So the rainy season is still taking it's toll. 15 people were killed yesterday in landslide in the Manabí province. We still have about 2 months of rain left so please be praying for the safety of the Ecuadorian people and the missionaries on the field. Thanks.
In happier news though, I have two new photo albums to share.
Baptisms
Trip to the Jungle.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Medical Mission and Ecuador Overall
Well I just recently got back from a week on the outskirts of the Jungle in a few towns called Yacuambi, Yanzatza, and Guaysimi. I was there for a week translating for a group of Canadian and US medical professionals. It was one of my best experiences here in a long time. These places in Ecuador are characterized as being sparsely populated, indigenous communities. The indigenous we interacted the most with were the Saraguro who are one of the many Quichua speaking groups in the country (however they all, in this area, knew Spanish as well). So for my trip, I took a bus to a town called Saraguro which is about 4 hours south of Cuenca (and yes, it is also populated by Saraguro indigenous). There I met up with one of the other translators and the Dentist, a saraguran himself, who would be working with us. We all then got into his Pickup truck and took off for the jungle. Well, on the way it was a quite eventful trip.
So on the way to this jungle area you weave through the mountains, and need I say again this is the worst rainy season in 25 years. So we were on our way and before we know it we come to a line of traffic, what's wrong? The road is blocked by a recent mud slide. So Luis (the dentist) drove up to the front of the pack and sure enough the road was blocked. So everyone is just sitting there waiting for a land mover that may or may not come, luckily one was waiting in the pack and got tired of waiting so he took it off the truck and cleared the slide. But that is not the end of the story. While he is up there cleaning, people who were standing on top of the slide start screaming and point over our heads...at what you may ask? Another landslide starting about 3 car lengths behind us! So everyone takes off running for the front of the pack, nearer to the first landslide. There were people getting in their cars and bus drivers taking off and you´ve never seen so many cars fleeing for a very small place, and no on wrecking. Thankfully, the slide was small and didn't even make it to the road. Needless to say we were all thankful when the road was cleared and we were maybe the 3rd people through. So then we arrived in Loja (a rather large city) and we stopped and got lunch at the terminal at a fast-food-like chicken place. Then we took off towards Zamora, the last city before we got really rural. So we didn't even get our of Loja before we encountered another line of traffic, but this time with a slide so big there wouldn't be passage for days. Luckily someone ahead of us knew a back way through Loja to bypass it all and he led us through. Then after that we arrived no problem, except for the fact that we got to Yacuambi at 10ish at night...in total...12 hour journey from Cuenca.
So there we finally were, home at last, cockroaches and all. So the short term team got the 'nice' hotel...I was put in the worst one with the national pastors who were with us. Needless to say I heard something walking in the wall, there was one bathroom for everyone, with cold water, and the only sink was the outdoor, concrete, laundry sink. But hey, I had a room to myself!!! (except some strange bug that stung me when I got into bed the second night!)
So the work was tiring, mentally, but good. I translated for one of the triage stations where we took vital signs and tried to figure out the main complaint of the people so the doctor didn't have too. In total for the week we saw 600 people...and we only had two triage stations...meaning I saw about 300 people in 3 and 1/2 days of work! It was sad though, you would see some people who would come in making up symptoms just to see a doctor, afraid we would deny them access. Others would come in with really serious conditions. Diabetics with numbness and swelling of their feet, high blood pressure patients (170/100) with no medicine, kids with asthma that they thought was a cold, etc. etc. The medical care for these people was so lacking, and a one week clinic won't change that. But now we just have to pray for these people, that something may be able to change in their care and their lives. Of course the gospel message was a part of this week, so now our two ECC workers in that area have a lot of follow up work to do in a region that really has no churches.
So moving on, that was more or less the week I had, tiring but fulfilling. I learned a lot of medican spanish (like it or not!!!!) The trip back was uneventful (praise God!)
But so in the news lately undoubtedly you´ve heard a lot (or at least something) about Ecuador, Colombia and a very scary week for us here. Luckily we were in the jungle and really didn't know the gravity of it all. We had our own struggly between the mayors of Yacuambi. So trying to keep this story short, the old mayor was arrested a year ago and put in jail. He left the town in the care of the vice mayor. Well old mayors prison term ended while we there and he came back wanting his job but new mayor (vice mayor) said take a hike, it's mine. The people were divided so there was a large demonstration in front of the town hall and police had to be called in to keep it peaceful. But it was quite interesting walking through town and seeing the Schwara (sp?) indigenous holding their spears and blocking the town hall entrance!
But back to national news. As you may have heard it sounds like everything may be behind us with the meeting in Santo Domingo. The accord has been signed but I personally am still slightly unsure of how strong that is, especially as long as FARC rebel groups remain in the north of Ecuador. So please continue to pray for this and that peace will continue to be known in this area of the world.
So now I´m just back to work as normal. The Youth Group for the church is underway and my goal is to hand off leadership to that in May, so please be in prayer that that can happen, that the right person be called, and that this ministry doesn't end when I leave.
Thanks for all the prayers and support.
So on the way to this jungle area you weave through the mountains, and need I say again this is the worst rainy season in 25 years. So we were on our way and before we know it we come to a line of traffic, what's wrong? The road is blocked by a recent mud slide. So Luis (the dentist) drove up to the front of the pack and sure enough the road was blocked. So everyone is just sitting there waiting for a land mover that may or may not come, luckily one was waiting in the pack and got tired of waiting so he took it off the truck and cleared the slide. But that is not the end of the story. While he is up there cleaning, people who were standing on top of the slide start screaming and point over our heads...at what you may ask? Another landslide starting about 3 car lengths behind us! So everyone takes off running for the front of the pack, nearer to the first landslide. There were people getting in their cars and bus drivers taking off and you´ve never seen so many cars fleeing for a very small place, and no on wrecking. Thankfully, the slide was small and didn't even make it to the road. Needless to say we were all thankful when the road was cleared and we were maybe the 3rd people through. So then we arrived in Loja (a rather large city) and we stopped and got lunch at the terminal at a fast-food-like chicken place. Then we took off towards Zamora, the last city before we got really rural. So we didn't even get our of Loja before we encountered another line of traffic, but this time with a slide so big there wouldn't be passage for days. Luckily someone ahead of us knew a back way through Loja to bypass it all and he led us through. Then after that we arrived no problem, except for the fact that we got to Yacuambi at 10ish at night...in total...12 hour journey from Cuenca.
So there we finally were, home at last, cockroaches and all. So the short term team got the 'nice' hotel...I was put in the worst one with the national pastors who were with us. Needless to say I heard something walking in the wall, there was one bathroom for everyone, with cold water, and the only sink was the outdoor, concrete, laundry sink. But hey, I had a room to myself!!! (except some strange bug that stung me when I got into bed the second night!)
So the work was tiring, mentally, but good. I translated for one of the triage stations where we took vital signs and tried to figure out the main complaint of the people so the doctor didn't have too. In total for the week we saw 600 people...and we only had two triage stations...meaning I saw about 300 people in 3 and 1/2 days of work! It was sad though, you would see some people who would come in making up symptoms just to see a doctor, afraid we would deny them access. Others would come in with really serious conditions. Diabetics with numbness and swelling of their feet, high blood pressure patients (170/100) with no medicine, kids with asthma that they thought was a cold, etc. etc. The medical care for these people was so lacking, and a one week clinic won't change that. But now we just have to pray for these people, that something may be able to change in their care and their lives. Of course the gospel message was a part of this week, so now our two ECC workers in that area have a lot of follow up work to do in a region that really has no churches.
So moving on, that was more or less the week I had, tiring but fulfilling. I learned a lot of medican spanish (like it or not!!!!) The trip back was uneventful (praise God!)
But so in the news lately undoubtedly you´ve heard a lot (or at least something) about Ecuador, Colombia and a very scary week for us here. Luckily we were in the jungle and really didn't know the gravity of it all. We had our own struggly between the mayors of Yacuambi. So trying to keep this story short, the old mayor was arrested a year ago and put in jail. He left the town in the care of the vice mayor. Well old mayors prison term ended while we there and he came back wanting his job but new mayor (vice mayor) said take a hike, it's mine. The people were divided so there was a large demonstration in front of the town hall and police had to be called in to keep it peaceful. But it was quite interesting walking through town and seeing the Schwara (sp?) indigenous holding their spears and blocking the town hall entrance!
But back to national news. As you may have heard it sounds like everything may be behind us with the meeting in Santo Domingo. The accord has been signed but I personally am still slightly unsure of how strong that is, especially as long as FARC rebel groups remain in the north of Ecuador. So please continue to pray for this and that peace will continue to be known in this area of the world.
So now I´m just back to work as normal. The Youth Group for the church is underway and my goal is to hand off leadership to that in May, so please be in prayer that that can happen, that the right person be called, and that this ministry doesn't end when I leave.
Thanks for all the prayers and support.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
