Friday, August 7, 2009
Thursday 8-6-09
Hello everyone,
Sorry for the delay between updates. Our group has been running nonstop, and has not had a lot of time to blog. Yesterday a group of us went hiking early in the morning to see some natural hot springs. Once again we were awed by the beauty of God’s creation as we sat in the middle of the springs to do our devotions. We spent a relaxing morning in the Otavalo market. Some of our friends from the Otavalo youth group, along with Edi, helped us with our bargaining. It was a wonderful chance for us to experience the Ecuadorian culture. In the afternoon, we hiked back up to the village to finish our last day of the older children’s VBS. We presented the Gospel to the children by way of the wordless book, and between yesterday and today ten children accepted Christ. Please be praying for these children, that they would have adults and mentors in their lives to encourage them in their relationship with Jesus. After hanging out with the children for a while, we headed down for a delicious supper. Our large group worship time was very powerful. We are very blessed to have leaders who are so passionate about God, and so excited about teaching us about Him. We all hit the hay early to be ready for a new day.
VBS went well today; we were so excited to see what God is doing in the village. It is amazing to think that God does not need us, but wants us to be a part of His work. After taking countless numbers of pictures, the leaders of San Luis de Pigulca called us over to present us with some gifts. They presented each of us with a bracelet with our name on it, a handmade doll, and some other braided bracelets. It was a touching moment. Leaving the kids was tough. We were attached to them, and they were attached to us. Several of them followed us all the way down the hill just to spend a little more time with us before we left. After a quick trip to the market, we loaded onto the bus and headed off to Quito. We ate in a rather nice restaurant tonight named “La Choz” where we enjoyed llapingachos, churrascos, and many different types of juice. Some of the boys were tempted to try the pig’s feet, but Edi (who is coming to help with the youth conference) discouraged them. Phase two of our missions trip is about to commence as we head to Mindo tomorrow for the youth conference. Praise God for all of our new brothers and sisters in Christ that are in the village and for our safety thus far.
Sarah
Sorry for the delay between updates. Our group has been running nonstop, and has not had a lot of time to blog. Yesterday a group of us went hiking early in the morning to see some natural hot springs. Once again we were awed by the beauty of God’s creation as we sat in the middle of the springs to do our devotions. We spent a relaxing morning in the Otavalo market. Some of our friends from the Otavalo youth group, along with Edi, helped us with our bargaining. It was a wonderful chance for us to experience the Ecuadorian culture. In the afternoon, we hiked back up to the village to finish our last day of the older children’s VBS. We presented the Gospel to the children by way of the wordless book, and between yesterday and today ten children accepted Christ. Please be praying for these children, that they would have adults and mentors in their lives to encourage them in their relationship with Jesus. After hanging out with the children for a while, we headed down for a delicious supper. Our large group worship time was very powerful. We are very blessed to have leaders who are so passionate about God, and so excited about teaching us about Him. We all hit the hay early to be ready for a new day.
VBS went well today; we were so excited to see what God is doing in the village. It is amazing to think that God does not need us, but wants us to be a part of His work. After taking countless numbers of pictures, the leaders of San Luis de Pigulca called us over to present us with some gifts. They presented each of us with a bracelet with our name on it, a handmade doll, and some other braided bracelets. It was a touching moment. Leaving the kids was tough. We were attached to them, and they were attached to us. Several of them followed us all the way down the hill just to spend a little more time with us before we left. After a quick trip to the market, we loaded onto the bus and headed off to Quito. We ate in a rather nice restaurant tonight named “La Choz” where we enjoyed llapingachos, churrascos, and many different types of juice. Some of the boys were tempted to try the pig’s feet, but Edi (who is coming to help with the youth conference) discouraged them. Phase two of our missions trip is about to commence as we head to Mindo tomorrow for the youth conference. Praise God for all of our new brothers and sisters in Christ that are in the village and for our safety thus far.
Sarah
Tuesday 8-4-09
Hello to our home team,
Yesterday morning was a typical affair, in which we did our devotions, we ate, and we were ready by 8:30. As we were going up the hill, many children were eagerly awaiting at the summit of the mountain. VBS was quite entertaining, gallivanting around with the children, playing pato pato ganzo, and soccer. It is a privilege to be able to spend time with such innocent, loving children. The morning construction crew helped out by making more concrete for the floor of the community house. (Mixing concrete involves getting wheelbarrows of rock, wheelbarrows of sand, and a 120 pound bag of concrete all turned together with a good sampling of water. This is mixed together with shovels, pickaxes, and grubhoes.) During lunch hour, some of us hiked in the mountains. We saw some waterfalls, some rivers, and some sweet cliffs. Afternoon VBS went as well as the day before, and it was encouraging to see that the kids really understood, and really listened to the Bible lesson. We taught them how to play frisbee and elbow tag. The construction crew in the afternoon was amazed to see how great community participation is. Kyle, Gordo, and I (Sarah) felt awful as we watched the Quechua women who had just gotten off work completely take over the concrete making process, and refuse our help. It was a real lesson in humility for us as we examined our hearts to see our motives for serving the San Luis de Pigulca community. After we left the village, we had a reunion with our friends for the past two years. It was great to see the youth group from the Otavalo church. We had a pizza party with them, and afterwards we played soccer and had another jam session at the pavilion. I (Sarah) enjoyed seeing my friend Diana again, and was just as thrilled to practice my Spanish on her, as she was to practice her English on me. I (Matt) really enjoyed seeing Esteban and the other kids, and seeing how much they have grown up. They left with promises of seeing us in the morning.
Matt Heiser y Sarah Henderson
Yesterday morning was a typical affair, in which we did our devotions, we ate, and we were ready by 8:30. As we were going up the hill, many children were eagerly awaiting at the summit of the mountain. VBS was quite entertaining, gallivanting around with the children, playing pato pato ganzo, and soccer. It is a privilege to be able to spend time with such innocent, loving children. The morning construction crew helped out by making more concrete for the floor of the community house. (Mixing concrete involves getting wheelbarrows of rock, wheelbarrows of sand, and a 120 pound bag of concrete all turned together with a good sampling of water. This is mixed together with shovels, pickaxes, and grubhoes.) During lunch hour, some of us hiked in the mountains. We saw some waterfalls, some rivers, and some sweet cliffs. Afternoon VBS went as well as the day before, and it was encouraging to see that the kids really understood, and really listened to the Bible lesson. We taught them how to play frisbee and elbow tag. The construction crew in the afternoon was amazed to see how great community participation is. Kyle, Gordo, and I (Sarah) felt awful as we watched the Quechua women who had just gotten off work completely take over the concrete making process, and refuse our help. It was a real lesson in humility for us as we examined our hearts to see our motives for serving the San Luis de Pigulca community. After we left the village, we had a reunion with our friends for the past two years. It was great to see the youth group from the Otavalo church. We had a pizza party with them, and afterwards we played soccer and had another jam session at the pavilion. I (Sarah) enjoyed seeing my friend Diana again, and was just as thrilled to practice my Spanish on her, as she was to practice her English on me. I (Matt) really enjoyed seeing Esteban and the other kids, and seeing how much they have grown up. They left with promises of seeing us in the morning.
Matt Heiser y Sarah Henderson
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Thursday
Hey all, we are back in Quito and going to get food. We should be able to catch up on the blogs tonight. Will be going to a different town for the conference and probably will not have internet, so after tonight's blogs, it will be Monday before we can blog again. Thanks everybody, for your prayers while we were in Otovalo. Now starts phase two of the trip, so pray for this youth conference.
Mitch : ^ }
Mitch : ^ }
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Monday, Day 4
Well alright, it’s time to start blogging again…
Before the crack of dawn, a group of us decided to spend our morning in the outdoors admiring His creation. We enjoyed seeing the Ecuadorian countryside unfold as the sun came over the Andes. We reached a spot ideal for digging into the Word and speaking with God, where we spent some time alone meditating and reading the Scriptures, then we gathered to pray for the day and the first day of VBS. Again we dug into the delicious food prepared for us by Suzy. We headed up to San Luis de Pegulca and hung out with the children before we began the younger contingent of VBS. The head-count was around fifty, which truly is a blessing coming from a community without many believers. They really loved on us and showed us a glimpse of what God’s body should be like, even though they weren’t believers. Peter shared that he enjoyed how much the kids were eager beavers and really liked being there with us. Half of the Horizon crew helped the Ecuadorians prepare for the completion of the community house. In the afternoon, some people switched and led the older VBS while some mixed concrete by hand…fun. The thing that really stood out to us was the fantastic way in which we worked as a team, whether we were playing with kids, mixing concrete, or hiking in the morning. Well folks, sounds like we are done here. Peace out.
Matt + Sarah
Before the crack of dawn, a group of us decided to spend our morning in the outdoors admiring His creation. We enjoyed seeing the Ecuadorian countryside unfold as the sun came over the Andes. We reached a spot ideal for digging into the Word and speaking with God, where we spent some time alone meditating and reading the Scriptures, then we gathered to pray for the day and the first day of VBS. Again we dug into the delicious food prepared for us by Suzy. We headed up to San Luis de Pegulca and hung out with the children before we began the younger contingent of VBS. The head-count was around fifty, which truly is a blessing coming from a community without many believers. They really loved on us and showed us a glimpse of what God’s body should be like, even though they weren’t believers. Peter shared that he enjoyed how much the kids were eager beavers and really liked being there with us. Half of the Horizon crew helped the Ecuadorians prepare for the completion of the community house. In the afternoon, some people switched and led the older VBS while some mixed concrete by hand…fun. The thing that really stood out to us was the fantastic way in which we worked as a team, whether we were playing with kids, mixing concrete, or hiking in the morning. Well folks, sounds like we are done here. Peace out.
Matt + Sarah
Monday, August 3, 2009
Video From Sunday Service
The folowing link is to a video from Sunday's Worship Service. Abrahm presented the Gospel and our Praise team led worship. The Quichuan's also led worship.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AzWishV8WA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AzWishV8WA
Technical Issues
Sorry to all for the delay, we are having intermitant internet problems here in Otovalo. We will try to keep the blogs coming but do not want to take away from the goal of the mission trip, so we had to side line working on this problem for a while. Thanks for your patients in this matter. Things are going well today and we are getting a lot accomplished.
Mitch Chaddock
Mitch Chaddock
8-2-09
Today we spent some time doing devotions before heading up to the village. For both of us bloggers, it is the highlight of our morning. We broke our fast on some splendid rolls, oatmeal, hot chocolate, and waffles. We vamoosed up the hill to the village of San Luis de Pegulca. The people had set out some arches with beautiful flowers. This is one of their ways of saying “bienvenidos” or welcome. The worship service lasted for about four hours, in which we received some honorary gifts for Lewis. Abraham and our praise team led us in worship in Spanish with a Quechua translator. Some of the indigenous folk performed traditional dances and sang some songs for us. The children in the village warmed up to the group pretty quickly and stuck with us for the rest of the afternoon. Soccer and equi-volley (Ecuadorian volleyball) were the main attractions. Some of us went into the community house to take pictures of our lunch… while it was still alive. They served us some cuy (guinea pig), potatoes, corn, peas, and some scrumptious (so Matt says) cheese. It was interesting to see the newcomer’s reactions as they tried the cuy for the first time. Hannah was touched because of her pet guinea pigs. We personally love the cuy, and several pieces. A neighboring village that attended the church service invited some of us to see the place where they are hoping to build a church. The truck ride over was interesting with Andrew and AJ poised to go flying over the windshield at any moment. The view of Imbabura was astounding. Those who stayed behind bonded with the kids a little bit more by means of soccer, pato pato ganzo (duck duck goose) and spinning them round. We hiked back to the house and here we are as we type.
Matt and Sarah Bloggers
Matt and Sarah Bloggers
8-1-09
Sorry for the wait Ladies and Gents,
Yesterday we woke up bright and early thanks to a rooster and car horns…SCORE! The devotionals were about the names of God, and reminded us of how awesome God truly is. Looking out at the mountains surrounding Quito exemplified the truth of Psalm 8. After our debriefing about the culture of Ecuador, we left to see the sights of Quito. Our first stop was the statue of the Virgin Mary. From this spot, we could see the panorama of the capital city. We then traveled to a mall with a grungy exterior but quite nifty interior, where we ate lunch in the food court. We left from there to head to Otavalo and found creative ways to amuse ourselves on the bus ride over. This included hanging our heads out the windows, playing cards, and an intense game of “I Spy.” As always, the scenery in Ecuador was stupendous. Upon our arrival at the house, the returnees became reacquainted with the people, animals, and surroundings, while the newbies experienced the sights and sounds of Otavalo. After settling in, we jugared some fútbol and enjoyed some scrumptious pollo (chicken for you Gringos). P.S. It is okay to say Gringo in Ecuador. After devouring the meal, we gathered to worship the Lord, by singing and reading the Word. This was asombroso. It is a blessing to be able to gather to worship our King every night here, instead of once or twice a week. We broke off into small groups, then grabbed some sack time.
Yesterday we woke up bright and early thanks to a rooster and car horns…SCORE! The devotionals were about the names of God, and reminded us of how awesome God truly is. Looking out at the mountains surrounding Quito exemplified the truth of Psalm 8. After our debriefing about the culture of Ecuador, we left to see the sights of Quito. Our first stop was the statue of the Virgin Mary. From this spot, we could see the panorama of the capital city. We then traveled to a mall with a grungy exterior but quite nifty interior, where we ate lunch in the food court. We left from there to head to Otavalo and found creative ways to amuse ourselves on the bus ride over. This included hanging our heads out the windows, playing cards, and an intense game of “I Spy.” As always, the scenery in Ecuador was stupendous. Upon our arrival at the house, the returnees became reacquainted with the people, animals, and surroundings, while the newbies experienced the sights and sounds of Otavalo. After settling in, we jugared some fútbol and enjoyed some scrumptious pollo (chicken for you Gringos). P.S. It is okay to say Gringo in Ecuador. After devouring the meal, we gathered to worship the Lord, by singing and reading the Word. This was asombroso. It is a blessing to be able to gather to worship our King every night here, instead of once or twice a week. We broke off into small groups, then grabbed some sack time.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Hello from Ecuador to all you chaps and chappesses.
Thanks for your prayers that you have lifted to God on our behalf and for the support that you have given us. Our first day dawned bright and early for us, but we made it with time to spare thanks to the drivers. Actually we had about two hours in which we hung out and had some intense games of Uno. The flight to Miami was delayed around an hour and a half, which wasn’t a huge problem. The weather was fantastic, even though there was mild turbulence. The team members had a grand ole time on the way down, and some of us made new friends *cough cough Kelli and Lucy*. Once we arrived at the Miami airport, we hustled to the gate to get there right in time for boarding. The flight from Miami to Quito was long, but we enjoyed it. Unfortunately we were spread out all over the plane, but some of us finagled our way into a group of seats. The others chit-chatted with their neighbors. The view of Quito as the plane descended was beautiful, and God’s handiwork was evident in the mountains. When we disembarked from our voyage and stepped foot on Ecuador soil, probably everyone was leaping inside with exuberant joy. We were met by a MTW missionary, named Mike, and his wife. They drove us to a hostel where we unloaded the luggage. After we had all of it inside, the MTW missionaries gave us a quick briefing as to what we would do these two weeks. Then we munched a little bit on some snack foods. This was followed by a jam session in which we rocked to guitars, djembes, bongos, harmonica, shaker, and voices. All in all, we had a sweet day.
Buenos noches.
Thanks for your prayers that you have lifted to God on our behalf and for the support that you have given us. Our first day dawned bright and early for us, but we made it with time to spare thanks to the drivers. Actually we had about two hours in which we hung out and had some intense games of Uno. The flight to Miami was delayed around an hour and a half, which wasn’t a huge problem. The weather was fantastic, even though there was mild turbulence. The team members had a grand ole time on the way down, and some of us made new friends *cough cough Kelli and Lucy*. Once we arrived at the Miami airport, we hustled to the gate to get there right in time for boarding. The flight from Miami to Quito was long, but we enjoyed it. Unfortunately we were spread out all over the plane, but some of us finagled our way into a group of seats. The others chit-chatted with their neighbors. The view of Quito as the plane descended was beautiful, and God’s handiwork was evident in the mountains. When we disembarked from our voyage and stepped foot on Ecuador soil, probably everyone was leaping inside with exuberant joy. We were met by a MTW missionary, named Mike, and his wife. They drove us to a hostel where we unloaded the luggage. After we had all of it inside, the MTW missionaries gave us a quick briefing as to what we would do these two weeks. Then we munched a little bit on some snack foods. This was followed by a jam session in which we rocked to guitars, djembes, bongos, harmonica, shaker, and voices. All in all, we had a sweet day.
Buenos noches.
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