Ecuador Update, June 2, 2009

We have had a great trip so far and are getting lots of work done.

We arrived Saturday night around 11:00 PM and got to our Hostal at 1:00 AM! Sunday we got up at 5:00 to drive to a church service in Otavalo. The church was primarily with the Quichua which are the native people of the land. The service was very interesting and had lots of music. We then went to a local market where the Quichua sell blankets, clothing, hats, and other items that they make. Lots of neat stuff to buy for the folks back home! That night we had dinner at Tim and Dana´s house and held a brief orientation.

On Monday we starting painting a four story church using Ecuadorian scaffolding. Needless to say there is a slight difference in the US version of scaffolding... no worries though we are all safe!

Today we painted the church in the morning and in the afternoon went to a school to work with the children. There are 350 kids ranging from 5 to 12 years old! We did a puppet show, crafts in their classroom, fed them sandwiches and juice, then played futbol! Play time was as close to chaos as I have ever seen, but we did get things under control. The children crave adult affection and approval - seem like they have a pretty rough life. It was good to speak the word of God and share his love with them!

The next couple of days will include painting and more school. I believe on Thursday we get to take a half day as a break.

Keep praying for our safety and our health. Our bodies are tired and more suseptable to stuff.

Trey Bedford