Thursday, 11 December 2014

From the Rockies to the Smokies to the Rockies to the Andes (again)



No, we have not fallen off the face of the earth. We have been preoccupied, busy, and short on inspiration! The longer you procrastinate, the more difficult the task becomes. Where to begin? As I recall, we promised the next post would be about guesthouse management at SIM USA in Charlotte, North Carolina. That was quite some time ago. Suffice it to say that guesthouse management demands most of your time, twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. It was a busy, yet very rewarding time and we are so thankful for the experiences we had there.


Our calendar with colour-coded sticky notes to keep track of comings and goings at the guesthouse

After six months at SIM USA we returned home to Edmonton in July. We had a great summer with our kids and granddaughter and it flew by much too quickly. While we were still in Charlotte we had decided to return to Ecuador for another school year. We had about six weeks to do everything that needs to be done in order to leave the country again.

So now we are once again living in the beautiful Andes Mountains, teaching MKs, helping with English ministry and trying to learn Spanish. We feel comfortable in our role as teachers again and really enjoy our eight students (three more than last time!). Even though learning Spanish is a source of frustration for us, we have enjoyed our lessons. 

Since, as the saying goes, "a picture is worth a thousand words" we have few words but hope that you can get an idea of what we do and where we are from these pictures. 


Iguana Park in Guayaquil 
Sightseeing in Guayaquil before returning to Loja


 The house we live in
Our purchases from the Saturday Market


A parade on the way home one day

A field trip to the Loja Zoo



Hiking with friends in Podocarpus National Park
A walk through the park near our house
      

A Saturday outing with the English Club

Another parade - celebrating Loja's Independence

Christmas in the Square, with a Disney theme! 
We want to thank you for your continued prayer support and we wish you all the very best this Christmas as you celebrate with family and friends.