Fauna & Flora of Banos

So about a month a half a ago when Drew came to Ecuador and surprised Taylor, we all went to a little touristy town called Banos. It is located between the Sierra, the Andes or Highland region, and El Oriente, the region of the Amazon River Basin. While we were there we went horse back riding to a little waterfall, went on a jungle animal tour that consisted of: a monkey rehabilitation center, an aquarium with 'local' fish- although I am pretty sure I saw some of those goldfish that are in those ponds outside of fancy Chinese restaurants & a tropical bird house that had birds from all around the world. On our last day we went white-water rafting which was super fun, minus the fact that I got 20+ bug bites within a time span of 10 minutes! The trip was fast but fun filled and it was a nice way to get to know Drew better, although when we went on biology/zoology/environmental tangents I did feel bad for Taylor- who sat there and listened politely until it got too sciency/nerdy then changed the subject :)

Enjoy the beautiful colors & textures of all the flora and fauna from the jungle region of Ecuador!

scary clown garbage cans??

graffiti

finally ready for our horse back ride after Drew searched the city for a cowboy hat...

more graffiti with the highlands in the background 

"life will find a way"

Jurassic Park anyone??

and to think- this flows into the Amazon River- along with over a 1,000 of tributaries! 

leaf-cutter ants!

cute but dangerous- they tried to steal things from us

something related to our raccoon?? 

a golden retriever asleep in a massive jungle tree= :) 

cuddle buddies 

the under-wing of an ostrich 

the support system in the back that makes it possible for these crazy beautiful displays 

Bilingual Worship

This week we have a group of 25 able bodied and ready to serve people from a church in Missouri down here for a missions trip. Last night at our church, La Fuente, there was such a great sense of family and togetherness between the local members and the team from Missouri. After a moving message on Unity through Christ, one could see small groups of Ecuadorians & Americans break off to pray for one another, get to know each other, have a worship jam session together & to practice speaking in different languages. It truly was an amazing sight to see as different groups worked through the language & cultural barrier to get to the real reason of being there and the real reason of unity- Christ.

The best part of the night was after communion when we all sang "Here I am to Worship" in whatever language you wanted. The beautiful blend of Spanish and English lyrics was incredibly moving, but not as moving as it was to feel and see the power of the Holy Spirit working within everyone present. We all, regardless of our nationalities, backgrounds, situations & languages, were at the same place, at the foot of His Throne being reminded that our identities have been forever changed from enemies of God to His Beloved Children.

It has been such a blessing for us to have a team come down ready to serve in any way God has prepared. Their attitude for being here is also very humbling. They know that they are not God's gift to Ecuador & that God is already at work here and didn't need them to come down to continue His work. They are here to minister, encourage, serve & love not only to the Ecuadorian but especially to the missionaries here as well. Their purpose here is to encourage whoever God brings into their path & they are doing an amazing job at that already and it's only day 4 with 3 days left to go! I am so thankful for what they have done so far, how they have blessed us and are currently blessing the people in the Jungle with their remaining time. It is so refreshing and renewing to be in community with our brothers and sisters from all around the globe as we, together with one mind and Spirit, work towards one purpose- God's.

Jewelry Business??

Our latest development in the San Carlos Maria de la Torre neighborhood is that Sandi and I are business partners! Well, sort of. We have a business idea and are running with it. We are trying to get into the jewelry making business. But this isn't just your run-of-the-mill jewelry operation. Oh no. We are trying to combine both American & Ecuadorian styles, elements, fashion and techniques to bring you one of a kind, hand made jewelry that incorporates vintage lace, tagua beads, metal, pearls, seashells and lots of other types of materials. With the 2 different artistic tastes that Sandi and I bring to the table, we hope to have a range of jewelry!

Next month, Sandi is going up to the States and will be hosting 2 jewelry parties to inaugurate our new business. If we do well at the parties, we hope to really start making this a business by hiring more Ecuadorian women & by launching a website so that you all back home can keep tabs on and order our newest creations :)

The coolest part of this new idea is the hope to use it as a ministry. We hope to make a set number of jewelry that can be duplicated so that we can give work to specific Ecuadorian ladies who need extra income. We already have one lady, Margarita, who is going to work for us and help us make this beautiful jewelry. Providing this opportunity to her has been such a blessing to us as we have been desiring to get into the community in a new way and as she is currently living on $36 a month and is unemployed because she is in a wheelchair. The ultimate goal is to have a legitimate business by the time Compassion Connection moves out to our new building in Latacunga, where a whole indigenous group has been relocated. With this business we hope to employ women from that group, aka our future neighbors!

God is in ultimate control of this business endeavor, but it is really neat to see just how He is letting the artist in Sandi come out and in such a 'tent-making' way that will still bring the Good News to our Ecuadorian neighbors! Please partner with us in prayer as we take on this new vision :) :)

Here is a sneak peak of our jewelry thus far: