two weeks ago she arrived at our door around 10pm. She is pregnant again, and only as a result of a weak moment in the hands of a man who has pursued her actively for over a year. He has his own family, and Tati wants no future with him. Unfortuneatly her choices have reaped severe consequences, and her weakness she won't be able to hide. Sitting in the hammock with her that night, I came to understand God's grace at a new depth. He delights in her, rejoices over her, and embraces her repentant heart.
LORD, please use this time to deepen Tatiana's dependance on You. Bless the regular times she will spend studying Your Word with Janet. Use weakness for Your glory, God, as only You can do.

I think I will stop there. The list goes on and on, as you can imagine.

Jesus said that He gives "living water". Whoever drinks water from any old well will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water that He gives, will never thirst again.

Thank God that in a land where the dusts blows, the ground is cracked and dry, and the need for water felt so desperately, the well is deep... because He is here.

The well is deep for Jessica, Miguel, William and Tatiana.
Jesus' well is deep for me. And in His spring of living water, the water wells up to eternal life.

Jorja Grace Lillis

2006-11-09T13:27:00.000-05:00

CONGRATULATIONS to Sarah (Tyrrell) and Sean Lillis, new parents of a healthy baby girl born on Sunday, November 5th. I'm so thankful to God for her safe delivery and so sad to be so far away right now! May He bless you both and your new little bundle. xo

purple shag carpet

2006-10-20T23:15:00.000-05:00

Alas, it was too good to be true indeed. Our Canadian visitor has had a change of plans and she is leaving us and heading home on Tuesday...that leaves me four days to take advantage of free internet. So here I sit in my pyjamas, (for those of you complaining that i haven't posted anything even with the internet at my fingertips) sacrificing sleep to give an update of sorts. :) Really, it's no great hardship.

I did want to highlight something cool that happened this week. Well, maybe only the few family members that frequent my blog will be able to appreciate it, but I'll share it anyway. I forget what day it was, but I got a little letter in the mail. The address, Oakville Ont... I don't know anybody from Oakville, I don't think.

On a little sheet of stationary, the following note was roughly scribbled, (evidence of a hand that has proven the test of time) ...

"Dear Janna -
Recently I noticed your note on Hopedale Bible Chapel bulletin board. You mentioned your grandpa Ray Fox. I worked for him at FOX Cartage and Storage, (Trenton, Ont.). I was sales and claims manager for 3 yrs in North Bay and 2 yrs in Pembrooke. He sure had a heart to preach the Gospel. I remember your Grandma Helen Fox and Father Don, I believe! God bless you Janna. Doug and Vera Bramer. Date of Service 1957-1962. "

Sometimes I send thankyou notes for gifts that come my way via MSC for the ministry here...some to churches, some to individuals. I guess that little note was worth it. Or at least the fruit of it has touched my heart. I didn't cry when I read it, but now as I write my eyes are filling up. I can't help but feel so thankful when I think of my grandparents and their example of their lives dedicated to the message of Jesus'. They are in paradise with Him now, but on earth they lived with an urgency to help others know Him personally and offer Him their lives.

I wish I could have known them, I mean, I did, but I was young. I wish I could know them now. Especially Grandpa, cause I was only 12 when He went home. I'd love to learn how he counseled people, heck, I'd love to be able to make an appointment myself. :) When I was little, Grandpa's study was one of my favorite hiding places in the house at the lake. It was cool, dimly-lit, and the purple shag carpet and musty smelling books that lined the walls were always so inviting. I remember us girls accidently interupting more than a few of Grandpa's personal visitors to his study. And I'm sure in my childhood ignorance I complained as I sat through his sermons occasionally, and rolled my eyes at his lengthy prayers before Sunday roast beef dinners. Now I would give my right arm to hear him pray, or preach from the pulpit. I even struggle to remember what his voice sounded like.

Well, for some reason (God's.), I wasn't blessed to know Grandpa like I wish I could have. But I am blessed now to meet people that did. God did give me more time to know Grammie though, and I'm growing more thankful for that as the years go by, too. I remember on more than one occasion, bounding energetically into her apartment in the first floor of our house and having to quietly tiptop back out as she would be seated on the couch with the phone in hand, eyes closed, praying carefully with the caller, bible open on her lap. God is so good, to give us sweet memories.

When I was home in Canada this summer, I had a number of conversations (that seemed random at the time) with people who spoke of both Grammie and Grandpa's love for people and service to the LORD. It was so motivating. They were wise, and passionate about the Salvation they based their lives on. I want that passion, that wisdom.

I was reading in Philipians this morning, Paul talking about his chains for the gospel.

"The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, for I know that...what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain...Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ..."

I feel so challenged. I feel young, like a baby...wondering if I will ever love Jesus like the Apostle Paul, or like many others who have given their lives to him and gone home for their reward, like my Grammie, and like my Grandpa.

Thanks God for such a great cloud of witnesses, and for all the ways you bless and teach us through the people we love. Goodnight.

too good to be true...

2006-10-13T15:14:00.000-05:00

Sweet. We got a new Canadian housemate this week, her name is Krista. She brought her laptop, and somehow is picking up a wireless signal, so here I am sitting on my bed (in front of the fan) updating my blog. I should have prayed for internet a long time ago. Who knew God would answer? :)
Oh shoot, somebody just knocked on the door.
Of course.

uninspired...except for Avocado milkshakes

2006-10-03T17:55:00.000-05:00

Today I came to the cyber to post an update of some sort, but I am feeling rather uninspired. Unfortunately today is Tuesday, and it could be my only chance to spend some good quality time on the internet before next Tuesday, shoot. I got sidetracked by emails anyways, oops.
And other people's blogs are so distracting, i confess. How am I supposed to focus on my own when there is so much catching up to do when I do get here?!?
Ok, I only have one thing to say. Yesterday afternoon when I was out, Beth was visited by a couple of the park guys, who have been frequenting our place a little more confidently of late. That is cool. They sometimes bring food to make snacks at our place, and it is great that they feel comfortable in our space...and with us, not judged but accepted even though we know what they do late at night at the cancha amarilla. Well, it's a given that they feel free with Bethany. Anyways, yesterday among the crew that came while I was out, was the biggest dealer in block 6, Willy and a couple of his friends. They made Avocado milkshakes, and they left one for me. Totally gross. I could only bear one little sip, but for whatever reason...it made my day. Random. Simple. Jesus. It's amazing what a person can see, if one looks for Him.

una carta de una amiga...

2006-09-23T12:24:00.000-05:00

This week I got a letter in the mail (real snail mail :) from Natacha and Benjamin, complete with a note from Benjamin (on which he drew a picture of the Ecuador jersey I brought him home this summer). So cute. He's a little futból fanatic with a smile and giggle that melts me from the inside out. Thank you Natacha. Your note blessed my heart. I love mail and I miss you. :)

daises, a stick shift, and a piece of cheesecake...

2006-09-14T18:06:00.000-05:00

So, for whatever reason, I have been able to spend some extra time at the internet cafe this week. And I must say, it's really nice.

About a week and a half ago, I kinda went a bit nuts (my "people-0-meter" reached its max capacity), and I launched into a week of seclusion (well, obviously I still went to school the mornings I had classes) in which I organized my disaster-zone bedroom, dusted EVERYTHING, scrubbed the bathroom, cleaned the floor, cooked some yummy Ecuadorian dishes (vegetable soup and shrimp ceviche) ...and baked a cheesecake with Bethany. I don't know if my domestic hormones were kicking in (no such thing right?)...or if it had just simply been TOO long since I had taken care of "things" on the inside of life. :) Seriously though, me hizo bien. And not to mention the extra time I took to just "be" with God. Sometimes not even reading my Bible or praying, but just "being". For some reason, when the house is clean, the lights dimmed, the candles lit, Chopin in the cd player...when I can shave my legs, clean under my toenails and sit and read in the hammock uninterupted, it does something to me that I can't explain. :)

Somehow it brings relief.
And while whatever it is in me, gets relieved in those "still" times, there is rest inbetween. There is, because somehow I can go for months (sometimes) without this relief. Yes...there is rest inbetween. And honestly I can say that the LORD is that rest. The hour of quiet in the morning...before Carlos, our water boy bangs on the door, brings so much rest (even when the sink is piled high with dishes, my dirty clothes are all over the dusty floor, ants swarm the counter top, and the garbage can stench draws a buzzing family of fruit flies). And never in my life have I lived, feeling the need for that time with God each day, more. It's a desert here without it. And the days I sleep in and have to rush to school without sitting under the tap for a while, those days feel dry...and I am parched by the time I get home, mid-day. And it's not just because it is hot.

So yeah. Last week was a good week. And I am thankful to God for the small blessings and the big ones He pours into my life. A standard driving lesson early last Saturday morning...my first time behind the wheel south of the equator. A Mary Poppins cheesecake date with the roomie late Thursday night after we should have been at prayer meeting. Pink daisies on our kitchen table. Baby pigeons on the window sill. Etc.

I am just so thankful for the personal way the LORD shows up to say "Te amo hija. Janna eres Mía". And while I may run around like Martha, preoccupied with "many things" (and most times many people), I have been reminded so uniquely these last couple weeks of Jesus words to a couple of women He loved, "only one thing is necessary". Jesus affirmed the deliberate rest Mary chose, silent, expectant and waiting, seated at His dusty feet.

Or rather, I imagine that perhaps Martha had already washed those beautiful feet.

miguel

2006-09-12T12:24:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago now, about two
weeks after I got back to Ecuador, the senior high youth in block 6 went to the beach for the day. Before arriving at camp though, we took a little tour of some big rocks not too far from Playas, "el Morro". Everybody thought it was pretty cool, especially I think, because there was some risk invovled climbing to the top. At the top, the view was awesome, Playas in the distance, the Pacific coastline, the tallest palm tree in the world (the old camp :)...etc. There we prayed a little, sang to the LORD and Daniel gave a short talk about God's purposes in our lives. This is Jorge showing me just how delicious cactus is...

So, I want to tell you about this kid, Miguel. I've wanted to write about him for a long time. Before I went home to Canada this summer I knew him as "Arrozito", one of the "park guys" who came to camp this past March and made a decision to accept Christ. That's really all I knew about him, and that he had been attending the Sunday Bible study (specifically for the park guys) pretty faithfully ever since. I had kinda connected with him before I left for two months, just in a little small talk here and there, and a few smiles. (The truth is, that I have a roomate who is a natural at connecting with all these park guys, and compared to her I feel like God could never use me in their lives. I know I am wrong to think that way, but I just appreciate Beth's heart and the way God has gifted her.) So yeah, I came back from Canada and connected with Miguel (yellow hat) right away. This kid amazes me. And mostly because I can see God so at work, saving His life...
Miguel's mother abandoned the family when he was about six years old. He then lived with his father, who did odd construction jobs to support the 8 or 9 kids left in his care. Miguel told me that he always worked with his Dad to provide for the family. One morning, when Miguel was 11 years old, he woke up and found his father, who had been in the hospital sick, dead, beside him in bed. Since the death of his father, Miguel has lived with his older siblings (who now have families of their own sharing the same space), and continued to struggle to keep at least rice and eggs on the table. Thanks to the income and generosity of his two older brothers, Miguel began to attend school for the first time (grade one) when he was twelve years old. Just last year (17 years) he graduated from elementary and is now studying in his first year of high school, with the help of Timoteo.

I wish that you could sit and listen to him talk like I can. He is one of the most generous, kind and thoughtful kids I have ever met. He is friends with the park guys, but never drinks or smokes up with them anymore...usually only plays futbol with them on the weekends. And Miguel played circles around the guys in the beach futbol game, the weekend we all went to the camp. :) That same day, he and I talked all the way home on the bus. He gave me a friendship bracelet and later that week he gave me some of his drawings. I have been so thankful that he considers me a friend. He really struggles with loneliness, and seems to fight feelings of guilt and self-worthlessness constantly. So needy for affection, and just to have someone to talk to. He has also really connected with William (leader of the guys bible study) since camp, and talks easily with Bethany, so I am so thankful for that. :) He confessed to me the other night when we were chatting outside of the church after prayer meeting, how many times he thought of suicide when he was a kid. He said he used to plan to tie up a rope, write a letter to his brothers and sisters, and just end it all. He said, "janna, God has saved me so many times." And it is so true. Beth bought him a Bible last week, because he was getting frustrated at bible study that his little New Testament didn't have Psalms or Genesis. When I gave him the Bible, he didn't say much but the smile on his face... made my month. It's not fair what Miguel has had to live through, but God is in the middle of a resue operation that is so wonderful to stand by and witness.

This is Janina. A story for another day.

haven't you always wanted a mon-KEE?

2006-08-30T10:50:00.000-05:00

Tarz has gone back to his family now...but that's just down the road. We miss him, but we can still visit. Really, he belongs in the jungle... i don't think we would ever get a monkey for ourselves - it was too sad to see him in captivity and imagine what life would be like for him in freedom. I'm not an animal lover, but i confess... he is pretty cute. His only downfall was that he ruined my little fig tree (in which we let him frolic freely without a diaper during the day), and he used to bite when we put his diaper on at night. Well, I guess, he didn't ruin my tree, but it's pretty spindly-looking now after he peeled all the bark back looking for little bugs. :) Monkeys do belong in the jungle.

monkey buisness

2006-08-24T17:56:00.000-05:00

Ok, so this is the little orphan Beth and I have been looking after for the last three days. Cute huh? Dale and Janet Horst (and their four boys) bought this little squirrel monkey about three weeks ago from somebody who was trying to sell him. They named him "Tarz", and this week they are away for a few days, so we have become his foster home for the time being.

Craziness. I always wondered what it would be like to have a monkey? :) And I still think they should have named him George.

We have decided that the makeshift diaper is a great remedy for his monkeyness while he is in our house. :) He pees all the time.

Yesterday and today he spent most of the day outside climbing in our little fig tree (diaper-free) and eating bugs, raisins, peanuts, and bread. Poor little guy...I sent a couple of our school kids out hunting for grass-hoppers and other little bugs for him to eat. He's pretty easy to love.

Awwww.

the Scotia

2006-08-24T16:28:00.000-05:00

These are the last of my pictures from Canada.

Here we are, my last weekend at home, making memories like tourists, but with entirely different sentiments, i must say.

Dad enjoyed the photo shoot...while I felt entirely awkward "posing" for the camera. But nevertheless, we enjoyed a beautiful afternoon in Chester (umm, homemade seafood chowder) and driving along the coast, with a few necessary :) stops along the way.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY Mom and DAD!

31 years is a marathon, and I hope it is only a half-marathon for you guys!! I love yas.

tungurahua

2006-08-23T17:21:00.000-05:00

Last Thursday, Aug. 17th early in the morning one of Ecuador's four active volcanoes began erupting, and continued with fury for the next four days. Tungurahua is 5029 meters above sea-level, and deep in the Andean mountain range...about a 6 hour winding bus-ride from us here on the coast. I have stayed in the small town of Baños (famous for it's hot springs), which is tucked under this active volcano on a few occasions - including a trip with Sarah last summer, and a holiday with Mom and Dad and Chris this past Christmas. On Christmas day there was dark grey smoke coming from the mouth of Tungurahua. At the time, it was so cool to witness volcanic activity..."live". I must say, I am sure that the 3-4000 Ecuadorian citizens that have been displaced from their homes because of this disaster, would not agree. Six have been killed, others burned in the steam and lava flow, and many left home-less with a complete loss of crops and livestock. My heart broke when I heard about the crises for so many people, and mostly for those who live so humbly off the land. It is beautiful countryside in the mountains. I do confess that I did, and still do have the urge to see something like this in person. However, as my roomate put it, so bluntly...I don't want to have anything to do with "disaster tourism". Please pray for those that are suffering because of loss during this time.

"I am the LORD, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God. I will stengthen you, though you have not acknowledged me, so that from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting, men may know that there is none besides me. I am the LORD, and there is no other. I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I the LORD, do all these things...And there is no God apart from me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none but me."

fox family

2006-08-16T18:51:00.000-05:00

Shauna, the new mama. Hard to believe we used to play dolls and now she is the real thing. :)

I met baby Hannah for the first time when I was home.

A Fox-family reunion of sorts. :) My cousin Emily entertaining the newest member of the family, my cousin Shauna's baby girl, Hannah.

malagash

2006-08-16T17:37:00.000-05:00

...squeeze me please

... my favorite duo

...the orphan three

...a thousand words

Jenn, Sarah and I directed Senior teen camp in July. I was so blessed to be up there this summer. So blessed.

pei wedding

2006-08-16T16:31:00.000-05:00

A picture of the beautiful bride (and Auntie Joan and Uncle Steven). The wedding was like something out of a magazine. But I didn't get too many great pics.

Nanny and Pappy and I just behind the farm house. It was so nice to be with them while I was home. Time was too short though. A special blessing to share about Ecuador at their church too.

pei

2006-08-16T13:44:00.000-05:00

This is our family lighthouse. Hehe. :) Well, not really, but my great grandfather was the keeper for many years. It's the most beauttiful lighthouse on the island. West Point.

Jaclyn (cowgirl) had her wedding shower that weekend so we got a few cousin shots (with jess) for memory sake...

Our little road trip to the island while Chris was still in the East. And oh the pictures we took...

Sweet clouds, eh Chris?

The island. This one is Nanny and Pappy's farm (mom's homestead) ... and behind me, the red capes and Atlantic. Oh yeah, and a lot of potatoes.

intensidad

2006-08-16T13:08:00.000-05:00

ECUADOR - INGLATERRA

the Atlantic

2006-08-16T10:28:00.000-05:00

The Atlantic coast. It was SO cold. And we got soaked, remember SuzieQ? :)

And camp. The favorite place.

Upon arriving finally in Halifax, i made a point of visiting a few of my favorite places. This is early one morning...do you know the spot? Sweet salt air and seagulls.

family

2006-08-16T09:52:00.000-05:00

And we also got to connect with our cousin Luke who is studing computer tech stuff (beyond me) in the big city. No pictures, but we also hung out with his big brother, Josh and fiancee in Regina. These boys are like brothers. :)

And then, after hours of driving (of which I LOVED being behind the wheel finally!) we arrived in Toronto and spent more time with family, my cousin Sonya and her husband and girls...

From there, our journey home through the States allowed us to connect with my cousin Jen and her sweet family in Iowa, as well as with my dear friend, miss Sarah (Tyrrell) Lillis who is expecting a baby in November! (pictures to come)...

The following week I spent some sweet time with my sister in Edmonton where mom and dad met up with us and we hung out as a foursome again finally and celebrated Chris's graduation from U of A Nursing. Horray, an RN!! :)

beauty

2006-08-16T08:58:00.000-05:00

So. CANADA.
Well, I arrived in the sweet homeland out West, which isn´t so much "home" to me, but beautiful and breath-taking all the same. I spent some quality time with good friends (Jill, the Contact crew from home, Paul, Scott), and was blessed with a highlight hiking trip up Chinaman's Peak, in Canmore with Denis and Charlotte (Laura was unfortuneately home sick). Sweet times, reveling in God's Creation and His good gifts. To breathe deep, clean, fresh, cold air...ahhh.

later

2006-08-15T19:15:00.000-05:00

Here I am. It's Tuesday...and this is all I have time for. Shoot. I'll post later...

constant

2006-08-08T14:20:00.000-05:00

So, I'm back in the southern hemisphere again. And the sun definitely feels closer.
It is the perfect time of year to reajust to the Ecuadorian climat; not too hot during the day (only 25-30 degrees celcius), chilly enough for a sweatshirt in the evening, and cooler in the morning -making a hot cup of coffee that much more enjoyable. All the Ecuadorians think it's so cold. :)
Life here is great. The traffic is still crazy, the dogs keep barking, and there continues to be lots of people coming to our door to visit. It's been nice to be home with Beth. I feel like our little orange house is home, I really do...so it's nice to come back to something so familiar. I think I feel that way about everything really. I remember arriving back in Canada over two months ago and feeling a little uncomfortable, or just strange I guess, manouvering through the culture. "Fresh off the boat" was my sister´s oh-so-sensitive way of putting it. :) But I certainly didn't feel that way arriving back here. And that was, and is still, comforting.
I started teaching my English classes last week and "señorita, señorita!" has been music to my ears. I'm not sure how long that will last but I'm enjoying it these days. It´s been fun distributing the toothbrushes, stickers and worksheets I brought for the school from my dentist in Fall River. Lots of smiles. I laughed when telling one class that I had brought them something from my dentist and some of the kids shouted out "caramelos?!?!?" (candy) Oh gosh. At least they didn't say "cola?!?" :) I had my first grade 3 music class yesterday and all the kids wanted to do was sing the whole time...it was so fun! Again, their good behavior may only be a "honeymoon" phase for now, but it's great. :)
Things with youth are busy and I'm trying to jump back into things again. We were at the beach this past weekend, at the new camp...and I continue to be amazed at how God has made that dream a reality. It was a sweet weekend with the youth discipleship group from block 10, and just a reminder of God's faithfulness and consistency in their lives - and in my own life. He is so committed to us. Since coming back it has been such an encouragement to see change in some of the youth that have been continuing to grow and offer their lives to God. A awesome reminder that the LORD is the Author and the Perfector of the faith He has given to those that trust Him (Hebrews 12:1-2). Anyways, during the weekend at camp I found myself singing Dee´s song "Constant" the whole weekend (as I often come back to it), so I picked up a guitar and am trying to translate it for the youth here. (I need to ask you Dee, if you mind?!?)
So yeah. Here I am at the internet cafe...Tuesdays are my days off (no classes) so I'm going to try to post news every week on Tuesdays. We'll see how faithful I can be. My next post will be pics and a brief review of my two months in Canada, I hope. :)

home

2006-07-18T01:11:00.000-05:00

This is a first for me, but it's high-time.
And yes I'm on my way home...
Well, when I first thought about making this blog I was on my way "home" to Canada, but six weeks have passed, and my travel "home" to Ecuador is pending, less than two weeks from now. So, where is home? I dunno, but thank the good LORD I don't have to decide. Home is where He is...so i hope that those of you who care and enjoy catching up on things in my life will find that truth in these pages. And at the very least, this blog will be a good reminder to me that all of this, that I call life, is just part of my journey home...