Bookshop training in Quito

We recently drove up to Quito to get some training on running the bookshop here in Loja. It takes just under 12 hours to drive from Loja to Quito. We had a great time learning how we can better serve the church in Loja and thanking Oswaldo for his continued work in the bookshop.

Julian, visiting from Australia came with us had a great time as a tourist in Quito while we had our training. 

Enjoying the public holiday

Thought we'd make the most of the public holiday yesterday and head down to Vilcabamba. The local public pool was empty except for us for hours. But the kids hardly even got in the big pool cause the waterslide (that didn't work) was way too much fun. Add a few hatfuls of water from the pool, sit on the kick board and fly down. We get home and all the kids are asking are when we'll go back there again.

The Reformed Pastor – Richard Baxter – The Banner of Truth Trust

A new book we are adding to our reading program for Equipping Servants is ‘The Reformed Pastor’ by Richard Baxter.

We had a bit of trouble because the local supplier wasn't able to supply the book for us due to a shortage of stock. I thought I would try and contact the Publisher directly and ask them if they had any that they could send us. As we sent emails back and forth, the General Manager, John, was very helpful and collected the 30 books necessary to send down to us. I don’t know what he did to get them, but they didn’t have any when I first asked them, and yet he managed to send us 30. Thank you John and the staff at The Banner of Truth Trust for your help.

The groups that will need the books will get their copies in the next couple of weeks. They came much faster than I thought, less than a month to send from the UK. I even think we have a few weeks spare before having to hand them out.

The Equipping Servants program provides a theological book set for participating pastors and church leaders over the course of the three years. These book sets are able to be provided through the generosity of donors around the world, people like you!

If you would like to help out with purchasing these books, please use the corresponding link below to make a donation.

You can give to this project through SIM in these different countries:
Australia
United Kingdom
United States of America

If you are giving in the UK or USA you will need the following details.
Project Number: 91901
Project Name: Growing Pastors
Project Country: Ecuador

Joining the local football team

When we signed Mattias up for the local football team, we thought it would be a bit of fun for him to play in the afternoons. And rather handy seeing as the field is just at the end of our block. It rains pretty often but no drama as they just move up to the undercover basketball court. Since training started he has been three afternoons a week. They spend Mondays doing exercise training with more games on Wednesday and Friday. They are getting more technical as time goes on.

All the other boys come to training in uniform and this week new uniforms came including one for Mattias, he was pretty excited. Putting on the jacket he said, "Dad, I just love this jacket!" His first game is this afternoon at 4pm. We’ll see how he goes.

How did you feel when you got your first sports outfit?

Finishing up some training exercises

Fresh eyes

Spending just over 8 months back in Sydney means I've come back to Loja looking at my surroundings with fresh eyes, seeing things that are 'different' (from Sydney at least), things that by the end of our last term didn't seem strange at all.

The inclusion of a plea for punctuality at the local symphony. Next to the start time of 20H00 it says 'hora puntual'...at 8.05pm I was still too early.

I thought this couple looked like a perfect match. Needless to say I didn't spot any couples like this in Sydney.

Latest remedy I've seen for coughs and colds, it came with extensive instructions for preparation. 

One needs to direct one's attention to the ground with diligence. Four weeks on my foot is still recovering from my altercation with this drain. Oops.

A picture of the Virgen of Cisne in a prominent place is really common, whether a department store, a taxi,  a lounge room or a public office.

Fantastical looking dogs, with incredibly mixed up blood lines.

Rainbows out for the spotting at least a couple of times a week.

Fire hydrants in unexpected places. Good for the quick jump up and off as we go along with the kids.

Aloe vera being sold in the supermarket, a staple part of the diet?!

Can't really take pictures of new things I've 'seen' culturally through conversations with friends or things I've been able to appreciate in our third arrival to this place. Pray that God will continue to give us fresh eyes to see the people around us clearly and love and invest in them as He directs!

The New House in Loja

It has been a long time I know, but here's a little glimpse of our house in Loja. We are in a second floor apartment and there is a terrace/rooftop area we can use (more photos of the terrace later). We enjoy sitting on the balcony next to the kitchen at night watching the city lights below. The area is much quieter than where we lived last time, with just the usually car alarms and roosters that you just can't avoid. One nice addition are the church bells from the local catholic church which are every afternoon for mass.
So have a little walk through and have a guess as to how many rooms there are and leave your guess in a comment below.

Watching the box

Master bedroom

Dining room

Kitchen 

Mattias' bedroom

Girl's bedroom, no bed yet

John's office

View from the back verandah

What are you passionate about?

I interviewed Caleb, a five year old Missionary Kid from Colorado, while we sat on a trampoline at our team's annual conference and what a surprise I was in for. I didn’t realise some football fans were so dedicated. To the right is a photo of his favourite player, Peyton Manning who is an American football quarterback for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL).





It's clear that Caleb is passionate about the Denver Broncos, and why not, I mean they're not cheaters! But what about you? What are you passionate about?

Our passion is to see God's Kingdom grow. We want those we come into contact with to understand the good news of Jesus Christ and his Lordship in their life.



Photo Credits
Jeffrey Beall
http://www.flickr.com/photos/denverjeffrey/7955629330/

In what language do you hablas?

During our time in Australia for Home Assignment many asked if I thought in Spanish or English while speaking here in Ecuador. In answer to that, here is an example of  how I caught myself thinking the other day…

I need to go to a tienda to comprar una box that would entrar en un space de 28cm. Pensé that there would be lots of opciones but cuando I looked I only saw tres opciones. I thought about the tres opciones y pensé mejor look en a shop that sold muchas things plásticas. 

It puts your mind into overdrive thinking in both languages much of the time, sometimes in English and sometimes in Spanish.

Is it hard? As I re-immerse myself into Ecuadorian culture I don’t find it difficult, but I find I’m not translating like I used to either, which is really nice (and less headaches). I think that the more I read and talk in Spanish the more I find myself entering into the Spanish speaking world and forgetting the appropriate word in English.

My thoughts are, my language for now is Spanish (because we are in Ecuador), my head needs to get used to it so the more I speak, the more I read, and the more coffee I drink in Spanish settings will all help me speak clearer and sharper than before.

If you’re learning a language and are frustrated, don’t give up, think of it as the best thing you can do to be understood. Oh, and my thoughts are, you don’t understand until you know you don’t understand (I used to think I understood everything, but then I started hearing clearer and realised I really didn’t understand), until then keep up the hard work.

What’s been your experience of learning a language?

And I wonder why my English is failing so much...

House hunting

The priority upon our return to Loja was to get a house before the kids start at school. Well after a few weeks we have found a place and we are about the move in soon. However, before we show you photos of what we are about to move into I thought a look at some of the houses that didn’t seem right. Here are some places that weren't quite right because of distance from the centre, safety features, space, darkness, and even price!!

Work safe practices

Living in Australia for the past 8 and a bit months made us aware of work safe practices. We saw  yellow everywhere. As we commuted around Sydney, the early morning King Gee blue had been exchanged to bright yellow. It was everywhere. Every outdoor worker seemed to display sunflower qualities.
But it didn't stop there. Job sites were radically changed as well. Witches hats, traffic controllers, closed roads, and flashing lights, all in order to to plant a tree, or so it seemed.
Work safe practices over the past three or four years has changed in Australia and it was interesting to get back into a culture we thought we knew to find that it had changed so much.
So as we headed back with a short stay in the USA we found that as we went about the place these work safe practices were left to one side. We saw teenagers with casual clothes and no signs directing traffic around a tree cutting exercise, while people flew past at around 60 kilometres an hour in an 80 zone. That was to protect the workers. It was something that struck us as we drove around that part of the US.

Coming down to Ecuador this work place safety was still on my mind. So it was with great amusement that I noticed a big pile of uncovered asbestos sheets beside the footpath. I can only imagine what those of you who dress up in white overalls to take off one square meter of asbestos are thinking. A slight difference to what I passed in the street the other day.


I'm sure that there will be many other things that will grab our attention as we try and settle to living in Loja. We have already been reminded of many things that have made us realise that we are back in Loja once again.

Meeting a warrior

I had the privilege of meeting a warrior the other day.

This was no ordinary warrior. This lady was a prayer warrior. She prays, she prays daily, she prays a lot. And she shared with me how she prays specifically for Oswaldo all the way over in Ecuador.

I was humbled and so thankful to God to hear of such wrestling in prayer for fellow saints all the way across the world. I am strengthened knowing that as John and I head back to Loja, we go as part of this team that spans continents, depending on God to glorify His name in and through us. And by this warrior's example, I am challenged to pray more too!

Sunrises

I seem to be seeing my fair share of sunrises recently and in some pretty great places as we trip around the countryside far and wide.

Location: Nundle (near Tamworth)
Out for a walk

Location: Maroubra Beach
On my bike

Location: Molong (near Orange)
In the swag

Each time I see that brilliant display, specific to its time and place, I am reminded of God's stedfast love...new every morning. Great is his faithfulness.

Mudgee and Gulgong

Nine hours in the car, two churches, a choice of 12 cafés, many people to catch up with and some very faithful pray-ers. 

Mattias with a new book at the café.
We had Penny Panda for the weekend. 

We spent this past weekend at Mudgee and Gulgong Presbyterian Churches. Mudgee is around 3 1/2 hours from our house in Randwick, which is quite an ask for the kids to sit still in the back seat. When we arrived in Mudgee we headed for a café and with mines close by and Mudgee becoming a tourist destination, the main street has a plethora of cafés, in fact at least 12 that we were told. 

We then had an afternoon tea where we shared what has been happening over the past four years face to face with a group from Mudgee church. It was an encouraging time for all of us. We were really encouraged by their questions and interest in the work in Loja and especially for their genuine care when we shared with them. 

After the afternoon tea in Mudgee we headed another 1/2 north-west to Gulgong. A small place, with a special charm and appeal. We arrived at our hosts house where the key was left in the letterbox and dinner on the stove. What great hosts Vaughan and Ali were. We stayed the night there and our hosts eventually came home after a party. We enjoyed getting to know one another before we slept in the quietest town that we know of (although our kids were all noisy). 

The band at church

Sunday morning came on slowly thanks to daylight saving changes and having the extra hour to get ready the six kids before church was helpful for all of us. We then headed into church where I (John) preached and we gave a presentation about the work in Ecuador. 

BBQ being served off the ute

After the church service we managed some morning tea with those at the church and heard from a lady who had been praying for the past four years for Oswaldo every day. It was a great time for all of us and it was topped off with a visit from my nephew Ben with family, cousin Rodney and family (all from Gyrie), and Karine's sister Jodie with family (from Molong). It was great to have some lunch with them and the back of the ute as a dining table made us feel especially welcome to country NSW. 

Thanks for your hospitality everyone and for the way that you welcomed us into your lives once again. 

Café in Mudgee

Karine - the wife

Evie thinking about her nuggets

Smiley Annalise

Mudgee kids

Straight roads

Yes, they are all Woldhuises by name!

The BBQ crew

New friends