>Hi everyone! Well, we’ve passed the one year mark since we first came to Ecuador! Time goes so fast!
I’m finally able to carry on simple conversations in Spanish now, and can usually get the gist of what someone is saying even if I don’t know all the words they’ve said.
Our English group is still getting lots of attention with folks coming to ‘spy out the land’. Right now we have a group of 5 young sisters from British Columbia and Alberta, Canada who will be with us for 3 more months to help out. It’s awesome to have that vim and vigour that young ones add to the service and meetings. They’ve been joining us for our Friday phone census work, so it’s been lively and fun!
A couple from Kentucky and their 21 yr old son and 15 yr old daughter were here for a week or so also, checking out our area and group. They are also looking at Cuenca (further south and a larger city) where they have set up housekeeping for a few months while they visit the different places in Ecuador that have English groups/congregations. We’re excited to hear their report when they get back from visiting the English group in Manta. The C.O. had encouraged them to look into it because they really have a need there.
Ahhh.. the coast… warmth… I still find it too chilly here for my liking. Of course there are pros and cons with any place. The coastal region will likely have more insects, which is a big ‘con’, but I’m thinking the ‘pros’… warmer weather, the ocean (which we both miss very much), and because of the ocean, likely cleaner air… outweigh the few cons. Funny, isn’t it, when you think of someone living high in the Andes, you usually think ‘fresh clean mountain air’, right? uh-uh. The pollution from the zillion buses takes care of that!
Studies continue to be added. Can you believe I actually get up at 5AM on Saturdays now because one of my bible studies can only study at 7AM. She and her husband come from Cayumbe each Saturday for the Otavalo market and set up their booth at 5AM and by 7 they are all ready, but it is fairly quiet still at that time, so I go and sit in her booth and have maybe 20 minutes to 1/2 hr before the tourists start filing by. Then I head over to San Juan for my 8:00 study with Elena. I have three more spread out over Saturday.
Sunday our meeting is at 8:30AM now… it’s a little tough, not having ever been a morning person, but surprising how adaptable we can be!
All for now.