More Pictures Of Precious Children From Oregon Group's VBS

These pictures were supplied by Rick Ikeda.  Thank you, Rick!

Lauri, Kelsey, Bethany, Irene, And Susanne Corral The Children
While The Children Surround A Dog, Nicknamed "Pastor"

The Direction By Susanne Was Really Effective In Spanish

Working Hard

Such Intelligent Eyes, And Such A Precious Little Girl

Oregon Mission Group In Cachiviro, 2014

The group of eleven people on a mission trip from various congregations in Oregon arrived at 11:00 pm July 10th.  They cleared customs pretty fast, and were in Otavalo by 2:00 am.  No matter how fast they cleared customs, it had been a long day for them.  They had had to get to the Portland Airport by 4:00 am that morning.  Adrenaline put smiles and laughter on their faces when they arrived.  Thirty minutes into the bus ride to Otavalo, everyone was zonked.

Below are some pictures of the first few days, with some Facebook comments of team members and any additional info I can add.

On Sunday, we went to church in Cachiviro, a village where the folks from Oregon would work on a new community center throughout the week alongside people who live there.

Congregation of Nueva Jerúsalem Worshipping

Part Of The Oregon Group (Duane, Irene, Alex, Doug, Bernice) Clapping With The Congregation

Bernice Rivera Translating David Eggleston's Sermon

Blanca Puma Introducing Doug Wirt

Oregon Group And FEDICE Team Singing For The Congregation

Congregation Enjoying(?) The Group's Singing

After church, it was time for a little sightseeing.  A favorite stop is Peguche Falls.

The Cascada Was Still Flowing Well,
Even Though Otavalo Is Entering A Dry Season

Monday, of course, was the beginning of work.  It continued throughout the week.

"Gathering at the worksite blessing of the tools for the project." - Rick Ikeda

Oh, Myyy Goodness!  Will You Look At That Job!?

Don't Jump, David!

"Break time!" - Rick Ikeda  (There Was Hearty Food Every Morning When It Was Time To Take A Break.)

"Tea break by the lake during work." - Lauri Morris
(How Tough Could The Work Be?)

Well, This Tough...

...And This Tough...

...And This Tough!  "When all the ladders are being used, we find a way to get 'er done!" - Lauri Morris

In the afternoons from Monday to Wednesday, Bernice Rivera led a workshop for indigenous women.

Bernice (In Yellow) Conferring With Blanca As She Leads The Empowerment Workshop

One Activity Was A "Trust Walk",
Where A Woman Closed Her Eyes And Had To Walk Where She Was Led

Empowerment Workshop Completion Certificates

A Vacation Bible School was conducted every afternoon from Monday to Thursday taught by several members of the group from Oregon.  There were four classes: drawing, art, bible story reading, and outdoor games.  The children were split into four groups and rotated through each class during the afternoon's two hour session.

Hard At Work Making Cats, With Irene Instructing

Cats Come Alive For Precious Niñas!

Hmmm! This Looks Sort Of Like A Devil Cat.  Wonder If He Understood VBS?

All Of The Kids In A Grand Circle After Classes

Susanne Starting A Game In The Grand Circle

There was also time for side trips.  The group visited Cuatras Esquinas one afternoon and the Caluquí Violet Groth Vaca Daycare Center the next morning.  Both of these communities have been past projects for Oregon groups.

A Group From Oregon Helped Lay The Foundation Of This Church In Cuatras Esquinas

The Inside Of The Church In Cuatras Esquinas

Irene Got To See Her Godson, Eddie, In Cuatras Esquinas

Photo Op With The Children Of Caluquí's Violet Groth Vaca Daycare Center

The Children Soon Went Back To doing What They Do Best - PLAYING!

The road to Caluquí had been torn up because a new sewer line was being installed.  Surprise!  The bus couldn't negotiate it.  Not to worry.  Twelve people piled into the back of a covered pickup and set off on an adventure.

"You can easily fit 12 people in the back of a pickup when needed, but boy is it a dusty ride." - Lauri Morris

And then there were the random, beautiful moments.

Bernice Rivera Holding A Cutie

"My two sweethearts, Natalie and Alison." - Lauri Morris

Rick Ikeda With Dena, His Goddaughter, Who Is Now 13 Years Old

The Oregon group would like to stay until the job is completed, but that's not feasible right now.  They will need to stop on Friday, joining the community to celebrate the work that has been accomplished this week.

Then, on Saturday, we and representatives of many communities in this area will get on a bus and drive south of Quito to a very special celebration in San Francisco.  It will be the 20th anniversary of FEDICE!  And an Oregon group, our long-time supporters, will be there to celebrate with us.

[Thank you, Rick, Lauri, and Bethany, for providing pictures.  Rick and Lauri may not have been aware of their donations, but that's what they get for being friends with me on Facebook! ;-)]



--Glenn Hebert

Loss, Hurt, And Healing

From a June 8, 2014, Experiences In Ecuador post

A team of seven architects and engineers from Engineering Ministries International (eMi) arrived at the Cooper-Benitez-Hebert-Waggoner B&B at 2:30 am Saturday morning. Four of the members were from Edmonton, Calgary, and Vancouver in Canada. Three members were from Washington, D.C., Cleveland, and Dallas in the U.S. It was a very diverse group, both geographically and culturally. However, they all shared the same deep commitments to ministry, serving, engineering, and architecture.

Many of the team members had not known each other personally before this trip. Therefore, time was set aside Saturday night to give testimonies about their lives and how they arrived at Engineering Ministries International (eMi). Members of the FEDICE team were also included, though we had obviously not been associated with eMi before the wee hours of Saturday morning. By the time we were through learning about each other's journeys to this point in time, I think we felt we had known our fellow travelers all of our lives. I know I felt that way. Each one of us had a pretty remarkable story to tell.

Before Marilyn and I went to sleep, we remarked on the recurrent themes of the testimonies. One was, of course, a strong belief in God. Another was a strong desire to make our world a better place by using our various talents and skills for the benefit of all. But another recurrent theme that some may not have quite expected was the theme of loss, hurt, and healing - the healing power of Jesus Christ. Nearly everyone had a story to tell that touched on this theme. It's possible that most of us have to experience loss, hurt, and healing before we can truly understand how to connect with and love every one and every thing around us.

During my testimony, I mentioned respecting people and helping people. I'm sorry I forgot to mention loving people, because I certainly believe in that. It may be spiritual love, it may be platonic love, it may be romantic love, it may be open-minded love, it may be tough love, but, in my heart, I know beyond doubt that we are hard-wired to love one another.




--Glenn Hebert

Heating Up

From a June 6, 2014, Experiences In Ecuador post

It's summer. Where I come from, Texas, things heat up drastically in the summer. It's no different in the Andes of Ecuador - unless you happen to be talking about the weather and comparing apples to apples. I happen to be comparing weather predictions to human development projects.

In Texas, the temperature will likely be predicted to hit 100 degrees in the not-too-distant future, if it hasn't already happened. In the Andes of Ecuador, there's no need to worry about 100º Fahrenheit temps (one reason might be that temps are measured in Celsius). The weather is spring-like year-round in the Ecuadorian Andes. No, the heating up I'm referring to is the Lord's work that FEDICE accomplishes in the summer. FEDICE is and has been very busy.

From May 24th to May 29th, FEDICE hosted a group from Fort Worth Country Day School who worked in Romerillos, south of Quito. Marilyn and I didn't have an opportunity to go down there, but we understand that these high schoolers were simply amazing. They helped pour a concrete slab for the roof of the second floor of a preschool that FEDICE helped build a few years ago with the Lisa Franke family of Illinois. It was originally built for 20-25 children. However, last summer the government decided to consolidate preschools so that each had at least 40 children. Because of the quality, this school was kept open but is now overcrowded. Thus, the second floor is needed.

FEDICE had a week's respite to plan for our next visitors. One group arrives tonight. They are a mission group consisting of architects and engineers that designs buildings free of charge for people that need their expertise. The group is called Engineering Ministries International (eMI) and is based in Canada but has members in various countries. They will be designing a new church in Pijal Centro. The existing church is old and not well-built. To tell the truth, I refused to worship there because the staircase to the second floor, where worship services are held, is very narrow, very steep, and has no railings. I'm somewhat of a daredevil, but even I have my limits. The group of seven is going to stay at our house for a week. We're fortunate enough to have a pretty large house, but we'll see how many toes get stepped on anyway.

On Sunday Pastor Doug Deuel, minister at First Christian Church in Plano, Texas, arrives for three days. He will also be spending time in Pijal Centro. Last year, he led a mission group from his church which helped build a preschool replacing one with tiny rooms and not the best sanitation. The group also helped fund other projects in the community. He'll be evaluating these projects and making plans for when the group returns in 2015.

The heat doesn't abate yet. The day after the architectural group from eMI leaves, a group from Bridging Cultures, a partner of FEDICE, arrives. They'll be working on various building projects in Pusir Grande, about two hours north of Otavalo. During their stay, there will also be a fiesta marking the first anniversary of the partnership between FEDICE and Bridging Cultures. By the way, it IS hot (temperature-wise) in Pusir Grande.

When Bridging Cultures leaves, FEDICE gets a well-deserved two-and-a-half week break to catch our collective breath and fine-tune plans before a mission group from various churches in Oregon arrives. They will work in Cachiviro, near Otavalo, for two weeks. But we'll talk about that later.




--Glenn Hebert

PIJAL DAY CARE CENTER

The first time I visited the Infant Center of Pijal, I saw many things that needed improvement.  They showed me three tiny colorfully painted rooms where they gave the classes to 25 children.

One of the rooms served also as the dining room for lunch, so they had to stack the tables and chairs on one side of the room during the rest of the time.

There was a little kitchen to prepare the food, and in front was another room which served as a sleeping room for the babies.  Upon entering the nursery, I was overwhelmed with the musty smell of the moldy walls, and it wasn´t even the rainy season, so I couldn´t imagine what it must be like during the rains.

The bathrooms were completely separated from the building, and were broken down, tiny, and as clean as the workers could make them under the circumstances.

Outside was a playground with tires placed in the ground for the children to jump on, and the most peculiar slide I had ever seen in my life….a board placed on a ladder (I wondered how many splinters had to be taken out of the little fannies).

Encarnación, one of the workers there, pleaded with us to help them.  The community had already gathered together rocks and sand to build the foundation, and they had 6.000 dollars given to them from the municipal funds, with which to start the work. FEDICE began having monthly meetings with them and with the municipality to make plans about how we could help.

The initial building was done by the families of the community, with some financial help from the church in Plano, Texas.

When the group from Plano came last year, the walls and roof were up for the new building….five large rooms with lots of windows to let in the light.  The people from Plano helped to paint the walls as well as to  clean up the area around the new center.

The skeleton was up, but there were many details to be finished.  That is where The Eden United Church of Christ from the Illinois South Conference has been able to help, with the funds to put down the floor, to put in the windows and doors, and finish the new center.

The last time I visited Pijal, the windows and doors were in, the walls had been colorfully decorated with bright new paintings, the tile floor in two rooms was done, and half of the big room was finished.



The new tables and chairs have been bought in Quito, and taken out to the center.  There are new cribs and other accessories ready to be put in the rooms as soon as the flooring is done.    What a difference for these children!  God is good, to move the hearts of so many people to make a difference in these children´s lives.

By Lisa Renz

Fedice Volunteer