Rain, rain go away come back another day

Front page of today's newspaper

As the rain keeps coming and the ground takes on more water, eventually it caves in. I think in the last few weeks we can say that we have had around 1.5 to 2m of rain, or so it feels, and the ground is feeling the pinch. I (John) was driving to Gonzanamá the other day and the 1 1/2 hour trip took just over two hours as there were a number of landslides that we had to drive through. The day after 60m of the same road collapsed taking with it a small ute and a semi trailer with 200 bottles of LPG. Flights have been suspended for the moment as this is the main connecting road between Loja and Catamayo, where the airport is located. As the rain has not entirely stopped we are sure to hear about more disasters like this. Please pray for safety as people travel and also for those affected by similar incidents and disasters around the country.

Loja's sunsets...

...are often quite spectacular if you can catch them for the few minutes that the sky is lit up! Often it's around the time Evie is eating dinner, so we just need to remember to turn our heads to the window to enjoy the great sight.

Tijs and Evie are going well, Tijs at 2 months has almost reached 7kg! Yikes!

Evie loves watching what goes on at the school behind our place, and there aren't many days where something doesn't happen. I have never known a place with so many 'events'. This is a picutre of the Mariachi band that played in honour of International Women's Day on 8th March.

Slippery dip

Playgrounds in Loja aren't for the faint hearted! We understand that driving is a danger and walking is a danger, but who would have thought a children's playground is a dangerous place? This slippery dip is located in a park that we pass on the way to the local supermarket. We are yet to see someone ride this dare devil of a slide, but we are sure it would result in a sore behind!

We have recently aquired some new postcards, thanks to John and his photo hobbie, combined with printing expertise. For months we have been trying to find postcards worthy enough for our recipients. We have done it. John has sorted out a few of the best of photos and has made his own postcards. Here's a quick preview...