Our apartment is has been nearly perfectly situated. We are within one half mile of a Super Maxi, a grocery store that rivals any of the nicest grocery stores in the States. One of the 3 rivers that run through Cuenca is less than a quarter mile away. A huge “Farmer’s Market” is just over one half mile away. What’s not to love?
I will tell you what’s not to love. The beds in this apartment are as hard as rocks. Those of you who know me know that I have little excess fat on my body, especially my hips. Bony hips and hard beds are totally incompatible. I have spent every single night in this apartment like a chicken on a rotisserie. Though I’ve never been known as a sound sleeper, a hard bed has detracted from the overall pleasure of this trip.
Another thing to get off my chest is that Ecuadorians, at least here in Cuenca, are far more comfortable with noise than I am. From the first night we arrived and all the way through we have been “serenaded” with fireworks, the honking of innumerable auto horns (mostly taxis) and those intolerable loud-mufflered cars. You Nazarenes will know what I mean. I’m saved and sanctified and on my way to heaven, but at times I have had this vision of a shoulder mounted anti-aircraft ballistic launcher and I have fantasized about incinerating those [expletive deleted…insert your own word/s here] noisy cars.
Super-collide a hard bed and noise and you have the perfect combination of pain, misery and agony on me! (For you ‘Hee-Haw’ fans!)
Enough of that, but I do want to thank you all for providing this therapy session for me!
The other side of this coin is really packed with a lot of fun, excitement and good memories. There is no place quite like Ecuador. Cuenca, where we’ve been these nearly five weeks, is located at about 8,200 feet above sea level. The culture here revolves around the ancient presence of Spanish conquerors in the sixteen hundreds, the colorful flamboyance of indigenous “country folks” and the straight-forward young and dynamic culture that is the essence of entrepreneurship. Not kidding you, it really seems like the small business to people population is exactly 1:1! Nearly all of the downtown streets are wall-to-wall businesses.
We’ve had reason to access healthcare here in Ecuador. Jamie had some digestive problems and needed to see a doctor. Alexandria experienced what turned out to be gastritis and needed very specialized care. Folks, I wish every person in the whole world could experience what we have in this regard. The doctors we’ve encountered have all made themselves available around the clock by giving us their home phone and cell numbers. Josh and Jamie “just happened” upon a doctor who, it turned out, was the Chief of Staff at one of the Cuenca hospitals.
Dr. visits were very professional and the fees ranged from $20 to $30.00. Alex needed some specialty care. Two doctors and an anesthesiologist came in on Saturday morning to perform an endoscopy. The cost…$150.00. The facilities are, for the most part, state-of-the-art and clean as a whistle! We are deeply grateful for the healthcare here in Ecuador!
My personal interest in Ecuador has centered on trying to figure out if I could be helpful to a group of people, in a Christian/spiritual sense. While there are at least a couple major evangelical churches in the city, it is quite apparent that there is significant opportunity here for a guy like me to have a ministry! Along with the local population that “seems” quite religious (although I'm told church attendance is extremely low), there is a growing expat population that is obviously searching for Christian spiritual connections.
In fact, the first expat I met is a guy my age who is the son of a pastor from Texas. He is separated some from his spiritual roots and expressed strong desire for friendship. Another couple we met was from, of all places, Long Creek, Oregon. That was one fun friendship encounter. You could have knocked Jamie over with a straw. Jamie was born into the Long Creek community and was raised there until she was 5 years old! What are the odds?
My growing awareness is that English speaking expats from primarily North America are spreading out around the world. It warms the cockles of my heart to think and believe that they will both find each other and local Christians and develop friendships and fellowship. It is a growing thought in my mind that ministry in this regard is a major new possibility.
Not only have I been interested in Christian ministry here, but I have had a great time looking in on the local “Farmer’s Market” and hiking the area.
Just today, I made the decision to try to scale a nearby mountain (impressive hill, at least!). I mentioned that Cuenca is located at the 8,200 ft. level. There is no doubt that I hiked another thousand feet above that! Remarkable things were happening up there! There is more construction than you can shake a stick at! The recession does not seem to have hit Ecuador. I’m told that with the return of Ecuadorians from North America and the influx of expats that the economy here is in a definite boom cycle!
One of the things that really stood out on my trip to the top of the mountain today was the obvious clash between the old and the new. There were scores of building projects in process. In several cases there were brand new building projects situated exactly next door to old-style mud brick homes. In one such case, an elderly lady was out in front of her home feeding her puppies. She graciously allowed me to photograph her.
Just down the road from her home, the local school was dismissing. Many of the kids were eager to have their picture taken. Wishing like crazy that I was fluent in Spanish.
Right in the area of the school was the café where I stopped for lunch. I’m positive that the ladies in the café were surprised to have a tall, skinny gringo stop in! They served me a large bowl of soup, a plate of rice, pork and avocado, and a fried banana, all for only $2.50! They also served a drink that I didn’t feel comfortable with.
Yesterday I hiked upstream on a nearby river and marveled at the pristine beauty of that setting. At one point, I encountered several families doing their laundry on the bank of the river. They saw me photographing them and seemed quite comfortable. One young boy was playing with his baby sister on the grass. In my “sign language” sort of way, I asked him if I could take the baby’s picture. Not only did he give permission, but he was eager to steal a bit of the show himself!
On up the river, I encountered a dead cow in the middle of the river. Ergh. Couldn’t help but think of all the people downstream washing their clothes in the same river!
Then it was on to the “Farmer’s Market.” Folks, I know of no other cultural experience that measures up to the trip to this market. I’ve visited the market several times, but this time I approached the market from a different direction. It seemed to me that in my first few visits to the markets that the people were a bit leery of a gringo coming in and taking pics. Each time I have returned, I’ve gotten more smiles and even more openness to my taking pictures. The variety of goods, the sights and smells are amazing.
Just have to say that I love Ecuador and hope to return in the future. We have to complete and sell our home in Costa Rica first, and then we will make some decisions about where to spend the next several years. It is our hearts’ desire to be in a place where our influence for Christ can be maximized!
God Bless You All!!!
Wes
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| Just had to add a pic of something I will REALLY miss about Ecuador. Shrimp are to be had in abundance down here! |
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