One more time around

"The end of all things is near," well thats what it said in the Lord of the Rings and so it seems at times here. However, that is not the case. As these last weeks wind down, only 3 days left, it gets tougher and tougher to leave. There is so much here after 3 months that it is hard to leave. The construction and what we completed on the church (wall, door, columns, floor, stairs, tiling, painting, cleaning...) So much has changed and its been great to watch it grow. Even harder though are the people and relationships here. The family I am staying with in particular Fernando who has become a best freind and a brother, the people I work with everyday, the youth and the kids at the church and of course the pastor and the rest of the congregation along with everyone else that I have come to know. The list is sooo long. On top of it all the coutry is just gorgeous, soooo much in such a small country. To leave this and the nice weather and return to freezing temperatures and snow seems cruel at times. All this and so much more makes leaving here so hard. However, God is slowly giving me peace with leaving as there are people waiting for me at home, work to be done and of course, the hope of returning.

I apologize for not writing last week, I was a little short on time. To be honest the last 2 weeks have been more relaxed. Last week was filled with 1/2 days of work as we slowly prepared for the wedding last weekend. The wedding was a huge success, the first at the church and the first for the pastor. Every thing went great and it was a thoroughly enjoyable time. It was very similar to in the states, though in Spanish of course. It was held outside on an absolutely gorgeous day. The reception afterward was held on the second floor and everyone enjoyed it. Sunday was church as normal except our normal pastor (pator Luis) was visiting another church so the youth pastor, Franklin, gave the sermon. This week has subsequently been filled with last rendezous. Monday Fernando and I went and spent the afternoon in the center city, seeing a couple cites but otherwise just walking and talking. Tuesday and Wedsnday I spent with the contractor (Marcos) and his family. He has 2 sons and a daughter all in high school and just a really great family. I really enjoyed being able to spend time and talk with them. I'm really gonna miss that family. Thursday, I went with Guillermo and Rosa to Mindo, a town about 2 hours away. Unfortunately it was real cloudy, a rarity and we couldn't see much. We did however see a bunch of hummingbirds. Usually the town is filled with them and butterflies. However, becuase of the clouds and the lack of more time we couldn't see the butterflies and the waterfalls that help make the town so beautiful. Today was pretty relaxing, tonight we will go in to see the city at night. Tomorrow we are going to visit another city, Otavalo and then in the evening there is a going away party for me at the church. Sunday is church and packing and early Monday morning I leave for the airport. My flight leaves at 8:30am and after a layover in Atlanta I get into JFK around 8, assuming all goes according to schedule but you know how flying can be. So yeah, that is how my time is wrapping up here. I am really excited to see everyone back home, I really am. Its just tough leaving another family back here. Thanks again for all your prayers and support, they have been a huge blessing and aid here. God has used your help to do really awesome things here. Thank you. I love you all and look forward to seeing you all soon.

Hummingbirds (coibri) from Mindo

Project: stairs

So yeah, stairs didn't come with the original pouring of the floor so 3 weeks later now we built stairs. This week, starting Monday we built the forms and supports for the stairs. heading up to the 3 floor. Now I don't have to climb up the column. haha. Much easier. But yeah, it was a pretty good week, all went well. Monday was exciting as I had a nice fall but nothing too bad. I was walking around on a makeshift scaffold when I stepped on a board that I knew I probably shouldn't have. I was just trying to turn around right quick but that half second was enough for the board to break and me fall through only the catch myself with an arm and a leg. haha. Quite Indiana Jonesish. Anyone, one nice scrape down my arm and everything is good. Everything has gone smoothly from there on out and today we finished the forms and support as we prepare to pour the concrete tomorrow. Also, the space in front of the church has become a formidable vollyball court and we ruitinely play a game of volly after lunch. Its a bit different than vollyball in America as they play with 3 people and the rules on hitting the ball are a bit more liberal. But yeah, thats always a good time, especially cuz the losing team always buys something to drink. Its all good fun though. haha.

Other than the ongoing construction this week, last weekend was pretty relaxed. Friday I took the day off to rest after being sick on Thursday. I feel much better now, havn't had a problem since Thursday so I think it may have just been what I ate. However, with the free time, we took a trip to the Mitad del Mundo (middle of the world). That was quite the experience. There is actually a giant monument and park with stores to honor the middle of the world, however, its not actually on the equator. The French came and decided thats where it was even after the native indians had found its true location. Now, however, GPS has confirmed that the indians were in fact correct and there is a smaller monument and museum there to honor the true location. We went to the real deal. With a guide we went through the museum as the talked about the native indians of Ecuador and various rituals and how they lived. It was pretty neat and they had a real shrunken head. Craziness. They also took us to the equator and had a number of demonstrations as proof. Of course there is the coreolis effect (the effect of the spin of the earth on draining water, the cyclone effect as it goes down the drain). In the northern hemisphere, home, it rotates counterclockwise. Here in the southern hemisphere it rotates clockwise and on the equator... it doesn't rotate at all!! It just goes straight down. Also, because the forces from the north and south are balanced at the equator, it is fairly easy to balance a raw egg on the head of a nail. That was cool to do. Also, if you walk on the equator with your arms out and eyes closed, you can feel the magnetic pulls from the north and south tug at you as you walk. Crazy feeling. But yeah, all in all it was real neat and definately interesting to see how being in a specific location can change so much.

Other than the excursion to the equator, the weekend was rather uneventful. Saturday was youth group, always a good time. And Sunday morning was church where I learned that there will be a wedding at the church on March 14th. That will be exciting to see. Sunday afternoon was filled with talk of doing stuff and in the end not much happened as Fernando and I spent the afternoon helping a freind with technical drawings. haha, real exciting stuff. But yeah, can't complain, all is going well here. I'm alright, a slight cold but I feel fine. Just yeah, continue to pray for the work and for safety and that God will continue to use the rest of my time here to complete His work. Hard to believe there is just over 2 weeks left. 2 weeks from Monday I will be on my way home. But yeah, until there, I'm enjoying life here. I hope all is well back home, I love and miss you all!

I realize I never posted pictures of the work done while the group from the states was here. Here is the sanctuary which was tiled and the cieling painted. It looks so much nicer and is infinitely brighter.

Here is on of the bathrooms, both of which were tiled and painted. The toilets are installed and waiting for the water to be hooked up. They are still waiting for the cabinets and sinks to be installed but it actually looks like a bathroom now. haha

Here is a current picture of the church as a whole. Here it is with the third floor up top. The stairs are on the right hand side there, the new ones will continue up from there. Eventually, when the church has the money, they walls will be built and the sanctuary will be on the second floor.

Here is our work for the week as we built the forms for the stairs, which we completed today. Tomorrow we will fill them and after 2 weeks or so we can remove the forms and they will be ready for use.

Another week...though interesting

So yeah, this week kinda flew by. Not too much happened but at the same time a lot I guess. Friday I bought a bunch of soccer balls and bibles for the church. That was pretty cool. They have definately enjoyed that. I also finally recieved letters sent to me from a month ago. haha. A little late but always good to hear from home. Saturday was pretty chill till youth group, which was a blast. We played all sorts of games becuase this week is Carnaval, a popular holiday here in Ecuador. Here in Quito they play with water, which meant that everyone gets soaked. Definately a good time as I walked home dripping wet. haha. But everyone had a good time. Sunday I went back to Ambato with Juan and Rosa. Sunday morning was a parade that was nice. The floats are gorgeous and designed completely out of flowers, fruit and bread. Afterward we went to a park where we walked around and looked out over the city of Ambato. That night as we were on the roof watching fireworks, I turned around and was able to see the volcano, Tungurahua, erupting. Lava glowing red and all. That was real real awesome. It was too far away to take a picture though. All that same it was mad sweet. Monday was fairly relaxed during the day until around 5 we went to get seats for the parade. The parade that night was better. Tons more people and more floats and bands and everything. I caught a number of prizes thrown including an apple, a clementine, a poster, a candy and bread. (It helps I'm always one of the tallest people around. haha). Afterward is when the madness began. In Ambato they play Carnaval with spray foam. Soooo, everyone was quickly armed and covered in foam of varying colors. It was absolutely crazy with just tons of people packed in the streets, music blaring, foam flying. It was crazy but tons of fun. When we finally got back to the house around midnight my hat was soaked and my arms and face were multicolored from the foam. I was exhausted and passed out pretty quick. Tuesday morning Juan and I woke up and returned back to Quito where we showered and changed and felt soooo much better. haha. That afternoon a couple girls from the church came over for help with their math. Fernando and I helped them admist our competitions to solve geometry problems. Man I'm rusty. I really miss math and calc and physics. After that we continued to talk for a while about relationships and other stuff. It was a good time of just talking and sharing. Afterward, Fernando remembered he had an English project due the next day so We spent the next hour or so making a history of his life as I helped him with the English.

Wednesday I resumed work, only to find out that they had been working Monday and Tuesday, which Fernando told me they weren't. Oh well. We finished removing the forms and supports for the new floor and cleaned up the second story. It was a pretty easy day filled with removing nails. Although I did get in a tussle with board as I removed it from the cieling. I got a nice cut on my hand and wrist but not too bad fortunately. That morning I finally gave into the fact that I have a cold so my nose has been running like a faucet. Last night I spent a lot of time relaxing and reading and watched the first half of Wall-E before going to sleep. Good movie. This morning I felt better and headed off to work as normal. The morning went by fine and I prepared columns for the maestro to plaster. However after lunch my stomach started hurting, cramping real bad. I tried to go to the bathroom but couldn't and quickly started buring up and sweating till I threw up. Not a plesent experience. On top of it all my stomach was still cramping I was reduced to laying on the tile floor to rest and cool off. Finally I got up and walked to Lynford's house where Sharon, his wife, helped me lie down and gave me some tums. I ended up falling asleep for about and hour or so and have felt better since I woke up. Not perfect but better. Now I just gotta take it easy and hope it gets better. So yeah, definately a prayer request for my health as I work to get better. Also that I will continue to turn to God in everything that I find everything I need in him and that I don't grow tired or weary of serving. I am over 2/3 done and closing in on the 3/4 mark (Monday). It gets easy at times to dwell on returning home but I know that there is still plenty of time and plenty that God has for me here. Help to trust and rely on that. Thanks again as always for your prayers and support and love. I'm praying constantly for you and love and miss you all.

I know you can't really tell but its about midnight and the street is still packed with people for about a 1.5 mile stretch and foam is flying.

This is Tungerahua again with an overlook of Ambato.

A whole LOT

Hey all. So I know, I know I didn't post last week. I apoligize, work ran late and my time for calls and posting got cut short. However... Everything was a complete success. The group from the States arrived Thursday night and we worked real light on Friday as we finished preparation for the pour. Saturday was an absolutely perfect day, clear sunny and plenty warm. We had more than enough help and got it all done in 5 hours, less than planned. It turned out perfect. That night we had a fun time with the kids during youth group and the kids loved having all the American's there. Sunday was a good time, after church a lot of the kids hung out and we played soccer and american football. The later didn't go over so well but it was great fun all the same. haha. All the next week we spent tiling and painting the sanctuary and the bathrooms. I learned how to plaster cement, lay tile and crout tile. It was great and with all the help we got it all done. It looks fantastic, completely different from before. Last Monday, my family had the whole group over for dinner. It was busy but great all the same and the food was great. I got to stand in as 1 of only 2 translators, which is a lot more difficult than it looks. My brain doesn't change correctly always and found myself speaking to the Americans in Spanish and the Ecuadorians in English on numerous occasions. haha In the end it was all good and everyone enjoyed the evening. It was great being able to speak English, but according to my family, at the expence of my Spanish. haha. This Monday was there last day of work and we worked to the wire to finish everything up but we got it done. Thanks to God.

Last weekend was incredible. I went with Fernando and Juan to Ambato, a smaller city 2 miles south of Quito. It is well known for it lush and plentiful flowers and fruits. Saturday we went and saw the city of Ambato. It was much more tranquil than Quito. Being Valentines day, I got to talk to Heidi, she even tracked me down in another city. haha. I loved it though, as always. Sunday however was even more amazing. We went to visit Los Banos, a city about an hour from Ambato. It is gorgeous and very popular among tourists, for good reason. It sits at the base of a currently active volcano, Tungurahua, which was mad cool seeing the smoke pour out of as we approached. Becuase of this it is plesently warm and has tons of natural heated pools, fueled by the hot springs from the volcano. It is an absolutely gorgeous city. As you head out there is an route called Avenida de Cascadas, avenue of waterfalls. It is one of the most beutiful places I've ever seen. It winds through the mountains following various rivers and the are tons of waterfalls, absolutely gorgeous. On top of it all, I went bungie jumping over a river. OH MAN!!!! UNBELIEVABLE!!! haha I loved it!! It really was intense and deffinatley had butterflies before and after but I loved every second of it. All in all it was an incredible day filled with excitement and absolute beauty.

This week has been real relaxing. We worked Monday to finish everything up but for now there isn't anything to do until next week when we remove the supports from the floor. So Tuesday I met Fernando in the center city after he finished his English class and we spent the day visiting measeums, the bascillica and other cites. It was a real good day with lots of fun. Yesterday Juan, Fernando and I went and visited a couple malls in the north part of Quito, the rich area, haha. We had a good time and we went bowling and played pool. It was their first time and was funny to watch. We had a real good time though. This week has been a good time to relax and experience more of Quito.

So all is well here. God has continued to bless me and my time here. I do miss home a lot but I continue to be filled here. The last couple days my stomach has been bothering me a bit as I think some of the food is catching up to me, though not bad. Don't worry. Just pray for this that it will get better and not worse. Continue to pray that God will provide me with His work and His guidance while I'm here. Thanks as always for the support and prayers and love. I miss and love you all and can't wait to get home in less than 5 weeks.

The bascillica. Impressive, gorgeous and yeah, we had a good time running around there. haha

Me in front of a waterfall in Los Banos. Absolutely gorgeous and yeah, yeah I slipped and my feet were wet the rest of the day. haha

Tungurahua. Awesome. It was real cool seeing a live volcano spewing smoke. Got blessed with a clear shot too. Mad cool.

And yeah, I jumped. haha. INCREDIBLE. I would advise to anyone to do it. But yeah, I can now say I jumped off a bridge.

Another week, another great experience

Wow, freakin incredible week thus far. Saturday we finally installed the front gate for the church, which looks great. Also, the youth went out to the neighborhood and preached the gospel to the neigbors. It was really great to watch them speak and share openly. I spoke some but had some difficulty. It was great to see the people talk about their beliefs about God and see some begin to understand. Others accepted Christ and still others we were able to pray for that someone else might open them more. It was a great experience. Sunday began with another great service. However afterward, the pastor explained the church's plans for the future. eventually they want to build up to 4 floors and have a school there also. They are currently trying to buy the property next to the church for more space. Also, on Sundays they will begin classes for all ages. They will last 6 months and then progress to subsequent levels. A great way to give people a better and deeper understanding of the bible. It is great to see the plans that this church has to grow and the interest and enthusiasm from the people. Monday and Tuesday we continued working on the church as we prepare to pour the floor this Saturday.

Wednesday was incredible. I went with Fernando and Juan, who I am living with and Franklin, the youth leader of the church and we went to Rucu Pichincha, one of the mountains surrounding the city. We rode the Teleferqo (gondolo) half way up and ensued to hike another 2 hours to the top. It was incredible, steep hills, plants, rocks, rock climbing. It was hard, dangerous in parts but absolutely incredible. We were surrounded by clouds and wind. We crossed a death pass, a "bridge" no more than 2 feet wide and from there had to climb a 5 foot wall. haha. I don't know how but we all made it safely. At the summit was awesome. Surrounded by clouds and wind and bit of snow. All around seemed to fall away to steep rocky slopes to nowhere. Afterward when we finally made it down, we traveled into the city for a late lunch. We had pan de yuca, which is one of the best things I have tried here and its freakin incredible. By the end of it all I was exhausted and my legs were more or less rubber however, it was a phenomenal day.

Today was another long day of work, we are almost ready as we finish up preparation for Saturday. The group of 10 from the states arrive tonight and they will be here for 12 days. Saturday is the big pour as people from a number of different churches are coming to help, we are guessing around 60 people to help. It should be incredible. Overall everything is great. I feel good and God continues to refresh me everyday. Its been incredible. Thanks so much for your love and prayer, its going a long way. Hope everything back home is going well. I love you and miss you all.

The "death pass". yeah I was a bit nervous, haha. But we all made it alright.

The 4 of us (and a picture of Franklin's sister who couldn't be with us) at the summit. Lots of clouds and wind.

A view of the city from a bit below the cloud line. The city is huge and this is only one angle but it was incredible to see it all laid out.

1/3+ there

The 1/3 mark was on Saturday (my moms birthday (Happy Birthday again)). It has flown by in a lot of ways. My time here has definately been great. In so many ways I would love to come home and share it all with you now and sometimes I want nothing more than to do just that. I miss you all like crazy but I keep resting in the fact that God still has more for me to do here. Work is going great and moving quite well. Last week we constructed all 15 columns to support the second floor, this week we are building the beams between the colums. Each day is great as God continues to fill me up with just enough for the day. I wake up each morning refreshed and refilled. The days are great and by bed time (9:30) im exhausted and crash. Pray that he continues to fill me and keep me safe. My hands are a wreck with minor cuts but nothing serious. Here are a few pictures of whats going on down here.

This is the living room of the house I'm staying at, just so you get an idea. God has blessed me with rather comfortable living conditions. I have my own room and everything. I definately wasn't picturing anything quite so luxurious when I left home. It has definately been great to return to each day after long days of work.

Here is the church. The door on the left is to the fellowship hall currently (when we are done it will be the second floor). THe middle 2 are to the back and the bathrooms, which will be finished soon. and the the right 2 are a storage closet and the stairs leading to the second story. This is prior to the columns being built, I will have a more updated photo next time.

The wall streight ahead (yeah the big grey brick one with the big opening) haha thats the wall we built to surround the church. Eventually (when exactly is perpetually in doubt) there will be a sliding gate in there to close it off. This is what we build the giant trench for and then refilled it with concrete and rocks and eventually layed brick and poured columns over. All in all it turned out pretty good.... just waiting for that gate.

All is going well but there is still plenty of work to be done, even before the floor gets poored. Continue to pray that all goes well and safe as it has, that God continues to fill me up each day and that I will continue to seek and find His calling for life, cuz its a heck of a lot better than mine. haha. Love you all and hope all is well.

-Eric

1/4 done

Hey all, so Saturday was the 1/4 mark. It seems to have flown by and at the same time soooo much has happened. Its been a long time really. haha. I apologize for not updating sooner, last week was pretty busy all around. If I remember correctly, the weekend of the 10th was pretty lax. Saturday the Inca's took me to Ambato, there home town about an hour away. They had big thermal heated pools there so we had a good time there for several hours. The water was yellow, which was slightly disconcerting until they told me that it was naturally that way... thank God for showers haha. No seriously, it was all good. Then upon return Fernando and I went to the youth group at the church. Another great time as we played games, sang and listened to a good lesson on living this new year to the fullest by finding our peace and joy and Christ and not in the circumstances that life throws our way. Sunday we went to church, which each week gets better and better as I understand and become more and more comfortable. Afterward, I just relaxed all afternoon. I watched some soccer with Juan, read, wrote a bit. Talked with Rosa and Juan. Fernando is generally busy with school work as he has a series of huge tests next week.
Last week was pretty busy then. Monday was Ethan's and Mark's last day and Lynford took us out to pizza hut, so clutch. haha. Not portofinos but some good American food. Haha. Tuesday, Rosa and I went to the market to buy produce. The market is freakin huge and filled with fruits and vegetables I've never seen before. We bought plenty, including guanabana (best fruit ever) and mangos. The mangos here are incredible. That afternoon Rosa and Guillermo took me to Centro Historico, the old, historic area of Quito. We saw a number of cathedrals plazas and statues as well as the government headquarters (the white house of Ecuador). I would post pictures but unfortunately I don't have my camera with me. Another time. The rest of last week and this week have been packed as we finished the wall (the door will be ready in a week) and building a closet under the stairs. Again, I would post pictures. I was actually about to write last Thrusday but we lost power, in fact 70% of Ecudor lost power for most of the evening. It was a good night though as I spent time with the Incas. This weekend I kept plenty busy as I helped clean the house on Saturday, followed by youth group that evening. I'm slowly learning all their names and its getting easier and easier to talk, although i'm still a bit slow to understand and speak. Sunday was again Church and a relaxing evening with the family, however, as Juan and I ran out to get bread for dinner, the neighborhood lost power for about 10 min. haha, just to keep things intersting.
This week is off to a fast start. haha. We are starting the second floor and oh what a project this will be. Monday we recieved a bunch of materials and set up the rebar for 4 of the columns and today we filled them. 4/15 done. haha. There is still a lot to go but over the next 2 to 3 weeks, it will all go up pretty fast. God has definately had his hand in it all as everything has gone smoothly without any injury. He has provided everything we need thus far. He has definately been working in me. Each day, despite my lack of sleep at times or soreness, he refreshes me everyday and fills me with joy to help and work. This week has been great so far. it rained more or less for 5 streight days, on and off last week but the last couple days here have been beautiful. I continue to thank God for his blessing in everything and he has definatley carried me along. I'm doing great and my Spanish is coming easier and easier. I still need to learn more vocab and work on my grammer but overall its getting better. Sleep is something of an issue. I've had some trouble sleeping at times, i'm not totally sure why. But somehow God has continued to give me the energy and strength that I need. Pray that he will continue to to do that as well as that he will give more confidance to talk to people. Its tough because my Spanish isn't great and it is difficult to understand them at times. Because of this, I don't talk as much as I want to. Thank you. Thanks again for your continued prayer and support. I love you all and can't wait to recount it all when I see you again.