Our first few days in Shell

By: Sara

Time has flown by since we arrived in Shell and between the busyness and some trouble with the internet we have not been able to post for a while. So we decided to do a long recap .

On Saturday we traveled by bus from the capital city of Quito to Shell, a small town on the edge of the Jungle. We shared the ride with a few other volunteers who were coming to work at Casa de Fe and at the local Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) base. The 5-hour trip was full of beautiful mountain roads, waterfalls, and sheer cliffs.

When we arrived it was raining, of course, but after a few calls we were able to meet our contacts and get to our new house.

We spent the first day settling into our house, unpacking our hopelessly scrambled bags, eating a late lunch, and visiting with the kids. (More about our house later). When we got to the orphanage we were amazed by how different everything was. In the new property the kids have a safe place to run and play. They seem so different with all that space. Instead of just having a small cement patio to play on, the kids have a backyard with toys, play equipment, a bike path, a stream that can be dammed up into a pond, and just a ton of space to use however they want.

Our first view of the new property

On Sunday we got up early to go to the market in the next town over and ended up catching a ride with the Patti Sue (CDF director). The market was huge and we had fun wandering through the aisles, and buying a bunch of fresh fruits and vegetables. We had been eating kind of random meals for the first few days of our trip, but now we are excited about really being able to cook.

Our produce from the market

When we got back to Shell we spent a few hours helping with Sunday School at the orphanage, and playing with the kids in their back yard and on the bikes. My favorite part was seeing Tatiana and Martin playing together with a tricycle. They both have some mobility challenges but they were having so much fun together.

Tatiana and Martin on the bike path

Monday was training day and we spent time with Tandy, the volunteer coordinator, going over plans and expectations and getting ready for the summer. We ate a yummy lunch and enjoyed getting to know the other volunteers with whom we would be working.

On Tuesday morning we got to play with the kids and do one-on-one time with the babies. We also helped move furniture and clean out houses so that everything would be ready for the summer. The rain slowed our progress, but we will finish the moving later.

Today, Wednesday we were at the orphanage spending time with the babies, setting up the rooms for summer activities/tutoring, and playing games outside with the bigger kids. When it got really hot we took the kids to the creek to swim. They had so much fun, and did not want to get out when it was time for dinner.

 

Here are some photos from the last few days:

Burgers and tea at Johnny’s

Erin and Martin watching the carpenter ants “!mira, grandote! – look, a huge one!”

Rosa walking on water

Rubi has such a big smile

Rosa had fun playing with the clay that the kids found by the pool

Josue was off to work

“Mister Luke” with Alejo

Angel thinks dirt tastes yummy

David decided the swing would be a good place to nap

Visiting My Valeria

By: Emily

Sorry this is a little late, we just got our internet working here at the house in Shell. More stories to come soon.

On Friday Erin, Sara, Luke, and I went to visit Valeria, one of the girls I sponsor through Compassion International.

Early in the morning we met David, our interpreter, and took a bus to the city of Ibarra where Valeria lives with her family. The bus wound around mountains and lent some breathtaking views… and the opportunity to take a little siesta.

I was so happy when I finally got to meet my sweet Valeria! Her mother and a tutor from the project were with her.

We met up with the project director and another Compassion worker at the church where the Compassion project is located.

We took a tour of the project and got to see Valeria's classroom.

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Then we all drove up to Valeria’s home in a pickup truck. Her family’s farm is located on a mountainside at about 8,300 ft. There were spectacular views of the mountains all around and the volcano behind the house. 

I gave Valeria the gifts we had brought for her and she really liked them. She looked so cute in her new hat, shirt and sunglasses.

We played hide-and-seek (her favorite game), frisbee, jump rope (another one of her favorites), tag, and football (soccer to us North Americans). Valeria and I were on the same team and we won! She scored at least two of our goals-she is quite the soccer player even in her sandals and long skirt :0)

Her little sisters, Diana (6) and Alexandra (9), came home from school and our whole group went out to lunch in town.

Then we played in the restaurant's playground and had a blast!

And we got ice cream.

Then everybody piled back into the truck and we dropped Valeria and her family back at there home. We prayed together and got one last picture with some of her cousins.

Everyone was very sad when it was time for us to go. It was so hard to leave! It was a wonderful visit and I am so glad for this awesome opportunity to see my Valeria.

A Day in Quito

 

We spent today wandering around the sprawling city of Quito (population about 2 million). Our favorite part was riding on the teleferico (gondola) up the side of one of the mountains. The view from the top was breathtaking with the city stretching out as far as you could see. Here are a few pictures –but they don’t really do it justice.

We took a taxi to and from the teleferico. Here in Quito you have to take a good look at the taxi before you get in (otherwise you very well may be robbed). What to look for: yellow vehicle, number on the window, taxi sign on the top and an orange license plate –then the driver should be legitimate . We were very carful watching for these things, but unfortunately the drivers don’t hang a blinking sign out the window that says “I’m a great driver” or “I whip around corners like a mad man”. We definitely got one of the “mad man” drivers on the way home. He also didn’t know where our guest house is located (which he failed to mention when we showed him the address). But, between our knowledge of the city and what the driver was able to glean from other drivers while on route we made it home -in one piece (but not before lots of wrong turns and a few queasy stomachs). All a part of the Quito experience ;0)

Jus one more picture: the classic Benson family hiking pose.

We made it to Quito!

We arrived safe and sound in Quito last night with all of our baggage. After a good night’s rest and some breakfast, we are headed out to do some site seeing and get ready for Emily’s visit with her sponsored child tomorrow.

You know you’re in Quito when there are roses in the airport!

Colorado…………to Ecuador

If only it were that easy!!

We are now sitting in the airport in Houston waiting for our flight to Panama where we catch another flight to Ecuador. Our itinerary today is not quite as direct as the photo :0) but we will be there soon.

Praises

- all our suitcases were under the weight limit!

- we found a security line at DIA that allowed us to avoid the new body scanners.

- although Sara’s bag got pulled aside at security, the problem was quickly resolved when we realized that the questionable object was the electric teapot. oops!

- we got to sit together on our last flight and it went smoothly. We even had the entertainment of the loud family sitting behind us.

Almost there….

As time draws near for us to step on the airplane, our house has been a beehive of activity. We are packing all of our clothes, cosmetics, snacks, art supplies, and game supplies. Plus we are taking care of the million little things that need to be settled before we leave the country. 

Our favorite kind of prep work has been brainstorming ideas for crafts, games, one-on-one activities, and themes that we can use while we are working with the kids. Every time we go over our list of activities we get more and more excited to see the kids! 

The latest word on our lodging is that we will be staying in the 2^nd floor apartment of a missionary who is on furlough. We are happy to hear that this house will be a lot closer to the orphanage than we had originally thought.

Our daily schedule will vary, but it will probably look something like this:

• 7:00  Wake up and get ready for the day
• 7:30  Fix a quick breakfast
• 8:00  Walk to the orphanage
• 8:30  Lead morning activities for the kids or help with construction
• 12:00  Eat a sack lunch or go quickly to one of the restaurants
• 1:30  Afternoon activities with the kids or construction
• 5:30  Head home for dinner

In the evenings we may have special activities for the kids like movie and story nights, or just take time to relax at home.

We have not heard yet if we will have internet access in our house, or if we will need to find it elsewhere. But we plan to post frequently to let you know how we are doing.

24 days and counting!

Everything is coming together for our trip to Ecuador. We have our plane tickets and are counting down the 24 days until we leave. Is it possible to wish that something would come faster and yet slower at the same time…

First and foremost we want to say thank you to the many friends and family members who have partnered with us as we prepare to minister to the children at Casa de Fe. Thank you for believing in us. Your commitments to take the time to pray for us and the children, and your willingness to give of the money that you worked for will make an eternal difference in the kingdom.

            • We have raised over 75% of the money we need for the trip!

            • We posted a new list of prayer sidebar--->

Right now we are in the final throws of all of our spring activities. Sara graduated last week from Regis University and immediately started her final class which will finish right before we leave. Luke will be completing high school in the next few weeks and Emily will be graduating from Pikes Peak Community College on the 21st. Erin left yesterday for a 8-day tour that promises to keep her and her company members jumping from one activity to the next. Have I mentioned that we are all looking forward to having a little bit of a break in Shell.

In the midst of all the busyness we are finding creative ways to make time and prepare for the trip. Last week, for example, on the way to Sara's graduation ceremony we made a huge list of games and fun activities that we can do with the kids. Some of our ideas included a week of lessons about how God

made everyone unique (followed by a talent show to showcase their abilities), and a F.R.O.G. (Fully Rely On God) themed VBS with lots of wet activities to keep everyone cool.

We never know what will exactly be needed when we get to Shell, so we always try to have a big assortment of ideas that we can use. And that is where you come in. Can you be a part of our next brainstorming meeting? The theme is children's songs (in English) and arts and crafts. Ready… set…GO!

(psst…leave a comment below)