Thursday, July 6, 2006

Today we were scheduled to go to Atucucho and do a clinic at a church, but because the children we were supposed to come see weren't going to arrive until 1 we took a little detour  for some fun time at the Teleferico, an amusement center with a tram to Pinchicha, 14,000 ft. above sea level.

On the way we saw the Angel Mary, a statue of Mary as an angel. The people of Ecuador believe that if you live to the back of her then you are cursed, but if you live to her front then you are blessed. There is so much superstition mixed with religion here.  Even the Catholic Church allows them their pagen idol worship as part of their faith.

When we got to the Teleferico most of us rode a tram up the mountain to Pinchicha. Once at the top many of us hiked even farther up. We were so high up that it was a little hard to breath, but it was worth it. The scenery was absolutely breathtaking. We got an amazing view of Cotapaxi and 5 other volcanoes. That's why they call this region The Ring of Fire.

After posing for a few group shots we headed back down the mountain to meet up with
everyone else. At the bottom we got some ice cream and then went off to ride go-karts. It was a lot of fun. The go-karts here are a lot faster than in the US and everyone was sliding and crashing into each other.  It was really a fun and well deserved break.

When everyone was finished we loaded back onto the bus and headed toward Atucucho.

The trip up there was quite an experience. Some of the roads weren't paved and all of them were barely big enough for two cars, but thank the Lord, we made it. As we arrived, the children were so excited to see us they ran out to the bus, waving and smiling. These children come to the church everyday, when a large siren goes off, for a free meal, and for many of them it is the only meal they get all day.

Today we felt so blessed to be able to brighten their day with more face painting, stickers, crosses, pinwheels, and of course puppets. They were all smiling, dancing and singing along with the songs.

After watching the puppets for a few minuets the children headed into the clinic two at a time. They would go through triage and then it was off to the prayer team.

There was one little boy that came through who gave his testimony about how he and his family had been going to church and got saved. The prayer team began to pray for him, but they had to stop because they noticed that he had begun to pray for them. He started thanking God for sending us and asking God to bless us. Then he began to praise God. What a sight! It was too much for the prayer team and they all broke down and began to cry.

There was also a family that touched everyone's heart. There was a little boy who came in with a temperature of 103 and you could just see the pain in his eye's. We gave him oral medicine, and a shot. When the needle went in he just started to cry. It just made you want to cry with him. Then his brother came in with the same look in his eye's and a temp of 104. He got the same treatment as did his two little sisters. Seeing them all so sick and feeling so bad just made our hearts break, but at the same time we realized that the medicine we just gave them would make them feel better than they had in a long while. Sometimes it is just really apparent why we are here.

While at the church, we went to the prayer room on the top floor.  What an amazing view. Some decided to go up little higher and climbed up on the roof. The natural beauty of Ecuador is just intoxicating and it is easy to get hooked on it.

We packed everything up and headed home. It took us a while because there was a lot of traffic, so when we finally made it back we ate dinner and then most everyone was ready for bed.  We were tired, but fell asleep with smiles on our faces and in our hearts.