Kitchen Spanish and Puffs

This last week another missionary and I went to find puffs, (bean bag chairs) for the school. We located and purchased them, but they were a little too large to carry back to the school. While Janeen went back to her home to get her car, I waited inside the store.

 I was able to talk with the vender and found he had lived in Italy for several years and that his family is still there. Many Ecuadorians move to Spain or Italy to find work. Using my baby Spanish and lots of hand gestures we were able to have a conversation about where I lived, what I was doing here, and talked about my family. When Janeen returned with the car, we were only able to get two of the Puffs to fit into the car and I had to wait a bit more while she took them to school and returned for me. So the vender and I talked some more. 

I have also been attending the Spot Light Clubs http://www.spotlightradio.net/sec/  on Wednesday nights. This program helps those who want to use their English skills in a conversational group; I am finding that English is a hard language to understand. When you have to explain a word to someone who doesn't speak english, it  makes you think about all the words we use, and never think about the meanings. It isn't as easy as you would think.

We also had a group from Australia here this past week and they fixed a wonderful meal for the SIM team. We all had a wonderful time of fellowship and great food. 

Speaking of food. I had my first and probably last taste of Morcella or blood sausage.






 I am helping at El Sendero for an hour each day. This is greatly improving my language skills as well as other skills.  I have helped make several different kinds of fruit juices or jugos, pina, guanabana, babaco, naranjana, avena de colada and lemonada.

I am learning  to use a blender. Don’t laugh; I just never needed to use one before. I think they did laugh at me when I was taking the blender cup off and all the juice went all over the place. I learned that I have no idea how to chop or peel potatoes. The ladies in the kitchen can peel and chop four papas to my one and I have to use a tater peeler because I will cut my fingers off with the knife.

 For an hour a day I am washing dishes, making juice, clearing tables, building relationships, sometimes making a fool of myself, and growing my language skills for Jesus. 

Un hora cada dia, estoy lavando los platos, haciendo jugos, y aprendendo espanol por mi Senor.

Last year while packing for our trip to Loja, I wanted to bring a few things that were important to me. You know for the days that I got homesick or just needed a reminder of things past. This quilt was one of the things I brought  with us. Terry's grandmother Elsie Purtell made this. She was a Godly women, who prayed for her children and grandchildren. I thought it would be nice to bring a part of her, here to Loja. 

As I was making the bed this morning, I thought about a women who prayed for a young boy. I think part of the reason why we are here in Loja is because she prayed that her grandson would grow to be a man of God.

Thirteen years ago God blessed us with our first grandson. Marcus Wade King. Over the last thirteen years I have watched as he has grown into a wonderful young man. I have prayed that God would bring each one of my grandchildren to an early salvation and God has blessed that prayer. Marcus was the first to make a decision to follow Christ. Marcus won't have a Quilt from Marme Purtell to look at when he is older, but I want him to know that Marme and Papa have prayed for him from the very first day we knew he was coming into our lives. 

When I have gone to be with my Lord, I pray that all of my grandchildren will be serving him. I can think of no better gift to give them than my prayers. 

Wrong Heart Right Heart

Yesterday Terry and I finished up the painting of the Apartment we are living in at the LMC building. Last year I talked about painting it, picked out colors several times, but just didn’t get to it. Living with grey concrete walls can get a little annoying so we got the paint and together we painted the six walls. I learned that a person with a perfectionist attitude can work with a person with a   who cares just do it attitude. The person with the who cares attitude just has to wait a little longer to get it done.

Paint in Loja is a little different from paint in the states. It is made to cover concrete walls. It is thick like custard and the fumes can be really bad. We are both pleased with the outcome.  I think the next person who lives in here will enjoy it.

The first week of school went well. The two new teachers are going to do a wonderful job with the students. I had a bit of a break because I am not doing the majority of the teaching. But this week I start with an hour a day of language, an hour of study, and hour working at El Sendero, and in the afternoons I will be tutoring several MKs. I will still be involved in the school, reading to the children and teaching them about the work missionaries are doing around the world. Terry is teaching the High School students during the school day and also taking an hour of Spanish. 

Terry preached this morning. Our pastor interpreted. I worked with the children in Sunday School. This morning I was assisting in the older children’s class but had to go get something from the younger children’s class. I saw the younger ones were making a project with glitter and glue and there were several in the class from the age of two to five. I asked the teacher if she needed me to help. 

I learned Corazon means heart. I knew that, but was just not thinking. I was to draw a heart and I thought I was to write the word on their project. I am so glad children are forgiving. One little one who wasn’t able to handle scissors yet, asked me to cut for him. I took his hands in mine and we cut out his project, all the while saying bien to him. He was all smiles. He didn’t like having the glue on his hands and I motioned for him to come with me. He took my hand and we went to the bathroom to wash them. After drying them, he looked up smiled and reached out for my hand. 

Today I was able to show God’s love by taking a small hand in mine. God was able to show me his love by taking my hand in His and showing me that I don’t have to have the right words, just the right heart.

STRETCHING

The last two weeks could be said in one word STRETCHING. Terry and I have both been stretching ourselves both spiritually and physically. We were able to handle ourselves in Quito and to not get lost. It was an exhausting time for both of us as we were worried about luggage and customs, and both of us suffered a little from altitude sickness. We were able to meet the new teachers and bring them back with us to Loja.

When we arrived into Cuenca we found that the bus I had been dreaming about, that was to take us back to Loja was overbooked. It was a really nice plush bus; I had been thinking the whole plane trip how nice it was going to be not to take a van or taxi into Loja. The plane company had sent a van to take the surplus to loja but that also was packed so they had to call another one. Our luggage was on the bus. My carry on with my computer and the carry on of the other two teachers were also on the bus. They had cash and computers in theirs also.

I pictured the bus stopping in Loja, letting out passengers and said passengers seeing that our luggage wasn’t being picked up deciding that maybe our luggage needed a new home. I think our driver read my mind and he became a kamikaze driver helping us catch up with our luggage. I couldn’t help but think that I hoped our stuff got a good home because we were going to die in the van before we made it to Loja. I kept my hoodie over my eyes most of the ride.

Arriving in Loja we found our entire luggage safely waiting for us. The next several days we just crashed.  We had planned on taking a two day break with the new teachers before school started. They got word they had to return to Quito because of visa problems. I decided to paint the apt. since we were not going on the break. That day we got word we needed to travel to Cuenca to get legal. We stretched ourselves with language skills and were able to get everything done.

 In worship service today I was able to understand much of what the pastor was saying and God really convicted me of not being in his word like I should be. It was surprising how much I understood. 

I was thinking after the service if God could use a man speaking in another language that I don’t understand to convict me of sin, He could also use me in my baby Spanish to share his message. It isn’t our message that we are sharing it is His, and he will use us and open the ears of the hearers.

New School Year and New boots

We are settled in and getting ready to start a new school year. This year will look a little different than last year. We have two new teachers Mr. and Mrs. Cook from Canada and three fewer students. Three of our students are on furlough in the States. So doing the math we have four teachers and five students. 

One Room School

Terry will be working with the two high school students and the Cooks will be working with the younger children. I will be in and out of the classroom assisting.  Terry and I will be able to get in two hours a day of Spanish with this schedule. 

In the afternoons I will be tutoring some of the MKs that attend the national schools. I will also be putting together a MK Club for all the MKs twice a month, working in our churches children’s Sunday school, and hopefully learning some Spanish while washing papas (potatoes) an hour a day at El Sendero. Terry will be doing a Bible Study and working in the English Club on Sunday evenings.

 In between time, I will be getting lost, making a fool of myself with my language skills, choosing a cell phone and learning how to use it, riding buses and taxis by myself, learning my phone number and address, learning how to wear boots with a higher heel than I am used too, all of this in Spanish. And yes, I think there is a Ecuadorian way of wearing boots with heels.