Christmas in the Jungle

We celebrated our first Christmas in Shell.  It's difficult to be away from loved ones this time of year, especially with the kids and a few tears were shed and the thought of home, but we've been blessed to have the missionary family here take us under their wings.

After celebrating with our family in the morning we headed to Steve and Diane's, our new friends, to eat Christmas dinner.  With missionaries from different parts of the world we got to sample all kinds of food.  Several girls from England wanted to make a traditional Christmas pudding and light it on fire but it didn't quite work out the way they intended (possibly because all of the ingredients aren't available here).  We enjoyed getting to hear about their traditions and spending time with others that know the real reason for the season. 

Trying to Light the Pudding

After another party at the Nazarene church in town where we sang Christmas carols and shared snacks, the kids (and Lucy) were ready to get cleaned up and go to bed.

                       Ready for a Bath

We're Here!

After twelve years of waiting, four years of med school, three years of residency, and three months of language school we've finally arrived in Shell.  Praise the Lord.  Thank you to all who have prayed for us to reach this point in our lives.

Our moving day was Dan's 31st birthday, so we know we will never forget the exact day we got here.  Our new place looked like quite the disaster at first with our boxes and bags scattered everywhere, but we're finally getting settled in and it's beginning to feel like home.  Our neighboring missionaries have already made us feel welcome by having us over for dinner, sending Christmas cookies our ways, and inviting us to holiday get-togethers.  The kids are really enjoying all the free space to play outside and they have lots of friends to play with on the compound.  I'm discovering a few things about keeping a home in the jungle, too 1) My kids will probably never be clean while we live in Shell 2) Ants will have to be my friends (either that, or I'll go insane trying to keep them out of the kitchen).

Dan working at our kitchen table.  Thank you to those from Deer

Flat Church who generously gave to help us purchase it.

Our living room.

On top of everything else we decided to throw a puppy into the mix as well.  Lucy (whom Caleb named after one of our Spanish professors) is a little golden retriever.  She was an early Christmas present for the kids and will be great for keeping the kitchen floor clean under Jael's highchair, and hopefully likes to chase tarantulas away from the house.

 

Resting after a hard day of play.

Dan will begin working at the hospital December 28th.  Please pray for him as he begins interacting with patients.

  

Dressed up in our Christmas outfits from Grandma.

The Wise Words of a Little One

If you take time to listen, little ones have many words of wisdom tom share. Last night we asked Caleb what he wanted to be when he grew up. His first response was a doctor like Daddy. After a few seconds, however, he replied, “…Well, actually I’m not sure yet, because Jesus hasn’t told me what He wants me to be.” So many times we have our minds full of what we want to do; we don’t pray and wait to find out what God would have us do or the way in which He would have us go about doing a specific thing. I need to be patient like Caleb and wait on the Lord.

“The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Exodus 14:14

Jael has taken off walking. It’s a lot of fun to watch her totter back and forth with a toothy smile as she heads your way. The church we’ve been attending here in Quito asked us if she could be baby Jesus in their Christmas pageant. She is the blondest, biggest, girliest baby Jesus I’ve ever seen . Since she just started walking I think we’ll have to decline. It would be a little unique to see “baby Jesus” get up out of the manger and walk away.

No More Jumping on the Bed

We can’t escape common mishaps with kids simply by moving to another country. This afternoon Caleb was supposed to be sleeping but decided to jump on his bed instead. He slipped and hit his tooth on the bed rim, causing it to be loose and make quite a bloody mess. We got a hold of Dan’s dad (a dentist) and he told us to put it back in place, so Dan had to do the difficult work of holding Caleb down and pushing the tooth back into place. We’re not sure if it will live or die, but at least it’s just a baby tooth. Caleb really did great with the whole ordeal and is quite enamored with the fact that he may have a “dead” tooth in his mouth. Currently he has quite the swollen lip and is enjoying plenty of popsicles.

Into the Jungle

Our official school trip to Shell was this week, so of course we were excited to get to visit our home one more time before we make our move. We were in for quite a few adventures, some of which were wonderful and some of them a little questionable! Below is our list of firsts.

Jungle Hike
We set off with our guide through the rainforest to learn about the plants and animals of the Amazon Basin. Along the way we stopped in a refreshing waterfall to cool off. The sights and sounds surrounding you as you walk through the jungle are enough to keep you refreshed for days. We learned two important things about ants on the trip 1)They bite…poor Caleb was the first to discover this when one crawled up into his rubber boot (which everyone is required to wear) and bit him on the leg. 2) They don’t taste too bad. Our guide had us all grab the squirmy little things (a different type than our larger, biting enemies) and pop them in our mouths. They were a bit tart, with a hint of lemon.

Leaf Cutter Ants Carrying Their Loads Down a Tree

Chicha

After our jungle walk a lunch of freshly caught tilapia we headed to an indigenous village of Quichua Indians. There we tried our skills at hunting with the blow gun and were “welcomed” with the ‘milk of the forest’: chicha. This is a drink made by the roots of a plant that the tribes of Ecuador grow. The women then pick the roots, smash, then chew and spit back into a bowl to create the drink. It is the staple of many communities and is given to all ages and as a sign of welcome when visitors come into a village. While accepting our offering of chicha we tried to think more about the welcome we were receiving than the fact that we were drinking somebody else’s spit. Hospital Vozandes is the closest hospital for these people, so it’s possible that Dan could see some from this village as patients.

Quichua Paint

Blow Gun Practice

Canoe Ride

From the village we took off in dugout canoes down a river for a short ride. The guides assured us that it was perfectly safe, but it was a bit nerve racking when we asked our guide about anacondas and he said only little ones lived in this river. Because of the lack of rain the other canoe did have trouble and the riders ended up stranded mid-river bailing water out of the canoe with their boots. Thankfully all made it safely to shore.

Monkeys

Our professors want to be sure we get the full range of experiences in Ecuador while in school here, so we headed to a monkey sanctuary the next day. When people talk about monkey-business they’re not kidding. These guys were all over us, trying to snatch things from our pockets and swinging from our arms. One gave Dan a wet willy with his tongue and another tried to kiss me. After spending a few minutes with these guys one can see why Curious George’s character is a monkey.

A Visit to the Waorani

We had not expected to be able to make the flight into the jungle to visit a Waorani village because of cost, but since our language school currently only has two traditional students here right now, they graciously offered to let us fly in with them for free. What an experience. We took a Mission Aviation Fellowship (‘Alas de Socorro’/ Wings of Help) flight into the jungle. Several minutes out of Shell all one sees is a sea of green. While landing you feel as if you’re going to hit the treetops. The children presented a special Christmas play in Spanish and then some of the older generation demonstrated several songs in traditional dress. We felt like we were back in time, standing in a grass hut, listening to their ancient language. We brought a gift of bread to them, which is a treat only brought in from the outside world. It’s hard to imagine that the hospital we will be working in and so many missionaries have been built up from the basis of what occurred with this tribe 50 years ago.

Our Landing Strip

Our Waroani Friends

Spiders

After an exciting day of new experiences we were enjoying a cool evening on the veranda of the guest house when I looked up and told Dan, who was holding Jael, he better walk slowly away from the wall. Right over his head were two hand-sized tarantulas. We quickly notified our fellow students and guesthouse residents to come and see. I think all the commotion scared the spiders and one jumped down and landed on another student’s shoe. That was enough tarantula for us for one night and we all headed inside, worried that we would dream about our furry friends.

Mr Tarantula

Dan did rounds several mornings at the hospital and feels that his Spanish has progressed sufficiently to move there soon. We will only have two more weeks of language classes and then be on our way to Shell December 21st.

If ANYONE would like to come and visit us, we can arrange to have you experience any of the above, along with rafting and jungle fishing (well..I can’t guarantee the spiders). There are also many service opportunities to get involved in, too. I’m already signed up to volunteer at the missionary school as soon as we arrive and there is an orphanage in town. There is also work to be done at the hospital and a construction project at the local Nazarene church. We’d love to help you be able to do some short-term work in this country we’re falling in love with.

Sorry for the length of this blog, but there was so much to tell.

Thanksgiving Week in Quito

We had one more picture of our moms’ visit that we wanted to share. We sure miss our families this time of the year. With the holidays upon us we’re feeling the distance quite a bit more. When we begin to feel sorry for ourselves (as I did on Thanksgiving Day) we’re trying to remember what Jesus had to give up to come to earth. We’re only in Ecuador, a flight or skype call away. I can’t imagine the wonders and closeness that Jesus had to give up with his heavenly Father to come here.

We took a trip to one of our professors house to prepare an American meal for her with the rest of our class. After lunch she wanted us to take home as many avocados as we could carry. Jael loved making little piles with them, and Caleb wanted to be buried in them. Sorry we can’t share some with you at home

The Nazarene missionaries who live in Quito prepared a very USA Thanksgiving feast, complete with turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and even pumpkin pie (which is hard to make since the filling has to be brought from the states). The turkey was wonderful; which it better have been since a turkey here cost $50. Dan tried to enjoy some American football but all he could find on the missionary’s TV was futbol (soccer). Some of the women worked on scrapbooking and the guys played a card game, with Caleb very intent on learning how to play.

Graduation for the seminary was last night and today they have set up small booths to advertise different aspects of the work they do here. Dan will be fielding questions in Spanish for our language program. Caleb was enjoying one of the display’s animals and wanted to take home a rabbit as a pet. Unfortunately this display presents the food-producing program they have on the seminary and these rabbits will be tomorrow’s lunch.

Still Chugging Along

Since we will be moving to Shell soon, we wanted to make sure everyone knows our new mailing address:

Dan Benedick
Hospital Vozandes del Oriente
Shell, Pastaza
Ecuador, South America

We love receiving mail : )

It’s amazing to us that our time in language school is winding down! We’ll have three more weeks of intense language study here in Quito, as well as one more quick scouting trip to Shell, prior to moving to the jungle for good on December 21st. Time really flew by during this past week, as we had our moms here visiting. We had a great time! We took them to see all the sights around Quito, and they babysat the kids for us while we were in class. They sniffed out a few good deals while shopping, and Caleb and Jael had tons of fun reconnecting with their grandmas. We had a mini Christmas celebration while they were here so the grandmas could watch them open their presents. Caleb is now ready to join Buzz Lightyear in the battle against the evil emperor Zurg. The only hard part about their visit was having to say good-bye. We feel very loved by all our family and friends!

Thank you to all of you who have been praying for Caleb. He seems to be adjusting better all the time! He’s been interacting more and more with Ecuadorians without bringing out his angry eyes.

Language school is going well. I’m super-impressed by how quickly Kristina has improved. Both of us are getting much better at comprehension as well, and we’re even able to understand most of the sermons that we hear in church (even while juggling a couple of antsy kids). We heard a great sermon last week about our call to go and make disciples. Please be praying that we’ll find people in Shell that we’ll be able to disciple, and others who will come alongside and mentor us.

Pray for Rain

This is supposed to be the rainy season in Ecuador, but unfortunately, the rain hasn't shown up yet.  The entire country of Ecuador receives its power from hydroelectric power from on reservoir.  Currently the reservoir has only nine centimeters of water left above the line allowing it to work.  If we don't get rain soon, we won't have power.  There have been "apagones" (blackouts) lately in random parts of the city in an attempt to try and conserve power.  Sometimes the news notifies us, but other times it's a surprise, and unfortunately the power company/government doesn't always let the police know where the power outages will be either, so there have been a lot of traffic problems when the stoplights don't work.  At least we have gas run water and a gas stove, so if we were to loose power for a awhile we could still make a hot meal for the kids.

Teaching Endoscopy to Future Missionaries

We wanted to elaborate a little bit regarding the endoscopic equipment that Olympus has agreed to donate to our hospital in Shell. With the gift that they’ve sent, we’ll be able to view each procedure on a screen (video endoscopy), instead of looking through a little eyepiece on the instrument. If you’ve never been in the driver’s seat during a colonoscopy or EGD, this may not seem like a huge deal; in reality it is enormous! As you may recall, one of the primary goals of our hospital in Shell is to teach and mentor residents who will carry on the work as medical missionaries in other parts of Ecuador and around the world (two of the doctors from Shell are currently on a missions trip to a hospital in the Congo). Trying to teach endoscopic procedures while looking through an old eyepiece, while not impossible, is far from ideal. It would be like trying to whale watch through a high powered telescope while standing on a boat that’s being rocked around by the waves. You may be able to focus on a whale in the distance for a moment, but by the time you hand off the telescope to your friend who wants to see it too, everything has moved. So you can see how nice it will be to be able to point things out on the screen. We are really excited about the teaching/mentoring aspect of our work in Shell. Thank you so much to Olympus for joining with us in this ministry! Thank you again to all our financial supporters—your gifts are being used in part to bring the equipment into the country. Thanks be to the Lord who continues to bless in so many ways!

This is an example of a video endoscopy unit.

You Know You're in Ecuador When...

The first time I went to the bathroom when we were on our trip to Shell I got very excited.  There was no little garbage can filled with used toilet paper next to the toilet.  I left the bathroom to find the lady in charge of the guest house where we were staying and questioned her about this, since every other toilet we've used here necesitates that used paper be thrown into a garbage can and not the toilet. She informed me that I was indeed able to throw my toilet paper actually into the toilet...AMAZING...and our toilet in Shell will have the capability to handle toilet paper.  You know you're in Ecuador when you get excited about throwing toilet paper into the toilet.

Since we're living in the big city of Quito now, it's not too difficult to get what we need (though this will likely change when we get to Shell).  There are, however, things that are very expensive to buy here or that we can't get.  Contact solution costs an arm and a leg as does sunscreen.  We have yet to encounter Mt Dew, Dan's pop of choice, and I miss peanut M&Ms.  Of course these things aren't necesities but they are a nice treat every now and then.  We're looking forward to our first visit from our moms next week (and I must admit, the treats the're planning to bring us, too :)

Our First Trip to Shell!

Earlier this week we took our first trip to visit our new future home.  Just the trip there was absolutely breathtaking.  As you can see, we got to ride across a little cable in a Willy Wonka basket over a 300 foot drop to the waters below.  My knuckles were very white after this one!  The road to Shell passes by more waterfalls than a person could count, and the jungle is absolutely alive.  What an amazing Creator we have!

The road from Quito to Shell is called "The Avenue of the Volcanoes", and they aren't kidding.  This is a nice shot of Cotopaxi that we took during a bathroom break.

 

Since we arrived in Ecuador, everyone has been telling us how much we're going to love Shell.  We've only seen Shell for 1.5 days, but it was love at first sight for us!  This is a shot of our new home.  It is very nice inside.  We'll have a guest room for anyone who wants to visit.  Right now we're working on getting it furnished.  We did buy some orange couches already.  Sweet!

Shell is a great little town.  It is home to quite a few missionaries because, with the hospital and the airport, it serves as a central launching point for ministries to all parts of the jungle.  Shell was originally founded by the oil company.   Nate Saint arrived in the late 1940’s and contributed to the ideas for the airport, hospital, and school. We took a tour through the guest house that he and his friends built way back then (see below).

I started feeling emotional just thinking about the sacrifices that people like the Saints have made over the years to bring the Gospel to others.  I'm praying that we can be just as commited to the goal of bringing Jesus to those who don't yet truly know Him.  An opportunity to do just that may be brewing in a place called Centro Yuu, which is a Shuar community.  The Nazarene church in Shell has committed itself to supporting this pueblo. A water project is already underway to bring clean water to each home, and plans are being made to bring full time ministers to the community. We are excited that we might be able to participate in what’s going on—that is, bringing Jesus’ love to these people by ministering to their hearts and their physical needs. Below is a picture of some of the children in Centro Yuu.  We decided to take one of them home.  

Perhaps the biggest blessing of our trip was getting to meet some of our future ministry partners in Shell. The pastor and his family at the Nazarene Church have amazing servant hearts. Also, we got to hang out with some of the extremely chévere (cool) missionaries from the hospital, and we had a great time with all of them. They are very kind and welcoming, and we can’t wait to work alongside them. A bunch of them have a bunch of kids that will go well with ours. They’ve already been playing in the mud together. We fit six adults and eight kids into a Ford Explorer on our way to dinner.

Well, that about sums up our quick trip to Shell. Now we’re back in Quito, and we’re working hard on our Spanish. Thank you so much for all your prayers and support! If you are reading this now, I can tell you that you’ve surely been a blessing to us.

A Week in Photos

There was trouble with the internet this week on the seminary grounds, so we weren't able to keep everyone updated with our blog.  Below is a week in review though pictures.

With all the changes for the kids, we want to be sure to incorporate special events/traditions into our ives in Ecuador.  Some of the missionary kids in Quito attend a school that was putting on a harvest carnival.   Caleb's birthday gift from his Uncle Gene was perfect, as the theme was "Super Heroes".

One of Dan’s school assignments was to find a friend to help him make an Ecuadorian dish. Sunday night Harrison came over to help Dan make empanadas; jam and cheese wrapped in fried, doughy goodness. They were so good we decided we needed to purchase our own mold so we can continue to make them.

Caleb had fun filling his empanadas with chocolate and apples and cinnamon.

Tuesday’s class took us on a field trip to see some archaeological sites. Quito was once an Incan center, so there is a lot of history in the city. We love the opportunity to be able to take the kids on our school field trips.

Friday night we had a school outing to see Quito nocturnal. A large statue overlooks Quito that was built in reference to Genesis 3:15  "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel."  We think that the statue depicts Mary rather than Jesus because of the huge Catholic influence in Ecuador.

The group that we’re currently studying with is made up of college and professional students. With the different ages and backgrounds it makes for a unique group. We’re blessed to have wonderful directors and teachers who are quickly becoming friends.

On a Saturday we had another school outing. Jael really enjoyed a chocolaty treat on the hike (though Mommy’s shirt suffered for it).

Caleb enjoyed a quick ride down a waterfall during a break in our hike.

Tomorrow is Kristina’s 30th birthday. In the same water where Caleb took his ride Kristina received a ”gift”. Thirty little leeches attached themselves to her legs to enjoy a meal. She didn’t even notice until several hours later on the ride home. By then, most of the creatures were gone and had just left their mark. How fitting that there were 30 of them. Thankfully, the kids didn’t have any on them.

Dr. Wally

Today we had a picnic with some of the Samaritan's Purse staff in Ecuador.  The man that lives above Judd Johnson, SP's country director for Ecuador, has been here for many years as a medical missionary.  Wally Swanson was the doctor in Shell during the polio outbreak of the Waorani (Auca).  While he was in med school he did a study to learn more about the tribes in the Amazon.  All that he read and all the people he interviewed said that they could not recall one male Waorani who had died, but by the spear.  The death rate from spearing for women and children was 75%.  When polio broke out within some of the tribes it opened up the door for Christians to share compassion with those who had never experienced anything like it.  Doctor Wally couldn't personally go in help to help the tribes since as male he would likely have been speared on the spot, but he dropped medicine and prepared the teeter-totter beds that kept the people breathing.  (If you've read the history/seen the movie, you know about these.)  At first, the Waorani that were dying believed that if they allowed themselves to be helped by the few Waorani that had accepted Christ they would be killed; it was a ploy to spear them while they were weak.  However, as more died, they figured they were as good as dead anyway.  When they accepted help and were shown compassion and love instead of 'the end of a spear' it completely caught them off guard and many came to know Christ as their Savior.  God used medicine to play a big role to end the killings.  We're excited to get to use this tool He has blessed Dan with to reach the hurting in Shell now, 50 years later.  What a blessing to have others who have gone before us like Dr. Wally, as well. 

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.  Hebrews 12:1

Are We Ready for This???

Today our classes took us to the vivarium to visit some of the reptiles and amphibians of Ecuador.  The kids had the opportunity to go with us.  We'll see many of the thee animals when we live in Shell, though I'm not sure I really want them visiting our house too often.

The highight of  the day!  I learned someting new about Dan today...Caleb does better around snakes than Daddy does!

Pictures from Our Week

Since Caleb bought a hammock in the big market he's been sleeping in it every night.  He and Jael were enjoying some time together in it in this picture.

A major food staple here in Quito is Salchi-Papas which is basically a hotdog wrapped in flaky dough, kind of like pigs-in-a-blanket, with fries on the side.  You can buy salchi-papas for $1.50.  They are such a big hit that pizza companies have started making their crusts out of them.  We have't tried it yet...I'm not sure our stomachs could handle toomuch of such a good thing... :)

For a school field trip we went to La Capilla del Hombre (The Chapel of Man) which houses Ecuador's most famous artist, Guayasamin.  He painted many works of art depicted the plight of thge impoverished in South America and around the world.

Many of Guayasamin's paintings are very sad; this one, Ternura (Tenderness), is one of his happier works depicting a mother holding her daughter.

Caleb has been a little obsesed with spiders lately. He's showing off the one he likes to make with his fingers to tickle people with.

Since it takes so long to boil water here bcause of the altitude I've decided to use Oriental noodles since they cook faster.  Here we had made spaghetti with them.  You can tell Jael was enjoying her's.