Simple is the living...

My head is stuck in a different world. We’ve come from a life of being outdoors more than indoors (or somewhere in between if the hut is open on both ends). That life is fairly simple with the activities of cooking breakfast (over a fire), going to wash the breakfast dishes in the stream, sitting down to weave string bags and talk with whoever is visiting with us, fixing lunch, doing dishes, visiting or hunting/fishing for Nate and Tali, doing some extreme wheelchairing to get to the river to bathe, washing clothes, more extreme wheelchairing to get home, visiting, cooking supper, total exhaustion, and climbing into the hammock at 8pm to go to sleep.

The next day we would do the same thing all over again. It was uncomplicated by buying groceries, getting Tali to school, keeping up with email, bills and seeing numerous doctors. No running around to sports activities, no music lessons, no TV, no music, no iphones or wiis. Entertainment comes in the form of interacting with friends. If we happened to have some “free” time we all wrote in our journals, bemoaned our language skills or just took a nap!

We are now in a world of living indoors, not worrying about what we’ll eat for the next meal, plumbing, electricity, every type of entertainment you can imagine...TV, movies, ads and billboards screaming about their products, stores which sell very little that is under $5.00, school, after school activities, music lessons....ugh, I have to stop. It is overwhelming. And I’m starting to fit back in. That makes me very sad. My focus is shot to pieces, I feel less grounded in knowing who I am in this world and it is a daily battle to remember that I’m here to advance God’s kingdom, not my own. I’m forgetting more and more that the little things don’t matter. So, I’m pretty much mourning all this, but it is going away all too quickly. My life here in the U.S. is very little about surviving and helping others around me survive. A far cry from the meaning and purpose I felt in Ecuador. But I know that God has me here in the U.S. right now and not in Ecuador. So, what am I to do here and now? And WHEN do we get to go back!=) Oh yeah, live in the here and now.

Gifts

By Rachelle

I was able to do so much with my family this summer! More than any of the previous 10 summers. We really bonded and had a lot of fun together. I treasured all the time I had to spend with Natalia. She seemed to enjoy the adventures of getting out to see the city, go shopping or trying new foods.

As we drove down out of the Andes and into the edge of the jungle there was a rainbow. It seemed that the Lord was saying that He has some new things for us and that He wanted to redeem some things we thought were lost forever.

For the longest time I thought this was our goodbye trip and I could see how impossible it would be for me to function physically there. My ability to tolerate it on this trip was pure grace. As Nate said, “The pace was unsustainable”. But slowly over time, after we left Tzapino (Tali cried hard that time) and while we went from Shell to Quito the Lord started speaking to my heart. By the time we were at the airport waiting for our flight, I knew that the Lord will take us back there again. I do not know when, how, how long etc., but I believe Him. It was still sad and hard to leave, but what a gift after all this time.

An even greater gift that boggles my mind: I am responding positively to a medication used to treat a genetic movement disorder called familial paroxysmal kinesigenic choreoathetosis. I’m seeing a monumental decrease of everything from the worst pain to the little things like insomnia, hormone imbalances and fatigue. We don’t know if this will control the disorder forever, but I’m just loving the good days. As I research I’m discovering answers to things that started in my childhood when I was a toddler and older. I can’t wrap my mind around the immensity of God’s goodness. It is possible that Tali’s headaches and muscle spasms are related to this disorder so we will be taking her to see my neurologist in a month or so. It would be wonderful to know this early on how to help her.

Three Villages

By Rachelle

Our time in Waorani land was very special. We landed in Tewaeno and could hear the kids calling, "Menga (Nate) is here. Menga is here." Then Oma realized I was there also. He walked

over to me, put his hands on my shoulder and stood eye to eye with my while he told me how they have prayed and prayed and "here you are". No surprise to him. God answered his prayers.

I remember when he was in the hospital and we weren't sure he would live. He was having a great deal of anxiety so I went to the hospital to try and reassure him. I knew that I couldn’t pray in Waorani, so I prayed in english with little expectation....Oma immediately settled down and told me he was going to sleep and not worry. Oh me of little faith!

Lots of friends came and visited and shared their joys and sorrows of the last 10 years. A teenage daughter taking her own life, a spouse dying, a chronic illness...But all still continue to shine with a deep, golden glow of joy and peace. One gal shared about the loss of her 2 year old saying that at first she hurt so much, but is a little better now. No pretense, just honesty. I did not see bitterness in any of these friends. Just acceptance.

We flew on to the next village after a couple of days in Tewaeno. I looked over as we took off and saw tears dripping down Tali's face. She didn't want to leave. I had not expected that response, but my heart was breaking right along with hers.

Landing in Damointado was emotional as I saw friends that I hadn't seen in 15 years. They were preparing for a bible conference and we hoped to see the people who came for it. Five minutes before they broke into groups of men, women and children I was asked to lead the women's workshop. Fortunately, I had had my dad help translate my testimony from the last 10 years. I wanted the Waorani to know how much their walks of faith have encouraged me since I was a little girl to walk with the Lord in the good times and in the bad times. I was able to thank the older generation for that example. They have loved us and prayed for us more faithfully than I have prayed for them. I shared how I had worried how Natalia would respond if I was to die. Would she be angry? Would she walk away from God? But then God responded and reminded me that He is Tali’s father first. I told them that I had clung to God like a monkey clings to a tree and that in hard times they need God more than any other time.

They read some scriptures that fit and then the women shared what God had done for them and their families. Then one piped up and said, "Let's pray." (Whew. I could never pray in Waorani.) I hope I communicated my heart despite a different language and culture. I shared the same thing half a dozen times with various people and groups.

One little 7 yr old (the daughter of one of my childhood friends) seemed to be fascinated with my white skin and the fact that I used a wheelchair or cane to get around. The first day she just came and sat by me with her hand on my arm while she just looked and looked at me. The next day she did the same thing and then got up the courage to whisper, “Where did you fall?”. I explained that I had gotten sick and couldn’t walk well. That seemed to satisfy her for the moment. She was happy just to sit next to me with her hand on my arm. I was touched by her compassion. The next day she found me at the river bathing and I thought, “Wow, this kid’s compassion is amazing!”. Then she said, “My mom didn’t get any fish hooks.” Ok, so maybe I read a little too much in to it. Or, maybe not. Who knows!

The third and last village we went to was Tzapino where we had spent most of our time 10 years ago. We didn’t know if anyone still lived there because no one had flown in there for years and many people have moved to other villages. But as people came out of their houses to see what the plane was all about it just felt like we had made the right choice. We needed to be there, to reestablish frienships, to let God restore the years that the locusts have eaten. It was healing for my soul. Tali made a friend, Dawa, there who she went swimming with. That was an answer to a concern because I didn’t expect to see many kids her age. They are all out of school on vacation and most are traveling to other villages etc. Omene, faithful Omene came and did much the same as Oma did. He told me how they prayed for me all the time. His wife died of snake bite 5 years ago, but many of his kids and their families live in Tzapino. Other relatives are moving back to Tzapino to escape the effects of alcohol in their village.