June Update

Hello! Another month has quickly passed us by. It's been rather quiet this past month and that's okay by me, considering the month before was a bit wild. Gideon has been finishing up the comedor roofing project with installing rain gutters and fixing a few leaks. We got to visit with friends of ours that we met here at Ninawachi last summer, their family also works for Incalink. We went to Quito where they were serving to visit, it's a 4.5 hour drive on a pothole riddled road, with lots of twists and turns, as you climb in elevation. I didn't feel that great arriving to Quito from the drive but coming back home did me in physically. We decided that was my last trip to the city for a while. Gideon went to Quito for a quick 24 hour trip, the other week. Josie and I had our first night sleeping at the jungle house without him. We had a girls night, ate American like food, and watched a movie, it was a good night for the two of us. We are in what seems to be the rainy season currently, it has rained everyday for the last two weeks or so. Today was the first we’ve had no rain & the sun was out with blue skies all day. 

In this post I’m going to give a small tour of campus and introduce the people we spend our days with. This is student housing and the heart of campus where everyone hangs out and spends most of their time. The building to the right is the female student housing and to the left (and picture below), is the male student housing. There’s bathrooms on the bottom level for each, and outdoor laundry rooms, they hand wash their clothes and line dry. The turf is new, they installed it the week we arrived in country, it’s been a nice addition and the kids love playing on it. The students will play volleyball, soccer, or basketball here as well. 

 

Below are the current students enrolled at Ninawachi Bible Institute. From left to right is Andres, Saul, Silverio, Wilmer, Anderson, Pedro, Marilou, Loly, Salome, and Flor. Loly and Flor are sisters, and Saul is their nephew. It's a good group of students, we have gotten to know each of them. Many of the students come from families that are not believers, making them first generation Christians. The student program is two years, if they complete all their classes. Some students it takes a little longer if they missed a semester of classes or didn't pass a class and need to make it up. 

Below is the choza, it translates to the hut in English. This is where students and staff come twice a day for worship, prayer, and devotionals. When we have teams we also gather first thing in the morning and end every night here, giving praise, hearing testimonies, and getting to know one another. In April, if you remember, the men laid a new tile floor and Gideon rewired the electrical here. When Gideon was a student the choza used to have a thatched roof, a few years ago they replaced it with a metal roof and made it a little bigger. 

You have seen pictures of the house we call home here, this is taken from the choza. A stream runs in front of our house and there’s a little bridge to cross that. Josie loves to throw rocks in the water on the bridge, she would spend hours a day doing that if there was enough rock to supply. Behind our house up a small hill, are three buildings, the classrooms, housing for when teams visit, and one of the staff members has a home up there. The rest of staff live across the street from the institute, there are three houses there for each of them. 

Speaking of staff members, this photo was taken today. From left to right is Alex, his wife Nohemi, Magaly, Fabricio & their son Kalel. Of course you know the American’s in the middle, Santiago, Venita, and their daughter Hadasha, Juan & his wife Yosalene. When Gideon was a student he was in classes with Santiago and Venita, he also knew Fabrico from the community. Josie gets to play with the other kids daily, it’s the highlight of everyday for her. Kalel is learning Spanish and English and Hadasha is learning both along with a tribal language. We care greatly for this team of leaders, they treat each other and us like family. I also would like to mention, this is the second day Josie has worn a shirt & pants and not a dress since we’ve been here. She dresses herself everyday, I no longer am allowed to choose her outfits. 

Onto the update everyone has been asking since we arrived in Ecuador, where will we have the baby? After months of prayer and having many conversations with locals and others, we decided to come back to Pennsylvania to give birth. A team from Virginia is coming this month yet, we will stay to serve with them and leave shortly after they do. At least that's our plan, we are reminded frequently of Proverbs 16:9 "We make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps." We are not as in control of our lives as we like to think we are. But it does feel good to have made a decision & now nesting mode is kicking in for me, I’m ready to start preparing to meet this little one. Thank you for praying along with our family during this time, for taking the time to read these updates, and coming along this journey with us. Enjoy this picture of Josie with her "umbrella" or as she calls them "gorillas".