Kunamp

On Saturday Jacobey and I piled into the car with eight other people from church and we made an hour and a half trek into the jungle to the town of Kunamp.  This trip took us through the city of Puyo, down the main road southward toward Macas, off of a relatively new paved road leading further into the foliage, across the huge Pastaza River, and down a thin, bumpy road taking us to a remote little village of about 150 people living far from any semblance of civilization. 

This is the Pastaza River about a 10 mile walk from their village:

This is one of the nicer homes in Kunamp.  All of the homes are made of wooden boards nailed together placed on a wooden floor about two feet off of the ground.  There is no glass in any of the spaces that we would call windows.  There is no running water in any of the homes.  There are no bathrooms and no kitchens. Needless to say, no one in the community owns a car, a cell phone, a television, a computer, or any number of modern conveniences. 

The community was full of moms, dads, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and many kids who all knew one another intimately.  Kunamp is apparently the family name of the person who originally set up camp here.  In essence, this village is the Kunamp family living life in a humble setting amidst their relatives. 

The purpose of our coming to Kunamp was to deliver the Christmas Boxes that Samaritan's Purse collects every fall.  Our church here in Ecuador pays the $1/box Custom's fee and then transports nearly 40 boxes to the children of this community.  Even though every child in the village is not 5-9 years of age, as their particular box states, every one of them is more than thrilled to get all the items included therein.  Jacobey helped to pass the boxes out to these shoeless, patient, poor children of the jungle.  Doubtless, these were the only things the kids received for 'Christmas'.

This precious little girl received a stuffed dog which I'm certain will be her treasure for years to come. 

After the children pulled out their toys, toothpaste with toothbrushes, crayons, clay, pens, notepads, and other assorted items, they ran off to show their family members and enjoy their gifts.  Meanwhile the community leaders prepared to place lunch before us.  They moved five school-type desks end to end in the middle of the house where we pulled up our wooden chairs.  Then they sat a steamed banana leaf before each of us which contained a chicken and hearts of palm mixture with a few large pieces of yucca.  Mine had a whole peeled banana as well.

Then they passed around a bowl of salt for sprinkling and a bowl of sliced chives in water to give it a little extra flavor.  Honestly, this was one of the best meals I have had since coming to Ecuador.  It truly was delicious!

Once we ate to our heart's content, we prayed over the family members who hosted us in their home (which doubles as the community church), and we began to move toward the car.

I snapped a quick picture of Jose who so sweetly lingered around us greatly proud of the gifts he'd just received. . .

. . . Caught a shot of Cobey carrying a bunch of bananas one of our hostesses had given him. . .

. . . And a few last pictures of the gracious people of Kunamp (which for some reason I cannot download now....)

 

It struck me that during our four and a half hours there, we spent time with people who rarely if ever had seen an American, who didn't have all the things that our culture would insist are necessary for happiness, and who had extremely little in the way of true necessities.  They pulled their drinking water from a nearby stream which is also where they bathe, wash clothes, and play on a hot day.  These natives to South America really have no need for all the trappings that we do. They have an old worn out soccer ball, plenty of mud and rocks and sticks, a huge family full of people that love them, and the knowledge and love of Jesus Christ.  (They even sang to us "I have decided to follow Jesus" in their own Shuar language.)   

 

Meanwhile my own kids, who have spent nearly two years without television, the vast majority of their things, and most of the modern conveniences they're used to, long for the use of a computer, an Ipad, or an Ipod when they are away from them.  Oddly, it's my kids who 'feel poor' while the Kunamp kids do not.  My kids notice when they are giving things up and when they go without.  (So do I.)

 

Makes me consider what true poverty is.  The Kunamp kids may appear poor to us, but to them I wonder if they believe the same. 

 

Could true poverty be a lack of contentment and gratitude for the things you already possess? 

 

If we were to use that definition, then my guess is that the vast majority of Americans would be 'poor'. We may have a multitude of things, stuff, objects, but are we content in saying that it's enough?  Interesting. 

 

If you don't need it, and aren't using it, then give it away.  Let someone else have it.  You may find that true wealth is experienced when you have less stuff and more of what the people of Kunamp have:  family, love, space, and Christ (the only things that you can take with you when you go......)

 

Thanks for reading.  Blessings, kim





Banos

Yesterday a really sweet family whose church we attend offered to accompany us to Banos (Bahn-yohs), the larger town that's an hour further into the Andes Mountains away from our house.  It's probably Doug's favorite destination since it's about 10 degrees cooler, it's less rainy, it's got a bigger grocery store than Shell (about the size of a typical Dollar Store), and we know of a place where we can buy chocolate empanadas for a buck a piece.  As we mentioned last year, it also sells grilled guinea pig (a delicacy here) which we proudly report that we've never indulged in. It just has a few more options of things to do than here.  In fact, if you were to travel to Ecuador, it would more than likely be a spot on your itinerary as it is for most tourists that drop into this South American nation.

Our friends collected us at 11:00 a.m. and we drove the hour to Banos where we had lunch at a Mexican restaurant that served the best guacamole and homemade chips. Then we hopped in the car and visited the a place that, in English, would be translated as something like a 'serpetarium'.  We viewed a slew of Amazonian snakes which caused a bit of alarm for Selah for she could see that they were venomous and aggressive.  Then we toured the collection of birds which I thought was fantastic as they had cardinals, flamingos, peacocks, and this really interesting rooster. He reminded me of comedian Phyllis Diller of my childhood days. 

Then we headed to the lion exhibit, a new acquisition from another zoo, which included a lion, lioness, and two cubs. To our surprise we had come on the day when the cubs would be officially named at a ceremony at which Miss Banos would put in her appearance and the zoo would serve sparkling wine, chocolate candies, baked rolls, and many other finger foods. 

Though those things were all a treat, the biggest thrill we had was getting to pet the lion cubs and have the kids' picture taken with one of them.  While this all took place the anxious mother and father looked on and growled and roared with impatience. 

Afterward we witnessed a wonderful family reunion with contented parents including a father who wished the spectators to simply go away.  The roar of a lion really is something to behold.  There is so much power within the throat of such an amazing animal. 

Just before leaving the 'Serpetarium' we took a picture of the animal that most caught Doug's attention:  the llama.  When Doug went to chat with him, he would have none of it and tried to bite him.  We loved the attempt though. 

At the end of our time there in Banos, we shopped for groceries and picked up our favorite cereal, more Gouda and cheddar cheese, bags of chips, chocolate chips, garbanzo beans, pecans, jalapenos, almond slices, mint extract, and a number of other things we cannot readily find in Shell.  On the way out of town we even stopped for chocolate empanadas before heading back to the rain and bugs of the jungle.  It was a great day!

 

Blessings, kim

Choosing

It's been almost a month to the day since I last wrote.  I'm so sorry for those of you who have been faithful in reading this blog.  It was not my intention to take such a long hiatus.  At home now we often do not have internet, and when we do, I compete with the five others in our family who would like to be on-line or at least able to see a video or do some word processing.

As of late we've had more and more rain.  Today we finally got smart and brought a change of pants with us to school in our backpacks so that we wouldn't have to spend the day cold and wet.  It's funny how being cold and wet has added a sourness to my disposition.  This one thing has brought my missing a car to a new level.  Yet, when I look around at the locals, they walk in the rain without care or concern for being wet.  It still amazes me at how spoiled I am and how I seek creature comforts. 

The other day Doug and I were talking about how we don't recall being terribly materialistic when we lived in the States.  We had a nice house but weren't overly concerned with having it decked out in the nicest things.  We never shopped for the nicest of clothes, bought the best car, ate at the nicest restaurants, or had to have the most updated phone.  In each of these areas we simply went for either what was the cheapest or the most handy. 

Somehow we feel that this experience has taken two fairly contented people and turned us into ones who are now very much aware of what we do not have.  We notice greatly now that we wear shoes with wholes or with sparse soles on the bottom, we have no car to speak of, we eat at the cheapest places in town here, and between us we have one phone which we are sure no one we know back home has seen the likes of in years.  Additionally, we eat the same things over and over because we simply don't have the ingredients that we need. 

Now all of this would be fine and dandy and considered part of the typical experience, but for some reason it's not.  We have struggled with this here and we continue to look around and notice what we don't have rather than what we do.  In fact, we notice every time another missionary family's car drives by.  We notice when anyone here has nice new clothes.  We see the beautiful things that others have that we do not.  Why is this so?  Why are we more aware of what we now don't have rather than before we came? 

I think the secret answer lies in the fact that we simply have no way of attaining these things (as opposed to the fact that in the past we simply CHOSE NOT to have these things).  We are completely unable to have a car here.  It's not an option for us.  We have been told that we are not to drive here, so even if we did have a car, there would be no way for us to use it.  Similarly, we cannot get our hands on nicer clothes or shoes.  There really are none to be had.  The shoes our kids need (which can withstand the rain, the hours of daily play, and the rough terrain that they walk on daily) are not made here.  And the other things that we'd love to have are simply too far away--either two hours by bus or are back in the land we call home.  In essence, the things we'd love to own are out of reach for us.  For other missionaries here, not so much.  But for us, they are out of the question.

Therefore, I have to say that this experience has really taught us what it's like to be poor.  Now I'm not saying that we really are poor.  Mind you, we still own a nice home and two cars in the states.  We still have many possessions there.  We are still funded here by the generous giving of our donors.  But.  We know what it's like to have the 'inability' to own nice things.  We know that we cannot enjoy the things that others do.  We have tasted the good life and we now know what it's like to have a longing for that. 

Recently Doug and I therefore have noticed that we are sad for the loss of some of these things.  (We do know that it's a temporary loss.)  We are sad that it makes us turn inward and grumble and become less than contented.  We've decided that these next three months need to be focused on what we do have--which is a far cry from what other missionaries have in the one direction--AND--which is a far cry from what the locals have in the other.  We must spend our time being grateful and mindful that we have been blessed beyond measure to have had this experience and the wonderful opportunity to learn lesson upon lesson upon lesson. 

Thanks so much for reading.  I promise not to take so long between entries. 
Blessings, kim

Sunshine

Today is Friday.  I cannot begin to tell you how wonderful it is to see the sun.  Today, for the second day in a row, we have seen that mysterious ball in the sky appear to grant us a wonderful afternoon full of bright, warm air.  Mind you, it rained all morning as usual.  I think it's been nearly two months since I can recall seeing the sunshine with any great consistency. 

Since early December we've had so much rain that we have regularly gotten caught unaware in a shower or downpour.  And, because we walk or ride our bikes everywhere, this has been quite the problem.  Just this past Monday when I was on my way to school, I'd traveled the first few hundred yards of the only half-mile trip when the rain began.  I therefore sped all the more toward my destination but sadly by the time I arrived only about three or four minutes later, I was so wet that my hair was plastered to my face, my tan pants were see-through down the front of my legs, and my backpack was soaked.  Should have worn a raincoat!  I angrily spoke out loud my frustration:  "Lord, I HATE the rain!"

Because we've had some time without clouds and can see in the distance, I was able to capture a photo of Sangay--one of our closest volcanos--smoldering in the afternoon sky.  What a beautiful picture.  Sadly, the clouds began rolling and obscured the view a tad.

 

Yet, when I looked over at El Altar, an even taller volcano and a tad bit closer, the view was nearly perfect. 

Today, Saturday, we've now been without rain for nearly 30 hours straight--and we've actually  had sunshine.  This is a huge span of time without precipitation and I'm so grateful for it.  The kids all played outside the entire time and Doug was able to take a bike ride with a friend.  Since everyone was contented and with friends, I was able to attend to projects at home without distraction or sad faces that said, "Mom, there's  nothing to do," which here may actually be the case. 

Sunshine is enormously important.  I will never take it for granted again. (As I type this it is lightening and thundering.)

Blessings, kim
)

Grace

John the Baptist and Jesus both started their messages with "repent" because until we are faced with our own sinful nature we will in no way be willing to NEED or desire grace or mercy.  It's not until one is in prison that they begin to ask for amnesty or release from blame.  Until then we all live in denial that we've even done anything wrong.  Or worse yet, we know that we are guilty but we try to hide from that fact from anyone who might notice.  When the Lord finally shows us our sin, that's when we catch a glimpse of our poverty, or need, or desperation.   That's when we see we need grace. That's when we finally become humble and contrite in spirit.  One of the amazing things about Jesus is that He was humble already.  No sin needed to be revealed in Him to get Him to that humility.  We, however, are not that way.  We are sinners through and through.  He has to reveal our sin to us--otherwise we see no sin.  We look at ourselves and see good deeds.   In His attempts to show us the sin, we respond, "No thanks.  I've got this.  I'll get into your presence on my own.  I'll come to you because I'm serving you and doing good things for you."  When we react this way in our hearts, we're in essence saying, "I need no Jesus--He needs me."

What a huge difference, huh?  When we say that we're not sinners and that we need no Savior, we go from being close to the Lord and humble and drawn into His kingdom, to being prideful and unwilling to let go of our sin.  Remember, none of us is good.  None. 

Ask the Lord to show you your sin, and He'll gently show you a small fraction of what sinfulness you possess.  He'll only reveal a tiny portion because you cannot handle the full revelation.  It would destroy you.  You'd be overwhelmed with the truth of just how sinful you are.  But if you're patient and earnest in your asking, He'll begin to reveal a smidge to let you know:
1.  that He's with you and heard your question.
2.  that if you're truly ready, He'll open your eyes.
3.  that if you want to, He'll reveal just how BIG He is and just how imperfect you are.

Beware, because if you begin this journey--really begin the journey of discovery--you will at times be overwhelmed with self disgust at how sinful you are, while truly seeing how amazing and powerful and sovereign God is. When you think about it, isn't that the way it should be?  Shouldn't we all know that the God who created us IS amazing, powerful, and sovereign.  If you believe in a God that's not, then why do you believe in Him?  Why would you follow someone so pitiful while you are so amazing already? 

THIS is the Christian life.  To be a follower of Christ is to know Christ, not merely to do Christian things.  When you walk with Jesus and seek His presence and His power and desire His view of people and of yourself, you'll crave to know the truth. You'll crave to know what He knows and to do what He does.  Even if it means that you'll see your own shortcomings, failures, sins. 

You'll know you've just begun the journey and that's honestly the most eye-opening and exciting relationship of your life.  It's my prayer that everyone who reads this will courageously ask the Lord to reveal the sin in their heart.  Then watch out--you're in for the ride of your life.  I'll pray that you'll stay the course, truly be changed, and receive the crown of victory.  For if Christ is in you and for you, then who can be against you?!

Thanks for reading and best wishes,
kim

Blessings

I'm so sorry that I've not been very faithful in blogging over the past few weeks.  It really is not my intention to let it go for so long.  I do have a ton to say but finding the time and just the right message has been fairly difficult. 

Life here has been a challenge in many ways but we were so blessed this week by three outstanding things.  You see, we have a team of people currently here that have come from the States on a short-term mission trip.  There are ten of them and they've flown here from the east coast--Pennsylvania/Delaware.  Prior to their arrival they received packages from both my mom and Doug's mom.  In these packages were some of the most simple things (pretzels, Planter's Peanuts, new socks, new t-shirts, gum, Texas Pecan coffee, instant creamer, hot chocolate packets, Tabasco, peanut butter, corn starch, nutmeg, oatmeal packets, Jolly Ranchers, and a few other wonderful things).  Well, when they arrived they brought these packages with them and the six of us tore into the gifts and were excited. It really was just like Christmas.  The kids also received some of their favorite card games and VeggieTales videos.  I received a music CD for my classroom and Doug got an audio book.  Two friends, Darleen and Irene also sent some books that are just the kind of reading material that I was looking for.  Since we have no television and spotty internet and rainy weather often, these things have already blessed us richly.

The other thing that we loved was the meals out that the team has treated us to.  We had pizza together one evening and they generously picked up the tab and even took us out for soft serve ice cream thereafter.  What an amazing thing.  On another night they had Chinese food sent to our house!  Then, last night they hosted a big community  event where they served hot dogs and s'mores. 

The topper though is this one:  This team brought with them suitcases full of toys for the missionary kids in our community.  There are about thirty kids so this is no small feat.  They brought board games, skate boards, Nerf guns, electronic helicopters, stuffed animals, and all sorts of other very kid-friendly gifts.  All the missionary kids' names went into a hat and then were drawn out so that the  kids could choose their gift.  All the parents watched as this process played out and we couldn't believe the kindness that was being shown our kids.  Well, when our kids' names were toward the bottom of the line I couldn't help but feel for them as they watched others choose something that I knew that they had wanted.  I was so encouraged though when they chose from what was left with grateful hearts and excitement.  All of our kids were notably excited about this opportunity.

Well, at the end of the process when the last child had chosen her gift, the group leader announced the results of a vote that the kids has apparently conducted earlier in the evening.  The group had asked the kids to choose four from their midst who were the epitome of Christ-likeness, kindness, and generosity toward others.  These four kids were to receive an additional gift.  In anticipation of this announcement I had reminded myself not to get my hopes up and I knew genuine happiness for the winners would be the right response out of not only myself but also out of my family members.  Well, when the second child named was 'Jacobey', I cried out and jumped up and down as if I'd just won the Miss America contest.  I was enormously proud of my son--my son who has been ridiculed greatly by a number of kids and who I have had to walk this long, long road with.  This is the same son that I constantly am having to remind to be of good courage to do the right thing even when others do not.  The son who reported to me that he thought he couldn't make it here another five months.

When Jacobey came to me at the conclusion of the evening just a matter of five minutes later, he and I embraced in a flood of tears. We were both in shock and profoundly impacted by what had just taken place. We felt that his good, but very hard choices, had paid off and that he knew that even though some of the kids may not like him, at least a portion of them appreciated his ways.

Today we're still processing this event.  We're still amazed at how things have turned out and we're still really grateful for this little blessing.
Praise God for sweet gifts of kindness in the most surprising ways.
Thanks for reading,
Blessings, kim

Sacrifices

There are numerous things that we've had to leave behind when coming to Ecuador.  Some of them are profound, others are fairly simply and almost frivolous.  Yet, all have been eliminated from our daily life and therefore we miss them greatly.
My cousin's wedding
My Granny's 90th birthday
Our family members
Our neighbors
Our English-speaking church
American coffee
salad dressing
fast food
Chick-fil-A
pizza with marinara
sushi
black pepper
jalapenos
pretzels
Christmas décor and celebrations
real Christmas trees
quality made shoes
coffee shops
book stores
a car!!!!!
cold weather
sunshine
cheap postage
grocery stores
pudding
Lowrey's Season Salt
pecans
bagels
turkey bacon
buffets
Blue Bell Ice Cream
pickles
warm swimming pools
a salary
sea food
grilling
our house
Target
fenders on back bicycle tires which prevent one from wearing mud on his back all day
a garage
power tools
a quality mixer
taking drinking water from the tap
straight roads
fruits and veggies that don't need to be soaked
streets free from stay dogs and their poop
cold milk
thick yogurt
a variety of cheeses
quality q-tips
purchasing pork without seeing the hooves or snout as an option
buying a chicken without asking to have the head and feet cut off
quality umbrellas
addresses on buildings
a home phone for receiving local calls
television
kolaches
Mexican food
did we mention a car??!!!

These are just some of the things we miss and will enjoy profoundly when we return. Enjoy them on our behalf in the interim.
Thanks for reading.
Blessings, kim