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Published: July 11th 2009
Dear friends,
It´s 23.30hrs in Guayaquil, Ecuador which means that we´ve come to the end of our first week here on mission. It´s been very enjoyable and also really tiring but we´ve achieved a lot and have learned many things, as we discussed in our team debriefing session this evening.
After clearing the land at Valle de la Flor on Tuesday, Wendy, Lorna, Oli and Lidia have returned on Wednesday afternoon to teach the local women how to make Wendy´s now intercontinentally renowned "sock monkeys"! It was an enjoyable afternoon for both groups of women and friendships were formed while a new, constructive trade was taught and learned. The hope is that these monkeys, which are relatively cheap and easy to make, will be sold by the women in the area of Valle de la Flor.
On Wednesday evening the girls once again returned to Valle de la Flor, this time with the boys in tow (the boys had spent the afternoon buying muchas paintas and preparing a fine dinner of exotically seasoned guinea pig with arroz and fresh fruit salad for dessert!). The church group, which currently meets in a local lady´s house, will soon meet in a new church building on the piece of land we cleared on Tuesday. We organised the programme for the meeting; lots of Spanish songs with Mike sharing his testimony, Olive, Lorna and Wendy orchestrating the modern dramatic representation of the lost sheep/coin parables (Luke 15) and Richard speaking on this passage - all wonderfully translated and held together by Lidia!.... All-in-all great team-effort, typifying our first 7 days together in Ecuador.
Today we split into 2 groups of 3 and took charge of 2 different PEPE groups in Los Vergeles and Le Recreo - like Christian playgroups for kids whose parents can´t afford to send them to private nurseries. A more detailed report of how we got on will follow tomorrow.
Hope you´re all well back home.
Thanks for your prayers.
Love from The Team x x
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Angela Workman
non-member comment
End of week 1
The time does seem to be going fairly quickly but you are fitting a lot in. Once you are all back from your various travels you will have to hold a post-trip evening and show us the mimes and roleplays which sound so exciting, not to mention all the photos and stories. How are you all sleeping? Is is hot and humid during the night. It is much cooler here now during the night. Nice and sunny during the day. In fact, Scotland has the best of the weather in the UK today:Saturday - that must be because of the Test cricket in Cardiff!! I do feel a bit sorry for the guinea pigs but then maybe the Ecuadorians feel sorry for chickens! Did it taste like chicken? It really is wonderful about the 'sock monkeys'. So simple yet can bring much needed income for families+self-esteem that they can earn money. Have you come across any 'Compassion' workers? I support a child in India through that organisation and I know they have workers and projects in Ecuador. I came across Ps 139 v's 7 - 12 and thought I would share them with you. All for now except much love to you all, Angela.