Not Ready for the Promotion

One of the challenges about living here in Shell is transportation.  Thankfully, almost everything is within walking distance: school, work, the main grocery store, and church.  However, while buses and taxis abound, many of the locals keep their eyes open for other transportation options.  Today we saw about 15 kids piled into the bed of a little pick-up.  I will now show you a picture of many people's idea of the family vehicle (the Ecuadorian mini-van, if you will):

That's right folks, this beast has enough room for Dad on the front, Toddler on the handlebars, and Mom in the back with Baby on her lap.  It's enough to make my mother-in-law cringe in fear, and for good reason.  I saw a girl in the ER the other day who was riding in the family vehicle when they went over a bump and she came tumbling off.  Unfortunately, helmets are rarely used here, and this incident was no exception.  As we evaluated the ten-year-old with an obvious bump on her head and a confused look on her face, we began to ask her some questions.
              me:                 "Where are you?"
              girl:                 "At home."
              me:                 "Who is that lady?" (the patient's mom)
              girl:                 "My aunt."
              me:                 "Who is the president of Ecuador?"
              girl:                 "You."
I often ask those questions and more to find out if a patient is confused, but I had never had THAT answer to the president question.  Within an hour, the patient's confusion had disappeared, appropriate tests and observation were performed, and it was time to relax and have a good laugh about her silly response.  I told the little girl that I'm definitely not ready to be president of Ecuador.  My hands are full enough as it is!

Please be praying for us as we lead the resident Bible study this week.  As many of you know, one of our main goals here is to train Ecuadorian residents and medical students in the practice of medicine, but more importantly, to mentor them spiritually.  While some of the trainees are Christians, many of them do not have a personal relationship with Jesus.  Please ask God to be speaking to their hearts.