Time in Quito

After getting back at 1:00am to Quito on Saturday night, we spent Sunday and Monday recovering from our time in the jungle and got to play a little in Quito.

We spent Sunday morning at church with Tim Anderson (our missionary host) and his Teen Challenge ministry.  Tim works with young men who have been involved with drug and alcohol addition throughout Quito.  It was a really neat experience for our team to worship with these guys and see the power of redemption only found through Jesus.  Two of our guy got to share their testimony as well.

After church, the guys played a little basketball....Ecuadorian style.  Our team found out really quickly that there are no rules or fouls on this court.

After leaving Teen Challenge, we grabbed a quick burger and headed to the Indian Market for the guys to buy some souvenirs from the trip.  Later that evening, we took two gondolas up to the top of the volcano Pichinchia.  We couldn't see the lights of Quito because of the fog, but it was still a great memory for the guys.  

On Monday, we headed to the equator.  We just happened to be there on March 21st which is the spring equinox.  So, at noon the sun was directly above us with no shadows.  The guys got to watch water spin both ways, balance eggs, walk the equator, and enjoy other fun science tricks.  

For lunch, we were able to finally enjoy the Ecuadorian delicacy of Qui...or guinea pig as we know it.  The guys were a little skeptical at first, but soon devoured the entire thing.  

We finished our final day with a great dinner at Tim Anderson's house with his family and other missionaries from Quito.  We also spent some time talking about what the Lord did in our lives this week.  It was really neat to see the impact that this trip had on each team member.  The Lord's hand of blessing and protection was so evident the entire week!

The Jungle

After four incredible days in the jungle of Ecuador, we have finally made it back to Quito.  I'm sorry there have not been more updates as the internet has been very hard to find where we are staying.

There are way too many stories from our time in the jungle, but here are a few highlights...

On Wednesday, we left Quito early for our 5 hour bus ride to Shell where we hopped on several bush planes that took us on a short 25 minute plane ride to the jungle village of Kutsuka.  It was incredible to see the vast beauty of the jungle and hundreds of rivers from above.

Once we got unpacked and situated in our very basic guest hut, the guys found themselves playing soccer and throwing wild grapefruit with the village kids.  

Of course, after a long day of travel and a few sweaty games of jungle soccer, it was time to clean up in the river.  Who thought it would be so fun to bathe in the river!

On our first full day in the jungle, we made a 3 hour hike through the jungle to the village of Timias with our packs full of medicine and new boots for the kids there.  To say that it was an average hike would be an understatement.  We found out very quickly how challenging it is to travel through the jungle.  With our packs on, we hiked our way through pouring rain, lots of mud, across several rivers and streams, up several steep climbs, and even over a cable car.  Not to mention our 3 hour hike back.  

It was a long hard day for all of us, but our time in Timias was very special.  We had to chance to wash all of the village kids feet and put new boots on them.  It will be a moment that we or they will never forget.

Our second day in the jungle was spent doing some service projects.  Half of the group went to another village nearby to help build a platform and repair their church while the other half of the group stayed in Kutsuka to help with a landscaping project.  It was a hot day full of hard work, but really fun to see our projects come to completion.

With this being our last full day in the jungle, we got some really fun playtime with the kids before we left.

The next morning (Saturday), we were up and packed at 5:00pm to start our 8 hour hike out of the jungle.  Words will not be able to describe what a feat this was as we walked through tons of muddy swamps, flowing rivers, up cliffs, and over bridges to reach the nearest bus.  All of this in rubber boots.  Once we reached our bus...we were exhausted, dirty, and ready for a good meal.  Fortunately, several of the native Shwar indians in the village carried our packs out of the jungle for us.  It was such a blessing.   I'm not sure what we would have done without them.  

We are back in Quito now and recovering from our time in the jungle.  There are so many memories and friendships that we will never forget.  There was not alot of comfort in the jungle, but it was so fun to see the Gospel going forth even in the most remote parts of the world.  We will never be the same after experiencing life with the Kutsuka people!

Off to Ecuador

One of my highlights each year is taking old K-Kountry kids on a mission trip somewhere in the world to help expand their vision for the Kingdom and love for God´s people.  It is always so fun to watch the Lord impact and change these guys lives each year.

This week, there are 10 of us in Ecuador, South America serving the native Shuar Indians.  After several plane trips, and a night in Miami...we have arrived in Quito and settled into our hotel for the night.  At dinner tonight, we were able to connect with K-1 staff and Kanakuk legend, Caleb Freeman, who is studying here in Ecuador for the semester. 

Waiting on the shuttle in Miami

The fellas

Eating lunch at the Miami airport

Tomorrow, we are up early and on the bus for a 5 hour drive over the Andes Mountains as we head into the jungle.  We will get dropped of in Shell and then Missionary Avaiation Fellowship will fly us into the jungle village of Kutshka on a bush plane!  I think all the guys are really excited for the adventure ahead. 

In the jungle, we will be delievering medical supplies to these remote villages and helping build a platform for a school playground.  I´m sure we will fit in a soccer game or two while we are there. 

Obviously, there are no computers or internet in the jungle...so this will be our last update until Sunday.  We are scheduled to hike out of the jungle (8 hour hike...yikes) and then another long bus ride back to Quito...so it will be a long day.  We are scheduled to visit the Indian Market, the equator, and the volcano on Sunday and Monday.  We will post video and updates once we get back to Quito. 

Please pray for our time in the jungle as we litterally take the gospel to the ends of the earth. 

Counting Down The Days

Every day that passes, we get one step closer to summer.  One day closer to jumping off the tower.  One day closer to eating koffee cake.  One day closer to seeing all of our friends.

Well, it is really fun to see that the Loneman kids (Whitney, Julia, Halle, and Clayton) share our excitement.  In helping them count down the days until kamp, they made a paper link chain for each day remaining.  Each morning before school, they tear one of those paper links off…which means they are one day closer to the greatest summer ever.  Even better, each chain has something they are so excited about written on it (i.e. Barn 13, the K-1 tower, etc.).

Way to go Loneman family.  Only 102 days left!

Come On Summer

It has been a long, cold winter here at kamp, but the temperature is rising, the snow is melting, and the trees are starting to bud.  You know what that means….summer is right around the corner!  The momentum is building here in K-Land and we are counting down the days until those big red barn doors swing open for the greatest summer ever.

Here is some neat footage that our awesome videographer, Tim Oliphant,  captured of kamp in the snow.