An Ecuadorian Mission Experience

Final Debrief and Community Dinner

2011-07-13T07:18:00.000-07:00

Hey there folks!

Now that nearly a month has passed since we returned from Ecuador, it is time to really unpack our experiences and explore how we might bear fruit. This was our third experience in Ecuador with Youth World as a church, although each year we've had new folks join in. We have definitely seen a growth in maturity each year with regards to our team and to our approach towards mission. It has been a blessing to be a part of these experiences.

This past Sunday night, our team (minus two because of vacation and college orientation) gathered at the Miller house to fellowship, cook, eat, laugh, share stories and unpack our experiences. The food was amazing! It included: empanadas, llapingachos, a pork dish, a shrimp dish, fruit, a beef and plantain soup, fried plantains, Ecuadorian white rice, arroz con pollo, watermelon juice and so much more. Some of the most fun was had during the preparation of the food. Many of us hung out in the kitchen laughing, telling stories, reminiscing, and having an amazing time together. The kitchen is just an great place to fellowship.

After dinner, the team gathered to unpack our experiences and explore how we might bear fruit from our experiences. We started out sharing our favorite memories, partially to jog our memories, but also to share in the blessings of how God moved in the midst of our time in Ecuador. Some shared how they loved getting to go into small groups in the homes of church members from Iglesia Zoé, and being blessed with the opportunity to share our faith, hear their testimonies and then pray together. Some remembered our own goofiness and laughter and how awesome of a team that we had. Another remembered the joy and smiles of the children that we served amongst at parks and schools. Another shared how it made a huge impression on him that Pastor Josué's church (Iglesia Zoé) did not have walls (either figuratively or literally). And a few youth shared that they loved their time with the youth of Nueva Jerusalen. We spent a whole day traveling and ministering with 20+ youth from their youth group, and much time (hours!) was spent laughing, singing, joking and sharing on the bus. This was the first time in three years that we were able to really building relationships with local youth that we felt would be sustainable.

Next we shared our successes and struggles in transitioning back to life at home. There were some struggles and some eased in pretty naturally with very little to no struggles. Some folks dealt with illness, bringing a little bit of Ecuador back home. Some struggled with going from being busy with work and ministry on a day to day, moment to moment basis to then having nothing to do back home but just hang out. Some were so excited to see family that they had very little trouble transitioning back home. Some struggled with the excess that surrounded them after being in the midst of poverty and life in a developing country. Some folks didn't have a chance to rest of have down time before they wisked away on another adventure. Everyone had unique transition experiences.

Last, we shared how we believed we may be able to bear fruit from our experiences. This is the most important aspect of mission in many ways. This is how we determine success on many levels. How is God moving in your life and how are you going to bear fruit? And it was exciting to hear the potential and the things already in motion. One person is being lead to be more attentive to God's call in his life. Some are feeling moved to help get camera equipment donated to Casa Gabriel (a street kid ministry of Youth World). Many of the youth feel more confident in their faith and want to be more open with sharing their lives and faith with others. A couple youth want to return to Ecuador to give a full summer of volunteer time to Youth World, and then maybe pursue a year internship at some point. One person is beginning to wrestle with a possible calling to fulltime mission service. A couple folks feel called to help sell jewelry that helps young women get rescued from the sex trade industry. The potential and depth of the fruit is amazing! I can't wait to see it all come to fruition. These are things that won't just be one time events. These are things that will be cultivated over years...that is exciting!

And so it is, here we come to the end...which is really just a beginning. The onfield experience of 2011 is over, but we will see the fruit for years to come. Thank you so much for following us. Thank you for your patience. I cannot say enough thanks for your support and prayers. I hope you have enjoyed this blog and the experiences of this team. May Jesus bear fruit in your life through these experiences and stories!

Now, I'd like to leave you and challenge you with a few words about...

MISSION

Mission is a pretty hot topic on the blogosphere lately. There is a great discussion going on over at Jamie The Very Worst Missionary (she's awesomely hilarious!). She serves in Costa Rica, I believe, as a fulltime missionary. I've also had many discussions with my friend Cameron, clergy, and other youth ministers. Short Term Missions are a multi-million dollar industry (maybe even multi-billion!). That's insane! How and when did missions become an "industry"?

So, as a person in charge of the spiritual formation of a community, it brings to mind LOTS of questions. Are we doing the right thing? Is it all worth it? Are we doing good? Are we spending all this money the right way? Is it better to just write a check and not go? Are we being a blessing? Is it more about us? Is it more about the people we are serving? Are we bringing Jesus to them? Is Jesus already there? Are we doing it right? ....I mean, really, I could go on and on. This is tough stuff!

We could discuss theology and the Great Commission. We could look at the history of missions. There are lots of angles that we could approach this from, but for the sake of time and to make certain points, I want to focus on two particular pieces of the puzzle.

The first is how we talk about short term missions. How often do hear someone say that they just went, or are going, on a short term mission trip? What do you think about when you hear the word trip? I think of vacations and fun and things that are all about me. I think of tourism, sight-seeing, and stuff like that. When we use the word trip attached to short term missions, it can be very innocent, but the connotations can deeply affect the way we approach and do mission. When it is a mission trip it can be more focused on ourselves. It is something we go and do. It has an end. We leave it behind. It can easily become about what we are doing and what we are getting out of it. It tends to be more self-focused when it is a trip.

Over the last few years, I learned to associate the word experience with missions. How does it change our approach and the way we do mission when we call it a mission experience? An experience is much more all-encompassing. It is more about community and less focused on the self. It has more to do with formation and less about vacation. Mission becomes less something we do and more of something that we partner with. And an experience doesn't end. Hopefully, it an experience is something that stays with you and has a lasting formational impact. So, at St. John's, from our experiences with Cameron in Ecuador, we have tried our best to refer to our missions as mission experiences. Experience relates to mission so much better than trip.

But Cameron really stunned me and made a change to her approach during her keynote at EYE. I loved it. She said this...

Mission is Mission.

Simple. Yet it means so very much. By stating it so simply, mission is more fully recognized as an attribute of God. It isn't something we do, but an attribute of God that we take on and partner with. Mission becomes a way of life.

Mission is more than just 10 days in Ecuador or a week work trip on Johns Island or in the mountains. Mission is how we talk to the grocery store clerk. Mission is how we drive. Mission is how we approach the homeless person outside the gas station. Mission is how we treat the loner, geeky kid that sits by himself at lunch. Mission is how we show love and grace to each person that we encounter during the day. Mission is partnering with and being involved in the redemptive work of God in the world.

The second thing I want to share is terminology that I also learned from Cameron: Reciprocal Relationship.

Too often, short term missions become Mutual using. One side says: well, they aren't the nicest folks, but we are getting our building painted. They'll be gone soon. The other side says: well, we have that checked off our to do list! We went and served the poor people and did good (or something awful like that).

Some good is done, but each side only partially benefits. They just get out something out of the situation and no relationship it built. It is transactional and one way. It is cold.

Reciprocal Relationship is what we aim for in missions. The next step is made, and the experience becomes formational for BOTH sides. Relationships are formed and developed. Each side allows for the other to experience the blessing of giving, and humility is practiced on both sides. Each side is treated as equals. Blessings and formation occurs on both sides.

So, how do we achieve this? It isn't easy. It requires self examination and humility. (this is adapted from Roberto Guerrero, Dominican Republic) We must die to our cultural prejudices, intellectual prejudices, spiritual prejudices and our own self-seeking ambitions. When we are able to do that, then we are allowing ourselves to become vessels of Christ's grace and love. We are more fully able to partner with God and the movement of his Holy Spirit. Again, this isn't easy, and it takes hard work and practice. It has to be intentional.

That really just scratches the surface, but I hope you can take away a little bit from that lesson. Let me know what you think. Ask our short term missionaries their thoughts about mission. And may you find ways to partner with God's mission in the world.

Again, thanks for all that you are and thank you for your support.

blessings,

dorian

Last Day in Ecuador

2011-07-12T16:12:00.000-07:00

Hey there folks!

Many apologies for my tardiness! This should have been posted a long time ago. After getting back from Ecuador, I just had a couple days turn around before I headed on another mission and youth conference to Minnesota. Between sleeping and hanging out with the family, I just didn't get this done. So very sorry!!!

Our last day was a whirl-wind adventure. We had to be packed up early in the morning because we were catching a red-eye flight home later in the evening and we weren't coming back to the hostel. The last day was our only day without ministry. It was our down day to site-seeing, shopping, fellowship and final debrief. Our first venture was a trip to the market in Quito. This is such a fun place to be! The market is teeming with life. The rows of stalls are tight with just enough room to slide by an on-comer. The stalls overflow with merchandise, and you are constantly being solicited. You can find anything Ecuadorian that you would love to bring home: shirts, soccer jerseys, pants, jackets, items made out of alpaca, wood carving, ceramic dishes, instruments, bags, flags, coffee, jewelry and so very much more. Negotiating is encouraged, but you also need to be respectful, as many of the workers only make a few dollars a day. It is important to make sure they can make a living. Unfortunately, we don't bring cameras into the market because pick-pocketing is common, so we only have a picture or two from the market.

After a couple hours at the market, we took the bus up to Mitad del Mundo (Middle of the Earth). The equator, technically, is a mile wide. There are two monuments north of Quito, but neither are dead center. Both are fairly touristy. We went to the one with the larger monument. We also had lunch there, got to browse some other shops, and hang out at the middle of the earth. It was way cool, and we finished our time there with a team photo.

The evening took us to El Refugio, a retreat center run by Youth World that is located 40 minutes outside of Quito up further in the mountains. It is amazingly beautiful and serene. We had some alone time to hike, pray and spend time alone with God. Some of us hiked way up the mountain, and some of us hung out around base camp. A few of us visited the llamas! One is friendly. One is not so much. After our alone time, we spent time in final debrief. We first spent some time naming sights, sounds, smells, and tastes from the week. It was a time to not only name the obvious sights and sounds, but also to name the places that we saw Jesus and experienced Jesus. After that, we spent time in an affirmation circle. This is always an amazing experience. We shared incredible affirmations and blessings to one another. Many tears (of joy!) were shared. This is a place that we share how we see and experience Jesus in each other. This is a place of amazing love. The Holy Spirit moves strong and the emotions are on our sleeves. We were so into it, that the hosts had to cut us off.

We then moved to dinner around a campfire. We got to eat some Cuy (a national delicacy). Cuy is...guinea pig! We think of them as pets, but in Ecuador, guinea pig is a very high end food. They LOVE it! It tastes a lot like duck. It is greasy dark meat. Not too bad. We also had hotdogs, chips, watermelon and finished with smores. After dinner, we were wisked away to the airport.

Even though our flight departed at 11:30pm, the airport was pretty busy. There are layers and layers of security. They even took Winston to his luggage under the airport to go through it piece by piece with him! Pretty crazy stuff. The first flight wasn't too bad. Most of us slept okay. But the surprise of the trip awaited us in Atlanta. Apparently, storms came through the early morning, and our flight was canceled. Initially, the 14 of us were bumped to 7+ flights, and it was possible that we could get bumped to the next day. It was tough. I worked hard to get half of us on flights to Columbia. 6 people ended up getting onto one flight home. 6 of us stayed the course to Charlotte, and we got home on two different flights. Anne and Samuel were trying to get to Seattle, and after getting bumped a few times and rescheduling to a new flight, they finally were on their way (although, I picked their luggage up in Charlotte the next day...ugh).

It was an adventure that was pretty amazing. But we made it home. Check out the pics below from the last day (final thoughts/notes will be posted very soon):

Ecuador Day 8: painting and playing at the park with Nueva Jerusalen

2011-06-15T06:13:00.000-07:00

Hey there folks,

Well, yesterday was our last full day. It is pretty crazy how an adventure like this is just over all of a sudden. It just feels strange. This begins the hard process of phasing ourselves back into our normal lives. They say it is pretty difficult to convey to others what we may have experienced, and it can be so very true. So, our hope and prayer is that we will be able to successfully communicate our experiences to our family and friends.

Unfortunately, today I can't upload photos. I don't know why. I have internet. It is slow today, but every time I go to upload photos, I get an error message. So very sorry. I will upload photos from today and yesterday once we are back home.

Yesterday was a fun day that wasn't too intense. Most of our days have been busy from sun up to sun down. Ministry has been pretty intense most days! In the morning yesterday, we went to a ministry site called Casa G. It is a ministry that helps take street kids off the street, give them intentional Christian community, and raise them up as Christian leaders. They house up to 12-14 youth at a time, ages 14-20. A family from the US lives in the house, and they also have an Ecuadorian "Dad" that lives with them 3-4 days a week as well. They get put in school, they get a room with a bed and other amenities they have never had, and they instantly have a bunch of new brothers. They cook meals together, they study together, they play together, and they learn how to incorporate themselves into a normal life. It is a pretty incredible ministry.

Once we arrived at Nueva Jerusalen, we started helping them paint the walls of a courtyard. The courtyard and building attached will be used for youth ministry and other church functions, I think. So we spent a couple hours before lunch painting. For us, it was a fairly frustrating process because they paint very differently here. The paint is diluted and watered down to the point it looks like white water. Even thinner than milk. And you put on layer after layer after layer. Sometimes you can't tell that you painted! But we have been learning that it isn't right, it isn't wrong, it's just different!

Lunch was delicious! We had soup with pop corn in it, Coca-Cola Chicken, rice and a mix of fruit and vegetables. And then we got a siesta! I don't think that is necessarily a normal part of life here, but we took a 30 min rest period. Oh it was awesome.

In the afternoon, we went with the Nueva Jerusalen teenagers to a park nearby. They are trying to reach out to the community by being a constant positive presence. They want to reach out to children and families and invite them to church, so they go to the nearby park, play games and talk with people about their church. We had a blast with the folks from Nueva Jerusalen, but it was a bit anticlimactic because there weren't too many people out in the park yesterday. We said goodbye to our new friends and headed to dinner at an incredible Chinese restaurant. Chinese food is a little bit different here than it is back home, so it was very neat to have that experience.

Today, we will go to the market, visit Mitad del Mundo (Middle of the Earth...the Equator) and then spend some reflection time at Youth World's retreat center, El Refugio. After all that we will zip to the airport to depart at 11:30pm (12:30am back home). We land in Atlanta a little after 6am, and then finally land in Charlotte a little after 9am. Sooooo....we will see you all very soon! Much love to you and thank you for your support and prayers.

blessings,
dorian

Ecuador Day 7: Quicono with Nueva Jerusalen

2011-06-14T05:17:00.000-07:00

Grace and peace!

Yesterday took us an hour and a half south of Quito into an indigenous town called Quicono. In this town Christians are struggling for the same rights as Catholics. The best way to compare it or describe it is to the Catholica Protestant clashes in Ireland. In Ecuador, you have the Catholics and then everybody else, all the Christians. Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Baptists, Pentecostals, etc. are all lumped in together as Christians. ABout 90% of the population of Ecuador identifies itself as Catholic. In some areas Christians are viewed in a negative light. This town is one such place, and as a minority, the Christians are persecuted. The town authorities will deny water and other services. Christians are trying their best to respond in love by sharing the Gospel and doing acts of community service.

In the morning we arrived at a school to play games, do crafts and hang out with kids. It was a bit awkward as the school didn't act as though they expected us. But eventually they allowed us to hang out with the kids. It was a fun time, and the team of youth from Nueva Jerusalen jumped right into their program as we tried to assist as best we could. As we filed into the school, all I could think about was how this scenario would play out in the US. There is no way that a school would shut down their learning day to play games, do crafts and hear an evangelical message from a group of strangers. It was a strange dichotomy for me.

Lunch was pretty cool. Apparently, Jose Luis' church has a sister church in Quicono, and a member of that church provided us with lunch. It was very indigenous: chicken soup (with parts), indigenous corn, potatoes, ava beans and fruit. The home was a farm, and there were chickens walking around us throughout lunch. The property had three structures situated together, and they were very primitive with some modern amenities. They were so gracious to share their space with us.

The afternoon took us into the middle of the town (I think), and we performed some community service. We repainted some lines on a soccer/basketball court. It wasn't too hard, and it went by really fast. But it was cool to do something to benefit the community.

For once, we weren't out too terribly late, and after dinner we had time to hang out and play games together at the hostel. It was a good, fun day together. It is hard to believe, though, that tomorrow is our last day and we fly out in the evening. Unbelievable! Again, thank you for all your support and prayers! See you soon!

blessings,
Dorian

Day 6: EFC & Nueva Jerusalen

2011-06-12T23:18:00.000-07:00

Grace and peace, my friends!

I hope you had a wonderful Pentecost! Ours was quite the adventure! We started off the day by worshiping at the English Fellowship Church. Cameron's husband Roberto is the music and worship leader at EFC. EFC is a bilingual church that was founded for missionaries. It gave (and still does give) them a place to go and bed fed away from their ministry sites. It has grown and serves a larger demographic than just missionaries, but this appears to still be at it's roots.

Roberto invited me to play bass with him at church. It was a ton of fun! They have a full praise band, and we rocked it pretty good. Our group got to sit in the balcony and got a great view of the service. One neat aspect of the sermon was the pastor invited up a group of gentlemen. One of them had grown up Ecuadorian, but traveled to live in the Middle East. He has returned to live in Ecuador. He played a couple songs for the church, and they lyrics mixed Spanish, English and Hebrew...pretty crazy.

After church we were treated to a recording studio session! Roberto was allowed to use some space of the church's to set up a recording studio. It is a ministry that allows churches and groups to come in and record their music. They help them sell it, and some of the proceeds go to a local orphanage. We recorded Every Move I Make, and it was great fun! It has been years since I had been in a recording studio, and it felt awesome to be back.

After lunch, we headed to Nueva Jerusalen. The church was having a huge youth event that included songs, worship, prayer, preaching (yep, me!), and then games (Minute 2 Win It syle, dude!). The games were intense and a whole lotta fun. Afterwards, all the Ecuadorian teens wanted to take pictures with the North American teenagers. It all was good fun and incredibly awesome.

I wish I could write more, but my eyes won't stay open any longer. I will try to add some pictures from John and some others very soon. Thank you for your prayers!

blessings,
dorian

Day 6 on the Ground: EFC and Nueva Jerusalen

Back in Quito!

2011-06-12T05:42:00.001-07:00

Hey there folks!

Well, we are back in Quito now, and so you have the priviledge of taking some time to check out many pictures from the last few days. I don't have a lot of time, so I can't write too much, but I think you'll be happy with the pictures. Yesterday was mostly travel back to Quito. The bus ride was a little more intense. You drive faster going up than going down! So some folks had some motion sickness issues.

We stopped at some gas stations and bought some neat snacks (like the combo of potato chips and pork rinds). We actually saw a bus that had swerved for some reason and was off in some trees. Kinda scary, but our bus driver was the best and he took very good care of us. I don't know if I mentioned this earlier (too difficult to go and look back right now), but you get to drive through some different regions. The coast, the jungle and the highlands. The jungle isn't the Amazon (it's on the other side of the mountains, the east side), but it is still neat to travel through the jungle. We saw banana farms and African Palm farms (they harvest the nuts for oil). Then you quickly rise in elevation and enter the mountains. Incredible views. I don't think the pictures display the full glory, but you'll get an idea.

Gedeon is a band and music ministry that Cameron's husband Robert is a part of. They travel around Ecuador putting on concerts and sharing Christ's love and the Gospel. Pretty awesome! And their music rocks! There was also a group from Christ Church School in Greenville there with us as well. We knew a couple of the people in the group, but not as many as past years. There were a couple different acts that opened for Gedeon. There is a ministry called Casa G that helps get street kids off the street and then trains them to be Christian leaders. A few of them did freestyle and choreographed dance for us. It was a good bit of break dancing, and they were incredibly talented. There was a couple of dudes from Carmen Bajo (a church in a certain slum neighborhood of Quito) who rapped for us as well, and they were quite talented (and of course it was all in Spanish). And there was a band from Casa G that played a song that was sort of a reggae/ska mix. And then Gedeon rocked it out. It was a blast, and it was equally fun watching our group, the group from Christ Church, and the Ecuadorians mix and dance and laugh and have a great time.

And then we finished the evening with Papa John's pizza! Haha!

Well, I'm off to church, so I hope you enjoy the pictures!

blessings,
dorian

Day 2 on the Ground: Travel to Atacames and our first ministry site:

Day 3 on the Ground: first full day in Atacames and visits to 2 schools and a park:

Day 4 on the Ground: Construction at Iglesia Zoe:

Day 5: Travel back to Quito and Gedeon Concert at Carmen Bajo:

Iglesia Zoe Work Day in Atacames

2011-06-11T05:49:00.000-07:00

Grace and peace, my friends!

Today was a really fun day, but also super tough. Our job, today, included moving 5 dump truck loads of dirt around the church! It was pretty intense.

But first, the morning started off with breakfast at Pastor Josue's house. When we arrived, we were greeted by a cow nose sting ray at Josue's house. It was given to him by the local fishermen. Winston and I got to take pictures with it. Way cool! We had bolon de verde for breakfast, which is a plantain ball with cheese inside.

We had one job yesterday... Moving dirt. 5 dump truck loads of dirt were dropped off at Iglesia Zoe, and our job was to layer and spread out the dirt. The land the church sits on used to be a shrimp farm, so when it rains the area floods. So all the homes and buildings in the area have to bring in dirt and raise up the ground. It was a six hour job, but actually succeeded in moving all the dirt! It was very hard labor, but it was a lot of fun too. We were also blessed that it stayed cloudy and relatively cool all day.

There was lots of laughter and joking throughout the day. One of the funniest instances occurred after lunch. For lunch we had pork, a potato and rice (there is a pic on facebook). The pork had fat and skin (with hair!) still attached. During conversation, it became apparent that Patrick ate the whole thing...he didn't realize it had fat and skin on it because the dining room was a bit dark. Pastor Josue asked Patrick if he ate the peel with the banana too! We all laughed hysterically, and I think Patrick was a bit grossed out. He was still able to laugh about it.

Samuel fell back into a wheel barrow, Anne did a head stand on the pulpit area, Jimmy and Winston were cracking jokes all day...it was really a lot of fun.

When we finished working, we all grabbed a post and prayed for Iglesia Zoe and Pastor Josue. It had been an amazing day, and it feels pretty cool to have contributed our sweat and hard work to the foundation of the church. During debrief, we talked about what we had learned about the church and the people of God. Common themes were: not taking anything for granted, the church isn't a building but a community of people, keep it simple (church is about relationships, love and Jesus), being the presence of Christ, and the church doesn't have walls (both literally and figuratively!).

We finished our time in Atacames with dinner at Josue's house. It was a traditional Bolivian meal (Josue is a missionary from Bolivia ministering in Ecuador) of fried egg, rice with pork (I think), and plantains. It was delicious! We prayed, gave thanks, hugged, took some pictures and said our goodbyes. But by the time we got back to the hotel, Pastor Josue had already Friended many of us on Facebook! Look up his church Iglesia Zoe on Facebook...Josue has posted 200 pictures of us already on his church's Facebook page!

Our time in Atacames was pretty amazing. It was definitely life changing, and I look forward to the group sharing with others in the future about their time here.

We will be back in Quito this afternoon/evening, so pray for our travels. Also, I'll be able to post pictures later tonight, so you'll have a bunch of new pics to check out tomorrow. Hasta luego!

Blessings,
Dorian

Atacames Day 2

2011-06-10T05:07:00.000-07:00

Atacames Schools

What a crazy day?!? We started out with breakfast at Pastor Josue's house. It looked like a hotpocket with cheese in it. Delicious!! Our work today included going to two schools and a community soccer court.

The first school was near shrimp farms. It had at least 150 kids, 8th grade and under. They school was concrete block with metal roofs. The windows were open with metal frames and bars. They even had a computer lab! We sang songs, did a skit about the Feeding of the 5,000, and played games. The kids and teachers were exited to have us there, and they had so much energy! Our team did such a great job with the kids, but the number of kids was pretty overwhelming. We split the ages up for games and they seemed to have a blast. It seemed like we just got there and it was time to go.

The second school was more rural in the midst of banana and plantain farms. The homes were so very rustic and basic. The school had about 80 kids, probably 6th grade and younger. Same basic program format, but we had more time for games. We split into two groups. The older kids did different types of relays with soccer balls. The younger children played red light green light, squirrels and trees, and a game similar to duck, duck, goose... But instead of touching on the head, they popped people on the butt! While teaching the game, one of the teachers gave Anne a good pop on the fanny! It was hilarious!

This school was full of laughter. We had a lot of fun with these kids. And they were kind enough to treat us to some soda before we left. One of the unique things we noticed at both schools was that the kids didn't run out of the rain. We were fortunate enough to get rained on at both schools. We eventually moved out of the rain at the first school, but it was very casual and not urgent. The older kids at the second school were content to continue to play in the rain.

The kids loved bubbles and playing. They were so thankful to have us there, and it was difficult to leave each place. We had to make goodbyes brief and quick. And they were almost sudden.

We ate lunch back at Pastor Josue's: coconut fish, rice and plantains with watermelon juice. I could have eaten two plate dulls easily. It was amazingly delicious. After lunch we went back to the hotel. Some went on the beach and in the ocean, and some of us (me) took a nap.

The afternoon took us to a soccer court near Pastor Josue's house. It is on the way to his church. This area had an edge to it. It was definitely rough (not just poor). It was slow going at first. We had about 10-12 kids for about 30-40 minutes, but once we started the program, it went to 25...then to 50, then 60... Until at the end we probably had about 75 kids. These kids were wilder and less well behaved but they were so happy to hang out with us. The swarmed around us during games. They climbed all over Austin. They chased bubbles like crazy. They kicked soccer balls at Winston with incredible force and deadly aim. It was crazy. But we survived.

Evening took us down to the market and tourist area of Atacames. It was pretty slow when we first arrived, but it picked up quickly. The clubs and bars turned up the music, and young people filled the streets. We checked out some booths, a couple people bought some trinkets, and then we headed to dinner. 2/3 of the group ate pizza, and the rest of is had sea food. Both were incredible! Dessert took us to a place where we had ice cream scooped onto the top of a half of pineapple.

Well, it's past my bedtime, folks. I'm heading to bed. Tomorrow is construction, and Saturday we head back to Quito. Good night and talk to you soon!

Blessings,
Dorian

Beginnings (June 5-7)

2011-06-07T21:59:00.000-07:00

Grace and peace, my friends!

First, thank you so much for coming to check out our Ecuador Mission blog. We really appreciate it, and we are honored that you would take the time to find out what we are doing down in Ecuador.

So, here's the story of the beginning of our mission. It seem kinda weird that I am lumping nearly 3 days into one story as a beginning, but that really is the case. Our team gathered together on Sunday evening. We met for dinner and families were welcome. After dinner, we sorted ministry supplies, prepared VBS supplies, put it all in our luggage, and weighed luggage. It was pretty tedious work that took a couple hours. After that we had formation and prayer time to focus ourselves on the mission. Our scripture was the Matthew account of the baptism of Jesus. We especially focused on God's words, "This is my son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased." We came to learn that this phrase can have many meanings. First, this is at the beginning of Jesus' ministry...he hadn't really done anything yet, but still, God was pleased. It is an assurance of God's love and approval. Also, it is a blessing and recognition of authority. So, we go out, answering God's call, knowing that we have his approval and authority to love and serve as the hands and feet of Christ. Pretty powerful stuff to start out a mission with.

Monday morning had us packing up and driving to the Charlotte airport. We breezed through security, grabbed some lunch, and hopped a quick flight over to ATL. We bounced into ATL, worked our way awkwardly to another concourse, and prepared for our flight to Quito. The flight to Quito (from ATL) is just over 5 hours. Not too bad. We had some inflight entertainment, good discussions, naps, and an interesting meal. When arriving at the Quito airport, you go straight to Immigration, wait in a long line, grab the luggage, and then go through customs (I don't think they were paying attention at all). When you burst through the double doors into the lobby area for arrivals, it is like an old movie with a crowd of people waving signs and hollering. It is wild! Cameron and Roberto met us there with our missionary hosts, Christine and D'ario. Becca Horvath, from our Diocese, was also there (she's an intern at Youth World this summer). We got settled into our way cool hostel to get rest for our first day on the ground.

We started out the day (Tuesday) with a breakfast of pancakes! There was also some fruit, one of which was quite strange. Some of the missionaries and interns call it the snot fruit. It looks like an orange, but you crack it open. Inside it looks like snot with seeds, but it tastes a bit like a mandarin orange (there's a picture below). We walked down to the Youth World office for an orientation on all their ministries. Then we went to lunch at the wonderful Fruteria...empanadas do moracho con pollo (corn batter shell with chicken and rice), bolon de verde con queso (plantains batter with cheese), and fruit. Delish!!! We then toured the Baslicia in all it's spendor. It is the Catholic Cathedral. It is way cool and you can climb all over it. There are a few pics of it, but I will need to gather others to post later as well. We visit the plaza in front of the President's house, and a Catholic church a block away. We then ventured over to the Plaza de San Franciso where we were entertained by a magician. Very cool stuff.

We closed the day with dinner, debrief, and packing/preparing for tomorrow. We hope to have internet in Atacames, but we aren't sure yet. We will have to wait and see, but please feel free to follow me at twitter or facebook (3G access is more likely in some places). Check out the pics up until now:

Where are we going? What are we doing?

2011-06-01T21:35:00.000-07:00

Hey there folks,

Our departure is just days away, and I thought it would cool to give you an idea of where we will be going and what we will be doing. The picture to the left is of Iglesia Zoé (picture taken from their Facebook page). This church is along the coast in a town called Atacames in the province of Esmeraldes. This is one of our two primary ministry sites. The other site is a church called New Jerusalem, and it is in the capital, Quito.

Below is our rough itinerary. These things can easily change during the course of our experience. Ecuador has a nickname of sorts...Flexidor! That is because you must be flexible and willing to adapt to any situation that may arise. The culture is very laid back and chill. So, here's our itinerary:

Mon., June 6 Leave St. John's @9am, depart CLT @2pm, arrive in Quito @9:50pm

Tue., June 7 Orientation and tour Olde Town Quito

Wed., June 8 Travel to Atacames by bus, Iglesia Zoé orientation after lunch, begin work (construction?)

Thurs., June 9 Iglesia Zoé: Construction, Vacation Bible School, home visits, community outreach/service, and more

Fri., June 10 Iglesia Zoé: Same as above

Sat., June 11 Travel back to Quito, Gedeon concert with Christ School (Greenville) at Carmen Bajo

Sun., June 12 Worship at the English Fellowship Church, orientation and youth ministry event at New Jerusalem

Mon., June 13 Travel to New Jerusalem sister church/church plant: construction, community service/outreach, play games with 1st graders at local school, home visits

Tue., June 14 @New Jerusalem back in Quito: painting, community outreach/service, home visits, etc.

Wed., June 15 Market, Mitad del Mundo (equator), El Refugio (retreat center for debrief), and finally to airport to depart by 11pm

Thur., June 16 Arrive back in Charlotte at 9am

This is going to be a whirlwind adventure! Our itinerary is packed full, and we will be immersed in some pretty amazing and intense ministry settings. Depending upon our internet access, I will try to post updates on this blog every evening, so they will be waiting for you each morning. I will also post updates on my Facebook and Twitter, so feel free to friend me and/or follow me on those respective sites as well.

Please continue to pray for us. Pray for our preparation. Pray for safe travel. Pray that our hearts are opened, and that we go in with no preconceived notions. Pray that we be empty vessels. Pray for the communities that we will serve and ministry with. Pray that they will receive us. Pray that we will be a blessing unto them, and that they will also bless us. Pray for Youth World. Pray for Cameron and Roberto Vivanco.

Thank you so much for your support and prayers!

blessings,

dorian

2011 Ecuador Mission: June 6-16

2011-05-19T10:04:00.000-07:00

Grace and peace, my friends!

Well, another school year is nearly behind us, and for a team of youth and adults from St. John's, a new adventure in Ecuador awaits! This year, our team consists of:

Michaela Close

Bryana Close

Winston Collins

Dorian Del Priore

Katie DuBose

Jimmy Hartley

Austin Lewis

Anne Miller

Samuel Miller

John Sherrer

Beaumont Smith

Lindsay Smith

Patrick Smith

Anna Williams

This is a great team, and I am excited about our potential for ministry and faith formation. Please keep this team in your prayers as they prepare themselves for this incredible journey.

This year we are presented with a new and unique opportunity. Youth World, the missionary organization that we are serving and working with, is located in the capital of Ecuador, Quito. Quito has the distinction of highest national capital in the world with regards to elevation. So, all our our experiences, while on/near the Equator, have been up in the highlands at 10,000+ feet. This year, we will descend from the highlands and have an opportunity to serve along the coast for a couple days. We will be at a church called Iglesia Zoé in Atacames, Ecuador. The remainder of our time in Ecuador will be in Quito, where we will facilitate a youth ministry event, do some community outreach/service work, and minister to children at an orphanage.

These mission experiences at ministry sites will be sandwiched by cultural orientation, visiting the historic areas in downtown Quito, visiting the Equator, and spending reflection time at Youth World's retreat center, El Refugio. We will be on the ground for 9 days, and it will be non-stop action! It will be intense ministry that will throw us way out of our comfort zones. Our faith will be challenged and stretched. We will be shaped and formed by these experiences in ways that we cannot imagine.

There are a number of ways that you can support us on this mission. One way is through finances (go ahead and get that out of the way). This mission experience will cost about $25-26,000 for the 14 of us. That isn't a small amount of money. And yes, we know that our own culture is still in the midst of some hard financial times. Many people and communities, locally and globally, have great needs. How do we decide to take on this experience with it's financial costs? Discernment and relationships.

Cameron Graham Vivanco is a dear friend and missionary from our Diocese. She previously was the Youth Director at the Church of the Advent in Spartanburg. Cameron is amazing, and her ministry and life in Christ are an inspiration. Personally, I have learn so much about God, Jesus, life in Christ, how the world works, how the church works, etc. from her. I owe so much to Cameron. Cameron's passion for ministry is infectious! So it is through our relationship with Cameron (and her awesome hubby Roberto!) and deep prayer that we have discerned that we are called to return to Ecuador for a third mission experience.

So, here's the basic costs per person:

Mission Fee + Plane Ticket = $1,800

Other Costs

Passport $120

Immunizations $150-300

Luggage, water bottle, medicines, etc....?

If you feel called to offer financial assistance to one of our short-term missionaries, please send payment (made payable to St. John's) to:

St. John's Episcopal Church

2827 Wheat St.

Columbia, SC 29205

If you have already contributed financially, we couldn't thank you more! Without you and your support, this mission would not be possible. And just so you know, the mission fee goes a long way. Not only does it provide us with housing, transportation and food...but it also provides construction and ministry supplies to our ministry sites. When we eat, the locals eat too. We break bread together and it is way cool to see how far our dollars go to helping share meals with the local communities. One of the (many) reasons that we go to Ecuador through YW is that our dollars are invested very well. So much of it goes to the ministry sites and to mission work. Awesome stuff.

Most importantly, we are in need of prayer support. Please pray for our team. Pray that their hearts and minds would be opened, and that they would approach this experience with no expectations. Pray that God will teach and mold them. Pray that they will take on the heart and mind of Christ. Pray for the communities that we will serve. Pray that we would partner with how God is moving and working in those communities. Pray that they will be accepted of our presence there. Pray that God will be glorified in all that we do.

Thank you so much for taking time to read this information. Please come back and visit this blog during the mission, June 6-16. Depending upon internet availability, I will be updating this blog as often as possible. I will also post updates on my twitter and facebook. At some point after we return, we will host an event where we will share stories, videos, and pictures from our adventures. Please join us when are able to do that. Thank you so much for your support and prayers!

blessings,

dorian del priore

PS...Don't forget to come back to this blog on a daily basis to check for updates during the mission!!!

Please feel free to visit Cameron's Blog by clicking HERE.

Iglesia Zoé located in Atacames, Ecuador:

Some Post-Mission Thoughts

2010-07-14T06:42:00.000-07:00

Good morning folks,

It has been about a month since we returned from our mission experience. It still feels pretty fresh in my mind, and I think daily about our experiences and the people we encountered. It is a hard transition back to "normal" life. It becomes difficult to reconcile things that were/are normative for our lives back home with some of the things that we experienced in Ecuador. One missioner after purchasing a small laptop computer for college, felt horrible knowing that the amount of money spent could feed a family in Ecuador for a year. The level of poverty in Columbe Grande was stunning and hard to comprehend, and even after experiencing the poverty in Quito for a second year, we still found it heart breaking and disconcerting. It is a level of poverty rarely, if ever, seen in the States.

But in the midst of abject poverty, the love of Christ burns bright. We were witnesses to a faith that was strong and pure. When you have nothing, you cling to all that you have, and for the communities that we served, Christ Jesus is what they have. In Columbe Grande, the indigenous people make church and faith the absolute center of their lives. The community has been working together for 5 years to construction their church, and the level of detail that they have been putting into it far exceeds anything they would even consider for their own personal lives and possessions. They also commit whole afternoon and evenings to church events. A church service easily goes 3-4 hours, and weddings are a 4 day event!

In Emaus, they are intent on being a mission focused community. Some of the members do own businesses, work, or go to school, but most, if not all, live very modestly. But they pool their resources to provide ministries to answer the needs of the surrounding community. They preach the Gospel of Christ Jesus and show his love to all without abandon. Their lives are faith focused, completely. It doesn't mean that they are perfect, none of us are, but they have a strong love of the Lord and they want to share it. They are an inspiration.

I will continue to ponder and think about our experiences, and this probably won't be my last post. Our group is gathering this Friday over dinner to talk more about bearing fruit from our experiences and how we are feeling post-mission. Please continue to pray for us and the communities we served and ministered with. Thank you for all your support and prayers.

blessings,
dorian

DISCLAIMER:
For most of you, this part won't make any sense, and that's okay. But there are people who need to read this. So if it doesn't make sense to you, don't worry about it. Our relationship with Youth World goes back a couple years now. We knew going into this mission who we would be working with and what their situations and statuses were. We knew that we were not working through or with the Diocese of Central Ecuador. Also, we did not intend to work through the Diocese of Central Ecuador, but to further clarify, we did not intend to avoid the Diocese either. Our main intent was to continue to build relationships with and through Youth World, and we have previous and established relationship with and through Youth World. If anything written in our blog conveyed something otherwise, it was completely unintentional.

Last Day: Market, Mitad del Mundo, & El Refugio

2010-06-19T12:22:00.000-07:00

Our last day in Ecuador was a whirlwind! We had a lot to get in before we boarded our flight home at 11:30pm.

We started the day with another fabulous breakfast by Chef Rob, and then we packed the bus. We went over to the market to do some shopping. The market is way cool and a ton of fun. Unfortunately, we didn't take any pictures because the possibility of cameras being stolen is too high. The market in Quito has everything you can imagine for souvenirs: scarfs, blankets, shirts, jewelry, musical instruments, bags, purses, and much, much more. It is fun to haggle and negotiate, and I think we got some great deals. My favorite purchase was a hammock for 2!

We left the market, grabbed some lunch, and then we visit the Equator (locally known as Mitad del Mundo). It is pretty cool to stand at the middle of the earth. One of the cool things we noticed the night before is that a crescent moon isn't on its side in Ecuador, but appears as a "smile" of sorts. Pretty cool! There are a few different monuments for the Equator. We visited a different one than last year, and it was way cool with a huge monument that makes for great pictures. There were also some other shops and stuff around to check out. We took a really neat group picture as well.

Our final place to visit on our trip was El Refugio, which is a retreat center owned and run by Youth World. It is like Gravatt and Kanuga put together. It is fairly rustic, with some really great features. It is believed to be the only place (and if not the only, then probably the first) in South America to have a high and low ropes course. The high ropes is awesome, and we got to experience the zip line! It is suspended between two mountain sides above a valley. It moves pretty quick, but your ride still lasts nearly 20 seconds. It was awesome. After that we had an hour of quiet time, and they opened up their treehouse to us. It is a really fantastic piece of construction, and offers great views of the landscape. Perfect place for quiet times.

We closed the evening with dinner and the final debrief. Dinner was fireside, and we were treated to cuy (yep, guinea pig), hot dogs, chips, and watermelon. We also had lemonade made from lemons grown onsite and mora (a local fruit juice that is a type of blackberry...soooo good). Taylor entertained us with some great commentary that preceded eating the cuy. All in all, it was a great dinner with lots of laughs and good times...we played music, spit watermelon seeds, and joked around a ton.

Final debrief was pretty moving with lots of thanksgivings and prayers. We talked a lot about this experience bearing fruit, and how that will be different for each of us. We don't want this experience to be a glorified vacation, but to be life changing and formative (and we'll talk more about this in my post-mission blog post which will come next week sometime).

After prayers and goodbyes, we drove to the airport. It felt very surreal to be leaving. When you begin a mission experience like this, the end seems so very far away, and then, all of a sudden, your time on the ground comes to a close. It really sneaks up on you. It was a tough flight home, for many reasons...the seats aren't made for sleeping (we flew a redeye home), they decided to serve breakfast at 1am (go figure!), we really weren't ready to leave, but we were ready to leave, we were still processing the day and the experience, we were just beginning to feel at home, and yet we were ready to be home with loved ones. But that's how it is. Come back next week and hear favorite stories, anecdotes, and learn about bearing fruit.

blessings,
dorian

Day 8: Last Day at Emaus

2010-06-15T06:45:00.000-07:00

Our last day of ministry kind of snuck up on us. I really can't believe that our ministry time is over, and we'll be heading home soon. We started the day out with pancakes! Rob is the best cook you can have on a trip like this! Between Rob's cooking and the local food, we have eaten so good.

The only downer on the day is that about 6-7 in our group got sick. We aren't sure if it is something we ate or a stomach bug, but it appears to pass in 24 hours (everyone seems a lot better Mon morning). We started the day off with Morning Prayer. It was our turn to lead it at Emaus, and we used Morning Prayer from the Australian Prayer book. Beaumont shared her faith story, and then I gave a short lesson on community. In America, even among close communities, the self generally comes first. However, in Ecuador, whether in indigenous cultures or in the city, community is the central focus.

The rest of the day was a work day. We cut rebar, hauled concrete block and more. It wasn't terribly difficult work, but we were helping lay a foundation and prepare for a new roof to be put on. I think the next group will be continuing that process. The concrete blocks are very different than our at home. They are much lighter, and they aren't as strong. Many broke while we carried them, and if you dropped one, it broke into a million pieces. If the concrete block in Haiti is similar (and I would guess that it is), I can see why the whole city fell apart in the earth quake. We ended up moving about 600+ blocks.

Between breaks, lunch, and after the work ended, we got to play volleyball, Ecuavolley, and soccer with the kids and others. It was a blast! They are really joyful, and they had an incredible time. We didn't get to do all of our crafts the day before, so we pulled a couple out and had crafts going on during the day as well. We made wire and bead crosses, and put hand prints, a cross, and the words, "Las Manos de Dios" on a table cloth (The Hands of God).

We closed the day with a thanksgiving service that was really cool. Lourdes, the priest, had a really cool service that she put together that mixed English and Spanish. She was really big into having the same prayer, in English and Spanish, read simultaneously. We were each given a red cloth square, and we were to write a prayer for Emaus on it. During the service, we pinned the squares together to form a cross on the floor. A crucifix icon sat in the middle of the cross. Then at the end, Emaus presented us with gifts (mugs and scarfs), and we were given our prayer back to take with us to remember Emaus and to pray for Emaus.

We were treated to dinner at Cameron's house in the evening. She has a close family friend who fixes the most incredible arroz con pollo! It was so good! Plantains and pineapple were served with it, along with two different fruit juices (passion fruit and mora...a fruit we don't have that is similar to blackberries). Then we closed the evening with debrief that was really cool and emotional. We did an affirmation circle, sharing really cool things about each other. It lasted a really long time and there were many tears!

Today is our last day. We are going to the market, the Equator, and then El Refugio. At El Refugio, we will get to do the most awesome zip line that I have ever seen (between two mountains), eat cuy, and do our final debrief. We will leave El Refugio and go straight to the airport. We will fly overnight, and we will see our families tomorrow!!!!!

Thank you so much for all of your support and prayers. We can't thank you all enough. Hasta luego!

blessings,
dorian

Day 7: Emaus Eucharist and Programs

2010-06-13T22:13:00.000-07:00

Good morning! It may be an assumption that you are reading this in the morning, but I am definitely writing it at an early morning hour!

We arrived for the Eucharist at Emaus probably a little late, but thank goodness we are living in Flexidor. Starting times are only important at school and at doctor visits. Otherwise, starting times and stuff like that are fairly flexible. Church was to start at 9am, but I don't think it really started until around 9:15. And even then, people flowed in and out of the service throughout. Overall, it was a nearly identical service to ours...except in Spanish.

They use the Revised Lectionary, did the confessional, the passing of the peace, and everything else. It was pretty cool to know what was going on throughout the service even though we didn't understand the language. The music was played by a cd player. I think during the last year, a youth world intern, Danny, played music on guitar. But he was out of town with another mission team. The music was actually really cool! The Spanish language has a great cadence to it when put with music.

Lordes is the priest at Emaus, and she gave a great sermon. At the peace, you have to pass the peace to everyone in the room, and the greeting at the peace is, "La Paz." The younger girls in the congregation brought the elements up to the altar after the offertory, and they performed a short indigenous dance. The Eucharist was very neat in Spanish, and then Lordes invited me up to be the chalice bearer. That was really cool of her.

After the service, a bunch of the girls in the parish performed an indigenous dance for us. It was so way cool, and it was a lot of fun. Cameron, Lordes, and Beaumont all got invited into the action as well. It was a lot of fun.

After that, we broke into three teams. The construction didn't do much at all because it started to rain. The guy who was head of work told them they would be working the rest of the day. Huh. A second group took all the young people (11-?) to Lordes' house to play games and discuss their faith. Acoording to Cameron, it went really well. The third group did the children's program. They did skits, lessons, readings, crafts, music, bubbles, and more. It was a blast.

Check out the pics below and let us know what you think. My eyes are heavy and I am worn out. See you soon!

blessings,
dorian

Day 6: Emaus

2010-06-12T21:09:00.000-07:00

(Make sure you check out the posts from the last few days. Pictures have been added to each.)

Today was a great day, but for me, it was fairly difficult. I got really sick in the middle of the night, and continued to be sick through lunch and into the afternoon. By mid afternoon I began to feel a good bit better. The lens to my camera decided to come apart as well. I rented a way cool lens for the trip, and something came apart on the inside, and it is jammed. Luckily, there are lots of cameras around, so we will still have great pictures.

Emaus is a mission church. It is located in southern Quito, and the space that the church meets in has been donated by a church member. It is actually attached to their family business (construction), and is currently under construction. We are helping put a concrete roof on the second floor!

We started the day out with Morning Prayer from the Prayer Book...I know, who would have thunk it?!? It was cool to realize that we were doing the same prayers that we do at home in Spanish. We also sang a song, Open the Eyes of my Heart Lord, and mixed Spanish and English together throughout. It was really cool. We had a Gospel reading and took time to reflect and discuss what God was speaking to us through the scripture.

After morning prayer, we broke into three teams. One team started construction on the roof, one discussed the childrens' program for the next day, and the third group prepared the church for the afternoon youth program. Most of the childrens' team ended up helping with construction, and a couple people helped set up for lunch. Lunch was so good. We had a potato soup, rice, a beef stew type stuff, and vegetables. We also had soda for dessert.

The afternoon consisted of cleaning up lunch, more preparation for the youth event, and more construction. They washed their dishes on the sidewalk and dumped the water down a drain. The construction crew ripped off the roof and lowered another section of roof. It was a pretty busy day.

The youth event was way cool. It was a talent show and concert. The talent show had a few different categories: music, dance, poetry, and acting. There were other churches present, and the little church was absolutely packed. The dancing was amazing: breakdancing, indigenous dance, and choreographed dance. The Casa G boys threw down with some of the most amazing hip hop and breakdancing. They did back flips, spins, and all sorts of stuff. Amazing. Their were a couple different bands that came and played. One from Casa G, one from another church, and then our group. We got third place! The event culminated in a concert by Gedeon.

Gedeon is an Ecuadorian praise, worship, and rock band that is was started by Cameron's husband Roberto. Miguel is the lead singer. Miguel was one of our missionary interns last year, and he came to Gravatt for Happening 60 in our Diocese. Way cool dudes. The conert was off the chain...Loud, rocking, inspiring, worshipful, and more. Many of us bought CDs, too.

One of the best stories from the day involved Katie Clarkson. She had been playing with Gema, a younger girl at Emaus. She is actually the younger sister of Omar, one of the Ecuadorian youth that hung out with us last year. When the Christ Church School pulled up in their bus, Gema pulled Katie with her to go greet them. As the Christ School youth got off the bus, they greeted Katie as if she were Ecuadorian (she does resemble Ecuadorians quite a bit). A bit later, she went to grab her water bottle and it was sitting next to a few of the Christ School youth. When she asked them to hand it to her, they freaked out! They totally thought she was Ecuadorian! It was pretty funny!

We are pretty worn out. It was a long day, and we left Emaus 3 hours later than originally planned. Ecuador is also known as Flexidor! We have to be willing to be flexible and change with flow. So far, we have been really good at that. The team is amazing. They work hard, rarely complain, and help each other out really well. They see the beauty around them, and, most importantly, they are focused on being Christ to all they encounter. I am really proud of this team. Thanks for allowing them all to go on this experience, and thank you all so much for your support.

blessings,
dorian

Chimborazo and Recreation

2010-06-11T22:31:00.000-07:00

Many apologies. Unfortunately, while at our hotel, I was unable to find a working wifi signal. So, you have a lot to catch up on! You can read backwards, but it may be best to jump down to Day 2 and read up.

Today was a good day. It was a day of rest and recreation. We had a breakfast one last time at Eulogio’s home. I think this one was more of a common Ecuadorian breakfast: chicken, rice, vegetable salad, bananas, coffee, and tea. We presented donations to his ministry (children’s clothing, soccer balls, yarn, etc.), and we gave him a gift of Anglican Prayer beads. Eulogio gave me a traditional Ecuadorian shoulder bag in return. We then circled around Eulogio, layed on hands, and we prayed for his family and ministry. It was pretty awesome.

We departed Eulogio’s to go and visit the volcano Chimborazo. The day started off very overcast, and we were worried that we wouldn’t be able to see very much. When we got to the gate of the park, you couldn’t see very far because we were in the clouds, the wind was blowing super hard, and it was really cold. But as we drove closer to the volcano, the clouds broke open, and Chimborazo came into view. It was as if God was presenting us with a gift. Chimborazo was breath-taking! We parked at a base camp of sorts, and then hiked up a ways. There was very little oxygen in the air. It was tough! The clouds continued to clear out some, and we had great views of the volcano and the surrounding mountains. Stunning! Chimborazo was a sight to behold. It was an amazing experience.

As we departed Chimborazo, our driver made a wrong turn, and we were lost for a bit. But it wasn’t a huge deal, he got back on track, and we got to see some absolutely beautiful and amazing landscape. It was a day of naps and chatting on the bus. Pretty sweet. We also got to see an ash plume from Tungurahua for the second time, and while it was covered by clouds somewhat, we got to see Tungurahua on the way back to Quito. Cotopaxi (another volcano) was also visible during our drive!

Tomorrow, we dive in at Emaus. It should be a very cool day. We get to see the Casa G boys dance and rap, and then we get to see a Gedeon concert. We can’t wait!

blessings,
dorian

Day 4: The Ferria and Columbe Grande

2010-06-11T22:30:00.000-07:00

We started the day with breakfast at Eulogio’s again. It was similar fair with the addition of papaya. Oh, it was so good! Papayas in Ecuador are bigger than the ones we eat in the US. They are bigger than watermelons! After breakfast, we went to the ferria in Columbe. It was one of the most intense experiences in my life!

The ferria is every Thursday, and everyone from all around comes to shop. You can buy anything and everything at the ferria: produce, livestock, blenders, car parts, prepared food, electronics, music (tapes and CDs), movies, clothing, and more. The streets are packed with people, and livestock is everywhere. Some people were very welcoming, but there were some who weren’t happy to see us there. An older gentleman actually hit me as he walked by me. It wasn’t that hard, it didn’t hurt, but he definitely was telling me that he didn’t like me being there. One of the funniest things that happened at the ferria was that some of the locals took pictures of Winston and Austin. They are both red heads with fair skin, so they are about as different looking from the locals as possible. Winston especially because he is about a foot taller than the average indigenous Quechua!

The livestock area was crazy with sheep, cows, rabbits, chickens, cuy, and more. You could by a live cuy (guinea pig) for less than 5 dollars. Pigs and sheep were following people around throughout the ferria. That was pretty funny. You could also buy cooked meat throughout. We saw a number of whole pigs roasted and ready to eat. If you bought some, they just hacked off a hunk. You could also purchase whole chickens or just parts, like chicken feet or chicken hearts. The only food that we could really purchase and eat safely was the bread, and apparently it was really good. Some had cinnamon in the middle, and some was kind of cheesy. A couple of the guys bought soccer jerseys for $3-5 a piece. Comparable jerseys sell for $50 or more in the US.

We left the market for Columbe Grande and arrived to an empty village! Everyone was at the market. It was great down time. Some of us went to the daycare facility and played with the younger kids. We played games and dress up. One of the little girls dressed Alex up in her poncho and hat. It was pretty funny! There were a few young boys who had come home from school, so a group of us played soccer with them. After a while, when we got worn out, we played Ecuavolley with them. Ecuavolley is basically a game that is similar to a volleyball practice circle except they use a soccer ball.

Once people started arriving back at Columbe Grande, we ate a quick lunch and then did some more construction work. We moved sand, dirt and rocks away from the church. The construction supplies had to be moved from the church because they are having a wedding on Saturday through Tuesday. Yes, they have 4 day wedding celebrations!

We finished the afternoon off with another round of VBS. We had planned a skit and craft for the afternoon that we ultimately decided was culturally irrelevant and probably inappropriate, so we substituted one that Rachel and Jose recommended. We dropped the craft, but we had plenty else to do as well. The skit we ended up doing was about keeping the joy and happiness found in God in our hearts, and that no one could take that from us. We sang songs and played games again. Then we split into three groups (we probably had double the kids from the previous day). One group made wire and bead crosses, one put their painted handprints on a table cloth, and the a third played with rocket balloons and bubbles. They had an amazing time! Everything went so well. The adults loved helping with the crosses. They thought it was so fascinating and cool. The bubbles and balloons were a wild hit. Kids were running wild everywhere!

The elders of the community really loved doing the table cloth. We ended up laying the cloth down on the floor. The adults wanted to lay their ponchos down so it didn’t get dirty, but we used sacks from rice and such instead. They got upset when it got dirty and they did their best to keep it clean. We wrote “The Hands of God” in both Spanish and Quechua on the cloth. A giant cross was placed in the center, and every hand in the village was placed on it. It was amazing!

Our time at Columbe Grande came to a close with a prayer and thanksgiving service. It wasn’t something expected or planned, but it was beautiful. We sang songs again, and then the Quechua choir sang for us. I was asked to preach again (with very little warning, I might add!) and offer words of thanks. Eulogio preached after me, and then the elders of the village gave many words of thanks. We handed out the crosses to the children, and then I gave another little speech of thanks. We finished the service with a Quechua thanksgiving dance, and they hung the table cloth up on the wall for everyone to see.

The Quechua thanksgiving dance was very cool. It wasn’t super difficult, but they invited us to participate in something dear and special to their culture. That is huge! They bounce and bob to a rhythmic music, and then had us join them in it. It was a way cool gesture, and it seemed to say that they accepted us and were happy for our presence. I think we did a pretty good job at honoring and respecting their culture, and they were very curious about our culture (I got the feeling that they had very little exposure to our culture).

It was a long and amazing day that left us drained and nearly speechless.

blessings,
dorian

Day 3: Eulogio and Columbe Grande

2010-06-11T22:28:00.000-07:00

Today, we had breakfast at Eulogio’s home. Breakfast at Eulogio’s consisted of bread, bananas, hard boiled eggs, fresh cheese, tree tomato juice, coffee, hot chocolate, and more. It was delicious! Eulogio had three other visitors that he introduced us to: a seminarian (Carlito), a lay leader of the Indigenous Episcopal Church (Dito Manuel), and a former Catholic priest waiting to be received into the Episcopal Church (Louis Alberto). They told us about the history and state of the Episcopal Church with regards to the Indigenous people. The Episcopal Church was founded amongst the Quechua in December of 2008, and they have grown from 3 churches to 40 churches with 14,000 members! They need more support than they are receiving. Only one priest for 40 churches is very difficult!

Because we had lots of questions and discussions, we ran late getting to our next destination. We were supposed to go visit the local school and play games with the kids, but we went straight to Columbe Grande and did some construction work. Prior to working, we were given a snack of corn. It was a little different than our corn back home. The kernels were pointed! After working a while we took a break. Some of the local men started up a game of soccer, and some of our group joined in. Sarah Axson was the only girl that played, and Grayson Vazquez scored a couple goals. Even though the altitude wore us out and had us sucking wind, we held our own!

In the midst of the soccer game, some of us played with the young children. Most of the children were very shy, and it took a bit for them to warm up to us. We made animal noises and took lots of pictures. They loved seeing themselves on the camera screen. One of the sad things we noticed was that almost all the kids had severely chapped cheeks. They were cracked and bleeding. Almost all of them had runny noses. The reality is that they live in a very cold and damp environment, and it is very hard on their skin. Some of the ladies who looked older ended up being in their 20s and 30s. The environment is very harsh and it takes a toll on them.

Lunch was pretty neat. We had boiled eggs and rice with noodles. They served us a barley soup with an oatmeal drink. We were stuffed. After lunch, we did VBS with the kids. We sang a bunch of songs with hand motions and dancing (Father Abraham in Spanish, La Montana, and others). They loved it! Then we plaed Elbow Tag and London Bridges. They all went nuts and had the time of their lives. It was a joy to watch. We then performed a skit about the Good Samaritan, and Jose Louis, our other missionary intern, gave a lesson. The last bit of VBS was coloring and crafts. It was really cool because everyone got into coloring, even the elder adults! They loved it!

We left there a bit earlier and had dinner at a chinese restaurant, and it was crazy good! Chinese food in Ecuador is different than in the US. It is probably a bit more authentic, and very little is fried. Really good day.

blessings,
dorian

Day 2: Riobamba and Columbe Grande

2010-06-11T22:25:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, we woke up at 5:15am and departed the hostel for Riobamba at 7am. Rob and Winston cooked us up an amazing breakfast using our leftover chicken from dinner the night before: huevos con pollo, or eggs with chicken. Oh so good!

The drive to Riobamba was a wild adventure of sorts, but many of the youth took time to sleep as well. Riding on a bus in Ecuador is an adventure. The traffic laws are really more like suggestions. We frequently found the bus passing other buses or trucks in all sorts of situations. The craziest thing we saw, though, was a triple pass. One uhaul type truck was passing a larger truck, and a little red car decided to pass both of them at the same time with oncoming traffic speeding around a turn! Oh my!

At one of our bathroom stops, many of us went into the gas station to purchase snacks and drinks. The best was the look on the lady working the store when Winston walked in! She looked as though she had seen an alien staring at Winston with her mouth wide open. At 6’2” with light skin and red hair, Winston is a sight to behold to the locals.

The drive wound through valleys and mountaintops, and the scenery was amazing. It was hard to get good pictures, but I think I got a couple so you can get an idea. The surprising thing for many of us was that there were cows and other livestock all over the place. Many times they were chained to one spot, but other times they were just wandering about with no fences to keep them penned in. A couple of times we saw a small group of 3-4 cows being herded down the side of the highway.

At one point, it started raining, and Cameron pointed out that the rain was milky looking on the windshield. The volcano that erupted a week or so ago is still spewing some ash, and it was collecting in the rain. That was pretty neat to witness.

Our hotel is in downtown Riobamba, and it is really old fashioned. It is more like something you would have stayed at in the US in the 1960s. Its name is Hotel Whymper. The drive to Columbe de Grande is about 45 minutes up winding roads. At one point, we got to a small town with cobblestone roads. The bus fit tight between the buildings, and at one point we had two other buses wanting to make turns at the same tight intersection. Luckily there was a little square at the intersection, and the buses used it to maneuver around each other. We crossed a really little bridge, and then we started picking up children!

At first three boys hopped on the bus. We were a little surprised, because we didn’t know we’d be picking up anyone. But then we kept stopping along the dirt road, picking up more and more children! The bus was getting overrun with little indigenous children! They were so cute and so funny. They were both shy and mesmerized by us. We quickly learned that they had just gotten out of school and we were giving them a ride up the mountain. The road was rough, bumpy, and it twisted and snaked up to Columbe Grande. After at least 10 minutes of driving, we finally arrived at Columbe Grande. We had the immediate realization that those kids walk down and back up the mountain every day for school!

Upon arriving at Columbe Grande, we were immediately transported into a world very different than we had ever seen. They are indigenous Quechua Indians, and they live off the land almost completely. They are a quiet and humble people, and they welcomed us with great joy. We walked into the church they are building, and gazed around in bewilderment. We were then called outside to meet and greet. Their priest, church president, village president, and other elders greeted us with thanksgiving and joy.

During this time we learned that they were having a community work day. They called these days minga. Minga is a day that the community comes together to do work to benefit the community as a whole. We quickly hopped into work mode and joined them in their labor. They have been building their church for 5 years. It is a working functional building now, and they are working on some of the details. It still has a ways to go, but it is a very impressive building considering they have done it all on their own.

We hauled sand and dirt, shoveled, cleared a section for a new entry walkway that will be stone, and we painted (white washed) a large wall inside the church. It was really cool because we worked alongside them. We stopped for lunch, and it was a totally new experience for us. They served us potatoes, yucca, a type of bean, fresh cheese, pea soup with pork, and a juice made from corn. We were so humbled and honored because we learned that they killed a pig for us and in honor of us coming to minister with them.

Afterwards, we worked a little bit more, played with some of the children, and then we prepared for church. The little children were mesmerized by the digital cameras, and they loved seeing their faces on the view screen. We took tons of photos and laughed and giggled at them.

In the evening we participated in a Eucharist with them. Eulogio is the priest of Columbe Grande. He is also the only priest for 40 indigenous churches/villages with a total of 14,000 members. He visits each one once a month, and presides over at least 7 church services every Sunday.

Church was an amazing experience, and my words just won’t do it justice. Remember, this is an Episcopal Church, and it is completely made up of indigenous people. They asked us to start the service of with music, so we sang a few songs (in spanish and english). After our songs, their choir sang a couple songs in Quechua for us. They used an accordian, a guitar, and a drum with 20 singers. The music was beautiful and rhythmic.

Overall, the service followed the same liturgical format that our’s does. We had a Gospel reading, and then Eulogio had asked me to preach, so I preached on forgiveness with Rachel, one of our missionary interns, translating into Spanish for me. After my sermon, Eulogio summarized my sermon in Quechua for the older church members who don’t speak spanish. We had the confessional and the passing of the peace. For the Eucharist, Eulogio followed Rite II, but he did it in a mix of Quechua and Spanish...way cool! Cameron and I administered the sacraments, and then we closed the service with more music and singing from our group and the Quechua choir. The service ended up being nearly 3 hours long!

We ate a late dinner at a local pizza joint. The youth said it was incredibly good! Pizza in Ecuador isn’t too different from pizza in the US, but they don’t have mozzarella here (they just have a basic white cheese that is used for everything) and pepperoni tastes a little different.

All in all, a great day!

blessings,
dorian

Ecuador 2010: Day One

2010-06-07T21:22:00.000-07:00

Grace and peace!

Day one on the ground was our day of orientation, sightseeing, and learning about Ecuador, Quito, and the cultures here. We started the day of with a great breakfast from Chef Rob, and a brief cultural orientation from Rachel and Jose Louis. Then we walked (a long way) over to the Youth World's offices where we got an orientation on the many ministries of Youth World. If you are interested, go visit their website:

www.youthworld.org.ec

Make sure you ask your youth (or one of the youth) about Youth World's many ministries. I don't want to steal all of their thunder.

After our orientation, we drove over to Fruteria Monserrata. We ate empanada de morocho con pollo, empanada de morocho con carne, bolon de verde con queso, and fruit salad. We also had some incredible juices, many of the fruits are only found here in Ecuador. Empanadas are kinda like a corn batter hot pocket filled with rice and chicken or beef. The bolon has a outside shell made from a batter of plantains and then it is filled with cheese. Amazing stuff!

After lunch we visited the Catholic Basilica (Cathedral). It is an amazing piece of architecture. It is unfinished, though, for two reasons: if it is finished they would have to pay taxes to the Vatican, and they also believe that if they finish it, it could bring about the end of the world. I'm okay if they don't finish it if that is the case. We were able to climb all over the Basilica: up the spires and bell towers, inside the roof line, ontop of the sanctuary dome...it was a workout! We then walked down to the Plaza Grande. The president's house and the mayor's house sit on opposite sides of this Plaza, and it has a really cool statue in the middle. This is a place that we do have to be careful of pickpockets, though, because of the number of tourists who visit this area. We had no troubles!

We then walked over to the Plaza de San Francisco, which is a town square in front of a famous Catholic Church. The bus picked us up and took us over to the Panecillo. The Panecillo is a statue of a winged virgin ontop of a man-made hill. The hill was made by indigenous indians, and it was used for human sacrifices. Pretty intense stuff. The statue is known as the world's largest aluminum statue.

We traveled back to the hostel to rest and chill out for a while, and then Cameron came over to talk with us about missions and missiology. Make sure to ask your youth about the 5 F's. Basically, we learned that this isn't a glorified vacation of sorts. We want to be a blessing, partner with God in His work in Ecuador, learn about our own faith, and produce fruit after the experience. We can discuss missiology further later. My brain is too tired to flush out the details! After dinner (roast chicken and potatoes), we debriefed the day and received our Ecuadorian names. The Quechua in Riobamba don't understand our language at all, so it helps if our names are more Ecuadorian. Pretty cool.

Tomorrow, we rise at 5am and travel to Riobamba. It is a 4 hour bus drive. The village we are serving at is Columbo de Grande (I think), and it is 45 min from Riobamba. They are a Quechua Indian village, and they are part of the Episcopal Church. Their priest is Eulogio, and he serves 35 villages...over 1,000 parishioners. It is really cold there all the time apparently. They are farmers who live off the land completely. They eat potatoes, yuccas, corn, and a type of bean found here in Ecuador. We will do construction, Vacation Bible School, visit the children's school, and do church with them. On the way home on Friday, we will visit a volcano, walk on a glacier, and maybe play in some snow...in June. Wow.

We don't know what our access to the internet will be like over the next few days, so it is possible that you may not hear from us again until Friday night. Don't be alarmed if that is the case! Thanks for your support and prayers, and we'll be in touch!

blessings,
dorian

Arrival!

2010-06-07T05:56:00.000-07:00

Buenos dias!!

We had pretty smooth travel to Quito. The only small hiccup was that we had to wait on the Charlotte tarmac for 45 minutes prior to taking off because of delays in Atlanta. The layover in Atlanta was fun times with food, games, and laughter. The flight to Quito was pretty cool. We had little tv touch screens with movies, games, and tv on demand. Awesome! A bunch of the youth played an interactive trivia game against each other. It was pretty epic. Grayson says that he won, but he really came in second.

Arrival at Quito was crazy! It is so hectic and overwhelming. Everyone rushes off the plane and then you wait in a long line at Migration (immigration). The baggage claim is insane! We set up an assembly line: one group grabbing luggage, passing to a second group, who then passes to a third group whose job is to watch the luggage. Then we hop into the longest line ever to go through customs. After customs, you get one of the coolest experiences ever. You bust through some doors into the welcome area where there are hundreds of people waiting to greet their loved ones. It's like out of an old movie. There's a railing that separates folks waiting from those arriving, and people are holding signs and yelling and whistling. It is awesome and crazy.

Cameron and Roberto greeted us along with Gina (one of the Youth World staff...she's the one I emailed with). Rachel and Jose Louis were also there to greet us. They are our missionary intern hosts, and they will be spending the next 10 days with us...guiding us, helping us, leading us, praying with us, translating for us, and much, much more.

We hopped on a bus, and they zipped us to our hostel. It is a way cool place that is a ministry that serves cancer patients. The gentleman that owns the place (I met his son, Mateo...very cool family) provides a place for cancer patients to stay while they receive treatments. Apparently, they have alternative treatments for cancer here in Ecuador, and patients from all over the world come here for the treatments. There are two patients on our floor from Georgia (not the country) and Kansas (very nice people!).

We are on the third floor, sleeping in four bedrooms on bunkbeds. Each bedroom has its own bathroom, and the water pressure is awesome! (can you tell that last year's water pressure may not have been the best?) We have a common area with a small kitchen. There is a rooster just outside the girls' rooms, and apparently, he likes to crow at 4:20 and 5am...and then again at 6am.

Right now, Rob has cooked up a pretty awesome breakfast, and we are waiting for our missionary hosts to arrive. After breakfast, we will go to the Youth World office for orientation, then out to lunch, visit the Basilica (Catholic cathedral), and tour Old Town. It'll be a fun and crazy day! Tomorrow we travel to Riobamba.

Be in touch later! Hasta luego!

blessings,
dorian

2010 Ecuador Mission Team

2010-04-28T08:16:00.000-07:00

We will embark on our adventure to Ecuador on June 6th, and we will return on June 16. We have a very dynamic team of 18 (6 adults and 12 youth). 15 are from St. John's and 3 youth are from 3 other parishes in the Diocese. Here is our team:

Rob Bowers
Bryana Close
Dorian Del Priore
Lauren Del Priore
Eileen Schell
Gordon Shell

Sarah Axson
Alex Bowers
Sarah Bowers
Katie Clarkson
Winston Collins
Taylor Jackson
Meredith Nix
Beaumont Smith
Lawson Smith
Kayla Massey
Austin Ryan
Grayson Vazquez

This is a phenomenal team of servant leaders with great experience in youth ministry and mission settings. We are excited about what our team will be experiencing this summer in Ecuador. We will be traveling to Quito, Ecuador to partner with Youth World again, and we will be working at two main sites: Emaus and Riobamba. Emaus is a church in Quito that is Episcopal/Anglican in tradition. Riobamba is a community further up in the highlands, and they are indigenous Quechua Indian, and they are subsistence farmers who live off the land.

Please pray for our team and the communities that we are serving and partnering with. Pray for safe travel. Pray that we will receive all the financial and prayer support that we need. Please consider partnering with us in our experience, both financially and prayerfully. God willing, if we have access to the appropriate technology while in Ecuador, you will be able to follow our daily adventures here while we are in Ecuador. Check back and see! Thanks!

blessings,
Dorian Del Priore
Director of Youth Ministries

Ecuador Mission 2010

2009-11-10T09:03:00.000-08:00

June 6-16 (Sun-Wed)
Cost: approx. $2000
Deposit $200 (Due by Jan 10)
Register by Jan 1
Grades: Current 9th and up
Minimum of 10 people
Max of 25
Informational Meeting: Dec. 13 @ 3:30PM
in the SR High Room, top floor of Heyward Hall
If you are interested at all in this experience, please contact Dorian ASAP! Thanks!

The Last Full Day in Quito, and the Flight Home

2009-07-25T20:17:00.000-07:00

Hey there folks,

Our final day in Ecuador was in many ways like the previous day. We started the day out with another orientation of a Youth World ministry. This time we learned about Casa Gabriel. Casa G is a home for street kids. The house can handle 10-15 kids, and about 11 currently live there. Homeless children is a huge problem in Quito. Kids leave home as early as 6 years old. They leave for a variety of reasons: abuse, easier to find food on the street, ability to make their own money (through stealing and other means), and more. The cold of concrete can be more inviting than the rough situations at home.

Casa G reaches out to kids and offers them a stable environment. They are very selective in who they allow to live in the home. They start out with a few non-negotiables (like no drugs or alcohol), but the biggest thing is the kids must be teachable. They must be willing to learn and grow. They have a tutor, they go to school, they have a missionary family that lives and works with them. They get their own bed and personal space. The goal of Casa G is to grow the love of Christ in the hearts of these kids as they learn the basic aspects of Christian leadership.

These kids aren’t dumb. They are very talented. Many peddled the streets as jugglers, pickpockets, and such. They are typically very bright and talented, they just haven’t been afforded the same opportunities that me or you have been afforded. Once provided these opportunities, the sky is the limit. There is one former member of Casa G that graduated valedictorian from his high school and is now interning at a church in the US as he prepares to become a missionary in Africa. Amazing! One of the coolest experiences of the morning was the rap a couple of the guys performed for us. They rocked!

We spent the rest of the day working at the Episcopal Cathedral, again painting the iron work, sanding pews down so that they could be refinished, and performing other odd jobs that they need assistance with. We learned that our work is very much appreciated because the church has had a rough few years, and due to corrupt leadership, their membership has dropped off. An infusion of 16+ pairs of hands makes a huge impact on the amount of maintenance and upkeep they can perform.

The Cathedral is a beautiful church, and it needs and deserves so much more than we can provide. The stained glass is amazing and beautiful, but it has been abused by rocks and projectiles. I hope and pray that one day, it will get the repairs and love that it needs and deserves. The clergy and people of the church were very cool people, so I really hope the new Bishop will bring new life to the Diocese of Central Ecuador.

This really was the first day that we all felt the fatigue of the trip. It was tough sanding the pews and front doors. Our arms just didn’t have the same “umph” they had the previous day, but we persevered, pushing ourselves to make our last day as best as we could. It was strange to think that it was our last day. Each day seemed to plod along nicely, not too fast, but all of a sudden, our time in Ecuador was nearly over.

We closed our last evening in Ecuador by having dinner at Cameron and Roberto’s home. It was a really nice place on the top floor of a building. The kids even climbed up on the roof for a great view of the neighborhood! Made me a little nervous, but it was actually very safe. We ate a very traditionally Ecuadorian meal of arroz con pollo (rice with chicken), white pineapple, and friend plantains. It was so good! We all ate way too much.

Our final debrief was very cool. We did a visualization of our time in Ecuador. As we closed our eyes, James recounted all of our adventures. It was amazing how much we did and accomplished during the 7 full days on the ground. Then James and Emily sang a song for us…I want it that way! Very funny. No worries, you’ll get to see the video soon. We cleaned up, got a little bit or rest, ate a quick breakfast Friday morning, and then headed to the airport. The trip home was an adventure in itself! For now though, check out the pics from Thur and Fri:

blessings,
dorian

Heading Home

2009-07-16T22:23:00.000-07:00

Good morning folks!

Possibly, by the time you read this, we will be on our way home. We have a long trek home. Wake up is at 5am, we leave the hostal at 6:30, get running at the airport at 7, and the plane departs at 9:30am. We loose an hour arriving back in the states, go through customs in Miami, and then arrive in Atlanta at 6:15pm. We have to gather our luggage, find the bus, and hit the road. We should arrive at St. John's between 9:30 and 10pm. We will be able to call during the trek once we arrive in Miami.

I do apologize that there aren't pictures and such available today, but it is really late, I am really tired and we have to get up super early. No worries...I will post pics and more stories on Sat. Please pray for our safe travel. Thanks so much for everything and we'll see you soon.

Blessings,
dorian

Neat day @ the Episcopal Cathedral

2009-07-15T21:47:00.000-07:00

Grace and peace, my friends!

I don't know if I mentioned this before, but Rob Bowers can cook up one heck of a breakfast! We are even way into the trip and he hasn't let up. Every morning, we have had some really stellar food. This morning, we woke up to hashbrowns with cheese and onions along with eggs. And Janet has been his side kick, and she can cook some awesome eggs! Prior to this, though, we woke up with cold showers because we were out of propane gas. Ooooo, not fun. This was remedied before dinner!

We went by Youth World briefly this morning to learn about La Red. La Red means: The Net. It is a ministry for training youth ministers in Ecuador. The crazy thing about youth ministry in Ecuador is that most of the time, the youth minister is one of the peers within the group. So a youth minister could be anywhere from 14 years old to 25. It is a cutting edge ministry in Latin America.

After our orientation (and the purchasing of swag), we headed over to Catedral de el Senor, the Cathedral for the Episcopal Diocese of Central Ecuador. It was a really neat place with strikingly beautiful stained glass. Walking in the sanctuary we were greeted by a dove flying around. Hmmm...was God giving us a sign? Was this a physical sign that the Holy Spirit was amongst us? We sure thought so!

Just yesterday at General Convention, the election of the new Bishop for their Diocese was confirmed. The new Bishop will be consecrated the first week of Augusta by the Presiding Bishop Katharine Schori. We are helping with preparations for the consecration. Pretty cool! We sanded down pews so that they can be refinished, and we painted the wrought iron gates and fence. We didn't finish today, but we made great progess. We will be continuing that work tomorrow.

Sanding the pews was tough work and all of us who were sanding were covered in orange dust. It was pretty funny! The paint for the iron was oil based, and few people learned that it didn't come off their skin easy. Lunch was an incredible meal of soup, fried chicken and the best fries you have ever eaten (I need to do a separate post on all the food we have eaten...awesome!!). Apparently, the locals use all the parts of the chicken, so the soup had the other chicken parts in it. I'm pretty sure I had some heart and some liver today. Yum.

After finishing up work in the afternoon, we went to dinner at a Chinese restaurant. It was really, really good, but Chinese food here is very different than Chinese food back home. Don't know how to describe the difference, though, but it was really good. On the way to dinner, we saw some fire breathing street performers, and some really neat graffiti.

After dinner, we had a really deep and powerful debrief. We did an affirmation circle or encouragement circle, where we went around and shared something really cool about someone else. It was one of the most powerful spiritual moments of the week.

There is so much else I would like to share, but I am starting to fade...so off to bed I go. See you soon!

blessings,
dorian

Day 5 in Ecuador - ReCreation

2009-07-14T21:28:00.000-07:00

Hey there folks,

Today was a beautiful day! We woke up and thought that it was going to rain. The clouds were gray and sat like heavy fluff on the mountains. Amazingly, even with a 50% chance of rain everyday, it has yet to rain on us. Today was our ReCreation day of fun and personal time. After breakfast, we headed to the local artisans' market in Quito.

It was a really neat place with all sorts of items for sale: scarfs, tshirts, hats, blankets, hammocks, jewelry, etc. The aisles were narrow and people were everywhere. Many of the items were handmade, and they were all beautiful and native. Everyone got to experience haggling and bargaining. It was pretty exciting.

We took a packed lunch with us, and headed to the Equator monument. There are actually a few different Equator monuments. They all are slightly off dead center of the Equator. The one we visited was really neat as it had a museum and tour about local indigenous people. We got to see a real shrunken head and learn about the native people and animals. Then we got to play on the Equator! We straddled the line and took photos, and then we tried to balance an egg on a nail. A few of us pulled it off!

After we left the Equator, we headed up to El Refugio. El Refugio is similar to Kanuga. It is really nice, and it is thought to be the only camp in Latin America with a high and low ropes course. We didn't get to do the ropes course, but we saw a couple of the apparatuses. They were intense! The zip line was way up on the mountain and zoomed over a valley between two mountain sides. We were given an hour and a half to go out in nature and have quite time with nature. That was both really cool and refreshing. If you went hiking, you were to stay with one other person. Lauren and I hiked up as far as we could go, probably not too far from the ridge. The view was breathe-taking, and we saw/found some neat things like wild strawberries. It was fun, but it is really difficult hiking on a mountain when you are at 10,000 feet!

After hiking we enjoyed hot dogs over the fire and guinea pig. The locals call it coy. It really wasn't too bad. It tasted a lot like duck. Taylor was extremely adventurous and tried an eyeball and the brain. After dinner, we debriefed, enjoyed some more quite time by the fire, prayed, sang, and ended the night with smores!

Then we found out that our bus wouldn't start, so we hung out for a while. We actually had to assist a tractor in pushing the bus a little ways up the mountain. No prob. Luckily it started up and we made it back to the hostal just fine.

Tomorrow we will be serving at the Episcopal Cathedral. Very cool. I can barely keep my eyes open, so...good night!

blessings,
dorian

The Final Day @ Carmen Bajo

2009-07-13T21:39:00.000-07:00

Hey there folks,

I hope you have been enjoying the posts now that we have reliable internet connectivity. It is nice to be able to share our experiences with you in this way.

Today we started out with a devotional time at Carmen Bajo. On Saturday, the Pastor's wife, Grace, and the people of Carmen Bajo lead us in a devotional. Today, we were able to give back to them by leading the devotional. We sang a couple songs in spanish, and then we had two team members share their faith stories. I don't know that Beaumont had ever shared her faith like she did today, but she was dynamite, and the people of Carmen Bajo were so appreciative of her and her willingness to share. Gordon also shared his testimony, and it really touched the hearts of the people of CB. Both Beaumont and Gordon had stories that moved us all.

After a brief lesson on loving Jesus, we broke into 3 groups for work time. One group hacked up the trees that we cut down on Sat. It was a really tough job. Another group washed some of the large rugs that are used in classrooms and such. The third group sifted sand in a very large sifter. It was work that was tough, but not too terribly hard. They were little jobs that seemed to make a big difference to the people of CD. Finally, right before lunch, we pulled down the largest eucalyptus tree of the bunch. It was intense!

Lunch was very cool. They fixed us hamburgers! That is one example of some really funny things I have noticed. We have been trying to at least greet in Spanish and then they turn around and try their best to greet us in English. So funny and cute!

The afternoon was very chaotic! VBS was a blast, but it was somewhat structured chaos. We sang a couple Spanish worship songs: Todopoderoso and Tu Nombre Leventare (Lord I lift your name on high). We taught them the hand motions to Lord I lift your name on high. They seemed to really dig that. We were somewhat surprised, but we shouldn't have been, that they knew a lot of songs in Spanish that we know in English. We had a very improvised skit about the Good Samaritan that was hilarious! We spent a lot of time doing crafts. The kids were so content to simply color a coloring page, but we had some other stuff for them to do...like making wire and bead crosses and putting their hand print on a table cloth. We closed with a game of Twister and they loved it! It was hilarious.

We finished the evening with dinner at Grace's house. Grace is the pastor's wife, but he is currently in the US visiting churches. She fixed the most incredible tilapia that I have ever had! It was served with rice, salad, and delicious local fruit.

It is getting late, and I am whooped! Off to bed. Tomorrow will be a fun day, so I look forward to sharing our adventures with you...we'll be eating guinea pig for dinner! Hasta luego!

blessings,
dorian

Worship and Fellowship on the hill at Carmen Bajo

2009-07-12T21:08:00.000-07:00

Hey there folks,

Today was a special day. We had the opportunity to lead Carmen Bajo in worship. Carmen Bajo is part of the Christian and Missionary Alliance denomination. The pastor of the church is Fabian Erazo. His wife, Grace, is fully immersed in the ministries of the church and community as well. Grace is amazing! She has a warm smile and compassionate hug that cuts through any language barrier or nerves. Unfortunately for us, we were unable to meet Pastor Fabian as he is currently in the US for the first time visiting the churches that support Carmen Bajo and his family.

The group woke up to a phenomenal breakfast prepared by Chef Rob. He cooked up French Toast, and also made two toppings: a raisin topping and a banana topping. With full tummies, we embarked for our second day in the Carmen Bajo community. It is unlike any community we have in the US. It is definitely a 3rd world community. They do have access to plumbing and electricity, but the vast majority of the people live on less than $2 per day. 70-80% are unemployed. The church is just like the community center that we were working at yesterday...pieced together with concrete blocks, steel rebar, and piecemeal construction...

...but it feels like holy ground when you step on the church grounds.

But it is so unlike anything we consider a church building. The childrens' Sun school classroom is a small concrete block room with no overhead lighting. The kids sit on small plastic patio chairs, and when they go to church, they take their chairs with them. The bathrooms don't have real doors. The boys doesn't shut all the way, and the girls isn't on a hinge...you have to pick it up and move it over to block the doorway.

Our duties for the morning included leading Sun School and the church service. Sarah Bailey and Kayla Massey lead the Sunday school for the adults and teens, and all of our team lead small group discussion part of Sunday School with the help of translators. We discussed the passage where Jesus is walking on water and Peter tries to walk to Jesus on the water. The groups discussed how to deal with doubts and fears.

After Sunday school, we transitioned into church. Church at Carmen Bajo is nothing like an Episcopal service. When we asked how we should structure things, we were told, "However you want!" Hmmmm...so we asked how they normally do church and based it off of that. We sang 4 worship songs in spanish, had three team members (Sarah Axson, Sarah Bailey, and Lauren Del Priore) share faith stories/testimonies, and then I gave a sermon/message. We closed with the offertory and prayer. The faith stories were incredible, and they really moved the people of CB. It is amazing that across cultural and economic divides, we have many of the same issues that we deal with in life. Giving a sermon was a great experience, but it was very hard working with the translator.

We shared lunch with a group from CB, and then went to a public park to play games and hang out. It was an enormous park with beautiful trees and landscape. We spent the afternoon playing Red Rover and Capture the Flag. I never would have thought that a group of kids/people ranging in age from under 10 to over 30 would be, not only entertained, but enthralled with a game of Red Rover. They loved it! We played for well over an hour! It was also a great way to learn names. As we were playing Red Rover, people who were at the park were eager to check us out, and then eventually, a group of kids joined in on our game. After the games, we had a short devotional time with one of our team members sharing their faith story followed by one of the CB residents sharing their testimony. It was very cool.

It has been a long day. We ate a great dinner and spent time this evening debriefing, preparing for VBS tomorrow, and taking some down time. It has been a long day, so I'm off to bed shortly. Tomorrow (Monday) is a big day. Please continue to pray for us and the people/community that we will be serving. And you know what...they are praying for us and for you too. Hasta luego!

blessings,
dorian

ps...also learned today that the hostal we are living in sits on the side of a volcano called Pichincha. It last erupted in 1999, but it is now considered dormant...I think. At least that is what I was told.

Day 1 and 2...WIFI is wonderful!

2009-07-11T23:05:00.000-07:00

Hey there folks! (don't forget to check out pics below the text)

We have been hanging out in Quito, Ecuador for just over 48 hours, and it is so surreal sometimes. This is an amazing place. The people, the culture, the food...it all is so new and fascinating, and we just can't get enough of it. The group has been amazing! Their willingness to serve and be a blessing to each other and every person that we have come in contact with has been awe inspiring.

Quito is beautiful. Our hostal sits on the side of a mountain and overlooks the valley that Quito sits in. The view is breathtaking. Their are three volcanoes that can be seen from our hostal, and they are all snow topped. Clouds roll in and out of the city. One minute it feels so very warm, and the next you are throwing a jacket on. It almost sounds like a joke, but the sun is actually brighter here. The UV rating is through the roof, so we stay lathered up with sunscreen. The city has a constant motion to it, and the drivers are crazy. Traffic laws, like stop signs, are really more like suggestions, and pedestrians do not have the right of way. Amazing.

Below in the photo album are some pics from our travels on Thursday, and other pics from our tour of old town and the Basilica. The Basilica was huge and awesome. We were able to climb all through it, including to the top of one of the steeples/spires. The view was breath-taking. The most sobering part of the day, though, happened while we visited one of the more well-known plazas. A couple little girls approached us to buy scarfs and other hand made items. One of the girls was about 7, and the younger could not have been 2. It was sad because their mother stood nearby, watching them, and she also coached them. She was using her chilren's cute factor to sell things. This didnt' sit well, but at the same time, it is their family's only means to survival. It proved to be one of those moments filled with tension, and you never know what to really do with it. Still thinking that over.

Today we traveled to Carmen Bajo, a community on a hill. The people we amazing. They were so happy to have us there. They eagerly greeted us, and quickly dove into singing and sharing. Two of the church members shared their testimonies/faith stories. They were fairly intense, detailing substance abuse and broken families that were getting ready to completely fall apart. The shared that through God's great grace and mercy, their lives were saved and their families were changed.

The work we performed today was somewhat miscellaneous. We used wheelbarrows to move dirt from the road to the first floor. Next a group shoveled sand into buckets, and then raise it the top floor. They then dumped it on the top floor to make concrete at a later date. We also moved wood around, and dug out a space for sidewalk pavers. There were other numerous miscellaneous jobs were performed. In the midst of all the crazy work, we interacted with the kids and people of Carmen Bajo. The kids loved the bubbles we brought!

In the afternoon, we went to a local park and played games with the kids of Carmen Bajo and other surrounding neighborhoods. We played soccer, basketball, volleyball, and duck duck goose. It was a park unlike any park that we have in the US, but it was a happy place. It was a place where the neighbothood hung out. The kids loved the games and attention, and we took time to try to get to know them.

Well, there is so very much I want to write, but I am just tooooo tired. I can't keep my eyes open and tomorrow will be a long day. Stay posted to the blog now that we have access to it. God bless and keep us in your prayers. Hasta luego!

blessings,
dorian

After a long day

2009-07-10T15:54:00.001-07:00

We had an incredible day learning about local culture, history, other interesting facts, and then touring the city of Quito. Lunch was soooo good. We ate at Fruteria, and had delicious panatas and other great local dishes. The fresh juice from local fruits is awesome. They tend to drink it thicker like a smoothy. After lunch, we climbed all through the Basilica (Catholic Cathedral), including trips to the tops of two of the spires. Amazing! We then walked through the city touring significant sites and churches. The altitude is challenging, but we are hangin in there. We slept well last night, and I suspect we'll sleep awesome tonight and everynight. I'm still looking for good wifi access so hopefully I'll be able to put up some great pics soon. Tomorrow is our first day of work and ministry. Please continue to pray for us and the community of Carmen Bajo. Hasta luego!

blessings
Dorian

We are in Quito!

2009-07-10T12:10:00.001-07:00

Hey there folks! We are here in Quito checking out the city. Sorry that we weren't able to call home last night. we had some issues with phones, internet, etc. We got some of that sorted out this morning, so everyone was able to call home. Keep us in your prayers, and hopefully we'll have more here on the blog for you later today.

blessings,
Dorian

10 Days...The Final Countdown

2009-06-29T07:36:00.000-07:00

Hey there folks,

On July 9th, 10 youth and 6 adults will embark on a journey together to a faraway land...Quito, Ecuador. We will seek to be a blessing as we offer ourselves in service to Jesus and His people in Quito, but I imagine that we will also find ourselves learning more about God and His Kingdom than we can begin to fathom. Pray for us, our team, the people in Quito, and pray that we will experience Christ and the world in new ways. Pray that we will learn anew how to partner with God in the redemption of His creation. Check back here daily for updates and pictures through our journey. Partner with us in this grand experience.

Blessings,
Dorian