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!