off to the jungle!!

Conduct yourselves wisely toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. Colossians 4:5-6

This morning at 8 o’clock sharp the gate closed behind us at FHC in Latacunga. We set off to the highway to catch a bus, perfect timing, the bus was going by just as we got out there so we hopped on! After a ½ hour bus ride we pulled into the station and hopped an another bus for 3 ½ hours. 

We drove through the Andes mountains, it was so beautiful! 

We seen so many waterfalls, drove down windy mountain roads, went through tunnels and a lot of the time we were in the clouds. It was so fascinating!! We finally landed in Shell! We stopped at a very hole in the wall restaurant for a typical Ecuadorian lunch! It was about $2 a piece. We received blackberry juice, chicken soup (with one big chunk of chicken floating around), rice, fried banana, baked chicken, baked beans, and apples with yogurt for dessert. It was very amazing and we didn’t get sick!! Yah

We are so excited to be in the jungle!! It is very, very, hot and humid!! I have definitely been spoiled by Quito weather! Latacunga was cold and Shell is hot…..When I get home it will be freezing cold and this summer will seem soooooo hot!

So we hopped in a taxi and arrived at the orphanage but the officials were on lunch so we waited outside playing cards……only in Ecuador right? But we only waited for about half an hour before we were welcomed in!

Casa de Fe (house of faith) is home to about 70 children. There is definitely a lot going on there! Most of the children there will not be adopted. They are currently in the process of building houses were couples will be able to “foster” children, in more of a family setting. They teach the children a lot of English here, so it is a little different to be in an orphanage where they speak English and Spanish. Most of the children are between 1-15 yrs. old. There facility is fairly new and huge! They have a church group from Mississippi there right now, so we definitely got in on some “southern”! “That’s good stuff right thar ya’ll!”

So after the tour we were let loose with some strollers on “baby time”, so we scooped up a couple baby’s and took them for a walk, then we came back and traded and so on…. After that we were able to meet some of the children before we went with them to Bible Club. Everyone loaded up into the back of a truck! There is a missionary in town that has a Bible Club every Wednesday afternoon, there was quite a crowd of children! The lady that was running it was very sweet and definitely has a huge heart for children!

After Bible club we went and visited a little boy who is on life support in the hospital, it was definitely different to be on that end….they have two little ones who are on life support, and not doing well, the director is currently in the decision making process regarding these two little ones, so please pray for wisdom for her.

Then we headed to our living quarters, we are boarding with two girls that are volunteering at this orphanage, one from Canada and the other from North Dakota. We had a little outing with the older girls from the orphanage, then we went out for a $3 hamburger & fries. It was my first hamburger in Ecuador, and it was pretty thin! But it was a hamburger none the less! We had such a good visit with these girls, it was neat to talk to other long-term volunteers and the struggles , laughs, and joys they have as well! So after a quick run to the bakery, and a very eager young man trying to take us home, but we ignored it long enough, so we were able to walk home in peace, but soaking wet! It is raining so hard and the rain drops are huge here! But it is kinda nice to hear the rain again, and felt good after such a hot day!

Its pretty neat to actually think…..I am in the jungle!!! It almost doesn’t feel like Ecuador, the people here actually dress like it is summer! All day I kept telling Natasha, “Were not in Quito anymore!” But I guess its just kinda like the people “down south” compared to us “northerners”. J We are so much more normal! Of course!