Friends spying out Ecuador

One of the steps when one is considering expanding our ministry in a foreign land is spying out the country. We did, and mostly every need greater we know has. It gives you a chance to meet the brothers, experience field service, the weather, try the food, etc. 

Earlier this month, we had the privilege to receive some friends from Portugal. We originally met through email, but after exchanging emails for some time, they booked their flight and came for a visit to "spy out" Ecuador...

After staying at the brand office in Guayaquil for a couple of days, they came to Cuenca. We were their "tour guides" for a couple of days. They joined us for field service and meeting. Heber, one of the brothers visiting, was our speaker that night. He did a very nice Discourse in Spanish, it was about young ones making the right decisions when it comes to Education. 
Ben and I showed them around the city, mercados, souvenir shops, and hangout spots. Monday early morning we took them to one of our favorite places, Baños de Cuenca. A section of the city surrounded by mountains, with several thermal volcanic water pools. Monday morning the pool water is changed, so it was perfect timing to get fresh steaming hot water straight from the volcano. This baths are supposed to be very relaxing, therapeutic and some even claim they have some healing properties... 

Their trip was very short, we only had them for a few days but we sure enjoyed the time we spent with them. It is so nice to meet brothers with the goal to serve Jehovah more fully.  
If you also have this desire to serve where the need is greater, and Ecuador is one of your options, write to us with any questions or plans you may have. This is how we started...we'll do our best to help you in any way we could.

Here are some helpful articles when considering moving where the need is greater: 

http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/202011294?q=serving+where+the+need+is+greater&p=par

http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/2009286?q=serving+where+the+need+is+greater&p=par

       

 

Stuck in the States

While Preaching in Florida

After the refreshing assembly program, and beautiful activities as delegates, we were eager to get back to Ecuador. So much to tell our friends about our amazing experience. They had to see pictures and videos for this historical international convention.
Just a couple of days before our scheduled flight, we took a trip to Miami. Main reason was to say goodbye to my Grandma and other family members. We had no clue how much this visit would change our plans. While at Miami Beach, we parked our car at a usual parking lot, we just wanted to jump in the beach for a few minutes. After all, we live high up in the mountains and rarely see the beach. As we get back to our car, we noticed something was wrong. I see a mess through-out the car and the small window of the passenger seat is broken. We had been broken into. The thieves took our wallets, phones, some shopping bags and, most important, our documents and passports! It seemed unreal, but it was happening. We immediately called 911 to file a police report. Trying to make me feel better, the cop mentions he comes to this very same "city paid parking lot" every day, a few times a day to write reports about robberies. Still, the city can't afford to have a police man watching, neither can't they afford to put up signs advising tourist of the organized crime that's going on everyday in their own parking lot at Miami Beach. 

As soon as we got to my grandma's place, we tried tracking our phones. To our surprise, we are able to track one of them. We were so excited! After such a disappointment, we now had a little hope we could get some our stuff back, or at least the most important, our documents. After getting an exact address, name, and a few other details about the phone location, we called the police department. The excitement didn't  last long. One police department said the phone was located outside their jurisdiction area. The other said they didn't file the report, it was not their responsibility...After talking to supervisors, on-call detectives and a few other people in charge, we soon realized they were not going to help. We even started to consider the possibility of going ourselves. But was it really worth it? Just a couple of months ago a classmate from elementary school was shot to death because he claimed his dog. If they went that far for a dog dispute, what could be expected for valuable stuff?!? We decided our life and well being was far more important that anything material. After all, everything they took was replaceable.  I believe it was the wisest decision to let go. This meant loosing our flight and staying with family until we got all the necessary documents, including our passports.

We immediately made arrangements for responsibilities in Ecuador and decided to make the best of our extra days in the states.  Even had the opportunity to participate in RBC during a remodeling project in a nearby city. We enjoyed very much the company of friends, days in the ministry and family dinners. 

After spending almost 3 months in the states, we are now back in Ecuador. Our brothers in Ecuador made us feel welcome, and appreciated . We have gotten back into our routine, and even though our family is very much missed, we are enjoying this unique opportunity to serve in Ecuador.