As our term
in Ecuador is coming to an end, we have begun to reflect on our time here. We
have been humbled and amazed by the many things that God has taught us. These
are just a few of the things we have learned.
To rely on God – When you are living in a culture
different than your own, far from your family and friends, your church, and
everything familiar, you are forced to rely on the one thing you know: God.
Being far away from our kids has been the most difficult part of living in this
culture. Most of the time there is nothing you can do but pray and trust God.
Through the difficult times, our faith was strengthened, as was our
relationship with Him. We have by no means reached the end of our learning in
this but we have come a long way on the journey.
There are many ways to do things – So often we, in North America,
think we are the only ones who know how to do things, or at least to do them
“right”. We have noted the differences in this culture, things that cause us to
think that we could show them how to do things better. People push ahead of you
in line, they play music so loud it hurts your ears, they litter, they drive in
a manner that we consider less than courteous, and the list goes on. However,
no one gets upset if someone pushes ahead of them. When the music in church is
so loud you can’t hear yourself or the person beside you singing, you see the
people clapping and moving to the music as they enthusiastically worship God.
Every day many people earn their living picking up the garbage that is dropped
on the sidewalk and in the street. Although one hears a fair number of horns
honking, we have never witnessed an instance of road rage. So who says our way
is the best way? We are thankful that the Ecuadorian people are kind and
tolerant of us and our differences.
A little bit of Spanish (and
how to bluff your way through if you don’t understand) – We have to admit,
we had hoped to know more Spanish by this time. But we are thankful for what we
have learned so far. There is a lot of Spanish in our heads somewhere. We just
have trouble getting the words out and in the correct order.
How to cross the street safely – We haven’t quite achieved mastery
in this but we have avoided any mishaps so far. There are still times when one
of us runs and the other waits, but we always arrive at our destination at the
same time.
You don’t have to have a hot water
tap in the kitchen –
Heating water to wash dishes is not convenient, but if you remember to put it
on at the beginning of the meal, it will be hot when you’re done. I’ve even
started washing dishes the Ecuadorian way, with cold water and a paste type
detergent (which is probably pure lye). Dave prefers to use hot water. Either
way, it can be done. It’s kind of like camping.
You can get almost anyone to smile – Since we walk the same route to
school and back at the same times every day, we meet some of the same people
every day. We have made a game of trying to see how many of the familiar faces
we can get to smile and say “Buenos Dias”. Some have taken longer than others,
but we now have quite a few people saying good morning to us along the way to
school.
Bull Fights are not as glamorous as
you might think – We
had the opportunity to go to a bull fight at the agricultural fair at
Gonzanama, a small town near Loja, where some of our SIM team are located. I’m
not sure what we imagined, but reality was quite different. We knew it was
going to be a fight to the death (for the bull that is) but we weren’t prepared
for the suffering of the bull before it was put to death. When the bullfighter
raised his arms in triumph over the dead bull, we were not as enthusiastic in
our applause as the rest of the audience. Our applause became less enthusiastic
with each fight; there were four in total. The matadors and their dancing
horses were impressive and that was the part we enjoyed the most. We chalked it
all up to a cultural experience – one that we won’t have to repeat.
God is not limited by our limitations – Before coming to Ecuador and even
while we were first here, we were reluctant to accept the title of missionary. We
were just teachers, not “real” missionaries. But we learned that God uses many
people, in many different ways. Who would have thought that speaking English,
something we just do, could be a ministry? God has made us more aware of the
opportunities He has placed before us and we are certain that if we are
willing, He will continue to use us, wherever He leads us. Now, when we’re
asked if we are missionaries, we confidently answer, “Yes!”
