A view of the city.

The kids were out of school today and we had planned on going to Cotopaxi, it's the volcano that I always take pictures of out of our living room window.  It's only about an hour and a half from us and when we reached the "30 minutes away" point, we hit a lot of traffic.  I'm talking backed up for miles and barely moving.  So instead of staying in stalled in traffic we decided to turn around.  Bummer!  When we got back into Quito we decided we would go back up the Teleferico.  Yes, we have already been up it once but it was really cloudy and we didn't see much.  Today was a beautiful day so the sights were endless.  While up top we froze to death and got rained on.  That is so crazy to me because as soon as we got back down the weather was about 70 degrees and no rain.  Amazing!


Take a look at the sights we saw.  It felt like we were on top of the world.  We were so high up that we had to look down on the airplanes coming in and they looked like they were going so slow.

Shannon, Ethan, Megan and Dustin.  (a friend of Ethans)

Does your house ever look like this?

This has been my view for several days now. 

What a great view.

And this is the view when you walk in the front door.  It's a ping pong table, gas tank, a trunk full of tools and a puppet stage.  

And here is the next view.  Shoes and a messy office that I just cleaned but the kids messed up.  It's not really an office yet so Ethan plays x-box in there, hence the mess.

A woman's job is never done.  It just seems to be a never ending battle.  Need I say more?

May the month of miracles.

The Lord has been doing lots of great things at our church in Llano Grande.  Within the last 3 weeks the church has made a lot of improvements.  I know that most of you think of miracles mostly as healing but here they think of miracles as God providing for their needs.  The church needed about $4,000 for these improvements and here that is a lot of money.  They really thought that it would take a year to raise the funds but God provided the money in 3 weeks.  This church is only a little over two years old and when they started the church there were only 12 people.  Today there is anywhere from 150-200 people and every Sunday there are new people there.  Within the last three weeks the Lord has provided everything that they asked for plus more and it's all paid for.  Isn't that how God works?  Yesterday was the first service since all the improvements had been made and to say that they people were excited would be an understatement.  Hence the title of this post,  May the month of miracles.

La Presencia is very proud of their sanctuary and work hard to keep it cleaned. Due to high theft rate, everything in the sanctuary has to be locked up.  That means people arrive at the church anywhere from  7:30 to 8:00 on Sunday mornings to set up everything and then after service it is all taken down and locked up, even the chairs.

I am amazed every Sunday.  I can't help but think back on our lives three years ago and the things that I thought were important to me.  Was it easy to let go of all of those things?  No.  Was it easy to sell everything we owned in a garage sell? No.  Was the journey easy to get here?  No.  Would I do it all over again?  Yes!  I have learned so much since being here and the number one things would be,  things are not important.  Who cares if you have a big screen TV, a leather couch, or a nice car?  Does it really matter in the end?  I have meet so many people that have nothing and are so very happy.  People who live on $260 a month or less and are very happy.  I like being a part of a church that depends on God for everything and watching them be blessed and excited about what God is doing and is going to do.

Ok, onto the pictures.  Be prepared for many.  I know these may not be important to you but they bring great joy to the people of La Presencia and the Pruitts.

Pastor opens up the new speakers.

He has prayed for these speakers for 5 years.

 The beginning of the doors being installed.  Before this whole side was open.  

Here is an after picture with fresh paint and the doors are completely installed and open in this picture. 

The lights and new drum cage.

The black door on the left is new.  And the speaker hanging on the right is new.  You will notice that it is still open on the top above the new door but that will be closed in soon.

New doors from the inside.  Opened.

Closed.

First service with new sound.

And Pastor Luis is thankful for all that God has done.

Please continue to pray for this church.  They need their own land.  Everything that you see in these pictures can be moved and that is the plan for the future.   At this rate this church is going to need a new building soon.  And with the faith of this church, it will happen.  

Just a thought.

Here's is what I'm thinking today.

My favorite part:

And if our God is for us, then who could ever stop us.
And if our God is with us, then what could stand against.
And if our God is for us, then who could ever stop us.
And if our God is with us, then what could stand against.
What could stand against. 

Casa de Luz, The Lighthouse

Shannon has began preparations on our first project.  He has been working the last two weeks, and this week as well, on a construction of a church.  The church is in an area called Santa Lucia and it's about 13,000 feet about sea level.  That's about 3,000 more than Quito.  (these are all guesses)  We have our first team coming in January 2012, they are from Star City Arkansas.  Just so happens that this was our first (and only) church to pastor.  We feel so honored that Star City will be our first team because they are really special to us.  Star City First has held a lot of "first" for us, so it's only fitting that they would be our first team.  We are really excited about them coming.  Star City went ahead and bought the steal for this church in April because the prices were going up this month.  So Shannon and a few others began to make the columns for this church and getting it ready for Star City to come and put up the walls.

Yesterday we were invited to a special service at this church.  It was a service representing the first stone of their church that is to be built.  We were honored to be a part of this service and we are looking forward to helping this church build their building.  Please be in prayer for this project, since it is our first, it comes with fears.  There's a lot of pressures that come with building a church because you want to build it right and build a church that will stand forever.

The building site.

The building plans.

Let the construction begin.

Please notice the view of Quito and the volcano in the background.  Beautiful spot for a Lighthouse.

The church is actually meeting in a building across the street and only had service at the construction site yesterday. 

The Pastor.

Shannon and the Sierra District Superintendent.

Praying for the construction of Casa de Luz.

The first stone before.

After.

A moment of thanks:
Just wanted to take a moment to say thank you to all of our supporters.  Without you we wouldn't be able to be here to build this church and to make a difference in these peoples lives.  It's an honor to serve the Lord in the country of our calling.  Without you it would not be possible and we can't say thank you enough.

A moment of prayer:
I have a really good friend here (her and her husband are missionaries too), she is in the states right now because her dad is in the hospital fighting for his life.  I am asking you to prayer for her, her dad, and the family during this time.

Nothing but Random

Living in a different country can have it's challenges.  I have had to learn to do so many things differently, which has been interesting.  Let's take cooking for example,  I have had to learn to make so many things from scratch.  There is no "easy" button when it comes to cooking here.  Not only do I have to worry about the altitude but also the products that we can't get here.  I either have to make something first to put in the recipe or I have to find something to substitute.  Here are some of the things that I have to make,

Cream of chicken soup
Cream of mushroom soup
Chicken broth
Caned tomatoes here are so expensive that I have learned to cut up my own or use the food processor.

These things are things that I NEVER made in the states.  It was easier to buy the can.  On the cream of soups, they sell a package of spices here and you have to make it before you can add it to your recipe.

Other things that we have learned to make from scratch would be,

Biscuits
Sausage
Rice in a pressure cooker.  It's hard to make rice here without using a pressure cooker because of the altitude.
Lattes

We cook a lot here and I really enjoy cooking.  Something that I never did in the states.  It's amazing to me the things that I like doing now that I didn't two years ago.  Cooking isn't easy here or fast.  When I find a recipe that I think we would like, the first thing I do is look at all the ingredients.  Because there a lots of things that we can't get here.  We are stocked up right now with things like brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and chocolate chips.  When we come home this summer we will be buying more.  I keep a list on the frig of all this cooking stuff that we need from the states.


Now on to more serious business.  I need prayer!  We found out this week that there is a really good possibility that we are going to have to take an 18 hour driving course.  At the end of the course, you have to pass a test before you can take the drivers test.  All this to get a drivers license here.  Can you say torture?  18 hours of Spanish driving terms, then a test, and then another test.  Before you can take the driving course you have to go to the hospital and get your blood type, to the police station to get a background check, and copies of passport/senso.  What?  My blood type?  To be perfectly honest with you, I had no idea that they even had driving laws here.  (no offense to any of our Ecuadorian friends here)  But the driving is just crazy here.  So seriously, pray.  We will find out more today.

And since this blog is over all over the place today, lets end with a few pictures from Sunday at church.

Dolls for Mothers Day

Shannon and the kids bought these beautiful handmade dolls for me for Mothers Day.  These dolls are indian dolls from Otavalo Ecuador.  There is a lady in our church that makes these and you can choose which indian tribe you want your dolls to be.  I would have to say that this lady is pretty talented.  All the indians have their own native dress here and she makes them look exactly like that tribe, even down to the jewelry.

I almost forgot to mention that I had a great Mothers Day.  We went to church and then out for lunch.  The kids also wrote me letters that were so sweet that they brought tears to my eyes.  You know those letters when you think, I must be doing something right.  They were actually the best Mothers Day gift that I have ever received, up to this date.  When you finally receive sweet letters from your kids that are old enough to appreciate you, it's priceless.  

Would you say aggressive?

I keep telling Shannon that she must get this from my mom or my sister because surely she didn't get this from me.  Surely not?  

PS- I really stink at taking pictures inside a dark gym.  It's driving my nuts because I can't figure the lighting out.

A beacon in the night.

The Nephews

I asked my sister to send me these pictures.  The first one is our my brother, Patrick, Tucker, and Dathan. 

Tucker is a year old and Dathan is 4 months.  (and Patrick is..)  These little guys are growing so much.  

Check out his shirt.  "My mommy runs faster than your daddy."

Buzz! Buzz!

We hear it everyday.  Buzz!  Buzz!  Someone is at the door downstairs.

I particularly like my reflection in the door.  And, no that's not my car.  ha!  But this is our front door that is downstairs.  If you look to the right you will notice this:

There is a button for each apartment labeled with the occupants name. There are four apartments here but the top floor is empty at the moment.  You will also notice that we are the only gringos that live here.  So, when someone comes to the apartment, they look for which person they are needing to talk to or see and then push that button.  When the button is pushed it rings into the apartment on this phone:

You then answer the phone to see who it is.  If it is someone that you are expecting you can hit a button that unlocks the door for them.  Or you can be the poor gringos that get buzzed all the time looking for the neighbors.  Yes, you heard me right. People buzz us all the time wanting our neighbors.  Are we suppose to run up or down to their apartment and get them?  This is one cultural experience that I am having a hard time understanding.  It seems to me if you buzz an apartment and no answers that means they aren't home.  Funny isn't it?  I can't help but laugh.  Just another part of adapting to life in Ecuador.  Not just life in Ecuador but life in the city.

Gringo=White person

A Chicken?

Where is my camera when I need it?

Since our church only has two walls and the rest is open, it's not unusual for animals to come in.  (especially dogs)  I really don't have pictures to show you what I mean but I will try to take some soon.  The church rents a house and when they outgrew the house they put up a metal structure out back.  That is where we have church on Sunday mornings.  There are lots of animals around the church, pigs, dogs, chickens, and sheep. We see them and hear them every service.

Well, this morning, a chicken kept trying to coming inside.  The men of the church kept chasing it off and it would not leave. Finally one of the deacons chased the chicken down and caught it.  I really couldn't help but laugh.  He took it to the field behind the church and let it go.

This morning while in Sunday school a wet dog ran inside.  (Sunday school is in the house)  There really is no dull moment. Sometimes I cant help but think, wow this is so different from church in the states where everything is so prim and proper. But we really love it.  It's different from the norm and to see the peoples hearts is amazing.  We love the experience of serving the Lord in a different culture.

FYI- the church is in the process of putting up the other two walls to take care of this problem.

Kid Update:
The kids are getting excited about finishing up school.  They don't get out until June 16th but they didn't start until September 1st.  We are very proud of them.  They have had a great first year here and have done very well.  They are just now getting involved in the youth group at the church and they are loving it.  It's really out of their comfort zones because all the kids speak Spanish.  But E and Meg are doing good with their Spanish.  And of course Ethan is a clown in English or Spanish, all the kids think he's funny.  We took the youth bowling and out to eat yesterday and had a great time.  It was fun to watch them because there were a lot of kids that had never been bowling before.  I was going to take my camera but Meg and I walked to the bowling alley because E had guitar lessons at the church earlier and we didn't go.  So I didn't get to take any pictures.  E and Meg and also getting really excited about our trip to the states.  They are making plans to go to all the places where they want to eat at.  After church today we asked them where they wanted to eat and Ethan said, "Cracker Barrel."  Ha!  So they are making big plans.