Bird Watching at Antisana

During our Easter break we got to go bird watching just outside of Quito with a wonderful friend, Sheila.......  well.... the truth is that our friend took Sebastiao bird watching and we were allowed to tag-along.  As you will see from the photos, Sebastiao was surgically attached to the binoculars all day and Bella was just trying to keep herself entertained....  Buckle up because this is a LONG post with LOTS of pictures. 

This was the happiest I could get them together all day.....He had much more important things to do than pose....... Just one reason I might not be invited on the next bird outing!

Ecuadorian bluebonnets

Antisana from a distance with clouds covering the peak.  Antisana is a stratovolcano of the northern Andes, in Ecuador. It is the fourth highest volcano in Ecuador, at 5,704 metres (18,714 ft)

Black-Faced Ibis-  the first bird on our list

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Sheila and Sebastiao checking out the Andean Gulls-  who knew gulls lived in the mountains and not just near the ocean stealing hotdogs?

Rumiñahui  is a dormant, heavily-eroded stratovolcano 4,721 metres (15,489 ft) above sea level.
The volcano is named after Rumiñahui, who was an Inca general at the time of the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire.

Venerable Hawks

Isabella with a Lupine bush (REALLY big bluebonnets)

 And finally we get to why we really went o Antisana...... CONDORS or at least one.  Ok, I promise there is a condor in this picture below, but once it took flight we were so excited that we didn't get any pictures, but he is sitting on a landing in this picture.  Amazingly cool thing to see. 

Calling All Teachers

If you are a teacher, know a teacher, have seen a teacher or ever been taught by anyone, then this entry is for you.  The Nate Saint Memorial School is looking for a new teacher for next year.  It truly is a wonderful place with amazing students.  Unfortunately, I will not be returning as a teacher next year but would highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in short-term missions and is an accredited teacher.  Please let me know if you have any questions or know of someone who might be interested.

TEACHER and PRINCIPAL NEEDED!
Nate Saint Memorial School, a small K-8 school for missionaries’ children in Shell, Ecuador, needs a teacher and a principal for the 2012-2013 school year.
We typically have a staff of five teachers and average 25-35 students.

Business Matters

Just in case some of you didn't recieve our recent email, HCJB Global in Colorado has had a few mail (USPS) glitches recently and several (ok, lots and lots) support checks were returned for no apparant reason.  If you are one of these people, please do not worry.  We are still here in Ecuador and HCJB Global is still in Colorado Springs and we still need your support.  So, if you send in your support through the mail and your latest check was returned please do us a HUGE favor and send the check back.  If you would prefer to have it taken out directly from a checking account or credit card, you can do that by following this link.

http://www.hcjb.org/donate-give-to-missionaries

We truly appreciate your support, both financial and prayer and are reminded everyday that we get to, "do what we do" because of sacrifices from friends back home.  thank you!

Catching Up

In February, we celebrate Carnival. Unlike carnival in Brasil or Mardi Gras in New Orleans, our Carnival is fairly tame with mainly water, flour, eggs and occasional silly string- almost a great start to some cookies.

We also celebrate Carnival at school with school-wide water games.  It never fail, however, to be cloudy, windy and cool that day, which is only a problem for the old teachers (me). 

And yes.....this is how our son was dressed the entire day-  ready for anything!

Love From Afar

Maria was a patient at our hospital recently and had been admitted because of seizures. After getting her stabilized, we discovered that she'd had a history of cervical cancer that hadn't been properly treated. It was discovered that she now had metastases to her brain and a poor prognosis. She's in her early 40's and has several young children and, fortunately, a loving family. We were able to pray with her and her family and send her home on some medications to keep her comfortable.

What she was also able to receive was a small token of God's love through a group from the First Baptist Church in Mart, Texas. The WMU Ladies group has been making colorful pillow cases and sending them to us to give to patients with terminal illnesses. They're able to take them home and be reminded of God's love. So far, we've given 3 of them to patients and been humbled by their appreciation.

We've seen Maria once since this photo was taken but don't think that she'll be with us much longer. Please pray for her, her family, and the others that will come through our doors that they may be touched as Maria was. Please also pray for the Ladies WMU group from First Baptist Church in Mart, Texas.

- Joe

It Begins . . .el año rural (rural year)

This is another of a rare breed . . .a sunset in Shell ;-)

This is the back entrance to our hospital and these windows look into our delivery room and OR area. Recently I was returning home and had turned around to see if the mountains in the background were visible. You know that you might experience a good sunset if they're visible. When I turned around and saw the sky and the stillness I was just overwhelmed with a sense of awe - in our Lord and His creation. I like this picture as it serves as a reminder of His majesty and power.

Just yesterday I was again reminded of this when I finally got word that I was approved to start my rural year. As I'd related in a previous post, I was running into some roadblocks in trying to get this started. The current Ecuadorian laws don't allow for someone to work without some kind of pay in a public health facility. We'd submitted a written request to the government for an exception, and after nearly a month and much prayer from all, I received word that my request was granted. What this means is that my rural year will have started on February 1 and when finished, I have a few more smaller steps to be "legal" (I'm currently working under the license/supervision of another of the missionary's license here). Thank you to all who prayed for us during these last two months.

-Joe