Monday, September 24, 2007

Album Links

If you want to see some sweet pictures, click below

Album 1

Album 2

Album 3

Also, tomorrow we depart for the Amazon jungle...


Hebrews 4:15-16
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Likes and Dislikes of Living in Ecuador


Likes:
1. Big bottles of yogurt for $1.35 --I love yogurt
2. Living in big city
3. My classes (because they are easy, and not my job)
4. Getting 8-10 hours of sleep a night
5. Real fruit juice at every meal
6. Stray dogs everywhere (reminds me of Max the ugly campus dog at Taylor)
7. Hanging out with the other Taylor students
8. The family I’m staying with here
9. Mountains
10. The fact that you can buy a cat for $3 (not that I’m gonna get one, but the fact that I can intrigues me)
11. Independence
12. 12 cents a minute international calling
13. Feeling adjusted and comfortable
14. Having Tuesday and Thursday mornings free (starting October)
15. Learning a lot about culture and life down here
16. Being called a gringo every so often (or even gringito, which means little white guy but ‘ito’ is added a lot when talking about people you know and like)
17. Hopefully a trip to the Galapagos islands (Heather if you are reading this we all want to go bad!)
18. Having a maid make your bed, do your laundry, and prepare your food
19. Walking to work because it gives me time to think, pray, listen to music, exercise
20. The verse John 15:5,--- "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.---which is quite a comforting promise. We don’t need to worry about making a difference, just stay connected to Jesus and we will!
21-25. LLAMAS BABY!


Dislikes (not for the sake of complaining, just giving a real sense of life here and for laughs):
1. Sparse and SLOW internet (I’ve been trying to upload a bunch of pics to facebook for about 10 days now but it never works, rats)
2. Not always being able to say what I want
3. Sick bus smells
4. Traveling to work/school a lot everyday
5. Poop on the sidewalks from all of the stray dogs (see 6 in likes)
6. Stepping in poop mentioned above
7. Giving the guy on the bus a dollar bill and getting all dimes back
8. The 15 bus stopping at 6:30 so to get to church or Josiah’s house we have to walk or take a cab
9. Different keyboard configuration at work (I try and save something and it underlines stuff)
10. Not being able to watch the Cubs miss the playoffs (lets be honest with ourselves and if I accept defeat already then it won’t hurt as bad when it happens. I reserve this way of thinking only for the Cubs, because anything else and you have some problems)
11. Missing friends and family from home
12. My practicum. I hope and pray that it will move to the likes but so far it’s really boring. I feel like pulling my hair out sitting in front of a computer all day and typing with cold fingers, which leads to 13.
13. I feel like my fingers are always cold. It’s either
a. don’t wash my hands after the bathroom and have dirty hands, the number 1 way to get sick, which I don’t want
Or
b. Wash my hands with freezing water (because not every faucet has warm water) and have cold hands for hours on end.
If only I had some gloves made out of authentic llama fur to keep me warm, or maybe if someone could snag me one of those hand dryers from a gas station bathroom and FedEx it to me, I would be eternally grateful
14. Carrying my wallet in my front pocket (lots of pickpocketers want to steal from a nice-dressed gringo, heck I would….jk)
15. That dang guy selling sunglasses by the bank. I make one comment on how I like his old school-early 90’s Chicago Bulls jacket and he chases me down the street trying to sell me sunglasses. I guess nice guys do finish last, or at least running from sunglass vendors.



A couple sweet truths to leave you all with:

God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.
2 Timothy 1:7

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Saturday, September 15, 2007

What I've been learning

Some things I’ve been learning is that I shouldn’t but limits on my relationship with God like saying to myself, “I have already prayed and read my Bible today, so I can do whatever I want now”. When in reality I should be seeking after a closer relationship and loving God with “all my heart, soul, mind, and strength (the 1st and GREATEST commandment, Matthew 22:37). When you want a closer relationship with a friend what do you do? Spend less time conversing with them and do things that annoy them? No, the exact opposite.
Another thing that I’ve been learning is how empty everything except things of God is. The other Taylor students and I have gone into a few DVD shops to look around. In my opinion, there is so much trash that anything in the whole store just seems dirty to me. Honestly if you think about it, 99% of movies have nothing to with God or truth, and if they do they are usually mocking God. One reason I don’t watch many movies anymore is that they can’t really do anything for me except bring me farther from God-- even if it is a movie that “isn’t bad”. Do I not watch many movies because of legalism? No, I don’t watch many movies because I have something infinitely better to fix my attention, praise, and money on.
Starting at the end of last school year, I have been really into the Christian music artist Keith Green. His music itself is pretty cool, but his lyrics are what really attract me to him. Many of the songs are just honest heartfelt passionate prayers to the Lord. I am also reading his biography called “No Compromise” which is a sweet book. It has taught me a lot about compromising our faith for the world and not letting our lights shine. There are songs called “You Love the World (And You’re Avoiding Me)” a song about how many Christians love worldly stuff like magazines and TV more than the Lord, and another one called “Asleep in the Light” about how many Christians forget the “Great Commission” part of the Christian life and just live for themselves. My favorite Keith Green song is called “If You Love the Lord” and just talks about how our hearts need to be before God.
Another thing I’ve been learning is that Christians need to have a heart for the lost. I feel like in this world it is easier to have a heart for the TV show LOST than the people who are going to spend eternity in Hell if Christians don’t reach out to them. Charles Spurgeon the famous Christian dude said something like this, “If you don’t care about the salvation of the unsaved, then you are not saved yourself”. I’m not calling that Biblical truth or anything, but if Christ is truly so important and great (which I believe he is and the Bible says he is), then why don’t many Christians care about the salvation of non-Christians? Could it be because they aren’t seeking Him? Not to say I’m perfect, I’m not and that’s why God is teaching me about how we need to care about the unsaved and how we need to pray for a heart for them.

The Fam´s Comin and much more

Since this blog is another long one, here’s a table of contents:
1. The Fam’s a Coming!
2. Spanish
3. Luis my boss
4. What I’ve been Learning (limits, movies, Keith Green, LOST)
5. Cultural Differences
6. Letter to EHabs about Spanish class, car, PHP credit for walking
7. Daytona
8. Man bag
9. Funny happenings (dog, rock, corn) + Links you need to check out
10. Coming soon…video
11.


1. My Ecuadorian family is headin’ to Taylor. I believe there was an email sent to all TU students about it, and my family is the first one on the attachment on the email. They are really cool so if you see them tell them you’re my friend and give them a shout out for me. Since they are gone, I moved back into the house I was in for the first week I was here which has its perks. If I wanted to, I could get to work in 15 minutes or so by walking a little and taking a bus. Yesterday I walked and it took 30 minutes but that’s a good time for me to just think and pray and enjoy myself.

2. I feel like I can communicate most of the things I want to say with people which is sweet to be learning another skill. A good handful of people have told me that I speak really well for a gringo (a white dude). That pleases me to hear, but still I know I have a lot of learning and practicing to do.

3. The other day after a few meetings I had with my boss we were driving and got to talking about the church I go to here. I asked him if he went to church and he said he was a basically a non-practicing catholic. He said that he thought he was fine if he didn’t kill anybody or steal. If that’s were true, then why would Jesus have come? Only for Him to die for the sins of thieves and murderers? I guess that we are all essentially thieves and murderers anyway, because the Bible says that if you break one of the ten commandments you have broken them all, and that anyone who is angry with his brother is worthy of judgment (Matthew 5:22).
So if you guys could please pray for me and my relationship with my boss that would be excellent. This Monday I am driving out to a milk factory with him and will have hours in a car together, so pray that God would give me words.

4. This section about what I learned is long, so its on another entry. I guess thats good!


5. Cultural differences between Ecuador and the US: greetings involve kissing on the cheek, prices (a meal on the street is usually $1, real restaurants are more expensive, gas is $1.50/gallon, electronics are a lot more expensive (because they have to import them); and it is common to see a farmer dude walking across a busy street with a dozen goats.


6. All of the students here feel like we should get more than 3 Spanish credits because we live in a Spanish speaking culture. Jordan and I go to Spanish class 4 hours a week, and everyone else has 6. We also think that the Taylor students should have a car down here because taking the bus and taxis can be annoying. And lastly we think we should get a PHP credit for walking because we walk a ton! So we were joking about writing a letter to EHabs (President Dr. Eugene Habecker) and seeing if he could pull some strings.


7. Looks like I’m going to lead the Daytona Beach missions trip this year. I’m pretty jazzed for this opportunity and I know God will do great things for us and through us once again.


8. Everyday I carry my computer bag with me (usually w/o my computer) and I have enjoyed parts of it. It’s nice to always have chapstick, an umbrella, my digital camera, my toothbrush, a map of Cuenca, and a flashlight. I noticed that one of our male tour guides carried a little purse type thing, which I assume came in handy. But does this entice me to always carry a bag with my necessities? Heck no. I would rather be lost, have chapped lips, dirty teeth, be wet and in the dark then carry a “man bag”. Sorry I just had to get that out.


9. Funny stories: Josiah’s family (the Borjas) I guess had a dog named Pepe. One day Pepe got hit by a car and died. Something interesting about the Borja house is that they are on a cliff and about 3 or 4 stories down behind their house there is a river. So I guess instead of burying dead pets some people just throw animals in the river. Josiah told me that they threw their dead dog all the way down from their house into the river (like I said 3 or 4 stories), and instead of the dog getting washed away with the current it hit its head on a rock and stayed put. Inside joke: That makes Scooby Doo seem like nothing!
Awkward story: I was walking home from work there was a rock about half the size of a baseball that I accidentally kicked (I didn’t see it) and went right into the door of a parked car. I said to myself, “Thank God that there is nobody in the car”. Then I walked past the car and there was definitely a girl probably around my age staring right at me. There was no dent so I did my Jefferson Perez impression (Jefferson Perez is the national hero in Ecuador for being the world’s fastest speed walker, cool huh we have Michael Jordan a basketball player and they have some guy who can walk fast.).
We also learned about corn for about 10 minutes in my culture class and thought it was ironic that being at Taylor two years with all the corn around us I never learned anything about corn.

Funny links:
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/2007-09-11-alex-parrot-death_N.htm?csp=34
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id=481601&in_page_id=1811

10. I might make a short video about my typical day here, so be looking at the blog or my facebook if you want to see it.
That’s all hope you’re all doing well.

Psalms 37:4 “Delight yourself in the LORD
and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

Monday, September 10, 2007

Part 2 (The Real Deal)----LONG sorry

Blog 2

This past week is the first real week here. I started my practicum and my Spanish and Ecuadorian culture classes. My Spanish is getting better and my boss is a little easier to understand. The first few days he had me scour the internet (sounds cooler than Google) to find electronic comment cards (like electronic surveys) and also technology that tracks the electronic flow of customers in a store. My company is a Consulting company, so other companies come to us and ask us to help them improve their customer service or find out more information about their customers and we give them options like these products. Then I made a presentation about the comment cards for presentation to the heads of the company. I work for Advance Consultora (http://advance.ec/) on Mondays Wednesdays and Fridays and do whatever busy work my boss gives me. My boss gave me some information about some products and told me to read up on them and see how good they were. The problem was that all of the information sheets and pamphlets were in Portugese, which is very similar to Spanish, but not enough for me to read something and understand much. I felt like Josiah who’s also from Taylor came to Ecuador not knowing a word of Spanish.
Something different about Ecuador (and probably all of Latin America) is that just about every building has a security system. The first day I was at work they gave me my code to put in and my password (because after someone disarms the alarm a guy calls us and asks for a password). The next day at work I was the first to arrive (because everybody is late for everything here) and when I got in, I put my code in and waited for a phone call but the alarm was going crazy, I probably woke up the whole block. And then the phone call came, but since the alarm was so loud and I couldn’t understand the guy’s Spanish, so I felt a little helpless until one of my coworkers came five minutes later.
Random story; last weekend my family and I went out to eat and I ordered chicken. The soup that came with it had a strange vegetable in it and I cut it up and tried a bite. It turns out this vegetable was a chicken foot that is supposed to add flavor. So I spit out the bones and decided I was done with that soup for the day.
To get to my job, I have to walk down to the street about ten minutes to be able to catch the #3 bus and then walk a half block to catch the #16 and then walk about ten more minutes around the stadium to get to my job. Overall it takes about 45 minutes which I don’t mind too much. Since everyone goes home for lunch in Cuenca, my lunch is 2 hours long; 1-3pm. I usually get home about 1:30 and then eat, and now if I have to take the bus back I would have to leave at about 2:15, meaning my lunch break is 62.5% traveling. It would be different if I had a car (or a moped) but that is not going to happen.
My Tuesday and Thursdays have an Ecuadorian culture class in the morning and then Spanish class in the afternoon. My culture class consists of 4 people, Josiah, Jordan, and a sweet dude from Florida Atlantic University. My Spanish class is just Jordan and myself, taught by Jordan’s host mom.
I really enjoy my family down here. My “mom” and “dad” are really nice and hospitable. My little sister Carolina (11) are getting to know each other a little more, but we haven’t had much time together without her parents around so it’s a little hard to get to know her. We have meals together and after dinner we usually sit around the table talking about our days or just joking around.
The group I’m with just started having a small group time together on Thursdays. This Thursday it was a good time to just vent in English what’s going on and what we like/dislike about the experience. I think I can speak for all of us when I say that living in a big city (roughly 200+ Uplands) is fun. Walking around downtown and enjoying the culture and differences is sweet. Then we got to talking about the Bible and that we know that we are each here for a reason and then started talking about our favorite Psalms. One of my favorite Psalms is 103, which says,
“For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us” (verses 11 and 12). Notable mentions are 22 (all about Jesus), 73, 91, 119—“the beast” as I call it, and 121 to name a few. I definitely was running a little spiritually dry without fellowship for a couple of weeks or so.
One thing that I am trying to do is to live “fully here”. What I mean by that is to not let my feelings of missing home and Taylor take away from the amazing situation God has placed me in and to “make the most of every opportunity” (Colossians 4:5). Today is the first real Saturday I’ve had with basically nothing, so I am taking this time to catch up on this blog, reading, prayer, and sleep.
We get to go on a trip or two while we’re down here and I’m really hoping that a trip to the Galapagos Islands is one of them. I’ve heard it called “the modern day Garden of Eden” because of the amazing variety of animals and plant life. We don’t know for sure if that’s going to happen though.
Sorry this thing is really long but there’s a lot of stuff that I want to say.
Lastly, I am praying about possibly leading the Daytona Beach Spring Break Missions trip this year. I’ve gone the past two years and have learned so much from sharing my faith on those trips. Pros about the trip: cheap for a missions trip (less than $900 and the $ is raised anyway), we’re in Florida, the group is always really fun, and we get to share the love of Christ with fellow Americans (which really practical for everyday of life).
Thanks for your prayers,

Kevin