Livin' my life on the farm

Ecuador day 5

Church was held in Babahoyo. There were 6 or 7 different churches there. The individual churches had been doing church where the children were involved the past few weeks and this week the children did the whole church service. So the kids were very involved. It was really long, but that was because every church had a special music or skit. A 13 year old boy had the sermon. He has been preaching since he was 5! He was real good. He Talked about having cataracts in our spiritual life. After the sermon the kid had an alter call. 8 kids came up. They were all young, 6-8yo. We thought it looked like they were being pushed by their parents to go up. That didn’t sit to well with some of us.  But we later found out that they had been doing bible studies for 3 months and were just nervous about going up in front of all the people. =)

2 of our staff singing special music at church. Cristy-anne sang in english and Gabe sang in Spanish. Vlad was holding the mic. haha

After the service we went to a church that had a baptismal tank, but some one forgot to fill it, opps haha, so we went down to the river for the baptisms. The kids would run in get dunked and run out. They were afraid of getting leaches and  it was also really scurvy looking. It was kinda funny. 

Lunch was right after, haystacks. I was like yay! I love haystacks. But no, it was all salad stuff with Doritos, yeah. No offence to you green lovers, but eww.

We went down to a river afterwards. Steve didn’t tell us we would be hiking a mile through Ecuadorian forsest to get there. Most of us girls were wearing flip flops. Two of us our flip flops broke from getting stuck in the mud. Akk! I don’t think I would have wanted to be wearing my tennis shoes either. Some places there was mud ankle deep we were walking through. When we got down to the river, not the same one as before this one was much cleaner you could see right to the bottom, it was obvious it was worth the hike. =D It was so pretty! Every one was being careful not to fall in. haha right. There was a couple of us trying to find a place to walk across the river that was not too deep. I found a spot that went just above my knees and walked across. I got a few splashes on my shorts nothing that wouldn’t dry in a few minutes. There were a few others that didn’t think that they could make it across so I walked back. Just as I was getting back I stepped on a big flat rock that was just under the surface. And there went my dry shorts. I slipped on that rock and landed on my bottom, belly button deep in river water. Everyone was laughing. =p  We went farther down stream and found sorta a rock dam. It was a bunch of wabblely rocks stacked up less the a foot wide spanning the 20 foot river. It was waist deep on one side and jagged rocks on the other. Much safer. Um hm. So they thought. There was 4 of us crossing. 2 went across and made it fine. I headed across and made it loosing my footing only once, but it was only knee deep where I slipped. The last guy headed across when he got about half way across he tossed me his camera and shoes. He didn’t make it across dry. Haha Good thing I had his stuff.

 A picture of the river.

When we left some local people gave us some sugar cane and tangerines. The sugar cane was so good! Something different down there, you know how when we get oranges or tangerines they are nice and orange in color? Down there they are all green, but they are as ripe as can be…. Just something I noticed.

After the sun went down,6:30ish, Julio took us to the area hang out. It was like 15 minutes by bus, which was what we took. It was interesting. They cram as many people on the bus as they can. Just when your thinking not possibly one more person could fit they would pick up 10 more. Then some cross dressers got on the bus and were flirting with some of our guys. Haha They about died.

When we got to the place, a basket ball court and a basketball court turned into a soccer field, about 5 of us girls wanted to play soccer. The local guys said we’d get hurt and wouldn’t play. A few of the shorter locals played with us and every time one of us girls would get the ball the locals watching would all OooOOoo and laugh at the guys. One time I stopped the ball but it popped off my shoe and hit one of the local guys in the face. It didn’t hurt him, but man, the rest of the night the locals were all banging on him on how a girl got him. Hahaha After the game I walked over to the basketball court to watch them play. (when we’d play, soccer and basketball, we’d have a team of our people and a team of locals.) All the local girls were over on that side watching because some of our guys took off their shirts when they were playing. *rolls eyes* Some local girls came up to me and told me I was so tall! hahaha I'm only 5'7 but compaired to them I was a good 5 inches taller. It wasn't all that great watching the basketball so I went back over to the soccer field and sat with a group of our people. Around 9:30 a van came and picked up a group of us. I was in the first load. Our driver didn’t speak English, we were trying to tell him to change the radio station. We had 2 teens that could translate but they were being doofy and pertending they couldn’t speak Spanish. Lol  When he figured out what we were saying he started changing the channels. He would change to all the really really slow music and pertend he liked it then change it for to a station with a good beat for like half the song then change it back to the slow station. Hahaha It was so funny. Every one in the van was yelling at him and he was yelling back and we were laughing so hard cause no one knew what the other was saying. Ah good times.

When we got back we stayed up talking till the other group got back then Steve sent us off to bed.

Early!

{ 6:39, Wednesday, August 29 } { Posted by countrygalu }

WOW, 6am,what time do you usually have to get up, 6 am is early to me. Very interesting shower, it is amazing, what we have, and then we we go to a foreign country and look at the stuff they have to live with every day, it is sad, I could not imagine taking a shower every day in a bamboo shower or sleeping on a cot every day, but to them if they have those things, it is like they are rich. We are soooo lucky, that we live in a free nation!

Makayla

P.S Every one should be proud of you, you are doing an awesome thing, that most people wouldn't dream of doing.