Monday, January 31, 2011
The Name Game
We just went through the process of choosing a name for our little one, Anna. Our other two children have names from the Bible and we appreciate the character of Anna in the Bible, so we stuck with this theme for our newest addition. Unlike in the states where many have a name picked out months ahead, in Ecuador people often don't name their child until several days have the birth. Some say it's bad luck; it may stem from the higher death rate babies had here before good health care. Dan delivered a baby boy the other day, and the parents hadn't yet chosen a name. They must have been pretty impressed with him as a doc since they decided to name their son Benedick. I think the name is great :) but hopefully he'll have a little more luck with having others spell it correctly. The 'ck' at the end instead of a 't' seems to throw almost everyone off on our last name.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
New Photos
We've had several requests for photos of the kids, so are here are a few recent ones.
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| Our best present of the year. |
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| Celebrating Christmas Day |
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| Caleb had a great time in the fort Papa made for him out of jungle trees and vines. |
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| Tired after a long day. |
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| Yesterday Jael rediscovered the makeup she'd received for Christmas and went a little overboard with it. |
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| Anna has decided she wants to be like her daddy for a little while...she has lost all her red hair in front and only has it in the back and sideburns. You can just see new, blond hair coming in on top. |
Monday, January 24, 2011
Who Do You Trust--Really?
A week ago I had a crazy turn as the hospital doc (we take turns manning the hospital while the others do outpatient clinic). After I'd already admitted two really sick older gentlemen to the hospital we received a phone call that a very sick little girl was also on the way. She had been seen in an outlying clinic and her story was not entirely clear, but from what we could gather, she was nine years old and had been seizing. Her mother had sent her to school earlier that day, apparently normal other than a cough and a sore throat.
At some point in your life, many of you parents may have received a call from the school where you heard, "Come and get Johnny now. He's been in a fight on the playground and he's really in trouble this time!" Well, my patient's mother received a call from school where the teacher told her, "Come and get your daughter now, because she's dying!" Talk about scary.
I examined the little girl in the ER. She was unconscious, responding slightly to pain. She was moving her arm in a strange way that appeared to be what we would call "decerebrate posturing", which means, essentially, that the brain is dying or has died. In spite of the medicine that we gave her to stop the seizures, she seized two more times. We were blessed to have availability of a CT scan from the neighboring town when she arrived, and we were able to rule out bleeding within or around her brain. We performed a lumbar puncture, which looked normal.
Through all of this diagnostic process, the girl's mother began to cry out to God. "Lord," she said, "You know that I only have one daughter. Please spare her! I beg You!" As she prayed, I asked if I could pray along. We prayed together for several minutes, which put all in the room at peace. We asked again and again for the girl's healing and for guidance. Then, we moved her to a hospital bed and really didn't do too much else other than supportive treatment and antibiotics (she had also reportedly been having fevers and we wanted to cover meningitis just in case). We still didn't know what was wrong with her. Infection? Accidental intoxication? Whatever the case was, she didn't seem to be waking up.
About one hour after the girl was placed in a hospital bed, we received a request from the patient's family: "Could we please take her out of the hospital just for an hour or two? We'd like to take her over to the shaman to see if he can heal her." A shaman is a traditional healer. There are many of them around here, and they typically rely upon evil forces in their practice. As a parent, I know that I would do almost anything for my child. However, this patient's parents, after just having prayed to the one true God, were now wanting to turn to Satan for help. This was clearly a double standard.
I entered the girl's room and pleaded with the mother. I asked her, "Who do you trust? Do you trust the power of God or the power of the shaman? I would encourage you to make the right decision." With their child's life on the line, they made the right decision. They stayed in the hospital and maintained their trust in God and in the Christian doctors (who were also confused about the diagnosis and HEAVILY relying on God).
The Lord always answers prayers in the best possible way, though they're not always answered in the way that we think is best. In this case, my sweet little patient was physically healed. Over the next two days she gradually awoke and was completely normal on day number three. We still don't know what was wrong with her. I asked her if I could share a picture of her with my friends on the blog, and she said, "Yes!"
This story makes me think of Mark 10:52 where Jesus heals a blind man then tells him, "Your faith has healed you." God wants to do marvelous things through us on this earth. My patient's family will always have a testimony about how their daughter was healed through God's power because they were willing to put their trust ONLY in Him. If disaster were to strike me or my family today, would I be ready to trust ONLY in God? I hope that I would demonstrate the same faith that this family showed. God is in charge, He knows what's best, and we can trust Him. Praise Him for His healing power.
At some point in your life, many of you parents may have received a call from the school where you heard, "Come and get Johnny now. He's been in a fight on the playground and he's really in trouble this time!" Well, my patient's mother received a call from school where the teacher told her, "Come and get your daughter now, because she's dying!" Talk about scary.
I examined the little girl in the ER. She was unconscious, responding slightly to pain. She was moving her arm in a strange way that appeared to be what we would call "decerebrate posturing", which means, essentially, that the brain is dying or has died. In spite of the medicine that we gave her to stop the seizures, she seized two more times. We were blessed to have availability of a CT scan from the neighboring town when she arrived, and we were able to rule out bleeding within or around her brain. We performed a lumbar puncture, which looked normal.
Through all of this diagnostic process, the girl's mother began to cry out to God. "Lord," she said, "You know that I only have one daughter. Please spare her! I beg You!" As she prayed, I asked if I could pray along. We prayed together for several minutes, which put all in the room at peace. We asked again and again for the girl's healing and for guidance. Then, we moved her to a hospital bed and really didn't do too much else other than supportive treatment and antibiotics (she had also reportedly been having fevers and we wanted to cover meningitis just in case). We still didn't know what was wrong with her. Infection? Accidental intoxication? Whatever the case was, she didn't seem to be waking up.
About one hour after the girl was placed in a hospital bed, we received a request from the patient's family: "Could we please take her out of the hospital just for an hour or two? We'd like to take her over to the shaman to see if he can heal her." A shaman is a traditional healer. There are many of them around here, and they typically rely upon evil forces in their practice. As a parent, I know that I would do almost anything for my child. However, this patient's parents, after just having prayed to the one true God, were now wanting to turn to Satan for help. This was clearly a double standard.
I entered the girl's room and pleaded with the mother. I asked her, "Who do you trust? Do you trust the power of God or the power of the shaman? I would encourage you to make the right decision." With their child's life on the line, they made the right decision. They stayed in the hospital and maintained their trust in God and in the Christian doctors (who were also confused about the diagnosis and HEAVILY relying on God).
The Lord always answers prayers in the best possible way, though they're not always answered in the way that we think is best. In this case, my sweet little patient was physically healed. Over the next two days she gradually awoke and was completely normal on day number three. We still don't know what was wrong with her. I asked her if I could share a picture of her with my friends on the blog, and she said, "Yes!"
This story makes me think of Mark 10:52 where Jesus heals a blind man then tells him, "Your faith has healed you." God wants to do marvelous things through us on this earth. My patient's family will always have a testimony about how their daughter was healed through God's power because they were willing to put their trust ONLY in Him. If disaster were to strike me or my family today, would I be ready to trust ONLY in God? I hope that I would demonstrate the same faith that this family showed. God is in charge, He knows what's best, and we can trust Him. Praise Him for His healing power.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Ridiculous Love
I remember first hearing about, and being inspired by, David's Mighty Men during my years at NNU. I preached this message a few weeks ago in our hospital chapel.
2 Samuel 23:8-17: These are the names of David's mighty men: Josheb-Basshebeth, a Tahkemonite, was chief of the Three; he raised his spear against eight hundred men, whom he killed in one encounter. Next to him was Eleazar son of Dodai the Ahohite. As one of the three mighty men, he was with David when they taunted the Philistines gathered [at Pas Dammim] for battle. Then the men of Israel retreated, but he stood his ground and struck down the Philistines till his hand grew tired and froze to the sword. The LORD brought about a great victory that day. The troops returned to Eleazar, but only to strip the dead. Next to him was Shammah son of Agee the Hararite. When the Philistines banded together at a place where there was a field full of lentils, Israel's troops fled from them. But Shammah took his stand in the middle of the field. He defended it and struck the Philistines down, and the LORD brought about a great victory. During harvest time, three of the thirty chief men came down to David at the cave of Adullam, while a band of Philistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim. At that time David was in the stronghold, and the Philistine garrison was at Bethlehem. David longed for water and said, "Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!" So the three mighty men broke through the Philistine lines, drew water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem and carried it back to David. But he refused to drink it; instead, he poured it out before the LORD. "Far be it from me, O LORD, to do this!" he said. "Is it not the blood of men who went at the risk of their lives?" And David would not drink it. Such were the exploits of the three mighty men.
When I read this story, I always think to myself, “Man, that water in Bethlehem must have been some good water!” I imagine that the well might have been famous in all of Israel. Perhaps travelers would make a point to stop by the well any time they were near Bethlehem to partake of its refreshing goodness. Each time that King David visited his hometown of Bethlehem, he probably ran right for the well to have a nice swig.
The goodness of the water also reminds me of a story that I heard several years ago from a good friend in California. In order for this story to make sense, I have to tell you a little bit about one of the most beloved restaurants in the state: In-N-Out Burger. The restaurant’s motto is, “Quality you can taste,” and let me tell you, you can taste it! At In-N-Out, the menu is very simple and consists of only hamburgers, fries, soft drinks, and milk shakes. Since the first In-N-Out was opened in 1948, the menu hasn’t really changed. As such, they’ve been spending the past 60 years perfecting those few menu items using only the finest, freshest ingredients. At last count, they are running about 250 restaurants in California. Yes, the In-N-Out hamburger is very good. The hamburger is so good, that some people will go to great lengths to get a burger.
Now I’m going to tell you the story that my friend told me. My friend has some family members who are pilots. They work for a private jet company that flies rich people from one place to the next. On one occasion, the pilot and his rich client found themselves on business in a Latin American country. Although he was surrounded by the finest of foods in a fancy hotel, the rich businessman desired a burger from In-N-Out. In fact, he wanted that burger so badly that he demanded his pilot to fly back to California to buy an In-N-Out burger and bring it back to him!
We could talk for a long time about good water and good food. However, the real theme of this passage in 2 Samuel 23 is not the good water, but the ridiculous act of love that these mighty men showed toward King David. That’s why the title of my talk today is “Ridiculous Love.” So what happened in this story? We have a group of warriors who are extremely tired. They’re tired of fighting and tired of fleeing. Finally, they have found a safe place, and it’s time to rest. But instead of resting, these three mighty men choose to risk their lives by breaking through the enemy lines just to bring their king a drink of water. Wow!
These mighty men had fought alongside King David in many great battles, winning countless victories for the Lord and for Israel. Of course they were dedicated to their country and to their king. However, they were not only dedicated to obey King David. The loved him. They loved him more than a brother. Their love for King David was so strong and so ridiculous that it made history!
I want to focus on three aspects of the ridiculous love that these mighty men had for David:
1. It did not depend on logic
2. It was self-sacrificing
3. It was given even though it was not deserved
The mighty men loved David in a way that did not depend on logic. There was absolutely no sense in their decision to get water from the well in Bethlehem. Before performing any medical procedure, doctors always balance the risks and benefits of the procedure. If the benefits outweigh the risks, we proceed with the procedure. If the risks are too high, we choose an alternative. What were the risks involved with getting a cup of water from Bethlehem? The mighty men would have to come out of hiding and break through the Philistine lines. They could get beaten up, captured, or even killed. Even if they survived, they would miss out on some much-needed rest. And what would be the benefit of getting the water? David would get to drink a cup of tasty water. I’m pretty sure that they did have some water in the stronghold where they were staying. David was not going to die without the water from Bethlehem. Clearly the risks of this action outweigh the benefits. The mighty men chose to get that water only because they loved David so much. God has given us intelligent minds to help us make logical decisions. Sometimes, however, the actions that show love best just don’t make sense. Ridiculous love doesn’t make sense, and it does not depend on logic.
A second aspect of the mighty men’s love was that they loved David even if it meant that they would have to sacrifice themselves. They were ready to sacrifice their very lives to show David love. This is a very difficult part of love. We are all born with an inborn desire to live, to conserve our own life. There are countless stories throughout history where the human desire to live has been demonstrated. One incident that comes to my mind involved the Uruguayan rugby team whose plane crashed in the snowy Andes Mountains in 1972. Starving, cold, and injured, sixteen men from the rugby team managed to survive until their rescue 72 days after the crash. They were able to survive in part because they ate their fellow passengers who had died in the accident. I’m telling you, those men had a strong will to live! All of us have a strong will to live. However, there are things in life that are more important than preserving our own lives. One of these things is love. The mighty men had a ridiculous love. They were ready to give up their very own lives to express their love to David by bringing him a drink of water. That is a history-making love.
A third aspect of the mighty men’s love was that they loved David when he did not deserve it. David was a good king, and one of the greatest leaders in the history of Israel. However, he was not a perfect man. In fact, David performed some famous sins! The most notable sin was against a good soldier named Uriah. David’s armies were out to war when David saw Uriah’s wife, Bathsheba, taking a bath on top of her house. David committed adultery with her and she became pregnant. Trying to cover up the sin, David called to have Uriah brought back to his home in Jerusalem. However, when he wasn’t able to cover up the adultery, he put Uriah on the front line of the battle to be killed. Then, he was able to steal poor Uriah’s wife. We know that David was not perfect, and that he did not deserve such love. However, the mighty men loved their king, and they forgave him for whatever sins that he might have committed. They loved King David, not because he deserved it, but just because they loved him.
Even David himself recognized that he did not deserve this ridiculous love. In verse 17, upon receiving the cup from the mighty men, he says, “Far be it from me, O Lord, to do this! Is it not the blood of men who went at the risk of their lives?” “Que el Senor me libre de beberla! Eso seria como beberme la sangre de hombres que se han jugado la vida!” Feeling unworthy to accept this act of love from his men, he poured the water out before the Lord.
The three mighty men gave us an example of ridiculous love. But do we really need to be that extreme? Yes, we do! In John 13:35 (NLT) Jesus says, “Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples." Love is the mark that we wear on our foreheads that says, “I am a Christian!” If we want people to know that we follow Jesus, we must be good at loving. And if we want non-Christians to be interested in who Jesus is, we must be the best lovers in the world!
How can we give ridiculous love to others? It is unlikely that I will ever have to, for example, risk my life to go to Abuelos and bring back a menestra to my buddy Dr. Kappen. However, I can give ridiculous love to my wife, all my family, my friends, my co-workers, my brothers and sisters at church, and my patients. I can give love that is not logical, even when my scientific brain tells me that the risk outweighs the benefit. I can give love that is self-sacrificing, even when I’m really tired and I want to care for myself. And I can give love to everyone, not just to those who “deserve it”, such as the nice, the good-looking, the popular, or those who love me. When we love like this, we are pleasing the Lord. When we love like this, we’re showing the world that we’re Christians. If we can love like this today, we will, like David’s three mighty men, make an impact on others and on history.
2 Samuel 23:8-17: These are the names of David's mighty men: Josheb-Basshebeth, a Tahkemonite, was chief of the Three; he raised his spear against eight hundred men, whom he killed in one encounter. Next to him was Eleazar son of Dodai the Ahohite. As one of the three mighty men, he was with David when they taunted the Philistines gathered [at Pas Dammim] for battle. Then the men of Israel retreated, but he stood his ground and struck down the Philistines till his hand grew tired and froze to the sword. The LORD brought about a great victory that day. The troops returned to Eleazar, but only to strip the dead. Next to him was Shammah son of Agee the Hararite. When the Philistines banded together at a place where there was a field full of lentils, Israel's troops fled from them. But Shammah took his stand in the middle of the field. He defended it and struck the Philistines down, and the LORD brought about a great victory. During harvest time, three of the thirty chief men came down to David at the cave of Adullam, while a band of Philistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim. At that time David was in the stronghold, and the Philistine garrison was at Bethlehem. David longed for water and said, "Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!" So the three mighty men broke through the Philistine lines, drew water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem and carried it back to David. But he refused to drink it; instead, he poured it out before the LORD. "Far be it from me, O LORD, to do this!" he said. "Is it not the blood of men who went at the risk of their lives?" And David would not drink it. Such were the exploits of the three mighty men.
When I read this story, I always think to myself, “Man, that water in Bethlehem must have been some good water!” I imagine that the well might have been famous in all of Israel. Perhaps travelers would make a point to stop by the well any time they were near Bethlehem to partake of its refreshing goodness. Each time that King David visited his hometown of Bethlehem, he probably ran right for the well to have a nice swig.
The goodness of the water also reminds me of a story that I heard several years ago from a good friend in California. In order for this story to make sense, I have to tell you a little bit about one of the most beloved restaurants in the state: In-N-Out Burger. The restaurant’s motto is, “Quality you can taste,” and let me tell you, you can taste it! At In-N-Out, the menu is very simple and consists of only hamburgers, fries, soft drinks, and milk shakes. Since the first In-N-Out was opened in 1948, the menu hasn’t really changed. As such, they’ve been spending the past 60 years perfecting those few menu items using only the finest, freshest ingredients. At last count, they are running about 250 restaurants in California. Yes, the In-N-Out hamburger is very good. The hamburger is so good, that some people will go to great lengths to get a burger.
Now I’m going to tell you the story that my friend told me. My friend has some family members who are pilots. They work for a private jet company that flies rich people from one place to the next. On one occasion, the pilot and his rich client found themselves on business in a Latin American country. Although he was surrounded by the finest of foods in a fancy hotel, the rich businessman desired a burger from In-N-Out. In fact, he wanted that burger so badly that he demanded his pilot to fly back to California to buy an In-N-Out burger and bring it back to him!
We could talk for a long time about good water and good food. However, the real theme of this passage in 2 Samuel 23 is not the good water, but the ridiculous act of love that these mighty men showed toward King David. That’s why the title of my talk today is “Ridiculous Love.” So what happened in this story? We have a group of warriors who are extremely tired. They’re tired of fighting and tired of fleeing. Finally, they have found a safe place, and it’s time to rest. But instead of resting, these three mighty men choose to risk their lives by breaking through the enemy lines just to bring their king a drink of water. Wow!
These mighty men had fought alongside King David in many great battles, winning countless victories for the Lord and for Israel. Of course they were dedicated to their country and to their king. However, they were not only dedicated to obey King David. The loved him. They loved him more than a brother. Their love for King David was so strong and so ridiculous that it made history!
I want to focus on three aspects of the ridiculous love that these mighty men had for David:
1. It did not depend on logic
2. It was self-sacrificing
3. It was given even though it was not deserved
The mighty men loved David in a way that did not depend on logic. There was absolutely no sense in their decision to get water from the well in Bethlehem. Before performing any medical procedure, doctors always balance the risks and benefits of the procedure. If the benefits outweigh the risks, we proceed with the procedure. If the risks are too high, we choose an alternative. What were the risks involved with getting a cup of water from Bethlehem? The mighty men would have to come out of hiding and break through the Philistine lines. They could get beaten up, captured, or even killed. Even if they survived, they would miss out on some much-needed rest. And what would be the benefit of getting the water? David would get to drink a cup of tasty water. I’m pretty sure that they did have some water in the stronghold where they were staying. David was not going to die without the water from Bethlehem. Clearly the risks of this action outweigh the benefits. The mighty men chose to get that water only because they loved David so much. God has given us intelligent minds to help us make logical decisions. Sometimes, however, the actions that show love best just don’t make sense. Ridiculous love doesn’t make sense, and it does not depend on logic.
A second aspect of the mighty men’s love was that they loved David even if it meant that they would have to sacrifice themselves. They were ready to sacrifice their very lives to show David love. This is a very difficult part of love. We are all born with an inborn desire to live, to conserve our own life. There are countless stories throughout history where the human desire to live has been demonstrated. One incident that comes to my mind involved the Uruguayan rugby team whose plane crashed in the snowy Andes Mountains in 1972. Starving, cold, and injured, sixteen men from the rugby team managed to survive until their rescue 72 days after the crash. They were able to survive in part because they ate their fellow passengers who had died in the accident. I’m telling you, those men had a strong will to live! All of us have a strong will to live. However, there are things in life that are more important than preserving our own lives. One of these things is love. The mighty men had a ridiculous love. They were ready to give up their very own lives to express their love to David by bringing him a drink of water. That is a history-making love.
A third aspect of the mighty men’s love was that they loved David when he did not deserve it. David was a good king, and one of the greatest leaders in the history of Israel. However, he was not a perfect man. In fact, David performed some famous sins! The most notable sin was against a good soldier named Uriah. David’s armies were out to war when David saw Uriah’s wife, Bathsheba, taking a bath on top of her house. David committed adultery with her and she became pregnant. Trying to cover up the sin, David called to have Uriah brought back to his home in Jerusalem. However, when he wasn’t able to cover up the adultery, he put Uriah on the front line of the battle to be killed. Then, he was able to steal poor Uriah’s wife. We know that David was not perfect, and that he did not deserve such love. However, the mighty men loved their king, and they forgave him for whatever sins that he might have committed. They loved King David, not because he deserved it, but just because they loved him.
Even David himself recognized that he did not deserve this ridiculous love. In verse 17, upon receiving the cup from the mighty men, he says, “Far be it from me, O Lord, to do this! Is it not the blood of men who went at the risk of their lives?” “Que el Senor me libre de beberla! Eso seria como beberme la sangre de hombres que se han jugado la vida!” Feeling unworthy to accept this act of love from his men, he poured the water out before the Lord.
The three mighty men gave us an example of ridiculous love. But do we really need to be that extreme? Yes, we do! In John 13:35 (NLT) Jesus says, “Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples." Love is the mark that we wear on our foreheads that says, “I am a Christian!” If we want people to know that we follow Jesus, we must be good at loving. And if we want non-Christians to be interested in who Jesus is, we must be the best lovers in the world!
How can we give ridiculous love to others? It is unlikely that I will ever have to, for example, risk my life to go to Abuelos and bring back a menestra to my buddy Dr. Kappen. However, I can give ridiculous love to my wife, all my family, my friends, my co-workers, my brothers and sisters at church, and my patients. I can give love that is not logical, even when my scientific brain tells me that the risk outweighs the benefit. I can give love that is self-sacrificing, even when I’m really tired and I want to care for myself. And I can give love to everyone, not just to those who “deserve it”, such as the nice, the good-looking, the popular, or those who love me. When we love like this, we are pleasing the Lord. When we love like this, we’re showing the world that we’re Christians. If we can love like this today, we will, like David’s three mighty men, make an impact on others and on history.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Paperwork in Ecuador
Though in the states paperwork that has to be done for passports and birth certificates can be a hassle, after going through the process in a foreign country without a car to drive ourselves in to all the locations we have to hit, I think I'll be a little slower to complain about it.
Several weeks before Anna was born we went to the nearby town of Puyo so we'd be sure we knew where to go to get the paperwork we need complete before our visit to the states in February. This includes an Ecuadorian birth certificate, an Ecuadorian cedula (similar to an ID card), an Ecuadorian passport, and an United States passport (which we'll have to make the five hour trip to Quito twice for). We went to Immigration and were told to go to another location of "Gobernacion". They said we would need to go to Civil Registration before we could do anything, so we hailed a taxi and went to the (obscure) location of Civil Registration. The Civil Registration in Puyo told us their was a Civil Registration in our own town of Shell we would need to visit first. When we arrived there, the woman in charge told us we could start the paperwork after Anna was born, but the man who completed birth certificates would only be their Monday and Tuesday mornings from 8-10. The Monday after Anna was born we returned with her and were amazed to actually find our 'birth certificate man' there. He filled out a short form of the birth certificate for us, but the longer form we needed wouldn't be there until the next week since the new year was about to begin and he was awaiting the paperwork from the capital city. With a prayer we returned the next Monday to find the long form had arrived. We then took that form back to Immigration for Anna's cedula and were told to return Wednesday. When we arrived Wednesday they told us to come back Friday because they were also awaiting new paperwork from Quito. Thankfully Dan called before we headed there on Friday and a different man working told us not to come, but to go to the Civil Registration in Puyo for her cedula. We proceeded there, were grateful to get her cedula and then headed again to Gobernacion for the passport. After running twice down the block to get copies (because there is no copy machine at the governmeent building) and spending twenty minutes trying to wake Anna up for an open-eye passport photo, her Ecuadorian passport process has been started. We're praying that it comes as quickly as they say it will and we're able to get her American passport and paperwork all done quickly on our trips to Quito.
God is definitely working on our patience levels as we proceed through all the hoops of Ecuadorian paperwork.
Anna's Passport Photo
Several weeks before Anna was born we went to the nearby town of Puyo so we'd be sure we knew where to go to get the paperwork we need complete before our visit to the states in February. This includes an Ecuadorian birth certificate, an Ecuadorian cedula (similar to an ID card), an Ecuadorian passport, and an United States passport (which we'll have to make the five hour trip to Quito twice for). We went to Immigration and were told to go to another location of "Gobernacion". They said we would need to go to Civil Registration before we could do anything, so we hailed a taxi and went to the (obscure) location of Civil Registration. The Civil Registration in Puyo told us their was a Civil Registration in our own town of Shell we would need to visit first. When we arrived there, the woman in charge told us we could start the paperwork after Anna was born, but the man who completed birth certificates would only be their Monday and Tuesday mornings from 8-10. The Monday after Anna was born we returned with her and were amazed to actually find our 'birth certificate man' there. He filled out a short form of the birth certificate for us, but the longer form we needed wouldn't be there until the next week since the new year was about to begin and he was awaiting the paperwork from the capital city. With a prayer we returned the next Monday to find the long form had arrived. We then took that form back to Immigration for Anna's cedula and were told to return Wednesday. When we arrived Wednesday they told us to come back Friday because they were also awaiting new paperwork from Quito. Thankfully Dan called before we headed there on Friday and a different man working told us not to come, but to go to the Civil Registration in Puyo for her cedula. We proceeded there, were grateful to get her cedula and then headed again to Gobernacion for the passport. After running twice down the block to get copies (because there is no copy machine at the governmeent building) and spending twenty minutes trying to wake Anna up for an open-eye passport photo, her Ecuadorian passport process has been started. We're praying that it comes as quickly as they say it will and we're able to get her American passport and paperwork all done quickly on our trips to Quito.
God is definitely working on our patience levels as we proceed through all the hoops of Ecuadorian paperwork.
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