Culture, Culture, Culture...

Cultural Quip

The pipes in Ecuador are generally very old which means that they are not very wide. When visiting Ecuador, do not flush your toilet paper or you may clog the toilet. Instead you can throw it away in the garbage can provided. Don’t worry, the majority of the toilet paper is scented for the sake of keeping the bathrooms odor-free.

What’s Up?

            Well, time has been going by fairly slowly this month. I have established a routine, but every day is pretty much the same. However, over the past week I have had some special opportunities. A couple of weeks ago I had the privilege of going to a cloister (like a convent, but the nuns inside are not allowed to leave for their entire lives) that for 500 years has never been opened to the public. This year Quito has been named the cultural center of the Americas and for this reason the cloister opened its doors to the public and displayed art and artifacts from the Catholic Church in Quito. It was incredibly interesting and also a little depressing. It is hard to see how far from the truth the Catholic Church in Ecuador has gone. For example, Mary is not just a saint, but ascended into heaven just like Jesus! Arguably Mary is more important in this country than Christ Himself!

            Last week I went downtown with the Summers family (excluding Mark) and we went to several museums. After three museums I had only paid $1 in entrance fees, and that bought me a post card! It’s been great to learn about the history of this country as it has shaped the culture greatly.

            On Saturday I was invited out to the house of Ruth Veloz who is the secretary for Action Ecuador. We ate pizza and spent the evening playing card games and mafia. We ended up playing cards until 2 a.m. and finally we went to sleep. The only problem was that I had to get up at 4:30 to leave for the coastal jungle! We spent Sunday morning visiting various farms cutting down sugar cane and eating it, picking fresh oranges, juicing sugar cane, and getting bitten by bugs! Then we went to a river in the early afternoon for a much needed swim. The highlight of my day was my breakfast. It was one of the most delicious things I have eaten here, but you might think it odd. It was a sort of bread ball, but it was made out of squished, fried banana. Inside was fried, salty pork. It might sound nasty, but trust me, SO good!

            Yesterday I went to teach my piano lesson to Kelly and her parents (my renters) asked me if I had heard about the special events the Canadian embassy was putting on. I hadn’t heard about them, but I thought that would be a great way to celebrate Canada Day. It turned out that the piano concert that was happening that night was by invitation only, so I went right over to the embassy and asked for 8 invitations. After waiting a while I was invited to go upstairs and was handed my invitations. So that was how I spent last night. It’s weird, but I have never felt so proud to be a Canadian as I have felt here in Ecuador. Maybe it’s because I am always having to explain my culture to people, but we are truly blessed to live in such a fantastic country, and I will not forget it.

Christ is Changing Me

I can do everything through Him who gives me strength

-Philippians 4:13-

            I have been reminded again and again of my weaknesses here, but I have also seen how it is when I am weak that Christ is strong. If I am following the will of the Father and surrendering to Him all along the way he is going to do the work through me. I have been reminded of Jonah more than once. He went so far as to hate the people he was sent to, but God did the work through him and the people of Nineveh repented quickly! This is what I am working on. I want to let God do the work through me. When I feel weak or insufficient for the work ahead I only need to remember that it is not me who is going to do the work, but the Holy Spirit through me!

            I also feel like I may know where God is calling me in the future. I have noticed here in Quito that there are quite a few churches that are doing a lot of work for the Lord. There are Christian radio stations and television stations. So it surprised me when I went only about 2 hours outside of Quito and passed through town after town of people who have never heard the Gospel. People who spend their days getting drunk for lack of things to do and lack of meaning in their lives. This may be the sort of place that I will end up. Who knows? But I felt a burden for them.

Praise and Prayer

-          Please pray for guidance throughout my time here, and more specifically for my future in ministry.

-          I still need to make friends who are closer to my age and like me. It is hard when all the people I meet want to spend their free time playing soccer and nothing else.

-          I am looking for more spiritual fulfillment. Please pray that God will provide that for me.

-          There is a couple that is attending the English classes (Carmen and Francisco) who are having a very hard time with their marriage. Carmen often hangs around after class and cries. Please pray that God will do a mighty work in their relationship!

-          I start my English classes on Monday! Pray for me as I have never taught on such an intense level before. Pray that God will bring the students, and that I will have opportunities to pour into their lives.