We Have a Winner

So sorry, the results have take over a week longer than I said, but we have been a big o'l house of sickos.  It started with a vicious cold Isabella brought home and then once that was finished, someone decided we were all due for a stomach virus.  We can't really complain because we get sick so much less frequently here than we did in the states,but still...... it isn't any fun.

So,without further ado-   Kathy Blankenship from Austin, Texas is our winner.

Thanks to all who particiapted and we will have more in the coming weeks.

Kathy, please send me an email with your address and we will get the necklace in the mail with the next person going to the states.

Where are you reading this from?

I
finally got around to reading through all of the statistical information Blogger compiles and it was really interesting to see all the different countries that readers are in.  So, I want to hear from you guys- where are you reading this from- and on the toilet isn't an appropriate response!   And to make this a little more interesting there is a give-away to go along with it.  I will randomly choose one responder who will win this wonderful Waroni necklace.


 
 Let the games begin.  Just click on the comment button below, tell us where  you live and make sure to leave your name and email address.  The contest is open until Friday at noon.    I will let you know Friday afternoon who won.

How Do You Celebrate Christmas Day?

This was our 4th Christmas in Ecuador and being away from home isn't easy. Skype definitely helps, but it just isn't the same and our families don't want to stay connected by Skype all day, so we have our visit and then they get back to their Christmas. In our families, Christmas day is THE DAY. Its when we open all the presents. Its when we eat all day long and its when we are with family. Here in Ecuador Christmas eve is a much more important day than Christmas Day. As you know, the hospital always has 3 residents and 3 interns from Hospital Vozandes in Quito. With doctors schedules none of them were able to go home for the holidays so it gave us a chance to have "family" for Christmas dinner. We had a full spread with turkey, dressing, gravy, cranberry sauce, roasted parsnips, corn (real corn on the cob is a special thing for us when we can find it), green beans, pumpkin cheesecake and of course chocolate pecan pie. It was so fun and made our Christmas a little more like home.  Since one of the residents and one of the interns had to cover the emergency room, they came later for dessert.  This group has been very special to us- they are all wonderful people and will be even better physicians! 

Sebastiao is wearing his new Seattle jersey he received for Christmas. 

Isabella lost her front tooth a few weeks before Christmas so she decided to fill in the space with a kernal of corn.

New Year and New Challenges

I know this sounds strange, but I like change.  I get bored very easily.  When I was teaching, I moved the kids desks around way too often, I try to change up our furniture layout, but space isn't my friend.  In the 4 years we have been here, I have had a different job every year.  All of that to say, I get excited about a new challenges.  Oh, and by the way, the space bar on my laptop isn't working too well, so please forgiveme ifthere are a few typoshereandthere..... see what I mean.

So, as all things do (even here in Shell) times they are a changing.  The hospital is about to make some major changes. We don't know exactly what those will be just yet, but Joe and I are excited about what God is doing here.  The economic, social and government aspects in Ecuador are changing.  What once was a country with little to no health care now is building new hospitals and with the help of our hospitals training new family medicine physicians.  What once was a country with dirt roads that made travel close to impossible with the heavy rain we receive, now has nicely paved roads and tunnels through mountains.  There are even communities in the jungle that have internet access! Praise God for the progress that is occurring here.  But we need to adjust and change as well.  Please pray for our leadership as they make the big decisions and with the missionary community and hospital employees that we can all see God's will in the new plan and that we are not scared of the change, but see it as a wonderful new challenge. 

Happy New Year

Happy 2013 to all of you.  May we all be a blessing to our Lord who has blessed us so much in 2012.

For fun you can compare this picture with the picture on the right. Both were taken on Christmas eve one year apart... wow how they have grown.