Where to start… these things are always so hard to start.

Thursday- got a late start (thanks to me) and was convicted of not being on time. In Ecuador, things seem to run late anyway (people are always coming to things late, even as much as 30-45 minutes, unapologetically), but I felt the Holy Spirit press upon my heart that I need to shine for Christ through being on time. So it was a tough lesson to learn (it involved a lot of humility), but a great one. Part of my pre-investigation morning involved a QT in 1 Peter, and I learned that we’re to live our lives as strangers here on this earth in reverent fear, always being mindful of the price God paid (Jesus’ precious blood).

I have been having trouble getting my travel visa card to work here (a large part of the problem being me: forgetfulness and irresponsibility), but it worked at a bank in Chambo! Praise the Lord! It was quite a relief… San Francisco, Licto, and Pungala are a few of the cities we also hit for the day. I’m learning through these investigations how I desire to glorify God through gathering in formation, that being asking more about the people’s needs and how we can serve them best as opposed to finding out about elevation, population, etc. Most of the information is necessary, though, so John Mark and I make a good team, because we have slightly different approaches to gathering info: he looks more for the technical aspects, and I search more for the needs. This is why God sent people out two-by-two (Luke 10:1-2), so that they could do a complete job for God’s greatest glory.

We also had a fun time taking a “short cut” from Pungala to Licto. The road zig-zagged up a mountain, so I thought it would be quicker to just go straight up. We encountered sheep, “llama” poo (see below), and various other things on that exciting (and tiring) trail.

Friday- this was the day of the “rain delay… caused by rain” (as quoted from the video below). We went to bed early with the plan of getting a great start on the day, but awoke to rain pounding our tents. Oh, and we were sleeping on a soccer field with llamas and other animals eating around us all night. It made for some interesting middle-of-the-night sounds that woke me up. The rain continued (we continued to wake up and check the weather to find it still raining) until around 11ish, so we had quite the delay for the day. Kids were looking through the small hole in the tent and I ended up taking pictures and video of them for about a half hour. John Mark seemed to have a fun time with them as well, and at one point he even had all of them looking at his small camera screen.

After packing up, we talked to the (very intoxicated) president of the community for about a half hour and ended up secretly emptying his bottle of alcohol and, with the help of three young ones, refilling it with water. This caused a fun surprise on his face when he took a swig. We had to take the bus back to Riobamba, and we had to skirt some nice little cliffs on the way back. Once we almost ran head on into another bus coming around a corner, and while everyone else was quite scared, I was laughing out loud. They all probably thought I was drunk. You can see a short clip of the incident below (“most exciting part of our day so far”). We chilled in Riobamba a bit, took a bus to Cebadas, and then had dinner and found a room for the night. I watched the second half of The Italian Job in Spanish on the restaurant/hotel’s small tv.

Saturday- we DID get up early today, although not as early as we had hoped. After a nice breakfast (only $1.25, just like dinner), we began the “2 hour” hike to Guamote. Yeah, right. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about Ecuadorians it’s that you cannot trust their judgment of time. If they say it takes 5 minutes to get somewhere, it takes at least 10 minutes. It’s always two + times whatever they tell you. Needless to say, I was a bit worried when he said 2 hours, but pressed on anyway. We came to a dirt path that led up a mountain, but John Mark did not approve, as there were a few loose rocks and it was a steep incline. Mothers everywhere approved of the decision. The hike ended up taking four and a half hours, and during that time I lost John Mark for about 45 minutes and then was reunited. I had a good time talking with Jorge, a local of Mercedes Cadena, about Jesus and his life. From Guamote we went on a tear, hitting and hiking 5 more cities to bring our total to 14 for the weekend, which was great because we more or less had a wasted day on Friday cities-wise. Band practice and skyping made up the rest of the night, and then hitting the hay with some very sore legs and blistered feet. I had a nice surprise when I came home, for when I used the baño for the first time, I discovered a drowned rat in the toilet. It must have crawled up the pipes and then could not get out. Poor fellow… it never had a chance.

But praise the Lord for the work that was done this weekend, the 5+ hours of hiking Saturday, and the growing in friendship (through stretching and straining and then healing) between John Mark and me.

Sunday- church band practice this morning (I was on time!) and then church, where I was privileged to have an interesting discussion with two men and was reminded that the only abilities to speak Spanish I have are from and IN the Lord Jesus Christ. After church was skyping and then I had the privilege of meeting the lovely Coupes family. They are another missionary family that I (Lord willing) will be house sitting for over the next week. I had a wonderful time talking sports with Mr. Bill, eating some of Ashley’s (oldest daughter) delicious cookies, and chatting away with the rest of the family.

Bible Study also went FABULOUS. We had five new people (although some didn’t come from last week): Celiano, Andrea, Evelyn, Lizzeth, and whom I presume to be Andrea’s mother (I forgot her name). The discussion was wonderful and we were able to really focus in on this truth (it is repeated):

Paul was praying that the Lord’s will and purposes would be revealed to the Colossians so that they may live a life worthy of the Lord and “please Him in every way”. Is there any other purpose in life? For real? I mean, it’s every person’s dream to please the one they love most in every way possible, and with Jesus being our One True Love, to please him in our lives is our goal. To bring God GLORY through this earthly body… Continuing, in living this life, they will bear fruit, and also be strengthened by the Lord’s “glorious might” to have patience and self-control. Each of the students at the study seemed to get this and take it to heart as it was repeated throughout the Scripture. John Mark and I had a blast tackling tough questions thrown at us and I especially enjoyed jumping around the Bible to different references and passages, teaching as the Holy Spirit led. They even asked some crazy questions, such as “can you lose your salvation?”. I explained my belief on the topic and told them that churches have split over questions such as these, and it was exciting that they were asking such tough questions.

A quick Monday recap: SMAC classes went well this morning, other than my teaching them what all of the bad words I know of meant so that they could understand them. It was quite awkward with some words, but I think they are better for it now. Also, we did the whole “questions” thing again, and one of the questions today was about a couple’s love, and what I thought about it. So, by the amazingly glorious grace of God, I was able to share my opinions on dating, share why I wasn’t and why I was waiting. They also asked me what I think about superstitions, if I believe in bad luck, and I simply replied “I believe in a God that is greater than superstitions and luck.” Oh yeah.

After SMAC, Andrea and I walked around town towards the market and her house, helping each other with English and Spanish. Once we neared her house, she invited me in and told me that it was her father’s birthday! So I had a blast with her family (her mother, “papi”, brother Alvaro, and dog Angelino) celebrating the cumpleaños. Afterwards, I walked around town some more, and when I attempted to withdraw from the main bank again (unsuccessfully- although it worked at another bank in town), I heard “Luuuuuuuuuuuuuuuke” and lo and behold, the Coupes pulled up! They were very kind, waited for me to finish, and then drove me back after a short grocery stop. Thank you, Lord, for the blessing of knowing them, and Maust family for introducing me!

So now, winding down, I challenge you all to seek God’s will and purposes for your life so that you may live this worthy, God-pleasing life and be strengthened according to His “glorious might” to have patience and self-control and beat much fruit.

Also, I have begun reading CS Lewis’ masterpiece Mere Christianity. I have had to read, re-read, and re-re-read passages in order to understand them, but it has been GREAT. I hope to be sharing much more with you as I go along, but for now something from the best book (La Biblia) ever written.

Studying in 1 Peter (1:22-25) has taught me more about loving my brothers and sisters deeply, from the heart. Love in this case (and in general) is not just a feeling, but an ACTION verb. Loving deeply involves serving, sacrificing, and selfless giving. God doesn’t call us to love just on the outside, but as Hillsong puts it, “From the Inside Out” (Go listen to that song. It is REALLY sweet). Please pray that I am able to love everyone I meet in Ecuador deeply, as the Lord would have me, from the heart. Who in your life do you want to resist to loving deeply, yet feel the Lord calling to love from the heart?

Thanks for your prayers… they are appreciated more than you know.

If you have yet to see A Beautiful Mind or Babe, you won't understand one or two of the jokes. I apologize in advance.



Here's my Ecuadorian Parody of all of those "reality" survivor shows. For those who do not watch them, the premise of the shows, such as "Survivor Man" and "Man vs. Wild", is a man who is trying to teach the city-bound viewers how to survive in the Wild. They do ridiculous things, such as eat animals raw and sometimes whole, drink disgusting liquids, jump into freezing lakes, and other insanities. So this is my pedestrian effort to imitate them. Please forgive my accent, as I kept switching between European, Australian, and American. I'm not really sure what I'm doing.

PS Yes, I really did taste all of those things.



For God's greatest glory... In His strength alone... and by His glorious grace...

Luke