Community Visit

I can't believe June is almost over, this year is flying by. We have been keeping busy and finding our rhythm here. Winnie has officially spent as much time in Ecuador as she did in the States. She has been trying to walk for weeks, she is determined to walk before a year old. She currently has two teeth, I can feel 4 more making their way through.

Josie has been doing school pages as part of our daily routine, she loves it and is doing so great. She helped us plant more pineapple and watermelon. She started a rock collection, which she’s very proud of. She is growing up, long gone are the toddler days. It’s been fun, she makes up songs, asks for tea parties, gets lost in her play, & asks big kid questions. 

Our family had an opportunity to visit a Cofan community. Ninawachi has had four Cofan students over the years. One being Saul, you might remember I wrote about him a few months ago. We took a day trip, leaving at 7:30 AM getting back at 10 PM. It was a three hour drive from Ninawachi, where we parked the car, took a boat ride across the river, & from there walked just under a mile through a banana tree grove. The day was full, it was an experience I will never forget and I'm so grateful we had the opportunity. 

The banana grove was very impressive, we have banana trees here, but no where near the size of those. They towered over us. Fun game, how many banana clusters can you find in the top picture? I count three. 

We went to visit Loly, she was a student and graduated last year. She would spend hours at our house hanging out with Josie and I our first two summers here. She was always patient with me as we worked through communicating with each other. She would color with Josie, braid her hair, and love on her. 

The community is made up of about 500 Cofan people. About 10 years ago, the government went through and built bamboo housing for them, there’s 110 houses in the community. Loly & Saul’s family has a house outside the community, off on its own, about a mile walk away. This is where we spent our time that day. Josie was excited to see baby chicks and ducklings, along with the adults roaming around the property. They had a mandarin tree and papaya tree outside their house. Behind the chicken coop, cotton was growing. 

Kids make themselves at home, no matter where they are. The girls did so good, eating whatever they were given, no crying, curious and explored around. They both go with the flow and take life as it is. The picture above is inside their home. Upstairs led to a bed with a mosquito net hanging over it & clothes hanging to dry, one side of the exterior wall left unfinished. The openness of the walls, windows, and doors is common for many homes. 

They have an unlimited supply of bananas and plantains. They make a fermented drink with the bananas. Typically it is consumed 2-3 times a day as their meal. Food past that is not guaranteed & drinking water is collected from rain runoff into a holding tank. This was the kitchen, with a gas stovetop, countertop, and shelving for kitchen supplies (seen above). Any food scraps you tossed out for chickens or dogs to grab. 

Saul suggested on the way we buy some groceries to take in, so we did. The girls and I helped Loly make lunch, it’s customary to start cooking after the guests arrive. Gideon, Saul, and his grandfather walked to the community and local church. The community is almost like an island, located between the river and dense jungle for miles and miles, with no road system in. The grandfather told Gideon, years ago missionaries came to their community to translate the bible in their language, Cofan. He was one of the people who helped them, he was not a believer at this time. So far it’s only been translated enough for them to have the New Testament and Genesis. 

We were thankful to have the experience as a family to visit. Gideon has visited many remote jungle communities over the years but this was my first. While we live in a jungle community, we still have many comforts and convenience here. We have toilets, showers, hot water, & fully stocked kitchens. We do not have to worry about what we will eat next, in fact, our meals are balanced, everyone eats, and we have leftovers or even worse, we throw food away. We have the comfort of things; furniture, decorations, toys, books, electronics, clothes, etc. We are blessed spiritually, we have so many resources at our finger tips; we own multiple bibles, have a church full of believers, worship songs in all genres, podcasts, youtube, devotionals, all available at all times of day for us to go deeper with God. 

It's been over a week since we've visited and I've thought about it daily. Many sermon points can be made but I keep coming back to Philippians 4:4-7 "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again; Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present our requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." 

I am often anxious about money, food, clothes, the girls, health, clean water, the list can go on. We are very clearly told to be anxious about nothing, but instead pray and petition. Sometimes I pray about the same thing so often, I wonder if I am annoying God, but the answer is no. He wants me to petition for what I care about or what I keep dwelling on. I am to give thanks, because that changes my heart from looking at my problems and frustration. I am to rejoice, because he has given to me in abundance. But more importantly, by me going to him in prayer, with a thankful heart, it does something for my mental state. It says "the peace of God, will guard your heart and mind". What a blessing that is! If I choose to turn to God in any situation, presenting my request to him and then rejoice & give thanks, I walk away with the gift of peace. God is worthy of our praise, He provides for us abundantly, lavishes on us, even in our prayer life. I do not have much I can offer Him, but I can offer him my praise and my obedience in prayer. Building faith requires action.