Friday Updates

First of all a big "THANK YOU" to all of you who have prayed for Rosa. Joe saw her up and on her crutches yesterday and she is doing so much better. She will probably go home next week. As for her hospital bill, another big "THANK YOU" to those of you who have asked how you can help with that. While her hospital bill is minuscule in comparison with what it would be in the states, it is still a large amount for Ecuador, especially a family that lives in the jungle. The hospital charity fund has taken care of half of her bill but the family still needs a little over $1000, so they truly appreciate the help.
While I am thanking everyone, Thanks also for praying for our freight. We got word today that it is out of customs. The furniture we ordered won't be ready until Monday, so we should get everything Tuesday. While we trust God to provide for us, it still doesn't seem real that we will get everything.... I don't think until it is sitting in my driveway, I will believe it!
I will leave you with a picture of the closest volcano to us, Sangay . We had a beautiful clear afternoon today (very unusual) and we could see all of the mountains to the west of us including 2 volcanoes. I will post more pictures later, but I thought you might enjoy this.

Does Prayer Matter?

We have had so many people praying for us over the last few months and I don't think I have ever truly appreciated prayer like I do now. I have lots of unanswered questions about prayer, like why? If God is omnipotent and full of grace and mercy why does he need us to pray for people? why doesn't he just do the "right thing"? Or does prayer really change anything or does it just give us peace about the outcome because we have stopped to realize He is in control regardless?

Whatever the reasoning, God does want us praying for each other, and I truly believe that prayer does matter and prayer does change things. All of this to say that in the midst of the chaos that is my life, I have a new vision for my role in Ecuador. PRAYER. There are so many things that are happening in the hospital, in the lives of the doctors, in the lives of our Ecuadorian friends, that the Lord has shown me the role I can play in praying, just the simple act of prayer.

The children are playing outside and I am reminded of how quickly they are growing up. They will be in school in just a few months and I will miss this time. Research will always be there, I think that prayer is what God has brought me to at this moment.

TIRGWB

TIRGWB or Things I'm Really Glad We Brought: My Crocs: pictured here on my feet, they are not only comfortable and Oh So Cute, but really easy to clean and that is an important factor in deciding on a shoe for Shell. When they get muddy (everyday), I just wash them off outside, and voila, there as good as new! I am so glad I spent the $30 dollars on my new Olivias, I just wish I had gotten them in black also. And for those of you who know me well, I very rarely spend $30 on a pair of shoes, much less "rubber" shoes, but this was a bargain!

Much needed updates

Ok, so we need to update you on many things. First of all, Thanks to everyone who participated in our poll. The correct answer is 25 hours. Yes, our dog Baron went 25 hours without relieving himself, and actually didn't even get a urinary tract infection or anything. He must have urinated for almost 5 minutes straight when he got out of the crate... it was a sight.

As to my trip to Quito on Sunday, thank you so much for your prayers. We serve a big and mighty God! I had left on Sunday afternoon on the 1:45 bus from Puyo and was scheduled to arrive in Quito 5 hours later. The trip to Quito usually takes longer than the trip back as you have to drive uphill into the Andes. The bus itself was probably not too different from the ones that we see on the highways in the States with the exception that the bathrooms are only for the ladies. If a guy needs to go to the bathroom there is plenty of asphalt outside =). The trick is to not drink any coffee and very little water before you get on. I was starting the trip tired from being up all night at the hospital and thirsty as well. Luckily the bus ride was uneventful.

When I finally made it into Quito I was dying of thirst and looking for a bathroom. The new Southern bus terminal in Quito, Quitumbe, is actually very modern and nice. From there I took a cab to the guesthouses that are near the HCJB headquarters in Quito. The funny thing about all of this is that it cost more than twice as much to travel from the bus terminal to the guesthouse ($13) than it cost to travel to Quito from Puyo ($5).
I was hoping that Monday I could take care of things early so I could leave in time to get home at a reasonable hour. What brought me to Quito was to sign a power of attorney in front of a notary allowing the Ecuadorian government to receive our freight (which has already been in the country for 2 weeks). In addition to getting that done early I was also able to get my Ecuadorian registration card, censo, as well. That was not expected, you see NO ONE gets their censo on the first try. Everyone has to go back at least a second time because of some new paperwork, or such . I had defied the bureaucracy gods and was hailed as the 'King of the Aduanas' (king of customs) by some of the other missionaries after I got back! Everyone was surprised with all that I had accomplished and was still able to be on a bus back to Shell before 2pm. The Lord was definitely responsible.

The bus trip back was definitely less stressful. I got back in 4 1/2 hours but did have to suffer through a showing of "The Condemned." The Condemned was the movie they were showing on the bus. It's a WWE production - enough said! It was dubbed in Spanish so I had an easier time tuning it out but couldn't believe they were showing it on a bus that had to have had at least 5 to 10 kids on it. It was bad enough that I had to watch it! All that to say that I had a good trip and hopefully we are one step closer to getting our stuff. Keep praying for us!

What can you get for $7 in Ecuador

I absolutely love having fresh flowers in my house so when I found out that there is a shop that sells them in Puyo (the next town over) I was very excited. For $7 I got 2 dozen large yellow roses, a dozen gladiolas and a bunch of alstromeria. We might not have furniture yet, but there are vases everywhere. Most of the fresh flowers in the US are from Ecuador so they are plentiful and gorgeous.

Update on Rosa

Well, I was going to update everyone over the weekend on Rosa’s condition but had to go to Quito at the last minute, more details later. As I had written Rosa did have her amputation. Unfortunately, it had to be done a little above the knee because of the absence of enough vital tissue below for the “stump”. The next day was still dicey for her as she was still fighting the severe “blood infection”. She required several transfusions, but by the next day she was already looking a little better. She is still receiving intravenous antibiotics but hopefully will go home in the next couple of days.

The loss of her limb still weighs heavily on the family. When her mother finally got to see her she was devastated. On top of all of this her family found out what the bill is. Despite this being a charity hospital, medical services still come with a price (usual a nominal amount). But given her condition and what was needed to treat her, she does have a substantial bill by Ecuadorian standards. Through donations from the supporters of the hospital there is a fund that does help needy families with the payment. Please pray that they may qualify and be free of this other burden. As to her prognosis when she gets home, while she will surely face many unforeseen challenges with only one leg, many children who have had amputations like hers have gone on to never miss a beat – climbing trees, working, etc. Please pray that she may find strength to face all of her upcoming challenges.

Lastly, I do want to thank you for your prayers as they have been answered. Rosa’s father broke down when I told him how many of you were praying for her recovery and the overall health of their family. Please continue to pray that her family may learn to rely on the Lord and seek a permanent relationship with Him.

Our first newsletter from the field is ready for print (on your printer of course). If you did not receive yours by email this weekend and would like it, please let us know. The actual print version will go out by regular mail soon to those of you without email, but then again, if you don't have email, your probably don't ready blogs, but I digress. One of our great friends in Waco has generously offered to print and send those out for us. I will try to figure out how to post the newsletter here on the blog, but I'm probably not that smart.