Judah's 1st Birthday!!

Yes, you read correctly ,it was Judah's 1st birthday on June 20th. He had a good time eating cake and watch the other kids splash in his new pool...he has been terrified of water since we came back. He is now accepting the fact that in the states he will recieve a bath everyday;-). In Ecuador they did not have bath tubs,only showers, and so he would have to take a shower with dad and it was quite a torturous event ...for everyone within a mile or so! So now we have the nice warm bath,which he endures, but to ask that he actually sit in a pool of water for fun!Now that is just going too far,in his opinion! He still was able to have a good time though watching the others splash and get wet...it was fun. Zoe' and Gabi decorated the cake and did a fabulous job!
In other news...we got a call from the Mission Board on Monday. This is significant because we have been trying to go with them for the past 6 years and have been turned away for one reason or another(truly ,though, we feel it has been God's will not to go until now). So, for them to call us without us making the intitial contact is HUGE! Praise the Lord!! Even if we do not go with them we feel like this is confirmation that it is indeed time to move forward...Praise God! So, now we begin the ...or should I say continue with the process;-). We are currently in step 3 or phase 3 or whatever they call it and if everything goes well we will hopefully be out on the field by the end of next summer...we have waited so long for this it almost seems unreal.So, we are totally excited and overwhelmed.Please pray for us: That we would make it through the process in one peice...it is a long one. That our house would sell...we are planning to go even if we do not make it through the process with the board.And most of all pray that God's will would be done in our lives...all for His glory;-).

Home again,home again...

We made it home...of course it had to be an adventure.

We left our home in Quito atabout 2 a.m. Wednesday morning, arrived at the airport at almost 3. By the time we checked in, went through customs, and paid to leave the country it was about 5 a.m. So, we proceeded to sit down and have a little nap(which was badly needed!). At 6 a.m. we boarded the plane...this is were it gets fun;-). We were suppose to land at 11 a.m. but because of the weather in Miami we did not land until almost 12:30 ,our next flight was at 3...so, we thought we had PLENTY of time. Boy, were we wrong! When we arrived they completely shut down the entire airport becasue of weather!! So, we had to go wait for our baggage and because the airport was locked down they could not go get the luggage: wait time for luggage 1&1/2 hours.Fun. By now it was 2 p.m. and we knew we had to hustle...we still had to go through customs and to the other end of the airport to catch our flight(of course;-).It was 3:05 when we finally made it to our gate...the nice lady proceeded to yell at us for being late. And after huffing and pitching a fit she let us on the plane that was "just about to take off". We went on board...the kids were crying because they'd not eaten since about 6:30(it was now after 3p.m.). And we waited to take off...for about an hour;-). We were thinking that for a plane on the virge of taking off we were going very slowly. We were suppose to be in the air for about 3 hrs and it turned out to be almost 6! We went to NY and then had to turn around and go to North Carolina because both of the airports in NY shut down for weather! So, we arrived in NC at about 10:30 and waited along with about 200 other people for a hotel room, we were almost last in line and the kids had only had a cookie and a few chips to eat since that morning...and very little sleep. It was not pleasant, but we finally made it to a hotel at almost midnight and ordered pizza. We all fell asleep while waiting for it to arrive, but amazingly woke up and ate greedily at around 12:30;-)...then, fell into a blissful sleep. We did actually make it home yesterday around 2p.m. and are currently trying to get back to normal...whatever that is.
I think we are all in "the zone" trying to readjust and just get used to life in the States again...for now anyway;-)

Hola!

Yes, we are still here. I tried to read over everything that I´d previously written but this computer is soooooo slooow! And I had not the patience to keep trying to see it on here. One thing I did notice though, is that my spelling is crazy! I have a very good explanation for this, which is that I am typing on a keybourd that is mostly rubbed off and has many different Spanish symbols! Okay, that enough of that!On to the good stuff.
It has been a while since we´ve posted because the day after I last posted Judah got very sick ( 103 fever,stomach issues...I won´t go into details ;-) And after that Josiah became sick and then Jonah...we came to the conclusion that it was a virus. It only lasted about 3 days but really scared us. They would not do anything and barely even had the energy to cry...that is scary for 3 little , usually very active boys! But they are fine and just to be sure it was not some rare disease we took them to see Joselito´s pediatrician. They are currently back to their very active selves...it is good.So, that said, here´s what else happened. I got to stay at home for many days...I lost count:-). But James was still able to take the girls with him to church on Sunday where he had the oppurtunity to teach the kids Sunday school class and then was asked to preach!! From what I hear , he did very well.Prasie the Lord! On Monday we went to the Dr. and stopped by the Cathedral...they only call it the unfinished Cathedral, I don´t think it has any other name. It was beautiful, but unfortunately I did not get pictures. Fear not! We are going back and I will take many pictures. On Tuesday we went to a place called Chicauco...those of you at Ninth and O who have kids coming here on Friday...this is where they are going. It was an awesome experience...that´s all I can say. It was very good all the way around.The place is beautiful, the ministry is wonderful, we could really see God working in that ministry and through those people. We wished that we could´ve stayed longer but becuase we arrived a day late(due to the sickness) we had to leave yesterday as scheduled, we only got to stay one day. It was fine though, we still were able to talk to the missionaries that run that place. We recieved some very valuable advice and greatly enjoyed our talk with them. We headed out yesterday afternoon around 2 and went to the orphanage. We arrive there at about 4p.m. and stayed until almost 7, we got alot of pictures of the kids. Our kids(Tiemans and Orellanos) were able to help in everything! What a tremendous blessing it was!There are about 24 children , ages 0 months-4years, at this orphanage. They were in need of help with the babies and asked us to stay to help fees and get them settled for the evening. What a joy to see our children serving others. They loved it, we loved it,but we all left with very heavy hearts. It was a joyful experience but also a very heartbreaking one. The workers explained a few of the kids circumstances and what brought them there. I can only agree with Joselito when he said last night as we left that his heart was very heavy for these children, mine is too. So were all of our children´s hearts. Please pray for these orphans.I can´t even describe to you the look in some of the older children´s faces as we tried to interact with them. Most of them were very joyful but some were very withdrawn and it made me wonder what they´d been through already. Pray for them...may your heart be burdened as ours is. We know the Lord loves them and keeps them close to Him. We pray that they would know that. Well, we arrived home very late last night and slept in a little this morning(until 7, we were so tired we missed the rooster´s crow at 4a.m. , praise the Lord).Today, we are supposed to meet with some IMB folks that serve here in Quito and talk to them a little about their experience and what they are doing here(their ministry).
I cannot say enough what a blessing it has been to be here. We have loved seeing all of the different ministries going on here in Ecuador and talking to the people about what they think the greatest needs are here...there are many. We will share all of this with you when we get back. Until then, thank you very much for every comment, every prayer, every word of encouragement, and all of you support . It has meant so much to us.
Bendiciones,
Heather and The Tribe

Weird

Well, when I came to log onto the blog this morning I did not see the previous post(from June 3rd. So, I dod not know if you all are seeing these or not. It is okay thought! I will write anyway, just in case:-).
Things continue to go well here. We are remaining very busy. We had the oppurtunity to see a wonderful ministry for youth on Tuesday. It was very far out in the mountians and oh, was it beautiful! It is called El Refugio and I will have to wait to tell you more about it when we get home. The folks that run it are missionarries with International Teams...perhaps you can look it up on the net. It is close to a little town called Calacali. A very small town of about half indegenous people and has a small Baptist church. They have about 17 members and are pursecuted by the other people in the town. On Wednesday, we were invited to eat dinner with the pastor of Candelaria Baptist here in Calderon.It was a wonderful blessing, those people are very sweet. That brings us to Thursday, we went to tour HCJB radio and the hospital that they are affiliated with...they began it, I think. It is an amazing ministry and we had the privilege of hearing the testimony of a woman from the jungle and how this ministry helped her to know Christ and then provided her with a bible and healthcare. After that, Anita and I went to a women´s study, they called it a conference...I don´t know. There were perhaps 20 women there and Anita asked that I share my testimony...it was an awesome experience. I was able to share a little more thatn my testimony so it was very good. Today, I think we are going to be at a graduation of some sort...I am not sure. Nest week though will be very adventurous, we are going to go into the mountians to visit a missionary family. And a few other things that I will save to tell you later.I hope all is well there. We are doing very well. The kids have taken the busy lifestyle that we seem to lead here very well. A few of them had had mild stomach aches but Anita has been very good about pointing out which fruits will help that. And she and Joselito have been very careful about what we eat.God is doing so much here but there are still very many needs.Pray for these people. The kids and James are getting antsy...kayagama(see you later-in Quichua)
Bendiciones-
Heather and The Tribe

Whew...

Well, we made it!
I know I said that we would try to post everyday or at least every other day...I am so sorry that I haven´t been able to do that. We have limited access to the internet and have been very busy...it is good!So, I will now try to give a brief update :
The trip went very well, the 2 youngest boys got a bit fussy about 15 minutes before we landed in Quito...Praise the Lord!! The kids did wonderfully with everything thought they were very exhausted when we finally got to the casa. I wish I could post pictures of the house or apartment that they aquired for us...it is a wonderful blessing. Three bedrooms and 3 baths, fully furnished and owned by an indigenous family that lives below.
Friday was spent recupparating for the kids and I, but James went with Joselito to the Ecuadorian Baptist Seminary to watch Joselito trian indigenous pastors. It was a long day for him...8 hours at least. The kids and I spent the day with Anita and the kids(Joselito´s family). That evening when the guys got home we went grocery shopping... it is very interesting to try to shop in spanish...I mostly just guess and it usually turns out o.k.Then we went to eat and all of the kids were sitting very quietly...a man came up and asked if he could take their picture. He wanted to use it to show his grandson how to behave at the table! We all thought this was very funny and our two families got a good laugh about it!
I don´t know of I mentioned this before but Quito and the surrounding areas are beautiful. Quito is in a valley surrounded by mountians and volcanoes(yes, they are active:-). But the casa that we are staying in has a wonderful view of at least three volcanoes...the boys watch them every chance they get, just in case they have the chance to see lava or smoke! Not likely, but they keep watch anyway. The people here are so friendly. They love to talk and have been most fascinated with Judah. They ask to hold him and then walk off to show him to everyone that they know! The church we visited on Sunday was very funny about this...they passed him around and took turns taking pictures of him! He has taken it very well, though by the end of the day he is very tired and little cranky...it´s o.k.
Back to the events , Saturday we went to the center of the world. A very famous place for Ecuador called Mitad del Mundo, beautiful place. It is famous because it is 0 degrees Lattitude...look it up if you have the chance. Afterwards, we drove about 10 minutes to a dormant volcanoe crater that is about 5 miles wide and it is named Pulalagua(sp?). I cannot even describe it to you...and the pictures will not do it justice. But I will show them anyway when we are home. There are homes in this crater and ranches...amazing!
On Sunday we went to an indigenous church called Candelaria Baptist, it was a wonderful experience. The people were very nice and welcoming. We were able to see them sing a few songs in Quichua...very good.Sunday night was a bit different. We met with an IMB couple and went to a house church led by Haitians that have moved to Ecuador. It was an interesting experience. They were also very friendly though not quite as talkative as the native Ecuadorians. It was good though. Then we went to the M´s house to eat and discuss the work that the IMB is doing in this area.
Yeasterday was spent resting...it was much needed as we had been out everyday from about 10 in the morning until about 10 at night and we were very tired. The Orellano family(Joselito and Anita) came over last night to discuss the plans for the rest of the trip. The days are now filled for the next two weeks...it is good(a favorite saying here). We look forward to seeing what comes next.
We have been able to sing for the children in a bible study that Anita does on Fridays and we have sung for the children in the church, they love singing and loved to hear it in English. James and I will each have the oppurtunity to share our testimony in the next two weeks at two different events. James may have the chance to preach. We will be working in an orphanage. And visiting other M´s out in the countryside of Ecuador to see the work they are doing and help them with what ever they need. We will be doing quite a bit in the next few weeks...please pray for us and the kids.
If you are wondering how the kids like it...they love it here. They said the other night that they want to stay and not go home:-). As many of you know, this is sort of a confirmation for us concerning missions. They love being in another culture and have not had any difficulty adjusting...amazing. God is good.

I hope this was not so much that you got bored reading it! It is alot longer that I intended.I hope that we can post more often now that we have found an internet place that has something faster than dial up:-). Sorry if anything is mispelled but half of the keyletters are missing so I have to guess...it is good. Remember to leave comments , we love to hear from you!!

Bendiciones(blessings),
Heather and The Tribe