Misahualli.

Last Thursday we went to the jungle, also known as the Oriente, for the first time. We rented our own bus for the occasion, which was super nice considering the trip takes about six hours. The roads are so winding--literally, the bus never went straight the entire time. We were always curving around the mountains, and we were going fast! The drive was breathtaking, though--everywhere I've been in Ecuador is beautiful. The mountains are huge and green, and every so often you can see a waterfall or a river. The area was increasingly remote the farther we got out of Quito. Many times I saw a tiny house on the side of the mountain, with no other civilization in sight. It was incredible.

Once we got to the jungle region, the poverty was notably worse, or at least more visible, than in Quito. Most homes out there are made of wood and have rusty tin roofs. They appear to have about one to three rooms, and all have laundry hanging outside (which is super common in Quito as well). I've heard that many of the children living in this part of Ecuador do not have food or clean water, and that many are indigenous. 

Once we arrived at our hotel, we were treated to the first of several delicious meals. Our first dinner included llapingachos, which are like fried potato cakes and are so good. That evening we went for a short walk to see the tiny of of Misahualli, which didn't take long! Monkeys in the Oriente are like squirrels in the U.S., so we had quite a good time watching their antics in the town plaza. 

The next morning we got up bright and early to see the campus of the mission school we're serving. This school was started about three years ago by two Ecuadorians who actually met and married in the U.S. Air Force. After their time in the military was complete, they felt that God was calling them to leave their cushy, secure lives to return to Ecuador. Although Roberto and Charmai are from Quito, they felt led to move to the jungle--something no Ecuadorian really wants to do! The area is extremely remote and lacks most of the resources you find in the more developed areas. Nevertheless, Roberto and Charmai showed up to start a school while they had no training in education themselves. By age 22, Charmai had adopted nine children! Anyway, now they have this school so that jungle children have a more viable chance at becoming educated. It's a very cool ministry. We spent the morning running a VBS for the kids, which was quite similar to the VBS activities you'd do in the states, just in a different language. That afternoon we went to the community soccer field to play games with the local children. Overall, it was a fun (and exhausting) day for all of us. 



Next installment coming soon!