General Update

Friends,I have lots to tell, so please bear with me as this update might be all over the place.

I have now been in Ecuador for about seven weeks. In some ways it feels like it has been that long (maybe longer) but in other ways it seems as though I just got here. I am very much enjoying my time here and most of all I am happy to be learning much about the culture and what it means to be a missionary of the Cross of Christ. I don’t think I’ll go into that now, but hopefully another time.
To give you an update, my Spanish is coming along, but I still get frustrated with how much I don't know. Thankfully, the kids are really helpful and patient in teaching me. And speaking of the kids... O how I love to work with them. They are so affectionate, which is just fine with me. I love giving out hug after hug, often two or three to the same child before he or she leaves to go home. Whenever the kids want you to go anywhere, even if it’s just a few feet away, they grab your hand or cling to your arm. Unfortunately, many of them don't have a wonderful family life. One of the most difficult things to learn of and see while we have been here is the extensiveness of the brokenness in so many of the families. Adultery is nauseatingly abundant. However, I would like to stay away from any kind of cultural dogging as it may take the issue away from the source. Hard to watch as it may be, people here (as people anywhere) need Christ, not unbroken families.
On a lighter note, I would say that the coolest thing I’ve seen/experienced... is pretty hard to say. Ecuador is more amazing than I could have thought. We have gone into the jungle twice and I think it would take up too much space to write down all the details to do it justice. The first time Wyatt and I swam across a head river to the Amazon and stayed in a small town where monkeys inhabited the square (we fed them peanuts). The second time we stayed with a missionary couple and saw MAF (mission aviation fellowship) which flies supplies into and out of isolated jungle areas. This was also the main hub for Jim Eliot and the other missionaries who were killed around 50 years ago. It was interesting to walk into an old house and see some of the old radio equipment that they used to communicate with the planes and missionaries. I was also able to go to a small missionary hospital and talk with the administrator and one of the doctors about how they work and the people they see... goodness, it is hard to describe (I won’t attempt to). The missionaries we stayed with actually own land that was used in the movie "Proof of Life" and we got to see an amazing waterfall up close. It was incredible, especially when surrounded by mountains covered with trees. The sites and the views in the jungle were simply astonishing.
Another thing I really love is that just about any food here is fresh. Because of the weather, one can grow just about anything. In the missionary's yard, there are six avocado trees (one that produces avocados about the size of footballs, no kidding), a fig tree, an orange tree, a lemon tree, a couple of mandarin trees and some banana trees, though they don't have bananas. However, the water in our area is bad and we have to drink bottled water, which isn't that awful, just more of a pain.
Oh yeah, and in the middle of November, I get to go on a caravan for a weekend to a place called Mindo to help people through some kind of service. This could be a medical caravan or it could be a work caravan, but I’m really excited for either.
Because Nita, the missionary with whom we are staying, has worked with so many other missionaries at one time or another, she has a lot of hook-ups. We had dinner with a physician and his wife who were from the states, but have been here for about 30 years. It was a blessing to be able to sit and listen to them and just observe them. I was able to see a little of what it looks like to be a physician and a missionary, which was a little different than I expected...
Sorry I'm all over the place but I'm just throwing down thoughts as they come.
I haven't been feeling well the past few weeks, though I feel much better as of a few days ago. Nita took me next door and we spoke with a physician who happened to be there and she took a guess that I had Giardia. It was kind of more of a shoot first ask questions later thing. So we went to the neighborhood “Sana Sana” and picked up some medicine, which down here is very cheap ($.60), and I think it took care of it. Praise the Lord for that because it was really annoying and painful.
Well, I suppose that will do for now. The trip is only half over so I’m sure the Lord will do some more amazing things.
And the team is doing well. We had some trouble at first because of the tight living quarters, but I think we have adapted well to it and we are becoming more mobile every week. The bus' are cheap here ($.20 per ride) and we are pretty used to them by now.
Anyway, I love you all and I miss you. I hope everything is well with you. God bless.

Matt