Travels

Praise the Lord for safe travels and happy reunions with some of our Northern Irish contingent in Botogá. Abby collected us from the airport and we made our way to Yawari, our home for the next few weeks. Since Hanna, our local expert, showed us the ropes we have become masters of the local busnetwork; the driver gets going before you have sat down and you pay when you get off! We have also enjoyed walking around the local area and greeting our neighbours as we do so.

Living together 

We have been so blessed with our accommodation, but most of all with our hosts. Señora Inés is a lawyer advocating for the rights of indigenous peoples and her husband Richard is a construction consultant who is currently not taking jobs so he can be at home in case we need him. They have been so kind to us; sharing all they have, teaching us their language (Kichwa), showing us how to harvest fruit, and how to wash up the jungle way. We have enjoyed hearing their life stories and hope we can be great witnesses of Jesus to them as we seek to love the well.

We have three bedrooms, kitted out with beds Richard made himself, and a bathroom between the eight of us. There is also a great covered outside space where we cook, eat and hang out. We have loved spending so much time outside, breathing in the fresh jungle air.

Food

We have tried so many new things!

Many different juices, fruits, soups, forms of chicken and bananas more ways than we can count! Arepas (unfortunately a Venezuelan creation), fried plantain, bananas on the fire pit and local pastries have been the fan favourites so far. It’s fantastic gathering eggs and bananas from the garden each morning; everything here is so fresh. Thankfully, no one has been unwell – especially Ellie, our resident coeliac, who has fantastically embraced the non-glutinous parts of the local cuisine. Some foods have challenged us, as has the Ecuadorean approach of eating absolutely everything you possibly can, but we admire the resourcefulness of our neighbours and how nothing is wasted. We have also enjoyed showing our hosts some of our creations like cinnamon on porridge, a sweet take on Arepas and french toast!

Holiday Bible Clubs

We are working to support Hanna, a long-term Finnish missionary, with her work in this area. On Friday the 11th we completed our first three-day Holiday Bible Club ina nearby town called Ita. The time was filled with energetic singing, crafts, Bible teaching, games, snacks and many high fives. We have based our sessions on a song in Spanish called “Take my hands, Lord”, moving through how God uses our hands, our feet and our hearts to glorify Him.

The children have been so excited, waiting by the bus stop for us to arrive each day. We have been so encouraged by Hanna, the missionary we are supporting, who has a gift with children. Hanna commands their attention with such gentleness yet with immediate effect and the way they run to greet her nearly brings us to tears. We have been really impressed by the children’s memories as many of them were able to tell us all three key verses from each day at the end of the club.

On Saturday, we travelled an hour and a half further into the jungle to meet with a couple in their home. This couple are the only Christians in their community, have faced prejudice from those around them and have powerful testimonies that it was an absolute pleasure to hear. We spent time playing with the children, sharing some snacks and singing in English, Spanish and Kichwa. We prayed with the couple and shared some encouragement with them too.

Sunday afternoon saw us lead a small children’s meeting where we played some games, shared from a psalm and we’re blessed to pray with some of the children individually. We also visited a plot of land Hanna has acquired and hopes to build a base for her work on. It was wonderful to pray over this space in its early stages.

Church and spiritual life

Kezia, our team’s Devotional Coordinator, has ensured we have intentional time in the word each day. We have taken it in turns to lead, dipping into John, the Psalms, Genesis and even looking at Jewish Wedding Traditions. We have been so encouraged by this time, enjoying each others perspectives and hearing God speak.

We have also spent time singing with and praying for each other, finding strength in our unity in Christ. We went to a church service in the nearby town of Archidona on Sunday morning. The service was in Spanish but the warmth of the welcome we received did not need translating.

Prayer points:

– Praise God for all the children and people he has brought to us 

– Thank God for his provision with our living situation and the incredible hospitality we have received

– Glorify God for the fact that we all get on so well and have such fun together

– Ask God to keep us well, strengthen us physically and protect us from the heat and the insects

– Prayer for inspiration and guidance as we plan English, music and sports lessons for the next two weeks

– Ask God to help us witness well to our hosts

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