Last Day on the Coast

Do we really have to leave?  Each morning when we rise we can't believe that this is the Pacific Coast, the beach is nearly empty, the town is quiet, and there are no big hotels or restaurants capitalizing on the beauty of the ocean.  Perfect.  Yet, this morning, as it is New Year's Eve (Ano Viejo in Spanish), the music poured out of the speakers here in town starting at 6:50 am!  Not to be outdone, someone else cranked his up so we had dueling radios just before 7.  The rooster had been outdone but crowed anyway for posterity.  Amazingly Selah slept through the racket for a full half hour but the rest of us were done.  When we finally came down to breakfast, I asked Jasmin (our little teen waitress for the past few days) about the noise and she responed, "It's New Year's Eve."  Man, they start early.  Can't imagine what the rest of the day will look like.  I do know that tonight they'll burn papermache people and drink like fish.  We tame Americans have no idea what we're up against here.  Should be interesting.

Meanwhile, we are enjoying the last day of surf and salt and sand (and sun for that matter) before heading back on another 14 hour journey to the land of rain and bugs.  I'm sure when we arrive tomorrow night we'll remember quickly why we needed this excursion in the first place.  I haven't killed a bug in days--I'm sure they're lined up at home ready for the showdown. 

Selah learning what it means to play in waves.

The boys like puppies in the water.

The view from our little room.

The true highlight of our journey, however, has been the family that we've been staying with.  Isidro, wife Janet, and daughter Jennifer, have treated us like family.  We've taught each other words and customs from our home countries, discussed Biblical truths, shared stories, and laughed together.  If there was anyone ever better suited to hosting a family on their get-away, I'd be greatly surprised. Isidro's goal this entire time has been that we feel relaxed and well taken care of.  I'd say he's been successful.

 

I'm gonna cry like a baby when we leave.....

Thanks for reading.

Blessings, kim

 

 

What the Doctor Ordered

Thus far our time on the coast has been the perfect antithesis of our ride here.  For all the anxiety and hardship that was, this has been peaceful and relaxing.  For three days we've done little more than jump waves, bury one another in the sand, play card games, walk the beach, and eat seaside.  It really is what the doctor ordered.  I've even snuck in a couple of chapters from a book that I'm reading and Doug's taken a roughly 7km walk with Jacobey.  Here are the kids digging holes in the sand--a good out-of-the-sun-for-a-while activity.

While on the beach we saw two baby sea turtles.

I was able to get a picture of the second one.

The place where we're staying is very much off the beaten path.  We're in a town of maybe 500 which looks like something you'd see in an old Western.  The houses are tiny, the roads all dust, and there's nothing going on at night with the exception of people chatting in their homes.  The only thing you hear is the crashing of the waves.  The town roosters (one visible from our room) keep the locals--and guests--from sleeping in.  The hostel (a motel that charges by the person, not by the room) is the nicest place in town by far and yet it too is tiny and very basic--really perfect if you're spending the whole day outdoors.

This is what it looks like.  The little cabana in the back is ours.  We have the upstairs room.  In the foreground is the building where the kitchen is located.  The owner and his wife live upstairs and cook all meals downstairs.  Doug and Darius are in the shade where the tables and chairs are.

 

We did travel yesterday by boat to an island off the coast of Ecuador 40 km and an hour & 10 minutes out; we had our Dramamine so we were prepared.  The place is called Isla de Plata (Island of Silver) because of all the birdlife (read, 'excrement') found there.  The famous Blue-Footed Boobie nests there and is fascinating to see. 

We took about a 2 km hike to check out some of their nesting places and caught some great views of the Pacific.  Here's one of them.

Afterward we ate lunch on the little boat, and then jumped into the water to catch sight of the beautiful fish.  We were blessed to see adult sea turtles while stopped and even more blessed to see two whales while on the journey to and from the island. 

It's been lovely and so peaceful and so cheap.  If only beaches in the US were this deserted and basic.  Thanks for reading!

Blessings, kim

 

 

 

 

 



A Rough Journey

Good morning from the South American Pacific Coast!  Before you feel too envious, let us describe our trek getting here.  Doug and I got up at 5 am, packed up the last minute items, woke the kids who'd stayed up entirely too late the night before, and got picked up by the driver just after 6.  Thirteen of us packed into a minivan with four rows: three in row 1, four in row 2, two in row 3, and four in row 4 (six adults and six kids plus our driver).

Our first stop, prior to leaving town, was for money at three ATM machines that had nothing to dispel.  Then about forty-five minutes later we had to stop because Darius felt nauseous.  Fifteen minutes thereafter we stopped to buy mandarin oranges because we knew that citrus helps with nausea.  Yet, over the next thirteen hours we had a full 10 occasions of dealing with the aftermath of messed up stomachs.  Sadly, two, both by Jacobey, were unleashed completely inside the car which took long stops to clean up and air out. Our poor kids; our poor driver.  We apologized profusely and he kindly assisted in the clean up.  Such a wonderfully good-natured Ecuadorian man. 

Nonetheless, we made it to the coast of Ecuador after fourteen hours of travel, approximately eleven stops, and only--get this--348 miles traversed!  That ought to show you just how windy the roads are and how slow going the travel was.  When we got here, we were praising God that we didn't have to get back in the car for nearly a week--none of us thought we could bear it!

So, here are some picks of our fully recovered children frolicking on the beach and enjoying the beautiful creation that our Lord has provided:  (I have to attempt to download them.  If they don't appear here, it's because I haven't done it yet.)

We got to view some really neat things on the beach.  One was a baby sea turtle about three inches long--immediately the boys knew what to do by scooping it up with a hat and walking it far out into the waves.  The owner of the place we're staying at tells us that the mother's nest is very close by and she lays 100 eggs annually.  We also found live sand-dollars and the tiniest crabs you've ever seen--a mere one inch in diameter.  Darius had the most fun running after them.

Jacobey, who we were concerned would not recover from such a terrible ride, said with a huge smile on his face, "Best vacation ever!!"  Talk about recoveries....
Thanks for reading.
Blessings, kim

 

Merry Christmas

It was the most unique Christmas to date.  Christmas Eve was spent with some friends from different states (Florida, New York, Virginia and us from Texas).  At the dinner table:

Later another couple joined and we had one of the kids take the picture:

We played games and enjoyed some good laughter.

 

Then today we got up early, baked sugar cookies, and rode our bikes to Casa de Fe.  There we broke kids into teams and cycled them through five different stations of activities.  Doug and I were in charge of the scavenger hunt--which of course included running in the rain up and down the hill looking for the most miniscule of objects so that the kids could score points.  Great activity for kids who have unending energy--not so much for the middle aged who ran the activity.  ; )  Here are a few pictures of the groups that ran pell-mell while we huffed and puffed behind them:  (The Anglos in each picture are missionary kids.)

 This group had us running the most.  Darius loved every minute of it.

 These little guys didn't have to do what all the other kids had to.  We simply hid little Christmas ornaments in their play area and they had to find them.  This guy was the best at finding them.

 Selah and her teammate Nila. 

We found one item on our list on the front door of Casa de Fe itself.  No running involved there.  Praise God.  Maria posed with my sunglasses and Nyeli held onto me for the duration of the game.  She was born with only one ventricle in her heart and therefore ends up with oxygenated blood mixing with blood that lacks oxygen.  The result is a child that cannot manage much exercise--she was my partner and I was happy to have her.

After the five iterations of 'scavenger hunt time' ended, we then went into the big house and sang Christmas songs in English and in Spanish.  We had a family here from Colorado who decided to spend their Christmas break working in Ecuador at Casa.  So, while the father of the family led songs, we all sang so the kitchen staff could prep the big Christmas meal.  These are some of the kids in the big group.

Then we went downstairs and had lunch.  Surprisingly it was turkey, mashed potatoes, and a veggie medley.  A surprisingly yummy meal.  Doug and I sat at the three and four year old table with some of my favorites.  Our own kids were spread throughout the room among the other kids:

After lunch the kids all returned upstairs and we decided to take a quick family photo before we left.  We'd been there for five hours and were ready to go home for a little family time of our own--as you can see, we really needed it.

Finally, we ended our day delivering cookies to businesses that were open in spite of the holiday.  We had already taken cookies to the butcher, the shoe repairer, the baker, the lady in the wheelchair who lives down the road (she cried when we gave them to her), the pharmacist, the owners of our two favorite grocery stores (the size of a gas station convenience store), the pastors of the two churches we attend (one in English, one in Spanish), the maintenance men that work at the hospital and then also to the hospital employees who work inside, and to a number of our neighbors here on the compound.  That was a fun activity.  We had wanted to deliver cookies to the construction workers that are working on the bridge but we didn't get it done.  We'll do that for the new year. 

 

At last we returned to our friends' house where we spent Christmas Eve and there we had more turkey, yummy dressing, and some awesome desserts that we started the night before.  The kids again played games while we adults pulled out the old hymnals and chose songs to sing. 

 Talk about a fun thing to do.  We laughed, we praised God, we celebrated the One who's birth we appreciate.  Selah took this picture of the ladies tonight:  Not bad, huh?

She then took this one of the men.  Just goes to show that a five year old has not mastered the use of a camera.  Nice try though.  : )

 

 

 

Singing in Shell

Before I begin this blog, I have to tell you that the night before last I woke up and heard some of the hardest rain I ever remember hearing.  It was so hard I thought about Noah and how hard the rain must have been that he listened to for days.  Well, one of the teachers at the school owns a rain gage and she reported to us that we got, overnight, more than five inches of rain!!!  Can you believe?  We get SO MUCH rain here.  This is a good testimony of that.  I so wish I'd have kept track of it since we arrived.  I'm sure I've seen in four months more rain than I usually see in about three years in Houston--and Houston is a fairly wet place too.  Interesting.....

 

Yesterday Nate Saint Memorial School went caroling throughout the Shell community.  They visited Hospital Vozandes del Oriente which is the hospital that we live behind.  It is closing on December 27 because HCJB (the mission organization that we are with) has decided to release it from their list of responsibilities--it's been losing money for a few years straight.  It is being purchased by another organization and will reopen on April 1.  This is the small lobby of this small hospital.  Darius and I went there this morning and it cost us a whopping $8 for a doctor's visit--we didn't even have to use our insurance card.   

They also sang at Missionary Aviation Fellowship (MAF) which is the organization that martyred pilot Nate Saint worked for prior to his death.  They visited the Senior Center for those elderly that frequent the place.  This is a picture of that visit.  It's one of the nicest places you'll find in Shell.

Their final stop was to Casa de Fe.  Here we're inside the Big House.  Doug's kids are singing to my Casa kids.  The adults in the picture are all missionaries that either work for Casa or are somehow affiliated with Nate Saint School. 

 They then walked up the hill to the Casa school where the kids age 5 and up attend classes. 

It was fun hearing our kids sing Christmas songs in Spanish.  When they got home later in the day they would all sing around the house these songs and it would make me smile.  I can't remember a time ever when they would sing "Silent Night" or "Jingle Bells" around the house, but they sing those songs in Spanish when they're just hanging around.

It was great blessing our little community.  Who doesn't love hearing someone make a 'joyful noise'?
Thanks for reading,
Blessings, kim

The Poor

On Wednesday we took our Bible Club on the road.  We drove to the poorest part of Shell--kind of known as a squatter's village where people have just decided to build very small, basic homes for themselves made of wood and metal.  By building on this unwanted land they in essence make a claim to it for their family.

Doug was selected to help with transporting chairs: 

(You have no idea how often we find ourselves here saying, "That would never happen in the States."  This, obviously, is one of those times.)

When the car I was riding in arrived, there was a HUGE group of kids and mothers assembled ready to listen to a program.  Where in the world did these people come from?  Apparently there are more people living in each house than we expected.  Though this picture kind of conveys a crowd, it certainly doesn't reveal just how many people were there. 

The kids listened to a puppet show, helped to sing Christmas songs (new ones for the Thompsons), heard a story, and learned the meaning of Christmas. 

It was time well spent because I honestly don't know if they ever are treated to anything like it.  At the conclusion of the program, we had bags of candy for each child.  After handing out the 120th one, we resorted to passing out suckers to those who had not received a bag.  These are some of the faces in the crowd.

I had such mixed emotions while snapping pictures.  I of course want to remember this day and want to have pictures tell the story of the visit.  Yet, as I took pictures some of the faces I saw were so devoid of any sort of emotion.  Hopeless is more the sentiment.  Those faces were the ones that I really wanted to capture but out of respect for their dignity, I didn't.  They give the impression of a soul so very in need of help, love, anything.  I tried smiling at those faces as I walked around but they didn't register anything at all.  I can't imagine what their lives are like.   The children and adults alike are dirty, their clothes are worn, their hair is ragged, feet are bare, and they spoke not a word.  When I handed them some information about the life of Christ at the very end of our time there, they received it but didn't respond with anything other than a look. 

I feel that these are the ones I'd love to meet again.  I would like to return to give of my time and/or my resources.  Selah and Seth are growing out of some of their clothes.  If I think about it, there are a number of shirts, pants, shorts that we all brought that we could give away.  The kids seem to wear the same things over and over again anyway. And there are a few pair of shoes that I have not worn since I got here.  I really only wear three of the pairs I brought.

Something to consider....
Maybe by Christmas we could return.
Thanks for reading. 
Blessings, kim 

A special day

Last week we celebrated  my birthday--I only tell you because I wanted to share some pictures from the day.  They show just how kind everyone here has been.  Selah and I walked to Casa de Fe and on our way we got caught in a huge downpour.  So, for this little surprise celebration, she and I we're soaked but well loved.  Aren't the kids just precious?  Not everyone could fit in the photo so we took a ton.  I'll only share a handful.

I had to laugh when after I blew out the candle I noticed that the candle was in the shape of a question mark.  (?)  I therefore asked the kids how old they thought I was.  One guess was "three".  Surely not!  : )  Nelly and Marjori, the teachers, thought I was turning about 30!  Ha!  I laughed at that too.  I then informed them that I was old enough to be the mom of everyone in the room including the two of them!

When we cut the cake, there were no plates and no silverware, just some flimsy napkins.  So....you can imagine how messy we were by the end.  Some of the kids chose to eat with their faces.  Too bad we didn't snap a few of those pictures.

Later in the day we took a bus ride to Puyo and ate dinner at the nicest restaurant we know of.  We've never tried it before but have heard from everyone that it is a must for a special occasion.  I almost told Doug that we shouldn't go there--maybe we could save it for a special date night instead. But after considering that the kids would be equally blessed by a terrific American meal out, we decided that we should all go.  So, we ordered five meals between the six of us and shared steak, shrimp, fish, pork chops, and a veggie casserole.  It cost us $62 and was truly the best meal we've had since our arrival. 

We ate at a table inside of a little hut.  Other than swatting the occasional moth, it was really quite nice.  Sethy took this picture of Doug and I in front of a Chrismas tree.  Other than our tree in our house, this is only the sixth tree we've seen. 

A special day merely because of the people who helped make it that way.  Isn't that the way it should be?

Blessings, kim

 

Weekends

Yesterday was a wonderful day for being home.  Aren't weekends the best for relaxing?  Since we have no Christmas related things to do, we did the usual (ate, cleaned up dishes, battled bugs, and I wrote cards to friends back home).  We also did a couple of more unique things:  I went to the organic market in Puyo with some friends and spent a whopping $11.80.  Here's what I hauled home:

Crazy, isn't it?  A pound of mora (blackberries), four large mangos and about 10 small ones, 3 cucumbers, about 10 limes, 8 tomatoes, 6 very large green onions, 2 lbs of strawberries, a bundle of cilantro, a head of red leaf lettuce, a huge head of green leaf lettuce, a pineapple, a bag of spinach, and two packets of ready to be boiled assorted chopped veggies that I can put into a pot of soup.  This little market is quite the find and it only happens on Saturdays so I love hitching a ride and getting to go.  It's dirt cheap--unlike canned and packaged food which is outrageously expensive!

When I got home, this is what I found on the road that leads to our house:

Doug, along with one of the neighbors, one of the neighbor kids, and our kids worked in the road trying to patch the holes with dirt from the side of the road.  They were out there for well over an hour trying to make the road not so rough.  Selah was in charge of scooping up the water from the morning's rain storm into a bucket so that she could pour it into the ditch.

Later in the evening we had lasagna for dinner and invited a friend over to join us.  While the adults talked after the meal, this is what our kids were busy doing:

Sethy and Selah played Monopoly while Darius and Jacobey played cards on the coffee table. 

Today has been a very enjoyable day thus far too.  We slept in, had pancakes for breakfast, and decided to have church at home.  We pulled up our home church website in Katy and listened to Pastor Stan give a sermon from two weeks ago.  In it he spoke about how Genesis 1 and John 1 are such parallel chapters.  It was a great read and you'd be amazed at how similar they are.  That led to a great discussion around our table and helped us to talk about light and darkness.

Then Doug took the kids and went to the covered play area to play some catch with the gloves and baseballs. 

When they returned about an hour and a half later, they reported that several Ecuadorians had stopped to watch.  Apparently baseball is not played much here and they were intrigued by the sight.
While they were away, I had a cup of tea and responded to emails sent in by dear friends from Houston and Cleveland. 

You know, life here is very challenging at times, but when one does not have a TV, video games, car, or a long list of things to do for Christmas, life can be pretty simple as well. 
I pray you'll find the simple things in Christmas too. 
Thanks for reading.
Blessings, kim

Wednesday

I just finished writing a very long blog and was doing the last minute editing when I accidentally pushed a button and deleted the whole thing.  Ever happen to you?  Frustrating.  And, as I sit here I can feel that something has just bitten the underside of my arm--I am not sure who has shown up to bite me while I'm typing at the kitchen table, but somehow I now have a bite on my forearm.  Interesting.  I'm not to be deterred though.  I'll blog anyway, by George!

The weather in Shell is amazing at the moment.  The sun is shining and the birds are alive and well.  The smell of fresh cut grass is wafting and we've not had rain yet today.  I really should be outside while I type--I guess if the bugs can get me inside the house at the table, then what more could happen outside?  Let's risk it....

Now that I'm outside I can see that a huge, dark cloud is headed this way--not a foreign sight here.  As a matter of fact, I've seen more interesting cloud formations here than I've ever seen elsewhere.  And, with that, more rainbows--nearly weekly and HUGE.  With the rain there often comes the rainbow.  I'm sure there's a lesson about life hidden in that last statement. Hmmmm....

Today Selah and I caught a lift from a friend to Casa de Fe--a huge blessing--and we arrived eagerly to see how Camila had fared overnight.  (She was the little girl brought in by the police yesterday with her siblings.)  I gave her a warm greeting and she returned it with a big smile and a few questions of her own:  what was my name, what was Selah's name, was she my daughter, where do I live, etc.  Apparently Camila was already feeling at home and her big sister Fernanda was to be in the classroom with her.  What a great thing for the both of them.  However, when I took four kids to the restroom in the big house, I learned of their little sister's location in the baby room. Little two-year-old sister Jennifer saw the older Camila and was devastated.  Jennifer understands very little of what's going on around her, and yet her being at the orphanage might be the best thing for her and her sisters.

In life I think that's the same for us.  We only see a piece of what's taking place and we become devastated by what we see.  It is our interpretation of the situation that runs our thinking and our emotions.  And no matter what the real truth is, we still go on what our perception is.  Yet, as with Jennifer, our sight is so limited.  We cannot possibly fathom what is best for us nor what pain we have to go through to get to the best in our lives. 

Likewise I needed to come here to find out God's best for us, to learn some of the very hard lessons that I've been learning.  I had to learn to be without:  without family, without friends, without my church, without my house, without my neighbors, without cars, without available finances, without my routines, without all the comforts in my life.  The Lord had to strip away all those things that give me comfort and a sense of belonging so that He could thrust me into something where He'd have my full attention.  When all those things are stripped away, what's left?  Great question!  Underneath is there someone who is confused and upset and loud like Jennifer?  Or does the challenge of the situation lead to the revealing of something precious, lasting, and beautiful underneath? 

I have learned recently that when the Lord takes away all of my acclaim, my life in the States, and my favorite people and things, then He reveals what I'm truly made of.  I don't think the first months (tomorrow will be four months) have revealed much beauty.  I had a lot of ugliness to work though and much foolishness was bound up in my heart.

In the Bible, the Lord talks about how we are to love our enemies because loving only those who love us is really not much of a feat.  Loving our enemies is certainly much more in-line with Christ.  Well, similarly, being contented when things are going well is not really all that special.  When things are challenging and we're under duress and we choose to be contented--now that's something that resembles Christ.  In all ways He gave up so much more than I did when He came to earth.  Yet, he roamed the earth under great duress and rarely was He discontent or fussy. It is only when I seek to be contented in all things that I really demonstrate the love and character of Christ.  And isn't that why I came here in the first place?

Well, I have to say that now that I've retyped the blog, this one that you're reading is much better than the other one that got deleted.  I should just trust that even in the deleting of an hour's worth of typing, there would be a blessing in the end. 
Thanks for reading. 
Blessings, kim

Tuesday

It's been a long time since I've been able to sit at home alone and blog during the day.  Today I thought I'd hop on the opportunity since everyone's up at school and I don't have to be there for another half hour. 

Yesterday was a special day for me.  Susan, my dear pickling friend, drove Doug, Selah and I to Puyo where we were able to secure my Christmas present:  a new bike.  After riding the ten-year-old neighbor's hand-me-down for three months, I had decided I really need something a bit bigger.  So, my sweet husband, who had scouted out a bike for me a month or so ago but gave up the search when I had insisted that no new bike was needed, knew exactly where to find one. 

Our friend Susan was kind enough to throw the bike into the back of her pickup truck and bring it home for us too.  I'm not sure if you can tell from the photo but my spokes are red.  I feel like a kid being all proud of my bike.  Jacobey hopped on it yesterday and told me that I have probably the second best bike of all the kids at school--well, that'd be neat if it weren't for the fact that I'm not exactly a kid.  Yet I am excited that the boys like my bike.  I'll probably pass down my old one to Darius who could use a bigger bike himself too. 

I'll throw in a couple of other things here too.  This is something I saw crawling on our bedroom wall last night:

 

And here's what Doug killed the other day on the floor near the kitchen table.  We're not sure what it is but it doesn't look friendly:

 

Today when Selah and I were at Casa de Fe, a new little girl was brought into our little room.  Her name is Camila and she is four years old.  Her eyes were wide with confusion and she spoke nary a word.  My heart broke for her immediately because I could tell she had no real idea of what was going on.  Apparently she and her two siblings were taken from their home by the police.  Their mom was still there but I'm not sure what state she was in nor what the reasoning was of the officers who brought her to the orphanage.  I cannot even imagine how she's going to process the next few days when she finds herself remaining at the orphanage and the rest of her life remains greatly unexplained. 

 

I find myself being ever so grateful for family and for parents that not only were able to take care of me but were willing to do so.  So many orphans cannot say the same. Lets be grateful together. 

Blessings, kim

 

A different kind of December

December--the month of Christmas décor, bright lights, the scent of pine trees and apple cider in the air, colder temps, hustle and bustle everywhere, and the exchange of cookies and gifts--a unique time of year.  Whether you are one that truly enjoys the season or merely tries to accomplish all that the season brings, you have to admit that it's a wondrous time.  It's my personal favorite month of the entire calendar.

December in Ecuador, as you would imagine, is greatly different from December in the States.  One can find Christmas décor, but it's similar to being on a scavenger hunt--you'll only locate it if you're purposefully looking for it.  A handful of houses in town have one string of lights up--not an entire house is decorated--usually just a doorway or a balcony.  Pine trees?--not a one.  Cold temps?--if you consider 65 cold, well, then yes but only at night!  Hustle and bustle?--nope.  The only ones here in a rush are the taxi drivers and I'm sure it's not so they can take care of their last minute shopping.  And the exchange of gifts and cookies?  Well, that's the one place where we can keep our Christmas the same. 

In our home we've set up a fake tree which the neighbors who are in the States this month loaned us.  You can see right through the thing but it was free and does the trick.  We hung on it one string of lights and about 20 ornaments.  I had a roll of pretty ribbon left by the previous home owners so I made a bow and affixed it to the top. Then to make our tree look bigger, we set it on an end table and covered the table with a white sheet--don't know where I'd find a tree skirt anyway.

I was told ahead of time to bring Christmas presents with us, so thankfully we have a few small things under the tree wrapped in paper which I bought in squares of 24 x 18 inches for 30 cents each.  Thankfully the gifts were small or I'd be spending some effort trying to piece together the paper to cover the boxes.  I'm very excited about the kids' gifts because they're each getting one thing that they absolutely love plus some of their favorite candy from the States. 


You know, each year we try to keep the Christmas fan-fare paired down and really focused on the birth of Christ.  I have to say, this year it will be a piece of cake. As far as I can tell, we're not really thinking of much else this season.  I already took the Christmas photo and Doug and I wrote the Christmas letter in November so that my mom could send them out to each of you from the States.   There are no big Christmas parties, no rushing off to the mall, almost no traditions that we feel we have to adhere to for tradition's sake. The only thing that's shown up on our December calendar is the Christmas play, which concluded two days ago, and the ladies' cookie exchange, which is honestly something I'm greatly looking forward to. 

Here's Jacobey as a Bethlehem farmer with his rake:

 Sethy as a Bethlehem man being interviewed by a couple of newswomen:

 Darius, unhappily being interviewed by the same--his character was a crotchety old man:

 Selah as an angel:

 The cast of the play singing "Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee":

However we will keep one tradition.  Each year our family makes cookies and such for the neighbors from scratch.  We usually spend an entire day in the kitchen baking and dipping and cutting and rolling.  Then we spend a couple of evenings delivering to all the families near by.  In the past we've gone to up to 38 houses.  This year we only have two families on our compound.  We'll deliver to them but then we'll branch out and visit a number of people throughout Shell.  There's the family from New York that allows us to use their post office box, the family that pastors the church we attend, the ladies that man the fruit stand we frequent, the family that run the town grocery store and the other family that runs their competition.  There's the pharmacist who's rescued us from any number of sicknesses, the family that runs the meat market, the woman who sells us paper goods, and the work crew who faithfully work to build the new bridge that Selah and I will eventually cross daily on our walk to Casa de Fe.  There are other people, but these are who I've considered thus far.  It will be fun bringing some of our Thompson Christmas to Shell.

Ever wonder what Christmas would look like if YOU could decide what your Christmas season looked like?  Something to think about....
Blessings, kim

The Exterminator

Jacobey prepared himself well.  He was on a mission.  The compound was less than safe with these flying culprits around.  So, he covered himself with clothing from head to toe, shielded his eyes, armed himself with a huge blade and not one but two bottles of bug spray.  They wouldn't know what hit 'em. 

He wasn't gone but about four minutes and then returned with a prize in-hand:  the nest itself.  Mom and Dad were so impressed by their Rambo-like son going in to save the day and the neighborhood from wasps (as least that's what we think they were) that sought to bring doom and destruction to all who recklessly came near. 

This is Jacobey with a tree branch in one hand.  The very large ball suspended from the branch--the picture doesn't capture it well though--is the wasp nest.  In his other hands he's got his sheathed knife and a bottle of bug spray.  It was a proud moment in the Thompson home. Or son had planned a potentially dangerous coup and had pulled it off without even one sting.  A US Marine in the making?  Grandpa Juel would be so proud!

Sorry so short.  More later....
Thanks for reading,
Blessings, kim

It was a Mexican Thanksgiving in Ecuador

On the Wednesday before Thanksgiving the kids only had a half day of school.  So we packed up the family, warm clothes, a ton of food, some board games and headed out of Dodge.  We hired a taxi to give us a lift to the Puyo bus station six miles away with all our things.  From there we would ride a couple of hours to the Tena bus station where we would take a three to four hour ride to the small mountain town of Papallacta.  This roughly 200 km (120 mile) trip could take us up to eight hours due to road construction, transfers, bus stops, and mountain curves.

Once we got in the taxi, we found our first bit of good fortune.  This driver, called by a dear friend for us, was a strong Christian man who said he was willing to cart us all the way to Tena directly for a fee.  We took him up on his offer and ended up shaving off about two hours of our drive time.  Once we were in Tena we bought tickets and then walked over to the local grocery store, which is larger than ours in Shell, and enjoyed looking at their selection of cereal, popcicles, yogurt and potato chips.  You know you live overseas when walking in a grocery store even keeps your kids entertained. 

A few minutes later we took our Dramamine and boarded the bus.  This ride showed us the eastern ridge of the Andes Mountains and took us through a cloud forest--visibility is almost nil at times since the roads wind through the mountains at about 10,000 feet.  We were ever so grateful that our bus driver took the roads slowly and was willing to make a bathroom stop about three hours in; there are no bathrooms on these buses.  After three and a half hours we arrived just at dark only half an hour behind our other friends who had taken a car.  They had left Shell an hour and a half before us.

The guest house in Papallacta sleeps 28 and costs a mere $112/night.  That worked out to just over $5/person for the 22 of us who stayed.  There are nine bedrooms, two full baths, four half baths, and six shower rooms.  We had a fireplace where Doug kept nursing the flame, and a huge kitchen where Susan (who taught me how to pickle) and I took turns manning the ship.

Papallacta is known for its hot springs.  So, we spent Thanksgiving Day enjoying a hike, a spell in the hot water, and eating yummy food.  Here is a picture of part of our group.  HCJB employees like us get in free; otherwise it would have cost us $29/day to enjoy this part of the experience.

While the men and older kids hiked up the mountain from 10,200 to 11,000 feet, the ladies and smaller kids remained back checking out the llamas. 

This is a view of one of the many mountain streams found in Ecuador. 

Here are all the kids seated for our Thanksgiving Day meal.  Eleven smiling faces from age five to twelve.

This is the Thanksgiving spread:  four trays of chicken enchiladas, two pots of rice, refried beans, guacamole, homemade salsa and shredded lettuce.  Yum!  We all so miss Mexican food.  We opted not to do turkey since one bird would have cost more than $40!  Turkey is not cheap here.

These are the eleven adults (minus me):  one German, one Canadian, five New Yorkers, one Ecuadorian, Keith who is American but grew up in Ecuador, and then us.

The six of us just before we left to head back to Shell.  We're up on the mountainside at the guesthouse while the small town of Papallacta sits below.

An amazing long weekend.  We all played card games and board games, sat in front of the fire, ate constantly, laughed uproariously at times, enjoyed coffee together each morning, read for pleasure, and got to know each other better.  For Thanksgiving, we therefore, were thankful for time with friends, memories from home in the US, Mexican food, cold weather, no bugs (that one's mine), and so many little things that the Lord does that we take for granted. 

 

We thank you for reading.  Blessings, kim