The Conference

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It was a quick flicker of the laundry room lights and every thing stopped in our kitchen. None of the breakers had flipped so I was afraid that all our appliances were headed for the junk yard or at least some serious repairs. With the conference breathing down our necks, Jilly and I didn't have time to do much about it. I said a prayer and rushed off to my duties at the conference. There was current in the back of the house so finally I plugged in a crock pot to save the chicken that was defrosting in the freezer and used a flimsy burner to heat water for coffee. After a few days a coworker at the academy who is an electrician came to take a look. He ran an extension cord so the frig would work, flipped some things around and got the washer to work and I heaved a sigh of relief it all was wasn't burned out. Of course fixing these things took out the hot water. Juan was perplexed about the stove and dryer. The apartment owners' repairman finally came and my friend joined him to solve the electrical mystery. Somehow half of the 220 went out taking lots of stuff with it. Nothing was damaged permanently! I'm not a tree hugger or anything but I was ready to kiss some humming appliances. We even found the source of the terrible smell that about drove us out of apartment. I thought we had fried a mouse when the appliances all went out but it turned out to be a drip in the back of the defrosted freeze.

The staff at Alliance Academy as well as a national committee had worked for over a year on this huge conference. From the lovely welcome reception at the Sheraton Hotel for international educators from across Latin America to the last plenary in Spanish for Ecuadorian educators, the conference was a smashing success. About 300 came to the English portion where the Association of Christian Schools International brought in a wonderful group of conference speakers. Even during the English portion some sessions were included in Spanish for those who are not totally comfortable in English. On Saturday the entire conference switched to Spanish for Ecuadorian educators. About 460 showed up for a day of special speakers and seminars. My role in the flurry of activities was as head of the facilities committee. My committee put up signs so people could find their way around, set up the speakers lounge and central office, made sure each room was in good order, speakers had all they needed, made sure coffee pots weren't flipping circuits :) and I also was available to help at the ACSI materials table and registration desk.


At the last plenary Stuart Salazar, the ACSI Latin America director, announced that I would be the ACSI rep for Ecuador next year. I've told AAI that I will teach half time and then the rest of the time I'll work with ACSI. For those of you who don't know, that is what I did in Venezuela. It is so good to be getting back into this ministry. I organized the first conference Stuart came to as a rookie director twenty years ago so it was like a trip down memory lane for us to work together on this conference. There is much to be done in Ecuador for Christian schools. I've been told there may be as many 500 Christian schools. Looks like there will be enough to keep me busy!


One of the perks of living in Ecuador are the flowers. A family from school who has a flower farm donated hundreds of beautiful roses to decorate the conference. I buy roses every week from a little lady who sells on the corner near my house. They run about 5 for a dollar. They are long stemmed and last for days. This week I have orange in the living room and white in my bedroom. Last week it was yellow... I buy them as much for the little lady and her daughter as for myself. They supports themselves standing on the corner all day helping car get in and out of parking places for pennies, she crochets and knits as she waits and some days sells roses. You can only buy so many scarves...I think this week I'll buy a doily she made instead. This Christmas since I couldn't send a Samaritan's Purse shoe box, I had the fun of making a box for her little girl. Wow! a person could fall in love with a place like this. Especially when the refrigerator is humming a happy tune.

Off to work

Would you like to walk to work with me this morning? As I step
out the front door, I am met by the sound of traffic, the chirp
of birds and the beauty of the flowers that drape over our chain
link fence. Workmen are stirring across the street as they start
their day making a new medical building. The electric door
clanks behind me and I greet the watchman who usually stands
on the corner.

I cross the street and the keys that hang around my neck clank like a little lost sheep. (If you hang your keys around your neck you don't lock yourself out of any place, but you sure can't sneak up on anybody.) I cast a quick look up at the Volcano Pichincha. The sky has been gorgeous behind her for the last few days and the weather balmy. One of my many keys gets me onto the school property. To the left is the soccer field and to the right is a small Bible Institute that is also a Quichua Church on Sunday. I open another gate and cross to the school entrance.

Easy commute! I greet the Quichua man setting out his wares for the day, wish the school guard a good day and head off to my office. Hope you have a good day too.

Pichincha

Quito sits in the lap of a volcano named Pichincha. I think she's a woman because one moment she'll cloud over in a scowl while shortly before she was bathed in sunshine and warmth. They tell me her crater is on the back side so if she has a temper fit the ash will go in the other direction. I've also heard tell that she can send it in our direction too if she really wants.

Like a child who peeks in the kitchen in the morning to see mom at the sink, I often look up at her to see what kind of mood she's in and to enjoy her beauty. She doesn't have snow like some of our volcanoes but she's my favorite just the same.

If you come visit, we can go up a cable car and get close and friendly with her. I hear some folks climb her on foot or ride dirt bikes in down hill races. I'd rather sit in awe and admiration and keep my bones in some sort of useful condition.

If you like mountains, Quito is the place to be. I feel very blessed to be here in the shadow of the lovely Pichincha and resting in the hollow of her Creator's hand. He keeps her temper in check.

Location, location

What a blessing to finally have my own place! Even better it is a first floor apartment right across the street from the school. It has two bedrooms as well as a study. There are closets everywhere. I am one happy lady. Now if I ever find out how to keep a fire going in the fireplace at this altitude, I'll be even happier.

Moving day my coworker Patty Uscategui borrowed a pick up from her father-in-law. We talked her son Chris and a single man teacher from school into help us, and weaving through Quito traffic with odds and ends of furniture and with two guys hanging on for dear life in the back, we made my move. Patty had quite a few things she didn't need at her house she loaned me and with the things I had bought while at Sol's, I set up housekeeping. It took about ten days to get internet and now this weekend I'm buying a washer dryer unit. The next project will be to get some sturdy chairs. The ones I have are sort of double jointed and some times bend one way and other times the other.

Wednesday before Thanksgiving my kitchen was full of people making all kinds of pies. As I looked around I realized I had a cross section of the people we are ministering to at the academy. A Japanese girl was peeling apples, Patty, a fervent Christian was making crust, A young American was learning how to make pumpkin pie, a little Ecuadorian whose parents have a wonderful school for the very poor of Quito sat at the table coloring. One of the pies went to a third generation Ecuadorian Christian who is struggling with his faith. It is so good to have a special place where I can invite in those who need a Mom, a listening ear, a homemade meal or just someplace to hang out. Once I get a bed in the guest room, I'd love to have you come over too! I'm not far from the airport.

Let me tell you about Ecuadorian bags like the one in the picture. They come in several sizes and many colors. Businesses stamp their ads on them, and boy, are they great. The fibrous plastic will hold anything. They were great to move with. The handles don't break, the sides don't rip out. You can move with them, shop with them, lug rocks in them if you wish. Sorry WalMart bags, you'll never be the same for me anymore. I have a new love. They are so much easier than carrying boxes. They squeeze between pieces of furniture on the back of a pick up just great. When you come see me we'll get you some.

Getting around Quito

Getting around Quito is really quite easy. These little yellow cabs are my favorite. Rumor has it there are 9,000 of them in the city and most are driven by the great-great offspring of the Lost Tribe of Jehu that intermarried with the Incas.... :) They will pick you up at the store and drive you most anywhere for a dollar or two. I think this cab is delivering a major appliance. The more of these drivers I see with gray hair, the better I feel that my chances are of surviving the ride. If there is no exchange of paint, you aren't too close. If there aren't enough lanes, make a third out of two. When you are bright yellow, surely everybody can see you. If not, honk, swerve, and honk. There are also big buses like you see in the picture and even trolleys, but I love the little yellow guys. Only once has one started to drive off before I got both feet in the door. They don't mind at all stopping traffic to let you off, or turning on a dime to go in the direction you want. I usually carry the gold colored dollar coins that you get as change in a US post office stamp machine, and they do the magic of getting me to where I need to go. You just haven't lived until you take a yellow taxi in Quito.

Back to normal

September 30th this beautiful little country came to a screeching halt. There was trouble. At first we thought it was just a labor strike among the local police. The scene quickly escalated and the police and the president were in a head to head conflict. Confusion abound. The Ministry of Education closed all school so we had to scramble to get all 530 kids home safe. We found a few gliches in our evacuation plan but for the most part everyone pitched in and we called parents, arranged rides home, made lists and tried our best to keep track of everyone until they were picked up by an authorized adult. Once home, we sat glued to the TV trying figure out what was going on. As the evening wore on we could hear the bullets flying at the police hospital where the police supposedly had the president. We were able to watch on TV as the special forces rescued the president.

Was it all staged? We don't know. Was it an attempted coup? I personally think it was labor unrest that the politicians took advantage of. Whatever it was, life is back to normal. The malls like the one above on the right are full of shoppers. The little neighborhood stores are busy again. The Indian women in their felt hats and long braids hanging down their backs are on the street corners selling fruit and vegetables. School is going strong. How long will this peace last? We hope for a very long time. Pray for stability in Latin America. God is doing some wonderful things in this place. Opportunity always stands under the shadow of risk.

Doing laundry

Since we don't have a washer or dryer in the apartment, we have two ways to wash clothes. On Saturday morning I gather up my sheets and towels, and any other items that are too bulky to wash by hand and head down stairs to the local laundromat. For seven dollars they will wash, dry and fold two loads in just a few hours, unless the electricity is off... The rest of my clothes I take to what is called the washing rock. Next to the kitchen there is usually a a deep sink and a waist high cement wash board. It is slanted and has ridges to scrub against. The water can be turned on at the top to rinse the liquid soap the locals call Wu lee tei (Woolite) out of the clothes you have been soaking. The local stores carry several kinds of bar soap that will get almost any kind of stain out. There is something therapeutic about scrubbing, squeezing and slapping dirty clothes about. Now if it rains for days and nothing gets dry, your clothes can smell a little sour...That's when you take a third load to the laundromat. I'm still debating if I want to give up all this good therapy and break down and buy a washer and dryer.