Yo quiero decir gracias a todos de ustedes para las oraciones y ser mi familia y amigos!
Dios es bueno!
No puedo esperar hasta que puedo ver ustedes de nuevo.
Que Dios te bendiga y que te ayude en tus vidas.
Gracias,
Kevin
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Awesome weekend in Rio Bamba!
This past weekend I went to a town called Rio Bamba to accompany a local missionary named Irene. I had an amazing time! During the few days that I was there we visited a few communities around the active volcano "Tunguragua."
Me and some of the kids in the community.
The people that live in those communities have a very hard life. Since its erruption in 1999, the volcano has constantly spewed ash into the air and destoyed their crops and affected the health of the people. (I saw fields of choked corn and apple and pear trees that looked like they have black rocks hanging from them because the ash chokes and shrivles the fruit before it can fall to the ground.)
Part of an abandoned house, in the path of the volcano.
A lot of people have left the area but still lots more remain. It is too hard for many of them to move their families and everything they have. That and it costs money (which they don´t have) to find and buy other property that would sustain them.
Though it has been ten years since the erruption, they are still holding on to the hope that the Lord will shut the mouth of the volcano. On several occasions over the past ten years, the military has showed up to evacuate the people saying: "You have 5 minutes to get out before the mountain blows." This kind of news makes everyone there live "on edge" and in fear. They don´t know when it might expload again. On those occasions however, not everyone agrees to evacuate. Some would rather risk their lives and stay. One of the reasons for this are because of thieves that have come in before and stolen many things when the rest of the community is gone for days at a time.
Irene and Me
Not many people know about this situation. Therefore, Irene and I were there this weekend to:
1. Preach the gospel and share the word of God and our testimonies.
2. Make sure the people of the communities know exactly when we and a larger team will be returning and that the people show up to the town center on that day.
3. To get a list of how many people need clothes or specific thins.
Irene speaking in front of the community "Pungal de Puela."
Getting people´s names down on the list.
In July when we return to the communities with the larger team from Portland, we will again be preaching the gospel and giving the people clothes and other humanitarian aid that the team may bring.
Me and some more of the village kids.
I really feel that the Lord worked this weekend!
Me and some of the kids in the community.
The people that live in those communities have a very hard life. Since its erruption in 1999, the volcano has constantly spewed ash into the air and destoyed their crops and affected the health of the people. (I saw fields of choked corn and apple and pear trees that looked like they have black rocks hanging from them because the ash chokes and shrivles the fruit before it can fall to the ground.)
Part of an abandoned house, in the path of the volcano.
A lot of people have left the area but still lots more remain. It is too hard for many of them to move their families and everything they have. That and it costs money (which they don´t have) to find and buy other property that would sustain them.
Though it has been ten years since the erruption, they are still holding on to the hope that the Lord will shut the mouth of the volcano. On several occasions over the past ten years, the military has showed up to evacuate the people saying: "You have 5 minutes to get out before the mountain blows." This kind of news makes everyone there live "on edge" and in fear. They don´t know when it might expload again. On those occasions however, not everyone agrees to evacuate. Some would rather risk their lives and stay. One of the reasons for this are because of thieves that have come in before and stolen many things when the rest of the community is gone for days at a time.
Irene and Me
Not many people know about this situation. Therefore, Irene and I were there this weekend to:
1. Preach the gospel and share the word of God and our testimonies.
2. Make sure the people of the communities know exactly when we and a larger team will be returning and that the people show up to the town center on that day.
3. To get a list of how many people need clothes or specific thins.
Irene speaking in front of the community "Pungal de Puela."
Getting people´s names down on the list.
In July when we return to the communities with the larger team from Portland, we will again be preaching the gospel and giving the people clothes and other humanitarian aid that the team may bring.
Me and some more of the village kids.
I really feel that the Lord worked this weekend!
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Life here
Hey everyone,
Besides teaching English and learning Spanish, I've been able to get out and do somethings such as going on hikes or certain tourist attractions.
Two weekends ago, I went to the Equator. What I found amazing is one of the demonstrations they did. They had a small tub of water with a plug at the bottom and two small leaves floating on the top. They placed the tub on "the line," unplugged the tub and the water and the leaves drained straight down. Then they moved the tub about 7 feet to the south, did the same thing and the water and the leaves drained clockwise. They repeated it once more, 7 feet to the north and the water and the leaves drained counterclockwise! Talk about a myth buster. That was very fascinating.
Last Sunday I hiked to the top of Mount Pichincha which is 15,000ft.
It started off with a cable car ride. From the top of the cable car you can see for miles!
The hike was very beautiful except for the very top of the mountain cuz there were lots of clouds. But after three strenuous hours and a little bit of rock climbing, we made it. It was worth it!
I have been training for a 15k race on Sunday June 7th. I've been running every day. When I run, in one hand I hold my water bottle and in the other I hold a rock or some object to defend myself from charging dogs. I've come close to using the rock, but thankfully I haven't had to. I've been training here in Tumbaco which is at 7,500ft, however, the race is going to be in Quito which is around 10,000ft. It may be a little different but I think I will be prepared. I think the fact that I've been training for the past few weeks helped me on my hike up the mountain. Once we reached the top I was the only who was still ready for more.
Me after the race.
In two weeks I'm going down to Rio Bamba for a weekend to visit with one of the missionaries whom I will be working with for two weeks in July and August.
I will try to keep the updates coming more frequently. It only depends on my internet access.
Thank you all once again for being my family and friends. I pray that God will bless all of you in the months to come!
Kevin
Besides teaching English and learning Spanish, I've been able to get out and do somethings such as going on hikes or certain tourist attractions.
Two weekends ago, I went to the Equator. What I found amazing is one of the demonstrations they did. They had a small tub of water with a plug at the bottom and two small leaves floating on the top. They placed the tub on "the line," unplugged the tub and the water and the leaves drained straight down. Then they moved the tub about 7 feet to the south, did the same thing and the water and the leaves drained clockwise. They repeated it once more, 7 feet to the north and the water and the leaves drained counterclockwise! Talk about a myth buster. That was very fascinating. 
Last Sunday I hiked to the top of Mount Pichincha which is 15,000ft. It started off with a cable car ride. From the top of the cable car you can see for miles!
The hike was very beautiful except for the very top of the mountain cuz there were lots of clouds. But after three strenuous hours and a little bit of rock climbing, we made it. It was worth it!I have been training for a 15k race on Sunday June 7th. I've been running every day. When I run, in one hand I hold my water bottle and in the other I hold a rock or some object to defend myself from charging dogs. I've come close to using the rock, but thankfully I haven't had to. I've been training here in Tumbaco which is at 7,500ft, however, the race is going to be in Quito which is around 10,000ft. It may be a little different but I think I will be prepared. I think the fact that I've been training for the past few weeks helped me on my hike up the mountain. Once we reached the top I was the only who was still ready for more.
Me after the race.
In two weeks I'm going down to Rio Bamba for a weekend to visit with one of the missionaries whom I will be working with for two weeks in July and August.
I will try to keep the updates coming more frequently. It only depends on my internet access.
Thank you all once again for being my family and friends. I pray that God will bless all of you in the months to come!
Kevin
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Some cultural aspects
From being here for a couple months now, I have considered lots of things that I have taken for granted in the United States as well as things I am still thankful for. (These are in no particular order.)
Things I have taken for granted in the United States:
1. Access to healthier food: (better quality/ more options. ex: They don't have as a wide variety of milk, butter and cheese. Also, it is very hard to find peanut butter.)
2. The quality/ more options of consumable products such as shampoo, hand soap, etc.
3. Warm water in showers.
4. A dryer for laundry.
5. A dish washer.
6. Being able to flush toilet paper.
7. Paper towels. (however, they are used sparingly)
8. Dollar bills. (Most of the time you give a clerk or cashier a five, a ten or a twenty, sometimes they will give you a five or ten in return, but most people here use dollar coins instead of dollar bills. The coins are a little harder to carry on me.)
9. Traffic laws/ safety in transit. (To say the least, it is safer to travel in the US)
10. Dog control.
11. Waste management.
12. Quite nights. (Sometimes there are nights when the dogs never stop barking. Also, the roosters will start to crow at 4am.)
13. All four seasons. (Here in the Andees, for the most part, the weather is the same year round. The sun rises at 6am and sets at 6pm. It stays around 65- 75 degrees year round which is nice. It is also nice through to live where there are all four seasons.)
14. Last but certainly not least... Red Robin Hamburgers!
Things I am thankful for:
1. The Lord's grace and hope in his promises.
2. Close knit families.
3. My host family.
4. Family and friends I still have at home.
5. Ability to still communicate with ppl back home.
6. A quality education.
7. That English is my first language.
8. The opportunity to serve here.
9. The beauty of the landscape and night sky.
10. Warm/ temporate climate.
11. Health
12. A water filter.
13. Bread, Rice, Soup.
14. The Bible.
15. Spiritual Freedom.
16. The ability to learn and grow.
17. Plumbing.
Things I have taken for granted in the United States:
1. Access to healthier food: (better quality/ more options. ex: They don't have as a wide variety of milk, butter and cheese. Also, it is very hard to find peanut butter.)
2. The quality/ more options of consumable products such as shampoo, hand soap, etc.
3. Warm water in showers.
4. A dryer for laundry.
5. A dish washer.
6. Being able to flush toilet paper.
7. Paper towels. (however, they are used sparingly)
8. Dollar bills. (Most of the time you give a clerk or cashier a five, a ten or a twenty, sometimes they will give you a five or ten in return, but most people here use dollar coins instead of dollar bills. The coins are a little harder to carry on me.)
9. Traffic laws/ safety in transit. (To say the least, it is safer to travel in the US)
10. Dog control.
11. Waste management.
12. Quite nights. (Sometimes there are nights when the dogs never stop barking. Also, the roosters will start to crow at 4am.)
13. All four seasons. (Here in the Andees, for the most part, the weather is the same year round. The sun rises at 6am and sets at 6pm. It stays around 65- 75 degrees year round which is nice. It is also nice through to live where there are all four seasons.)
14. Last but certainly not least... Red Robin Hamburgers!
Things I am thankful for:
1. The Lord's grace and hope in his promises.
2. Close knit families.
3. My host family.
4. Family and friends I still have at home.
5. Ability to still communicate with ppl back home.
6. A quality education.
7. That English is my first language.
8. The opportunity to serve here.
9. The beauty of the landscape and night sky.
10. Warm/ temporate climate.
11. Health
12. A water filter.
13. Bread, Rice, Soup.
14. The Bible.
15. Spiritual Freedom.
16. The ability to learn and grow.
17. Plumbing.
Update
Hey Everybody!
Sorry for it being a while since I last posted.
I'm still learning Spanish (thankfully) and teaching English. Their school year ends June 30th.
I've been learning so much since I arrived. Not just the language, but also about their culture and way of life. This is definitely a unique experience.
Here are the coordinates of the two schools that I volunteer at. They are both way out in the boonies. If you have Google Earth, you can plug them into the search bar and it will bring them right up:
This is where I'm at 4 days a week:
0°14'49.76"S
78°21'53.56"W
The buildings are a little hard to see and they look like little round huts.
This is where I am on Wednesdays. The three white buildings to the right of the red one are the 3 classrooms that I teach in:
0° 6'45.03"S
78°13'30.20"W
On my next blog, I will post about some more of my experiences here, as well as some cultural differences they have here.
Kevin
Sorry for it being a while since I last posted.
I'm still learning Spanish (thankfully) and teaching English. Their school year ends June 30th.
I've been learning so much since I arrived. Not just the language, but also about their culture and way of life. This is definitely a unique experience.
Here are the coordinates of the two schools that I volunteer at. They are both way out in the boonies. If you have Google Earth, you can plug them into the search bar and it will bring them right up:
This is where I'm at 4 days a week:
0°14'49.76"S
78°21'53.56"W
The buildings are a little hard to see and they look like little round huts.
This is where I am on Wednesdays. The three white buildings to the right of the red one are the 3 classrooms that I teach in:
0° 6'45.03"S
78°13'30.20"W
On my next blog, I will post about some more of my experiences here, as well as some cultural differences they have here.
Kevin
Friday, May 1, 2009
Hola y tercer semana.
I have another cool opportunity. Next week I´m going to help out at another school teaching english. I'll be doing that every wednesday. The other days I´ll still be at the school in Tumbaco. But this other school, they said, will be working with "Semi-indegenous" people. I'm not exactly sure what that implies. But it sounds like a really cool opportunity!
I plugged in with a NPO called “Fundación Educativa Centro Del Amanecer” they have a branch called "Integra Ecuador" that works to aide the educational system in Ecuador. They even go out to areas with indegenous tribes! The people that I'll be working with are called "Chumillos." They live about 7- 10 mi east of El Quinche, Ecuador. It's on the furthermost outskirts of the Quito area just about bordering the Amazon, but it's high in the mountains. Most of the time, they live in the clouds. They said that it takes an hour by car, which probably means two hours by bus.
Because I speak English, the directors asked me to help them out more! I'm really excited for this.
So my schedule right now, as far as i know it is: (Until the end of June)
Mon: Help with Math at the school in tumbaco. Give private English lessons in the afternoon.
Tues: Teach English at the school in Tumbaco and give private lessons in the afternoon.\.
Wed: Teach English in Quinche (or about 10 miles to the east of quinche)
Thurs: Teach English at the school in Tumbaco and give private lessons in the afternoon.
Fri: Help with Math at the school in tumbaco.
When I have time during the week or weekends, I'll be translating and editing the content of their website.
It's such a blessing to have this opportunity. Thank you so much for you're prayers!
I plugged in with a NPO called “Fundación Educativa Centro Del Amanecer” they have a branch called "Integra Ecuador" that works to aide the educational system in Ecuador. They even go out to areas with indegenous tribes! The people that I'll be working with are called "Chumillos." They live about 7- 10 mi east of El Quinche, Ecuador. It's on the furthermost outskirts of the Quito area just about bordering the Amazon, but it's high in the mountains. Most of the time, they live in the clouds. They said that it takes an hour by car, which probably means two hours by bus.
Because I speak English, the directors asked me to help them out more! I'm really excited for this.
So my schedule right now, as far as i know it is: (Until the end of June)
Mon: Help with Math at the school in tumbaco. Give private English lessons in the afternoon.
Tues: Teach English at the school in Tumbaco and give private lessons in the afternoon.\.
Wed: Teach English in Quinche (or about 10 miles to the east of quinche)
Thurs: Teach English at the school in Tumbaco and give private lessons in the afternoon.
Fri: Help with Math at the school in tumbaco.
When I have time during the week or weekends, I'll be translating and editing the content of their website.
It's such a blessing to have this opportunity. Thank you so much for you're prayers!
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Primer dia ensenado ingles!
Hola! Hoy fue mi primer dia ensenado ingles en la escuela! Lo encanto mucho y fue muy divertido!
Today was my first day teaching english in the school! I love it a lot. It was very fun!
Today we started off going over the alphabet and basic phrases. As far as I could tell, the kids were enjoying it too. Im glad to finally be able to help teaching!
It is really beautiful down here in Ecuador. The landscape (in the mountains where i am) is a lot like Oregon. Snowy mountains, green valleys.
Mt. Cotopaxi
Yesterday, we went on a hike and found an old cave.
We don't know how old but it was really cool!
Last weekend we went to central Quito and did a little sight seeing. We watched the changing of the guard and saw a lot of old buildings and amazing architecture!
San Francisco Square
The basillica.
Palacio del Presidente
Right before the changing of the guard
At the dinner table with host parents and the grandparents.
A couple of the kids in the family
End of school for the day. Waiting to board the buss.
Today was my first day teaching english in the school! I love it a lot. It was very fun!
Today we started off going over the alphabet and basic phrases. As far as I could tell, the kids were enjoying it too. Im glad to finally be able to help teaching!
It is really beautiful down here in Ecuador. The landscape (in the mountains where i am) is a lot like Oregon. Snowy mountains, green valleys. Mt. Cotopaxi
Yesterday, we went on a hike and found an old cave.
We don't know how old but it was really cool!
Last weekend we went to central Quito and did a little sight seeing. We watched the changing of the guard and saw a lot of old buildings and amazing architecture!
San Francisco Square
The basillica.
Palacio del Presidente
Right before the changing of the guardAt the dinner table with host parents and the grandparents.
A couple of the kids in the family
End of school for the day. Waiting to board the buss.
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