truth #4: Row, row, row your boat

In the couple of weeks that I have not posted, many things have happened. First, I was sick with a cold, then I had stomach problems, then headaches - and all during the two weeks of being sick (with one thing or another) I kept having my low blood pressure spells. I must admit that it is really frustrating to be sick just are you are entering a new country and work environment. Thankfully that seems to have all passed. I have now been in Ecuador officially for one month and one day. It seems like the time has flown. This week our whole office is at a Mentoring Clinic. This is a four day clinic where we learn about... yes, mentoring. Unfortunately for me - the squirmy kid - we are at this conference area from 9am to 9:30pm cada dia (each day). It has been two days already and I am dying of having to sit still!! On Friday, I will leave directly from the conference and go to PERU! I am joining a one week medical mission group that is flying in from the States. My uncle and aunt (Eddie and Jeanette), Heather Noga and Carolyn Butcher will all be in this group as well. I am excited about ministering in Peru again and also to work with these amazing people. I wish that I could say that my Español is good enough for me to be a translator there but unfortunately I am still in the beginning phases of speaking. ¡Yo quiro a hablar español rapido! Soon, hopefully.

There are two sets of pictures below that I wanted to share with you. The first is from a local attraction in Guayaquil. It is a very nice, 4km long. riverside park/tourist attraction. In this trip we were saying goodbye to Giuliano as he was returning back to Belgium.

Here is the whole gang, Darren, Lennart, me, Giuliano, Vibeke, & Daniel

Vibeke, me and Sarita - we are sporting the new style


The boys had lots of fun playing on the playground equipment..

The following is my first trip to the Island of Santay.

The trip really began once we entered the fish market on the side of the river opposite Santay. We needed to rent a boat to carry us to the island. I cannot say that I am very fond of fish markets but it was an interesting experience. Then we boarded a tiny boat (even smaller than the one in Peru) and slowly crossed the river. I have been rather curious about this project since early this summer and finally I was approaching the real thing! As we landed, several children came running to greet us with bare feet and huge smiles. The island has limited electricity (as we would see that evening) and no running water. The buildings and houses for these 200 people are built out of bamboo with tin roofs. Everything is built up on stilts as it floods quite often. This year is bound to be at its worse since El Niño is coming again. The children were much more shy with me than I expected but as the night came they began to warm up. We first split into groups and visited almost every house on the island inviting them to the adult service and youth services. The last house that we visited was quite fun to find as we had to walk across a narrow bridge made only of bamboo to get there. In the afternoon we had the adult and children services. Around a dozen adults came to sing and listen to Darren (or Dario as he is called here) speak. I help with the children. I have been contemplating for several days exactly how to explain the children here. They remind me of the lost boys from Peter Pan - completely lovable yet 100% wild. There was not 5 seconds that they could sit still to listen, and believe me, I even counted!! At one point five of the little boys attacked Lennart and he had quite a bit of fun holding them all down with one hand. Mostly I just played the games with the children, held their hands and let them sit in my lap - once they quit staring that is. It is sometimes frustrating to me how little I understand in Spanish and this weekend had me the most frustrated yet. Five Ecuadorian girls joined Darren, Lennart and myself to work on the island this weekend, Betsi, Vivian, Maria José, Ruth, and Diann. I love them but to be honest none of them speak English very well, so that left me to try and understand with my small knowledge of Spanish. So you might be thinking 'well this is great, Tabitha can practise her Spanish as well as minister' but then you probably forgot to take in account the fact that they are girls and speak quite quickly, not only do they speak fast but they NEVER stop speaking! Literally! One would pause for a breath and another would pop right in with something else. My head was spinning by Saturday morning! We had the youth service that evening but the electricity was broken in the school so we had the service outside in the soccer field by moonlight. It was quite fun. Afterwards we went to bed, more so I went to bed and the girls stayed up past 2 talking. I also woke up in the morning to the same speed and consistency as they were at the night before. If any of you remember what a wonderful morning person I am, you can only imagine my response... I also learned that the mosquitoes are a totally different breed on Santay! I still have the scars to prove it! I have added a few pictures so that you will get an idea of what I am talking about.

This is the playground to the school on Santay, in the back are the nice toilets...

truth #3: I do not blend in

Who would have ever guessed that a 5'3" woman with light skin, long blond hair and blue eyes would actually stand out in a country of dark skin, hair and eyes? Yes, you guessed it, me. I don't know why I thought that this time and this country would be different but I didn't really prepare myself at all and was caught by surprise. Let me explain briefly. After four days in Guayaquil, I was feeling pretty comfortable with my fellow workers, my house and even the office. I was ready to explore a bit. My roommate Becky offered to take me to see the mall after church on Sunday. So off we went, just the two of us as Lennart made it very clear that he would rather have teeth pulled with out anesthetic than to go shopping with several women. I don't have a clue why.

So off we went to the mall. Here is where I recieved my first culture shock. The mall contains several stores that malls in the US have, there is almost any product and brand that you can think of, minus Starbucks and Dr Pepper. I was have shock over how similar the mall was to ones that I have been to in Texas! After we walked through everything we decided to drop by the grocery store on the way home to pick up just a few items... Now that I think about it we could have done without them for a day or two... We were in the produce section when I asked Becky a question from several feet away. There was an Ecuadorian man standing between us and some how decided that my question to Becky was his opportunity to talk with us. One problem, he spoke only Spanish and I only speak basic Spanish ... Becky ended up translating all of the conversation for me. To make a long story short, he tried to take advantage of the Ecuadorian greeting with me (a kiss on the cheek), quoted poetry about how my eyes captivated him and ended up following us around the store until we left. Poetry in the produce section!?! After returning home I told Darren and Lennart that I would never again visit the grocery store without one of them! They are quite protective and agreed whole heartedly.

One other interesting experience this week, was on Tuesday, at lunch. We were invited over to my Spanish teacher's house to eat lunch with her family. Lennart and Becky almost didn't go once they heard what was being served. I tend to have a rather strong stomach so I was looking forward to trying a new dish - how silly I was... The dish that we were going to eat is made with the stomach of a cow. Don't ask me which stomach but after my experience I am not sure that it matters! As most of you know I can be rather stubborn, here is one of my moments. I should have known after the first bite not to continue but I was determined. It took me at least half an hour to eat a dozen bites. To say that it isn't my favorite food is far too watered down. It took every once of determination to keep each bite in my mouth... I am breaking out into a cold sweat from just remembering the experience. However, I can now say that I have eaten the stomach of a cow.

The pictures below were taken on Saturday. We were having two people over to cook and eat with us but some how 6 turned into 9 and we ended up having a party. I think that happens a lot here. The key is to always make extra food!
Yes, that is us playing Uno. As many of you know that is my new favorite game. There is a picture of Sarah (Sarita) and me, then one with Becky and her Ecuadorian boyfriend Daniel. The last two pictures are Darren and Lennart before they went to get a haircut and after the haircut.

truth #2: What goes up DOES come down

As you probably guessed I am talking about the multiple airplanes that I took to arrive safely in Ecuador. I had two worries as I checked into DFW on Monday evening, one that my bags would not survive the three different planes that I was taking and the other that no one would be at the airport in Guayaquil to receive me! After my first flight I slept for 4 1/2 hours on the floor of the Miami airport. I made it through that flight to arrive in Bogota, Colombia. After waiting around 7 hours I boarded the plane for Guayaquil, praying the whole way that all my bags would make it and that someone would be there to meet me. Let me just reaffirm again that prayer is so powerful - thanks to all those praying with me through this process! I not only arrived with all my bags but I basically walked through immigration then to the baggage claim where all my bags were already out and waiting for me and straight through customs with no waiting! Never in all my travels have I experiences such an easy entrance to a country! Then as I walked out the doors apprehensive - don't ask me why as God had already answered so many of my prayers. I noticed so many Ecuadorian waiting then I saw this tall, obviously foreign young man standing in the line of people waiting, as I walked closer sure enough he was holdin a sign that said "Tabitha OM". I was so relieved! God is so good, even in the seemingly little things.



Now I would like to share with you about the people that I will be working with. Vibeke, or Becky is the woman in the first picure. She is 27 and from Norway. She meet me at the airport along with Lennart - the second picture. Becky will be my roommate until November, when she returns back to Norway, she has been here for a year already. Lennart is from the Netherlands, he is 26 and has been here since June. He is the one who was holding the sign for me at the airport, quite a welcome sight.



Darren is from South Africa. He has already been here one year as well and has plans to stay for at least two more. He is 27 as well, making me the baby of the foreigners at 24. The two ladies in the second picture are Joana and Cira, both from Ecuador. I have not spoken with them as much as the foreigners so I will be adding more about them as I learn it - also as my spanish improves so I can talk with them more. These two pictures are also two thirds of our office. Becky and Darren are at the portion at the very back, Joana and Cira are in the middle portion and the first part is more of an entry with doors on both sides. It is rather small as we have been added more people to the staff but I like it.

Now let me share with you about my apartment. First, I need to inform you that I live in the largest city in Ecuador, Guayaquil. This also means that we have the highest rate of crime. Everyone here takes great precautions to stay safe, that is a good thing as everyone who does these things as has not taken risks has stayed safe. Please do not fear for me as I know that this is where God has me, but if you do have anxiety please just pray for my safety. Our apartment is situated about two blocks from the office, which is very nice. I share a room with Becky, Darren and Lennart also share a room. We have a common area with kitchen and a living space. It is much safer to live in groups so I am very satisfied with the arrangement. To enter into my apartment I have to use three different keys. First, I much unlock the outside gate to get into the house area from the street. Then I need to unlock a gate to go through a passage way to arrive at the back area of the house and the stairs up to our apartment. Then after climbing the narrow stairs I much unlock the door to get into the house! I am finally getting the hang of all the keys but I am rather slow at unlocking.. Here are some pictures of our apartment. First the picture from the doorway, the door on the left is to the guys room and the one on the right side is to Becky and my room (we do have a locks on all the inside doors as well). Second is a picture looking back towards the front door. Third is the kitchen - we have an OVEN!! Fourth is a picture from our bedroom door, my bed is on the left and Becky's is on the right. Fifth is from the bathroom door looking at our closet. And finally, the bathroom. We do have hot water but so far I have had little desire to use it as the weather here is rather warm.





I appreciate your continued prayers. Please add these specific things to your prayers
- my adjustment to Ecuador
- that I would learn the language quickly

"Lord, You will establish peace for us,"

Isaiah 26:12a

truth #1: Everyone rides bicycles in Holland!!

First, I must confess that I did not ride a bicycle the whole time I was in the Netherlands. Second, I did not get any pictures of the masses as they rode their bicycles. And third, if you ever travel to the Netherlands the bicycler gets the right of way over the person on foot. In other words MOVE OVER!

My time in Holland was rather limited to the scenery surrounding our conference center as I was in sessions most of the time. However on two different days I went out, once by van and the other by foot, to view the country. I saw several windmills including the one in this picture that is the second oldest windmill that is still in use. The flowers were absolutely beautiful though the tulips were not in bloom. For the most part I was quite impressed with the beauty in the Netherlands. One day I hope to return to see more of the country including Amsterdam. The people are quite friendly and many speak English.

This picture is of the quaint little town of Dalfsen. It was a Sunday afternoon when we visited so none of the shops were open. And the flower below is a passion flower. I found it one of the most unique flowers that I have ever seen! My English roommate was quick to tell me, however, that they have these all over England...

This finally brings me to the subject of the conference. It was great and provided me with so much information on joining a new culture. We had lots of hands on experiences and activities to see how we adjust to working and living with people from different cultures, with different values and even different languages. One of the most beneficial ways that I have learned about culture has been through my roommates. We came from four different coutries, cultures and languages (yes, British

English and American are very different!). Yet during the week we bonded in a very deep and special way. The pose that we are taking in the picture to the right is our mosquito catching pose. Everynight during our conference our British roommate was determined to kill every insect in the room (including the poor innocent moths!).

After two weeks of training and making new friends (and leaving the new friends), I think I am just about ready to head to my field. I will admit that it is a bit overwhelming right now to pack up my life into two bags and say goodbye to all my family and friends. There are still so many things to do before I leave. God has been teaching me a lot about rest during the past weeks. Rest and peace come from trusting completely in Him even when we are not certain of the future.

"The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace
because he trusts in You." Is 26:3