The Things We Have Learned

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!”