December 31st

We hope everyone survived the crazy weather!  It's been all over the news down here.  We are experiencing the other extreme- it keeps getting hotter and hotter!  Everyone keeps telling us that the rainy season will officially start tomorrow- literally.  They say there will be a downpour tomorrow and everyday from then till the end of the season.  We're anxious to see if it's true.  I never thought we'd be anxious to see if it rains :-)

We had our last big crew meeting this past Monday.  The work is quickly wrapping up, the last group of International Volunteers are starting to head back to their homes, and the temporary Bethelites who have been working on this project for months and years will be finding out where they go next.  Our overseer encouraged everyone to apply themselves to whatever assignment they receive next and to know that Jehovah greatly appreciates the time they devoted to this assignment.  It was very encouraging for all.  He and his wife are going to Myanmar for their next assignment.  The other International Servant couple just received their next assignment to Liberia.  It's exciting to think about the scope of the work going on worldwide!  

Here is a photo of the Construction crew and some photos of different creatures we've encountered on the branch property. Scorpions, and snakes, and octopus.. oh my!!  PS- yes- those are baby scorpions on the back of the big one!

December 10th

Last weekend we went to a town called Cuenca, about five hours southeast of Guayaquil.  We stayed in a hotel that was once the home of the owners grandfather.  The hotel, like many of the old homes in Cuenca, was built around a courtyard with all the rooms facing the courtyard.  The hotel was beautiful and the city was beautiful- very Colonial.  On the way home we visited some Incan ruins.  Here are a few photos from our trip... 

December 4th

A little bit about the food in Ecuador...  It is bien rico!  They eat a lot of fish here in Guayaquil.  We will often have shrimp, seabass, or tuna.  They eat rice with nearly every meal (lunch and dinner). Not a lot of beans, which makes me very happy:-)  They are masters at working plantains and yucca into all sorts of dishes.  Fruits and vegetables are very inexpensive here.  So we eat a lot of fruits that would be a "luxury" back home- mango, papaya, pineapple, watermelon, etc..

I've really been enjoying working in the kitchen.  It's a great crew.  I usually work with the group that preps the food.  Today we cut 110 lbs. of pork into little cubes. It took 3 of us more than 3 hours!  Here they call pork "Chancho".  By the end of it we were joking that we had "chancho elbow" or "chanchonitis".  I'm quickly learning that working in the kitchen is not for the feint of heart!  

We've been having fun swapping bible trivia too.  Here's one for all of you...  In which 5 places has the Governing Body ever resided?  and here are some photos from the kitchen...  

November 29th

Here's the scoop on the work at the branch...  The original project was a Water Reservoir, Residence Building, Translation Department, and expansion to the Literature Warehouse.  That all got finished up and then the branch got approved to build a Visitor Center and Parking Lot and to remodel a couple offices.  That's why we're here.  The goal is to finish up this phase by the end of January. We've been having a blast working with the local brothers.  They're hilarious!  Here are a couple photos of the construction work and one photo of our little work-site mascot...

November 22nd

Last week a group of fifteen of us went to a town called Monteverde to help with the Tract Campaign. We left the branch early in the morning and stopped to leave the tract at all the roadside vendors along the way.  We got to Monteverde around 10 am.  Our assignment was to work the whole town!  It took our group about 3 hours.  Since this town rarely gets covered, they asked us all to make a note of any interest so they could follow up on it.  This was a challenge because it seemed like everyone we talked to would have liked another visit!  We spent the afternoon with a family from Colorado who has been living in Ecuador for years.  They have a son named Ryan, who is 13 and just started pioneering. It was a great day- very encouraging for Tait and I.  Here are a couple photos...

November 14th

Our flights went really well and we made it to Guayaquil on Tuesday afternoon!  We were greeted at the airport by Jim and Jill Tank- some friends of Tait's uncle Gary and aunt Beth. The Tanks have been serving as missionaries in Guayaquil for 18(?) years now.  They remember Tait when he was just a little boy visiting his uncle Gary in Kentucky.  We were so happy that they came to welcome us.  We made our way to the branch, had dinner, and slept.  The branch is absolutely beautiful!  There are 150 in the bethel family plus 30 or so international volunteers.  Most of the volunteers live in a little compound just off the branch, but Tait and I will be staying in the main building.  Wednesday we had our Orientation- a tour in the morning, then Laundry, Kitchen, and Housekeeping training- (2 hours each)  and at the end of the day we got our work assignments...  It sounds like Tait will be doing a little bit of everything.  I'll be working with Tait Monday through Wednesday and in the Kitchen Thursday and Friday.  Thursday was our first work day and our first meeting.  Tait worked with a crew that is prepping to pour a parking lot for visitors.  They were digging ditches, making forms, tamping the ground- all in the hot sun.  He quickly learned he's going to need to reapply the sunscreen more often :-)  I worked in the kitchen washing and prepping produce.  There are two other sisters from the construction group who work in the kitchen Thurs. and Fri. as well.  We had a lot of fun working together!   We are assigned to a congregation called Corales.  Of course, the brothers are so warm and welcoming.  Tait was immediately assigned a Speech Quality, and I avoided the School Overseer like the plague :-)  Sunday we'll be going with a group to a seldom worked territory to help with the tract campaign and then to the beach in the afternoon.  We are loving it here already, and really looking forward to the days and weeks to come.  More photos and details to come...