The Group From Plano, Texas - A Perspective

Tabi (my daughter), Perla (my granddaughter by a son), and I went to meet the group on Tuesday morning.  After the FEDICE meeting, and lunch, we all got on the bus to go to the community centers where we would be working.  The first thing that impressed me was the drive up to the community.  As the bus swayed back and forth on the cobblestone road, I looked down on my side of road into the deep ravine immediately to the right of the road.  It strengthened my faith right there….I was praying the whole time that driver knew what he was doing and the bus wouldn't fall into the ravine.  Later on, I found out there were ravines on both sides, and the driver had to carefully miss the larger rocks and the steep gullies.

First we went up to the Methodist church to see where we would be setting up the first eye clinic, where I would be working as a translator.  The view from the church porch was fantastic, over the blue San Pablo Lake and the volcano of Imbabura to the right.  Next we went back down the mountain to the new Children's center, which was built in front of the old center where the Medical clinic was to be set up.  Perla and Tabi would be translating for the medical clinic, each in one room, with the doctor going back and forth between the two rooms.

The rest of the group would be working on painting the new infant center to get it ready for the children this year. 

Eyeglass Inventory

The next day, we worked quickly to get the eye clinic set up, the glasses put in order on the tables, the eye charts set up, and the distance measured.  I spent that first day going between the front desk, the back where the glasses were, and the middle room where the machine for looking into the eyes was set up.  The work was constant but gratifying, to see people who couldn't afford glasses leave the clinic with glasses adequate to their needs.  There were big smiles on their faces, and grateful hearts….many wanted to shake all our hands in gratitude.  At the end of the day, we had to take everything down, because the next day we would be in the government center of the town on Gonzalez Suarez, at the foot of the mountain.

The group decided to not go back to the hotel for lunch, as it was taking too much time, so we took snacks for lunch the next day.  We got set up as quickly as possible in the government offices, and I spent most of my time that day with people who only needed reading glasses.  When we had some people who didn't know how to read come in, I decided that we needed some other method for seeing if the glasses were going to work, so we got a needle and thread, and if they could thread the needle, then the glasses would work for them.

Lisa Working With Mother And Child

The next day, we set up the eye clinic in a house above the Children's center, so we were very limited in space, with only two rooms.  It seems the word had gotten round that we were there, so we had more people than we could possibly attend to that day.  We also had some three-way translation going on there, as we were working with people who did not even speak Spanish, so we had a couple of people translate from Quechua to Spanish, then Spanish to English, back to Spanish, and then back to Quechua.  We used the needle and thread a lot that day. 

Every day, we saw almost 100 people, and I'm sure that about three fourths were given a pair of glasses, even if they were just reading glasses to help tired eyes.  The people were very grateful, and are waiting for the next clinic.

From my point of view, the work group was a great success, and we are looking forward to working with the people from Plano FCC again.

Lisa Renz, FEDICE volunteer

Pijal Experience - A perspective

My first encounter with the mission group from Plano, Texas, was when they were having breakfast in the hotel in Otavalo. Blanca presented me as the German girl who would do the translations for them. Some of them looked at me skeptically. A German translating from Spanish to English?

However, after very little time, we came to see that we did not only understand each other's language, but also our hearts were the same. Needless to say, there were some misunderstandings: Our English might have been the same, but our accents were quite different and although our cultures were similar, the German perfectionism seemed really strange to US Americans.


On the first day we went to Pijal to see “our” community the first time. We also met Encarnación, our boss in Pijal, and many other people of the community like the evangelical pastor of community. For the US people it was a long event, but for those accustomed to Ecuadorian events it seemed rather short.

Ronnie And Paul Helping Patient

The next morning we went to the eye clinic to start our first day of work. We all had a specific role: Silveria, Lisa and I were the translators, Mary the queen of the glasses and Mark the king of the computer. Rebecca and Jenni were the receptionists, Paul was the person to go to with every kind of problem, and Jessica, Corey, Ronnie and Chet the fitters of the glasses. Besides, there were a lot of other things we had to do like find the perfect glasses for everybody, put eye drops in the patient’s eyes, or calm down the young girls who thought that wearing a pair of glasses meant the end of the world.

The work was very interesting and in the course of time we thought of other ways to optimize our work. We decided to eat at the places we worked (we were the vagabonds of the group as we always had to move to a different place each day) to have more time for the patients.  Moreover, at the end of the week I was seated between two fitters to translate for both of them at the same time. For the women who were not able to read, Lisa had a very good idea: We organized a needle and a thread for them to try out their glasses by doing their traditional work, sewing.

The mission group from Plano did a very good job and the people also learned a few phrases of Spanish and found other very creative ways to communicate with the people from Pijal. Still, Lisa and I weren't superfluous: We were not only translating languages, but also cultures. How could anyone of the group know that for many people there is a difference between adios and chao, or that in the indigenous communities many boys have braids?

Isabelle At Laguna Quilotoa

On the last day of work everyone was a bit stressed out. The place wasn't perfect, there were too many people waiting to be attended by us, and after work some of us were witnessing a small drama outside of our clinic. A totally dehydrated woman needed the help of our doctor Jan. It seemed that she only drank a little bit of water over the last several days, but took too many Ibuprofen pills. With the medical help of Jan and Hailey, the explanations of some women of the community, and my translations, we brought her with Marilyn's car to her husband so that he could take care of her and give her water on a regular basis. Maybe we couldn't take part in the closing events, but we did what we came for: serve the people who need us.

It was fun spending time with the group because of their kindness and the different characters: Some of them were funny like Doug, merry like Silveria, or flirts (especially with the little girls) like Corey. We'll see how many hearts this one took with him to the United States. ;-)  I don't think I'll ever forget my time with them and I'm sure that not only the people from Pijal profited from us, but also we from them. Therefore, I hope that we will all meet again in two years, working together in order to further improve life in the communities of Ecuador.

Isabelle Tyrasa

FCC Plano Continues Work In Pijal Centro

On Thursday, FCC Plano continued its work in the community of Pijal.  "Pijal" was pretty spread out among the mountains.  The area consisted of numerous villages, with a total population of about 4,000 people.  The focus of this mission trip from FCC Plano was Pijal Centro, which had a population of 2,200 people.

Day 2 - August 8th

Linda Taking Vitals At Med Clinic

Mural Drawn By Jeff

As they did on Wednesday, FCC Plano continued construction of the new preschool center, served medical needs, served optometry needs, and taught a Vacation Bible School in the afternoon.  (Well, some actually worked most of the morning for VBS.  They were busy tracing and cutting out 60 whales to be used in conjunction with the afternoon Bible lesson of Jonah and the Whale.)

The eye clinic was in a different location from the previous day.  It was held in a building in Gonzalez Suarez that houses government offices and other agencies.  The team especially liked this location because it facilitated flow much more easily.

Pastor Doug With A Myriad Of Eyeglasses

After check-in and a period of waiting, the process in the eye clinic was interesting.  First, a chart was shown to the patient.  It was a standard eye chart, but not the one with letters and numbers.  They used the one with “E”’s facing different ways.  If a patient passed this test, he or she was free to leave.  If not, they were measured by a refractor brought by the team.  Children were handled differently.  They had their eyes dilated and tested.

It was sometimes a challenge to explain why a young person's eyes had to be dilated and they couldn't see well for a couple of hours.  Understandably, that was a little scary for the person undergoing such a procedure.  It was explained that young people's eyes needed to be dilated because their eyes adjusted too quickly to get adequate measurements.  Thus, the dilation was needed to turn their eyes into "old eyes" temporarily.

Jenni Doing Intake At The Eye Clinic

The refractor measurements were input into a special computer program written by two ophthalmologists and an engineer.  This program took the measurements and put them into a prescription.  Further, it matched the prescription to one of the 4,100 pairs of donated eyeglasses brought by the team.  These eyeglasses were arranged by prescription, so the program also gave the team the location of the needed eyeglasses.  It then removed the particular pair of eyeglasses from its inventory list.

Ronnie And Paul Fitting Eyeglasses

Finally, members of the team would work with the patients to make sure they received the correct pair of eyeglasses which were comfortably fitted to the head.  As mentioned in the previous post, this was done by testing the person's reading.  If they couldn't read, the test was ingeniously conducted by seeing if the person could thread the eye of a needle in good light.  The thread was never as big as a camel, though it may have been if Pastor Doug had had his eyes checked, especially if Shari, the number one jokester in the group, had been the one doing the checking.

FEDICE usually works with community groups.  However, Brooke's father donated $1,000 for the aid of an individual family or person.  Before FCC Plano arrived, FEDICE asked the Pijal community to identify a member of the community who especially needed help.  They identified Cecilia, a single mother of four.  She is also disabled, though it's not immediately apparent.

Cecilia And Her Children

Cecilia has been living in her mother and father's house with her children in a small space under the stairs.  However, the parents were ready for her to move out and she really had nowhere to go.  Another $4,700 was donated because it was decided that the community could build Cecilia and her children a simple two bedroom one bathroom house.

On Thursday morning FCC Plano helped move cinder blocks and other construction materials into position to construct Cecilia's house in a symbolic gesture to show the construction would soon be taking place.  The community says they should be able to finish the house within a month.  All they lacked was the money for materials and now they have that.  It was a very emotional scene, as Cecilia repeatedly thanked the group for their generosity and kindness.

Part of the FEDICE team had been working in a partnership with an organization called Bridging Cultures since Saturday.  Their work was in an African-Ecuadorian community called Pusir Grande about two hours north of where FCC Plano was working in Pijal.  After finishing their work, they stopped in Pijal on the way back to the airport to see the work going on there.  They were very impressed with all facets, especially the VBS.  Allison, especially, was a wonderful teacher and really had a gift for making the Bible stories the team taught come alive theatrically.

The Bible story on Thursday afternoon was Jonah and the Whale.  Allison went around begging, borrowing, or stealing rugs and other materials to drape across the church pews to make a whale belly.  This helped graphically illustrated the story for the children.  Each of the children entered the whale belly as Jonah, to their delight.

Children (And Adults) Doing Crafts

After the Bible story, all the children went downstairs to work on crafts.  The first craft was to decorate a simple canvas backpack the team had brought for each child.  The number of children attending VBS Thursday had swelled from 36 at the end of Wednesday's session to 55, so it was good the team had the foresight to bring backpacks for a large number of kids.  They decorated their backpacks with their names, outlines of their hands, etc., and the phrase, "Jesús me cuida." (Jesus cares for me.)  They also decorated their cut-out whales with, "Dios me cuida," (God cares for me) among other things.

After VBS, the children were taken to the soccer field to play games.  Some children ran and played games such as a version of tag.  One game was played with a parachute.  Children held the edges all around the parachute and several balls were placed in the middle.  The kids had fun trying to keep the balls aloft by jerking the parachute into the air.  It was sprinkling when they started playing, but soon began to rain harder.  The children with the parachute were unfazed.  They simply crawled under it for protection.

A Version Of Tag

The rain wouldn't stop, so everyone soon moved into the new but, as yet, unfurnished preschool.  There, they played "Duck, Duck, Goose", "Monkey In The Middle", and other games in the various rooms.  The adult leaders didn't know the Spanish word for goose, so "Duck, Duck, Goose" became "Pato, Pato, Conejo" (Duck, Duck, Rabbit).  Of course, if unsupervised for any length of time, games incorporating balls soon degenerated into contests to see which boy could throw the ball hardest at another boy.  Boys will be boys, all over the world.

Day 3 - August 9th

Friday was the last day for FCC Plano to work in the community of Pijal, so the mission group had to start winding down their activities.  Though FCC Plano had brought snacks and sandwiches to eat while working on Thursday and Friday (avoiding the need to waste time returning to the hotel for lunch), they still felt that there was so much left undone.  The eye clinic alone had to turn away 50-100 people waiting in line when the team simply ran out of time.  One lesson learned was that it was simply impossible to fix all problems on one mission trip.  It was part of learning the simple but difficult fact that one is not in control, despite what citizens of "advanced" countries may want to believe.

Patty, Lisa, And Silveria Confer Graduate Caps

Closing ceremonies were held from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.  Various community leaders spoke and thanked FCC Plano and FEDICE from the heart again and again for the help and care received.

Doug Deuel announced that FCC Plano had made a three year commitment to Pijal and that they would be back in 2015.  Needless to say, everyone present from the community was surprised, overjoyed, and enthusiastic.  But Pastor Doug did have one string attached.  It was that the group would have to have coffee one day in Cecilia's new house.

More Graduates

There was a graduation ceremony held for the eleven children who were going on to Educación Inicial (Kindergarten).  There were only three sets of caps and gowns, so the children took turns wearing them until all of the graduates had received their graduation certificates.  They were so cute, and the parents naturally took pictures to capture the moment for posterity.

Mission Group Receiving Gifts From The Community

After the graduation, the community wanted to give each of the mission group members a token of their appreciation.  The mission group members were lined up on one side of the room and shot.  Just making sure you're still awake.  Actually, they were lined up and each was paired with a child from the preschool who stood in a facing line.  At a prearranged signal, all of the children shouted, "Thank you!  Thank you!  Thank you!" and draped a colorful tote bag over the neck of "their" mission group member.

Encarnación Chicaiza then announced that they had a hand made set of the beautiful clothes worn by the indigenous women of the area.  They would be given to one member of the mission group by a child.  The child went straight to Brooke and presented her with the set.  Brooke's waterworks began working overtime and soon there were few dry eyes in the building.  You see, Brooke had come to Ecuador under very stressful circumstances.  A loved one had been diagnosed with cancer.

One other thing FCC Plano did was donate $2,000 to help with an income-producing project soon to be undertaken.  The women's association in Pijal plans to make and sell cheese.  There will be more written about this in the future, when FEDICE helps organize and implement the project.

Cotacachi Volcano And
Lago San Pablo Seen From Pijal

While the closing ceremonies were going on, a small drama was taking place elsewhere.  An elderly woman who had been served in the medical clinic earlier was found up the hill leaning against a wall near where the eye clinic had been housed that day.  Isabelle, a member of the FEDICE team, called Marilyn, another member of the FEDICE team, who happened to have her car that day.  By the time Marilyn arrived, Jan la medica (doctor) and Hailey una enfermera (nurse), along with other members of the FCC Plano medical team, were also on the scene.

Imbabura Volcano Seen From Pijal

It was determined that the woman had severe dehydration and had over medicated herself with two ibuprofens instead of the one prescibed, resulting in double vision and weakness.  Jan retrieved the medicine and vitamins that had been given to the woman in the clinic for fear she might over medicate herself again in the future.  Marilyn drove her and her entourage to as close to her house as the road would allow.  When she felt a little better, they helped her walk the rest of the way up the very steep hill to her house.  Her husband was home and told the medical personnel his wife refused to drink more than one glass of water in the morning and one glass in the evening because she said it made her cold.  The only advice the team could offer was to drink more liquids, but they knew the advice might go unheeded.  Although Jan recommended she go to the emergency room at the government hospital in Otavalo and Marilyn offered to drive the woman, the husband declined.  It most likely was because it would have cost $7.00 for her to return to her home by taxi.

So, in the midst of celebration, the mission group from FCC Plano had a vivid reminder of the poverty and level of education of some of the people they had come to serve.

Mission Group From First Christian Church, Plano, Texas, And The FEDICE Team

Top Row: Chet and Silveria Hufstedler, Corey Coufal, Jess Deuel, Grace Burrell, Kevin Rogers, Doug Deuel, Jenni Milligan, Tabi (FEDICE), Brooke Eung, Perla (FEDICE)
Middle Row: Luis (FEDICE), Blanca (FEDICE), Lisa (FEDICE), Beth Rogers, Isabelle (FEDICE), Jan and Ronnie McGough, Paul Gutshall, Patty Wagner, Linda Conkright, Mike Gutshall, Mary Ruth Burrell
Bottom Row: Shari Reynolds, Allison and Jeff Lau, Glenn (FEDICE), Hailey Sisson, Ed Wales, Marilyn (FEDICE, not shown)

FCC Plano Begins Work In Pijal Centro

First Christian Church of Plano, TX, arrived at the new Quito Mariscal Sucre Airport late Monday night to begin their mission trip to Ecuador.  They were led by Pastor Doug Deuel, who has been working with FEDICE and the late Victor Vaca for the past 18 years or so.  The group consisted of 24 people of varying ages.  However, one person sadly had to drop out at the 11th hour due to health reasons.

Day 0 - August 6

Sebastian Caiza Speaking - Lisa Renz Translating

When the group arrived at the airport in Quito, the X-ray operators found some very strange images in some of the baggage.  The images looked suspiciously like bugs, and some members of the mission group were detained for questioning.  After all, one can never be sure where the next biological attack may be coming from.  It was determined that the "bugs" were actually 4,100 pairs of folded eyeglasses.  That answered one question, only to bring up another.  What was the mission group doing with 4,100 pairs of eyeglasses?  Were they going to resell them, causing a sneak economic attack?  The explanation that the group was going to conduct a free eye clinic in a rural area turned out to be sufficient.  (In order to properly fit 400 people with eyeglasses without being able to make any, approximately ten times that number, with varying strengths, need to be on hand.)

FCC Plano Mission Group

After things were straightened out at the airport, which didn't take too long, the group boarded a chartered bus and were driven to their hotel in Otavalo.  They arrived about 1:30 a.m. and stumbled to their rooms and beds.

A hearty breakfast was served at 9:30 a.m.  Then, at 11:00 a.m., the group met with staff members and volunteers of FEDICE in order to be oriented.  Blanca Puma, Sebastian Caiza, Lisa Renz, Marilyn Cooper, Isabelle Tyrasa, and Glenn Hebert all spoke about the different functions performed by FEDICE, from animal husbandry and agricultural training, to loans, to teaching bible studies, English and sex education, to organizational finances of FEDICE.  Remarkably for a group with sleep deprivation, few, if any members, nodded off during the almost two hour presentation.

Of course, it was now time for lunch.  Ecuadorians are big on not missing meals.  After lunch, it was time to hop the bus and check out the work sites.  One little surprise mission groups to Otavalo in the last three and a half years have faced is that of lifting Glenn out of his wheelchair and on to the bus, and FCC Plano was no exception.  Thanks to several strapping young men, they handled the surprise with grace and aplomb.

The first site FCC Plano visited was the site of construction of the new preschool center in Pijal Centro.  The community has been working diligently to get this center ready in time for classes to begin on August 19th.  FCC Plano would paint the school and do some other finishing work, alongside the people of the community, of course.  This type of cooperation is what is known as minga, a quechua word meaning "to work together for the common good".

FCC Plano also brought a medical team that would examine students of the preschool, brothers and sisters of the students, and, lastly adults.  This team would also be at this site, but located in the old preschool center.  Donated medical supplies would also be dispensed as needed as long as they held out.  The medical team was headed by Jan, with Rebecca staffing the pharmacy.

The group then went to the Methodist Church in Pijal.  The eye clinic was slated to move to a different location each day, but the Methodist Church would serve as the first day's location.  After inspecting the premises, Paul, who was heading up the eye clinic pronounced them fit for the team's needs.

Opening Ceremonies

Then it was back to the construction site, where an opening ceremony had been prepared.  A great community leader, Encarnación, had been the driving force behind getting a new preschool center built to replace the old, tiny, dilapidated center.  During her remarks, Encarnación said that she was thrilled when Victor Vaca came last year to evaluate the possibility of helping with a new building.  Yes, she was glad to know that FEDICE might very well lend support.  But she was more thrilled because she remembered him working in her community, when she was a student at this very preschool center, 25 years ago.

Encarnación was looking forward to working with Dr. Vaca for years to come.  Then he passed away in February and she was devastated.  Besides grieving for Victor, she worried about what would happen with the new preschool center, which had been started.  She was relieved and overjoyed when Blanca assured her that the staff of FEDICE was committed to continuing the work begun by Violet Groth and Victor Vaca so many years ago.  "And now," Encarnación said with tears in hers eyes and referring to FCC Plano, "you are here!"

Blessing Tools and Hands

The pastor of the Methodist Church in Pijal Centro also had some moving words during the ceremony.  She had been asked to bless the tools that would be used for construction during the week.  She held up a hammer and told us she wanted to bless more than the tools.  She asked Doug, who is very tall, to stand beside her.  Like the vast majority of indigenous people in the Andean region of Ecuador, she was short.  She put her small brown hand in Doug's large white hand and noted the difference in appearance.  Though the hands are different, she said, they both work for God, just as all hands present would work for God this week.  Therefore, she not only blessed the tools, but also blessed the hands that would wield those tools.

Corey And Doug
On Each Side Of An "Experimenter"

Another thing mentioned by several speakers was that the community consisted of three different cultures - Otavalo, Cayambi, and Mestizo.  Yet, they have been able to work together to improve each other's lives.

On the way back to the hotel and dinner, we made one more stop.  FCC Plano also brought a team of VBS teachers who would conduct a Vacation Bible School.  We stopped to see the Evagelical Church in Pijal Centro where they would be teaching.

After a rather long day on short sleep, it was time to go back to the hotel for dinner, relaxation, reflexion, and sleep's oblivion.

Day 1 - August 7

Beth with Manuel ("El Jefe")

Jess Setting Up
Medical Area

FCC Plano got to work after breakfast and a short bus ride.  The eye clinic team was first dropped off at the Methodist Church.  The rest went to the construction/medical site.  The construction crew got right to work.  All they had to do was pick up the brushes and rollers, open cans, and stir the paint.  Meanwhile, the medical crew needed slightly longer to set up a registration area, a waiting area, two exam rooms, and a pharmacy.  Some wished they had thought about setting up yesterday afternoon.  Still, it didn't take them that long to get organized and start seeing patients.

Rebecca, Kevin, Jeff
Setting Up Pharmacy

Medical Team
Brooke, Jan, Jenni, Perla, Jess, Tabi, Blanca

At the opening ceremony yesterday, Encarnación had reminded people that students at the preschool center would be seen first, followed by their brothers and sisters.  Finally, adults would be seen.  Not everyone was at the meeting, so word had to get around by mouth.  Either it got garbled or, in typical Ecuadorian fashion, some people figured they could ignore the rules.  Brothers and sisters started coming before all of the preschool children had been seen.  Some elderly people came, too, but had to be politely turned away until the next day.  The reasoning behind segregating by age group was that the team had different procedures and medicines for different age groups.  Having to switch back and forth slowed them down.  But they worked through the problems like troopers and were able to treat 23 children in a little under three hours.

The Doctor Is In

Checking Vitals

Ecuador has free health care.  Unfortunately, some people live in such rural areas (like the one in which FCC Plano was working) that it's even hard to get bus service, the cheapest form of transportation besides feet.  So this medical service was a real boon to this community of 2,200.

The painting crew worked fast, if not furious.  They completed the first coat before lunch.  The building went from a plain white to a pretty pink and blue theme.  Many members of the community worked with the team, making the painting go that much faster.

Community Members helping To Paint

Over at the eye clinic, they were able to fit 97 people with glasses.  They charted the eyes of many others.  At first, mostly younger people came for the eye exams.  A part of the exam, like all eye exams, tested ability to read with glasses of different strengths.  As long as people knew how to read, there was no problem.  However, later in the day, older women were coming in who had never learned how to read.  How to test them in this phase of the eye exam?  Fortunately, Lisa, a staff member of FEDICE, came up with a solution when she thought about why these older women needed to see well.  It wasn't because they wanted to read.  It was because they wanted to continue to embroider the beautiful blouses that indigenous people wear.  A needle and thread were found and it was decided that, when a woman could see well enough to thread a needle, she had the right pair of glasses.

A similar situation occurred in the medical clinic.  After a volunteer translator had carefully written medication directions and explained them to a parent, the lady said, "Okay, I'll give these to my daughter to read."  At that point it dawned on Tabi, the translator, "Hey, not everyone can read."  After that, she was careful to explain directions over and over to a patient or parent to make certain they understood.

In the afternoon, some of the FCC Plano group split off and taught a Vacation Bible School.  They started off with 23 children in three groups and had 36 kids two hours later when the VBS ended for the day.  Word travels fast in the communities of Ecuador.  There were crafts, games, and songs.  Nine or ten women from the community joined in and were extremely helpful with teaching the children the games.  Also, Allison told a bible story to each of the three groups in turn.

Craft Project

Later, when asked how their day went, each member of the FCC Plano group said it had been wonderful.  That was good because, though some people might move around, the group as a whole would serve God in the same ways for the next two days.

Inauguration of "Mis Pequeños Angelitos - Dr. Victor Vaca" Preschool

August 3rd, 2013, was an emotion-filled day.  A preschool center that Victor Vaca lovingly supported, especially during the last few years of his life was dedicated in its brand new building.  The new building was made possible in large part through the efforts of FEDICE and its many friends and contributors.

Gathering For Celebration

Audience In Cortyard

There has been a preschool center called "Mis Pequeños Angelitos" in the home of Digna Chacha for years.  Digna is a community leader and currently serves as vice-president of the FEDICE board.  When Victor Vaca died in February, the community decided to honor his constant support by incorporating his name into the name of this preschool center.  Thus, "Mis Pequeños Angelitos - Dr. Victor Vaca".

Processing In

The building has been under construction for more than two years.  The first stone was laid by a mission trip from Plano, TX.  Last summer, a group of high school students from Ft. Worth Country Day School greatly speeded the construction process along.  However, when they left, the building still lacked considerable construction for completion.  The women of "Constructing the Future", a local community organization that works with FEDICE, did what they could, recycling glass and plastics, selling clothes, etc., to pay a carpenter for continuing work.  The $4,000 the organization was able to raise soon ran out and there was virtually no construction work done from about November, 2012 through May, 2013.

Students

The last needed push came when Blanca Puma, FEDICE's Executive Director, was visiting friends and supporters in the United States during May.  She mentioned to Roseanne Franke of the of the Illinois South Conference, United Church of Christ that San Francisco still needed $8,000 to complete the new preschool center.  Roseanne replied, "Blanca, our conference can provide that money."  The Conference made the money available the very next day and work was able to resume.

Graduates

When Digna was speaking, she said that the new building cost a little more than $29,000.  She also mentioned that if the government had built it, which they had no plans to do, it probably would have cost $55,000-$60,000.

Graduates And Teachers

There were FEDICE staff and volunteers, parents, friends, teachers, and, of course, the children served by the school to enjoy the festivities.  Also on had were many members of Victor Vaca's family.  They were there to help celebrate Victor's life and witness the honor given him by the beneficiaries of this preschool center.

Proud Parents

The Master of Ceremonies was the president of the Parents Association of the preschool center.  After some brief opening remarks, the real celebrities of the day, the children, processed in and sat quietly and confidently in their seats of honor.  Five of them were graduating this year and moving on to escuela (elementary school) in September.  These five would not get to enjoy the spacious new building, but some of them either gave a speech of thanks or recited a poem appropriate to the occasion.  There followed a graduation ceremony.

Dancing Group

First Speech? It Was Smooth!

The speeches on this day had a recurrent theme.  The theme was that dreams can become reality.  There was first a dream of Digna's that children of mothers who worked in broccoli plantations and other types of work could leave their small children in a nurturing, safe, healthy environment.  That dream was realized when Digna Chaca opened the first floor of her home for a preschool center and teachers were hired.  When the space for this preschool center started to become tight, the mothers and women of the association "Constructing the Future" began to dream of a larger, dedicated building for preschool center.  That dream, in turn, came true due to the hard work of the organization and parents, FEDICE, and many friends and contributors to FEDICE.

Some special entertainment was provided by a children's dance group associated with Cotopaxi University of Technology in nearby Latacunga.  This group has performed in Peru this year and is schedule to perform in Chile next year.  Their costumes were colorful and flowing, and their dancing was outstanding.

Vaca Family

Edmundo Vaca spoke for the Vaca family.  He stressed how Victor, the oldest sibling, always looked out for his brothers and sister.  He then took that caring into his life's work - helping poor people regain their dignity and begin the climb out of poverty.  The family also brought four or five Hefty bags full of musical instruments and school supplies for the children.  People in the United States donated monies to the school for things like tables and chairs, a projector, floor cushions, a small laptop, and even a TV.

Roseanne and Arnold Franke were also there and spoke on behalf of the Illinois South Conference, United Church of Christ and said that they were grateful to see so many dreams become reality.  It was their Conference of United Church of Christ that was able to supply the last $8,000 to make this day of inauguration, dedication, and celebration a reality.

Arnold and Roseanne Franke

After a mass was said to bless the building, we all sat down at makeshift tables to eat.  The meal was great, consisting of soup, fava beans, potatoes, salad, pork chops, sausage, and chicken.  We left either stuffed or with go-bags, and we all had warm feelings in our hearts.  Those warm feelings were not from indigestion.  They were from the knowledge that something special happened that day.  Dreams turned into reality.  "Mis Pequeños Angelitos - Dr. Victor Vaca" would open it's doors in September.

Planning For Progress

Some Staff Members and Volunteers

Today we had our monthly meeting of the FEDICE team.  The full complement of FEDICE staff members and volunteers attended.  It was a good thing, too, because today begins a 13-day-stretch of rather intense but rewarding activity, with FEDICE hosting and/or assisting three groups from the U.S. and overseeing three major projects.

Actually, one group (a small one) is already here.  Roseanne and Arnold Franke are from Illinois and have been faithful and generous supporters of FEDICE for years.  Most of their work has been with preschool centers south of Quito.  Tomorrow they will travel with Luis north of Quito to a town called Pijal.  Next week at this site a mission group from First Christian Church in Plano, TX, will be helping to complete a new preschool center.  While in the area, they will have lunch with Marilyn and Glenn and the family with whom Marilyn and Glenn live.   Roseanne and Arnold may also have time to take in Peguche Waterfall or the famous Otavalo market of indigenous crafts and textiles.

Also, tomorrow night a mission group of seven people from Bridging Cultures will arrive at the Quito airport.  After using Saturday to decompress from their journey, Hugo and Luis will travel with them to the Otavalo area on Sunday.  They will see a few sights in the area before continuing to their project in Pusir Grande, 60-70 km north of Ibarra.

In Digna's Home

Constructing New Building

Most of the FEDICE staff and volunteers, as well as Roseanne and Arnold, will be in San Francisco (south of Quito) on Saturday for the inauguration of "Mis Pequeños Angelitos - Victor Vaca" preschool center.  There has been a preschool center called "Mis Pequeños Angelitos" in the home of Digna Chacha for years.  Digna is a community leader and currently serves as vice-president of the FEDICE board.  With the help of many friends from the United States and Ecuador, as well as hard work by the community, a stand-alone building has been built to accommodate this preschool center.  When Victor Vaca died in February, the community decided to honor his constant support by incorporating his name into the name of this preschool center.

One more!  Late Monday night the large mission group from Plano will arrive.  They will be driven by bus immediately to Otavalo.  Tuesday morning will be a time of relaxation and orientation.  The whip cracks after lunch on Tuesday through Friday afternoon.  This group has decided to split up and tackle four functions.  One subgroup will work to complete the preschool center in time for a dedication on Friday.   Another will conduct medical clinics.  A third will provide optometry services.  A VBS will also be conducted for the children on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons.  This group has energy!  The various subgroups will be accompanied by Blanca, Lisa, Isabelle, Marilyn, and Glenn acting as helpers and translators.  Also, Perla, Lisa's granddaughter visiting from Mexico, and Tabitha, Lisa's daughter visiting from Chile, will be helping us out with these tasks.

FEDICE always does a good job of making sure that mission groups have a chance to experience things in Ecuador besides working, and this will be no different.  On Saturday and Sunday, Marilyn will lead people to different attractions in Imbabura Province.  On Monday, Blanca will lead them to various tourist attractions in Quito before they have to catch their late night flight back to the U.S.

Then...  Time for a breather!