Traveling

We're packing up and preparing to head to Shell tomorrow. It's sad because we've enjoyed it here in Quito so much. Then we'll start preparing to go out to the jungle. Forgot how much work this is.

I'm struggling as we approach our time with the Waorani. I thought that I had accepted that we can't be here and had healed a lot, but I'm discovering that my heart still longs to be here. I'm reminded of what I can't do here more than I am at home. But neither of us feel that the Lord wants us here at this point in time anyway. So, I have to grieve(some more!) and then be at peace. My heart feels shredded. I do know that I can be content in either place, but I will always miss the people no matter where I am.

Tali is not well. I'm praying she recovers before we go out to the jungle. She's had a headache for a week now and aches all over and feels nauseated. She has tons of muscle spasms in her neck and shoulders.

We had our last pizza night with the students last night. We just did some debriefing with them (ie: What did you learn about Ecuador that you didn't expect? What did you learn about ministry and what did you learn about yourself? And, in light of this summer, now what?). It went well and was good for them to share.

Yesterday the maid told me about some trouble in her family over a piece of land and cried saying that their family used to be "united" and good friends, but that has all changed. They have a lawyer involved, but the other party harases her parents by yelling at them in front of their house (they all live in the same block in a small community). She is a Christian and told me it's all in God's hands, but it is hard to see her parents suffer. Sin looks the same in any culture and language.

Quito is much bigger and more modern. As we shopped the other day, a teenage Quichua girl, dressed in their traditional white embroidered top and long black skirts was minding her store of sweaters, scarfs, tablecloths and ponchos. Then I noticed that she was looking down and discovered that she was watching a soap opera on her iphone! Technology forms itself into unexpected places!

Please pray that I do well with the language. I've been having a lot of word finding difficulty since I started on Depakote. It's not an unusual side effect, but throw in another couple of languages and it's a real problem. I've had my dad help me write up what I want to say to the Waorani, but he struggled too. It's just so different....I know they will "see" what's in my heart, but I wanted to express it verbally too.