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How Was It?

In case you haven't been paying attention for a while, I was actually in Ecuador for a couple months recently.  Since returning to the US it looks like I've given myself plenty of time to recover and let things sink in.  Trying to summarize the experience is pretty much beyond me, which makes it difficult to answer the question, "How was it?"  It was challenging.  It was uncomfortable.  It was awesome.  It was a lot of things.

I'm a big fan of mountains

The obligatory straddling the equator photo...

 

 

One way to look at it is the difference between my two visits to the airport in Panama City - on the way to Ecuador and returning home.  The first time I didn't even have the confidence to venture out of the airport despite the lengthy layover time.  The second time I was able to speak Spanish with employees at the airport, find a taxi, travel around the city, visit the Panama Canal, get lost, find my way back, and still make my connecting flight.  All that time in Ecuador must have helped some.

As evidenced by my first few posts in Quito, language was one of the biggest challenges.  Not just because it's uncomfortable  and inconvenient not knowing how to communicate, but it makes working and connecting with people more difficult.  Having no other option, they say, is the best way to learn the language.  I greatly appreciated the patience my coworkers, host family, and strangers had when I was practicing on them.  While I still have a lot of Spanish to learn, I definitely saw some huge improvements in my ability in that short time.

My time in Ecuador was really shaped by the welcoming arms of HCJB staff and my hosts.  Bruce, the civil engineer in charge, put a real emphasis on my learning and growing while working with the Clean Water Projects team.  Along with the other staff members, he provided knowledge and wisdom while giving me about all the responsibility I could handle.  My Ecuadorian host family was a huge help as far as teaching me about the culture, developing my Spanish, and keeping me fed.

More Ecuador exploration

Normally I view stress as something negative, and do my best to keep it out of my life (I tend to be pretty laid back).  But then when I think about it, the stressful times in my life are sometimes what cause the most growth and learning.  I won't lie, I did have a few stressful moments in Ecuador.  The time when God told me to speak in Carabuela comes to mind.  So there's definitely a lot of good that can come out of a certain kind of stress from facing new challenges.  God tends to place burdens on me for a reason, but I usually don't appreciate it very much until after I come out the other side.  Having some major responsibility in a project showed me again just how much I need God's help, and also how much He can grow me by allowing me to experience some tough situations.  Basically I just love learning through life experience.  And the good news is there's always more to learn.

Through all the adjustments and challenges, I was constantly uplifted by support from back home - as was the case when I was in Indiana, Colorado, and Thailand.  That has been such a great blessing, to see how God provides for all my needs through other people.  I want to thank everyone for the prayer and financial support that made everything possible.  My prayer team really came through for me, it was great to connect and be praying for specific requests each week.  Some days a short note or an email would be just what I needed.  I even appreciated the occasional inquiries to whether or not I was still alive down there.  With the help of modern technology and the inter-webs, it's a small miracle how many people I can stay in touch with and be encouraged by.  I'm very grateful to my family, Haven Church, old friends, new friends, strangers, and everyone else that God used to help me with this ministry. Gracias a todos!

That's not me, in case you were wondering

Hermanos en Cristo

I've done a lot of walking in this community

My last visit to Carabuela happened this past week.  There were things to take care of, and I was the only one around from the office that was available to go.  This time though, it was different.  Before I was basically hoping to survive while finishing the tasks at hand.  This time I felt God asking more of me than just serving through my physical and mental labor.  He wanted me to speak, to encourage and share about His faithfulness.

Now as you probably are well aware, I am not exactly gifted when it comes to words coming out of my mouth.  Producing a perfectly logical argument, I explained to God why this was not a good idea: I'm no preacher, not to mention my Spanish is still pretty rough.  As far as I was concerned, I was better off keeping my mouth shut and sticking to working hard and being a servant.  The irony is that during this dialogue with God I had started reading through Exodus and the beginning of Moses' story, where he chickened out when God asked him to speak.  Interesting timing...  Anyway it didn't take long to figure that God thought it was a good idea after all.  Even so I had no idea what He wanted me to say, or who to say it to.

As I sat on the bus traveling by the winding mountain roads toward Carabuela, I asked God to give me some ideas for what to say.  Nothing came to me.  I flipped through my Spanish dictionary until I decided that He would work something out, probably at the last minute of course.

The chanchitos kept me company

When I arrived in the community I went about my work, doing the usual walk around with Luis and Alberto to check on things.  I needed to get an estimate for daily water usage, which meant I had to take measurements in a reservoir for 24 hours.  Basically I had to sit outside at this reservoir as long as people were awake and using water.  Staying up late with a dying flashlight at my side, getting a little sleep, and then waking up at four in the morning to start again made for some tedious work.  At least it gave me plenty of time to read some books.

When it came time for me to leave, to my dismay it seemed that I had missed any opportunities to say whatever I was supposed to say to whoever I was supposed to say it to.  As I headed for the bus station I felt like a failure.  Then Luis asked if I would eat lunch with him before I left.  Here was another chance.  He took me to the nearby city and we sat down in a little restaurant.  Still no inspirational words came to mind.  So I just started talking.  I let him know that I enjoyed working with him, and I appreciated his strong work ethic.  The most important thing though was that we shared our faith in Jesus.  He patiently listened to my broken Spanish as I talked about our differences in culture, background, language, skin color, and lifestyle.  But with all the differences we are still of equal value to God, and part of the same family.  We are ''hermanos en Cristo'' (brothers in Christ).  Luis' eyes lit up as he smiled and nodded.  He told me the next time I come to Ecuador I am welcome to come visit and stay in his house again.  I said if God takes me back again I would gladly do that.

After we finished our lunch Luis shook my hand, and then gave me a hug.  Even though it was just a short conversation, I felt that it was just as important as all the work we did on the water system.  God continues to teach me through experiences that are uncomfortable, exciting, boring, painful, rewarding, and sometimes awkward.  Through all of it I am reassured of His faithfulness to guide my steps and my words, even if it's at the last minute.

Another World

The community of Wayuzentza

Last week I survived my first trip to the Amazon Jungle.  After traveling to the town of Shell, about a six hour bus ride from Quito, I met up with the team on Monday.  Alfredo, Wim, Eric, and I represented HCJB and Jonas, who has been working in the community already with Compassion International, came with us.  A one hour flight with an MAF pilot brought us to the community of Wayuzentza, near the border of Peru.  At that point we had entered a whole different world.

Wayuzentza is a small community of about 20 families located next to a winding river.  The village has a large airstrip, thatched roof houses, a dirt soccer field, and lots of chickens.  They are part of the Achuar people, who have their own language and culture apart from other indigenous groups.  The majority speak Spanish as a second language.  With no electricity, running water, or proper bathrooms there are many needs for improved water and sanitation.  Two springs provide water to the people for drinking, washing, and bathing.  The problem is they are unprotected from contamination and the people have to haul the water by buckets to their homes.  They requested help in developing a water system to provide clean water to the community.

The community leader talking with Jonas

Landing on the gravel airstrip

Obviously this village is somewhat isolated, so we had a curious crowd of people gathering to see the big gringos coming out of the plane.  To start out we needed to have a meeting with the community members.  Meetings in the jungle tend to be a bit unorganized and inefficient by Western standards.  But that's just how things work.  Alfredo first explained a little about the team and what our objective was.  He informed them that HCJB would complete the designs, but the community would be responsible for the manual labor for their water system.  In response there were some complaints about having to dig trenches, the people had to talk some more and decide among themselves, and it went on and on like this.  Eventually they decided to continue the meeting the next day.  After they came to the conclusion that they did indeed want to work on the project, we began doing our work.

Wim and I working on the survey

With the equipment we brought on the plane, we completed a survey of the land and mapped out the locations of houses and community areas.  A few of the leaders in the community helped clear out sight lines by hacking through the jungle with machetes.  Kids watched curiously to see what we were doing.  The whole process only took about a two days, but the extra time spent with the community was just as important to build trust and familiarity with the people.  A social survey was also completed to get some information on habits related to water usage.

Like I said, being in this community was like experiencing a different world.  Life is much simpler and slower.  It definitely made me appreciate having a faucet and a bathroom whenever I need them.  Carrying buckets of water up muddy slopes over long distances is hard work.  After four days of eating nothing but boiled chicken, yuca, and plantains three meals a day I was starting to lose my appetite.  One time I saw a little boy reach inside a hollowed out log, pull out a yellow grub as big as the palm of his hand, and chomp down as it wriggled around.  I sort of wanted one, just for the variety.

Some of the kids after a community futbol game

It wouldn't have been a proper trip to the jungle without a little bit of adventure.  On a particularly hot afternoon a few of us decided to cool off in the river.  We came across a hand carved canoe tied along the bank.  Wim wanted to take it for a spin, so I agreed to go with him.  How hard could it be?  Well the current ended up being a bit stronger than it looked, and our casual paddle along the river turned into a desperate attempt to get back to land.  That attempt resulted in swamping the canoe, being carried downstream, eventually getting caught in some tree branches, and pulling the canoe out of the water.  After that we decided canoeing was not our thing.

Those canoes are not meant for large, unbalanced people

The pilot put on a little show for the village after he dropped us off...




More pictures here!

Unexpected Jungle Trip

Working with a mission organization requires some flexibility.  You never know for sure what's going to happen next.  For example, yesterday I was asked to help on a water project in the jungle,  and leave on Sunday.  Even with the short notice, it didn't take too much convincing for me to decide to go.  While it's not the best timing for me, at least things in Carabuela are stable right now.  I will need to go back there when I return to Quito though.

This may or may not be what I look like by the end of the week

This is pretty exciting for me because I haven't been in the real jungle here in Ecuador yet.  We are working with Compassion International to do a study on a community.  This includes a survey and taking a look at their current water source.  Alfredo, Wim, a Compassion worker, and I will be working out there for a week.  So once I'm packed tomorrow I will hop on a bus and head to Shell, about a five hour ride.  From there we will fly out Monday morning on a small plane deep into the jungle to work and live with the community for five days.  It will definitely be a unique experience, as it's a different world out there.

Getting out of the city can be nice, since I don't have to breathe all the exhaust fumes and listen to car alarms.  Also being without electricity for a week might be somewhat freeing.  I'm looking forward to this next adventure, while trying to stay flexible.

HCJB Water Projects Video

This video summarizes what HCJB Water Projects does in communities in the different regions of Ecuador.  It gives a good idea of the vision and biblical motivations for this work.  Besides that I just like the narrator's accent.

Answered Prayer in Carabuela

Last night I returned to Quito after spending three days in the community of Carabuela.  This was the first time that I had been in the community by myself so it was a little bit intimidating.  The language barrier is always a huge challenge, but combining that with a culture that is even more different than Ecuadorians here was a pretty big step for me.  To be honest, I knew taking the responsibility would be good for me, but man I was dreading it.  While I was feeling a lack of confidence God definitely came through for me, and that ended up being an awesome experience.

Where I spent my nights in Luis' house

Carabuela is a community of Quichuas, indigenous people who live in the Andes of South America.  Their culture, language, and appearance, is different than other Ecuadorians.  The majority speak Spanish as a second language.  So when I say there's a language barrier, I mean when I'm trying to communicate, neither of us are speaking our native language.  They have been very hospitable and generous, which is great.  I stayed in a house with Luis and his family, where they gave up one of their two bedrooms for me.  That meant Luis and his wife had to sleep in one room with both their baby boy and little girl.  They also kept me well fed with plenty of chicken, potatoes, and bread.

The ceilings in Luis' house were not
built for anyone over 6 feet tall

Basically I needed to work with a couple guys from the Junta de Agua Potable, Luis and Alberto, to get the chlorine disinfection system up and running.  I realize that the work I have been doing is probably not the most interesting reading for some, especially those who are less technical minded.  But to summarize, there was testing done that showed harmful bacteria in the water source, which means treatment is needed to provide a healthy supply.  We were having some frustrating problems with the chlorine injection pumps, and I needed help to fix them.

Luis and Alberto transporting some chlorine

After the first day we were still having problems, and I was getting very discouraged.  It was pretty difficult to explain the process to Luis and Alberto, since my technical Spanish vocabulary is lacking.  The morning of the second day, I had little desire or motivation to continue the work.  Fortunately Luis had some thing to do first, so as often happens I had to wait for a while.  It turned out to be a perfect time to spend reading my Bible and asking God for some help.  In that hour and a half I prayed that God would give me wisdom and strength to keep going.  I was pretty desperate.  After I finished praying, nothing changed.  I still felt the same.  But I went out and got to work anyway.

What surprised me is that after I made that first move, God started answering all those prayers.  Suddenly it seemed I was able to communicate more easily, and my mind was operating more clearly.  We finally got the pumps working smoothly, after a few hours of work.  We were pumped!  Ok, bad joke I know.  I knew God had been working, it was an amazing feeling.  But while that was pretty exciting, it was even better to see Luis and Alberto start to be more enthusiastic about things.  My relationship with them was also starting to be more personal as we talked about our families and backgrounds.  When you work with someone for long periods of time, it opens the door to get to know them.  I was able to share some of my motivation for coming to Ecuador, and how God was working in all of that.

Alberto tests chlorine on the water 

The next day we spent monitoring the system and testing for chlorine in the water.  I taught them how to use the testing equipment so that they can continue to record data while I am gone.  It's encouraging to see the willingness of the community to work and put in the effort needed to maintain things.  There is a lot of potential for Carabuela, and I feel blessed that God could use me to be even just a small part of their growth as a community.

Luis' two kids, who were very entertained by the sight of me

Going Up

My weekends here in Ecuador have been exhausting in a different way than the weekdays.  When I'm working in the office or in the community it's mostly mentally tiring, from trying to do engineering in Spanish.  But on my days off I like to get out and explore the country, which can take it out of me physically.  It's always a good kind of tired though, I never have trouble sleeping at night.

This past weekend was a good example, as I destroyed my legs climbing two mountains.  After trekking up to over 15,000 ft above sea level I have a new appreciation for how awesome the terrain is in this country, and also for the people that have to build roads around here.  The views were amazing, right up until we reached the clouds, and then everything went white.  There's something about reaching the summit of a mountain that makes all the pain, headaches, and gasping for air worthwhile.  At least I think so.  I wish I had more time here to explore.  There is so much to see with such a huge variety of landscapes in Ecuador.

I took a few pictures along the way.

The winding trail up Pichincha

We made it to the top!

Tomorrow I head to Carabuela for another visit.  This time we hope to fix our pump problems and get the system running, assuming everything goes as planned.  After Roberto, an HCJB engineer from a Quichua community, helps me with the installation, I'll be on my own for a few days.  During that time I'm going to be monitoring the disinfection system and testing the water quality.  On top of that I'll be developing procedures for the community water administrators to maintain the system on their own.  This will be a challenge, honestly I don't feel very well equipped for this.  Teaching technical ideas is hard enough, let alone doing it in Spanish.  But God has a way of putting me in situations where He can more easily show His presence, reminding me that I can't do things on my own.

Nothing is Impossible

When life gets busy, it's easy for me to think that there isn't time to be still.  Thanks to a timely reminder from my friend Janine, I started reading My Utmost for His Highest since coming to Ecuador.  The other day I read about falling into the trap of thinking that some things just cannot be done, because of what we lack.  It was a reminder that God's plan is achieved by the supernatural, not by what our own strength can manage.  Since I have trouble remembering things that I read, I decided to start writing something about the devotional each morning on my hand to serve as a reminder throughout the day.  Ironically, the day that I read that one I was walking down the street thinking, ''I haven't been keeping up with my Bible reading the past couple days...''  And then I thought, ''Well when you're traveling and things are busy, you know, it's pretty  much impossible to take time to do that.''  Right at that moment I looked down at my wrist and saw in black ink, ''NOTHING is IMPOSSIBLE''.  I had to laugh, it was just a little slap in the face from above.

That's also a good reminder for the situation with our current project in Carabuela.  After working on installing some chlorination equipment for their water system on Monday and Tuesday, we ran into a problem with the pumps.  As a result we had to leave without finishing, which was disappointing.  After searching all over the city for some new parts (you have to be creative with what's available sometimes), we came up with a solution.  Bruce and I are planning on going back on Monday to hopefully fix the problem.  After that it's up to me to monitor the system for a few days.  I'm still not real confident in my Spanish ability to feel comfortable in the community on my own, but as Bruce said, "Necessity is a great motivator to learn the language."  Well I'm sure there will be plenty of motivation.

Wim measuring our injection pump flow rate

New Faces

Having been in Quito for just three weeks now, I am amazed at all that I have been learning.  Being placed into a foreign environment with people who don't always think or act the same way that I do makes for some accelerated growth in my worldview.  What's been really great is seeing the different people from various backgrounds that have been put in my path along the way.

The past few weeks I worked with Phil, a volunteer with the water projects team.  He is an engineer working as a consultant for the expansion project of the Panama Canal.  Phil also volunteered in the Peace Corps in Chile a while back.  After some great conversations about how our faith can be lived out in different ways, we decided to try and get together when we are both in Panama in the future.  It's small connections like this where I see how God continues to prepare the way for me.

Talks with Bruce, the water projects director, have also led to plans for continued contact when I am in Panama.  It's nice to know that on top of all the support I have from home, there are people I am getting to know here who I will be able to get advice and gain knowledge from, even after I leave.  There are many others I have run across to be able to spend time with and share experiences here: some from my motherland (Dutch people), missionaries, locals, old friends from my last trip to Ecuador, fellow Michiganders, and even a few Calvin grads.  I am excited to see how relationships will continue to develop, because I never know what will become of them, or who I will run into around the next corner.

Tube rafting with Debbie, Carissa, and Marco

Tomorrow I head out to Carabuela again with Wim and Roberto to work on the disinfection of the community water supply.  We will be there for two or three days, depending on how much work we need to get done.  This will be some real hands on engineering work, which is good.  We will need God's guidance as we try to help the community while keeping them completely involved with the changes in their water system.  It's nice to not have to rely on our own ability, knowing that God will be working through us.

Spending Ourselves

At the highest point in Carabuela

Part of my time here in Quito has been spent learning as much as I can about the work that HCJB Water Projects does in Ecuador.  Obviously there´s a lot more that goes into this type of development work than just the technical aspects of engineering design.  The philosophy with the water projects team here is that sustainability is a key factor for water systems.  A large percentage of water systems built by other organizations in Ecuador fail over time due to lack of maintenance.  The idea is that the community has to have a sense of ownership and responsibility for their water system.  Bruce, the water projects director, was explaining that we are not in the business of handouts, or just giving things to people.  Although it may seem contradictory, simply being poor does not qualify a community to have HCJB design a water system for them.  The people must have a desire to improve their lives and take responsibility for the work that needs to be done, both at the start and down the road.  It´s also important that the community has to provide the majority of the labor and natural materials.  Funding comes from many different sources since most communities do not have the kind of money that´s necessary to pay for everything.  Another requirement is to have an organized ¨Junta de Agua¨ or water committee that takes on the financial and maintenance responsibilities.

Checking out the system

Last week I made my first trip out to the Quichua community of Carabuela to work on an existing water system.  The Quichuas are one of the indigenous groups in Ecuador, and live in the Andes Mountains.  The main source of income in Carabuela is their handcrafts, such  as weavings that they sell in the market of Otavalo.  This community was not the poorest in comparison to others in Ecuador, but it was still the most impoverished area I have seen since arriving in Quito.  Seeing the bare concrete block houses, and the dirty old clothes kids were wearing reminded me that yes I am in a developing country.  It amazes me how much of an economic gap there can be between life here in the city and life out in the rural areas.

Measuring flow rates of spring water collection

Taking some notes on the pipes

Roberto (an Ecuadorian HCJB staff engineer), Wim (a missionary technician from The Netherlands), and I inspected different parts of the system.  We worked with Luis, head of the water committee in Carabuela, to make preparations to install two injection pumps for chlorine disinfection.  Technical problems are always solvable, but sometimes cultural issues are the biggest challenge.

There´s an unfortunate perspective of the indigenous people held by others as well as themselves - that they are a lower class, that they are meant to be poor.  The team here wants to help get these people out of that mindset, to be able to have a better life.  We are not trying to solve financial problems by providing more finances.  By going on a spiritual journey with them we hope to show how God´s power can release them from the bondage of poverty.  They are lifted up by things like a supply of clean water, relationships with people that care, and faith in God that encompasses all these things.

Whenever you are trying to alleviate poverty, you´re talking about a huge challenge.  That´s hard work.  There are no easy or simple solutions.  But that´s where God comes in, and He is pleased to have us working alongside Him in this effort.  If we tried to do this on our own, our approach would always fail.  I think God wants us to work hard, to empty ourselves in response to being filled by Him.

...and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. 

Isaiah 58:10

¿Hasta Mañana?

This past week I joined a small group of other working visitors in some orientation sessions with DeNise, one of the HCJB Global staff.  Between Cecilia (my host mom) and DeNise, I basically have two mothers here that are watching out for me and making sure I am safe at all times.  I try not to complain too much.  Anyway, we have been learning about Ecuadorian culture and how it compares and contrasts to the North American type of social interaction.  Looking back I realized how many different ways I had probably offended people every day since I arrived in Quito.

According to the experts, there are reasonable generalizations that can be made about the "hot climate" culture and the "cold climate" culture.  Some of these things I already knew, but it was interesting hearing it from an Ecuadorian.  Usually in colder climates (northern US, Europe, etc.) the culture is focused on efficiency and individualism.  On the other hand in hot climates such as Latin America, relationships are the most important, and there are strong ties among families and communities.  That's the abbreviated version.

The more time I spend here the more I notice these cultural differences.  I have to remind myself, when I walk into a room I need to personally greet every person there.  And "Hola" doesn't cut it, I need to say "buenas dias, como te va, etc.", shake hands with the guys, and give a kiss to the ladies.  This doesn't exactly come naturally to me.  It's also noticeable that the respect for my time that I expect from people in the States is not available here.  Not that people are rude, it's just that time is not nearly as important as relationships.  We were told that if someone invites you to a social event, be sure to show up 10 minutes to an hour late, never on time.  If you're on time they will not be expecting you, and will feel rushed.  Another helpful hint is that when something is supposed to be done "mañana" that doesn't necessarily mean tomorrow, it only means not today.

Besides trying not to offend people and understand how things work, I'm also trying to get used to living in the city.  Quito is not all that large compared to other big cities in South America, but it is compact.  Squeezed between the mountains, the long and narrow shape of it means there are few main roads.  I'm very glad that I am within walking distance of the office.  Although walking is not the best either.  It's important to remember that pedestrians never have the right of way; cars and especially buses will not stop for you.  Drivers use the horn to let people know that they are coming, whether going through a red light or pulling into oncoming traffic.  The other day I was in the car with Gustavo, my host dad, and he was telling me how in places with strict traffic laws there are actually more accidents because of carelessness.  Whereas here people are more careful when driving.  I agreed, while gripping the dashboard as he weaved around a taxi going the wrong way down the street.

Bienvenido a Quito

Flying over the Caribbean coast of Panama

The past few days have been a time of adjustment, to say the least.  Adjusting to the climate, the altitude, the culture, the language, the big city, the food... a lot of adjustments.  When my connecting flight flew over the jungles of Panama and I made my way through the Panama city airport, I felt a little out of place.  My comfort zone waved goodbye to me somewhere over the Caribbean.  But I liked the tropical feel of Panama, I think I just might move there some day.

The breakfast room at the Estrellas

After a 5 hour flight to Panama, a 6 hour layover, a 2 hour flight to Ecuador, and a 2 hour wait in the immigration line, I finally arrived in Quito on Sunday night (actually Monday morning).  I guess it's still faster than driving the whole way...  My host family happily invited me in, despite the fact that they had to be up at 2 in the morning.  Gustavo and Cecilia Estrella, and older Ecuadorian couple, are my adopted parents for the time being.  Their 25 year old son, Diego, also lives with them in their very nice apartment.  It feels a little strange having a housekeeper preparing meals for us, doing my laundry, and cleaning all the time.  But, I guess I could get used to that.

The Estrellas have been challenging me to practice my Spanish, which is good but also difficult.  Cecilia speaks almost no English at all, but we've had several good conversations in Spanish.  I surprised myself at how much I am able to communicate, but I definitely need a lot of practice.  It can be frustrating at times when I can understand what people are saying to me, but I don't know how to respond.  That makes for awkward gaps in conversation at times.

Outside the Community Development office

Today is my third day working in la Oficina de Desarrollos Comunitarios (Community Development Office).  The clean water projects is a subdivision of this department.  Bruce, who's in charge of the water projects, has been discussing with me different projects to work on while I'm here.  HCJB worked with the people of Carabuela, a mountain community north of Quito, to build a drinking water system two years ago.  Now followup testing shows that the water needs disinfection.  It looks like we will be working on installing a chlorination system there in the coming weeks.  Lately I have been doing some calculations and planning for an automated injection pump that we will install.

Inside the office, that's my shared desk back in the corner

Quito is an interesting city to live in, but I'm still working on finding my way around.  Luckily it's only about a 15 minute walk from my house to the office, and I'm already getting pretty good at dodging cars and mopeds while crossing the street.  It's a well know fact that traffic is terrible here.  In just a short time I've met some really interesting people from all kinds of backgrounds who are devoted to serving the Lord.  There is so much for me to learn here about so many things.  While right now it is challenging and awkward and uncomfortable most of the time, I know that God is using this to grow my faith and prepare me for the work He has for me next.

Walking the streets of Quito

Prayer Team

My experiences in this past year have been a special reminder of the power of prayer.  Even though I tend to worry more about tangible things that I can't control anyway, I've realized how important it is to have a strong prayer support behind everything I do.  I believe God hears our requests and is pleased when we pray for each other.  Not only does it help with staying connected with Christ and each other, but also with accountability and encouragement.

With this in mind, I've decided to go about this like any good engineer and try to be organized.  The idea is to make sort of a schedule for my time in Ecuador so that individuals can be praying very intentionally for specific situations.  I'd like to invite you (or you and your significant other, or family, small group, whatever) to commit to one week of prayer.  I will be in Ecuador for eight weeks, so there are eight spots.  Hopefully each one can be filled by the time that week comes around.  

If you would like to sign up for a week, just let me know and make sure I have your email address.  Then I will do my best to contact you with specific prayer requests and updates for that week.  Also it would be great if you could let me know your needs for prayer, and then I can be praying for you as well.  Obviously you can still be praying even if you don't sign up, I'm not that strict with the rules.  I just thought I'd try and make it a little more personal and meaningful.  Also I will still be listing prayer requests on this blog.

Anyway these are the weeks available, just comment or contact me to let me know:

1) February 5 - 11 (I fly out Sunday morning)

2) February 12 - 18

3) February 19 - 25

4) February 26 - March 3

5) March 4 - 10

6) March 11 - 17

7) March 18 - 24

8) March 25 - 28 (I'll be back in the USA on the 28th)

Thank you everyone who has been praying for me, it really is important to me.

Crossing the Equator

It's almost time for me to head south, just far enough to get to the southern hemisphere.  Unfortunately I will be missing out on the festivities of Super Bowl Sunday, and instead traveling to Ecuador early that morning.  Although I guess that's not too bad of a trade.  The anticipation of this trip has been building up, and I'm definitely ready to go.

Ecuador has quite a variety of climates in different regions with the Pacific coast, Andes mountain range, Amazon jungle, and the Galapagos Islands.  After experiencing the heat and humidity of the Amazon region of Ecuador last year, I am thankful that this time I will be living in the mountains.  The capital city of Quito, where I'm headed, is at a high enough elevation (9350 ft) to stay cool despite being near the equator.  Obviously it's still a whole lot warmer than Michigan in February, even when all our snow is melting.


My housing for my eight weeks in Quito will be with an Ecuadorian host family.  How much English they speak I have no idea, but hey I'm hoping to get some practice speaking Spanish anyway.  It looks like part of my time will be spent working in the HCJB office in Quito.  That's where several full time missionaries and nationals are on staff with the water projects team.  We will also be traveling to different communities to work on drinking water and sanitation systems.

This experience is definitely going to be challenging and will require flexibility.  Hopefully I will learn a thing or two about development work through providing clean water and how that can be used as a testimony to God's love.  I'm very excited to work alongside and get to know the HCJB missionaries and Ecuadorian nationals.  Also I hope to grow my faith perspective by seeing the church in a different context.  I would really appreciate prayers for my trip preparation and smooth travels.  God is going to do some great things; I wouldn't expect anything less.

They Are Still There

I finally put together a video of our project in Thailand with eMi.  These images bring me back to the feeling of that experience, reminding me to continue praying that God will care for and protect all those who are struggling to survive in Burma.  I saw the terrible situation from a safe distance.  I was able to leave and return to a country where my life is not threatened, I have a home, I have plenty of food.

They are still there.

Because of that I can't simply move on and forget about it.

Return to Ecuador

The voice and hands of Jesus:
This is what HCJB Global strives to be through media and healthcare ministries around the world.  My first connection with HCJB Global was my senior design project at Calvin College.  A team of four of us designed a wastewater treatment system for an HCJB hospital in Ecuador.  We traveled to Hospital Vozandes del Oriente in Shell, Ecuador to complete surveys, water and soil testing, and discuss solutions with HCJB staff.  That was an amazing experience that further grew my interest in ministry through health and water projects in developing countries.

Last summer while I was working at the HCJB Technology Center in Indiana, I was able to get to know a number of missionaries and make some more unique connections.  In a conversation with the staff, the opportunity to go back to Ecuador to serve with the water projects team was presented to me.  Ever since visiting the hospital there and learning about the ministry I had been drawn to the idea.  Unfortunately it seemed that it was not meant to be.  I had committed to plans with the Peace Corps in Honduras right after my internship with eMi, and that was that.  Or so I thought...

Well as I've been continuously learning, God often changes plans.  My assignment in Honduras was cancelled unexpectedly, God's way of letting me know He had other ideas.  After making my way through that confusion and uncertainty and getting the new assignment in Panama, I was left to question the timing of everything.  What does God have for me in these months in between?  I use the analogy of doors opening and closing all the time, but I can't think of a better way to describe it than just that.  God closes one door, only to open another.

A few weeks ago I got in contact with friends at HCJB and discussions moved toward water projects in Ecuador.  I knew God was working on something again, which is sort of an uncomfortable feeling.  That discomfort is something I have been learning to accept because of the rewards that come with obedience to God's calling.  Anyway, I made some contacts in Ecuador and they decided I would be a great fit since I had not only worked with HCJB over the summer, but also in Ecuador.  Bruce, who is in charge of water projects, even suggested for me to possibly continue the work on the project my senior design team developed, along with a nearby water project.  This just seemed too good to be true, but the more I considered this and prayed about it, the more I felt God moving things into place.

As of now, God willing, I will be serving with HCJB water projects during the months of February and March.  This is very exciting for me as I continue to explore the passion God has given me for development work, especially in water and sanitation.  Even though there are unknowns and doubts, as always I know that God is in control and He is working.  It gives me peace knowing that I have nothing to worry about, that I just have to trust.  While there's no doubt that God will use this for His glory and not my own, I'm anxious to do the work that He has prepared for me.

Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. 

1 Corinthians 15:58

Different Country, Same Purpose

The past year or so has been a great time for me to learn that my life rarely goes according to my plans.  The most recent lesson for me has been my assignment with the Peace Corps.  Shortly before finishing at eMi, a phone call came from Brian, my placement officer, notifying me that my trip to Honduras was cancelled.  Due to safety concerns in the region, all volunteers going to Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador were having their programs terminated.  Obviously, this was a bit of a shock for me.  This kind of thing was not supposed to happen, I had no backup plan.  I remember thinking, "God, what are you doing now?"  The only thing I could do was wait and see what would happen.

A couple weeks later I got another call from Brian telling me about some open positions.  This was exciting news, especially since they were also in water and sanitation programs.  The only problem was that I was given about 24 hours to decide if I wanted to take an assignment in Panama or Mali (in West Africa, for those like me who have never heard of Mali before).  Long story short, I decided on Panama due to a number of reasons.  The fact that learning Spanish was more doable for me than French was not the least important of those reasons.  More importantly though, it seems that God has been drawing me to Latin America in a number of different ways.  I'm hoping that this will in some way reveal more of God's plan for me.

As of a few days ago I have been officially accepted as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Environmental Health program in Panama.  On May 1 my training will start as I head to this small isthmus between two oceans.  My assignment will be primarily focusing on potable water and sanitation construction projects in my community and others nearby.  What goes along with that is of course education and other development efforts to make these projects sustainable and actually beneficial to the communities.  Lack of clean water and proper sanitation is a huge problem for rural areas of Panama.  I can only hope to have a small impact by helping people in poverty to improve their health.  At the same time I realize that the impact this will have on me will be a huge learning and growing experience.

...for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.

Philippians 2:13

Thinking about what lies ahead is very exciting and I can't wait to see what God will show me in Panama.  Unfortunately I will have to wait - about four months at that.  In the meantime I am looking for ways that I can serve God with my time and energy.  Only God knows what that will entail, but I know the more I give up control each day, the more He can use me for His good purpose.