Day 2

7/7/2023

FRIDAY, JUNE 7th


Hola amigos!

Welcome back to our blog! It's our second day here in Ecuador, and we woke up bright and early at around 8:00 AM (6:00 AM PST) to see this majestic iguana lounging in a nearby tree! There were a couple of smaller baby iguanas scattered among the branches, but they were too far away to photograph. We took a few moments to admire him—did you guys know iguanas can grow up to 7 ft? This one probably wasn't quite as long; April and I estimated him to be around 3-4ft, but that's still pretty impressive.

Anyway, we enjoyed a breakfast of toast, eggs, and leftover fried rice (I skipped to sleep some more; April rated it a 5/10). 

After breakfast, we began our morning devotional, where Elder Larry led us in discussing Luke 4:18-19 

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Discussion Questions

We shared our ideas about who the verses are referencing in our world today, including those who are poor in spirit, people struggling with addiction, and those blinded and oppressed by sin and greed. Our team agreed that we must spread the gospel to those mentioned in the passage because God has the power to transform lives and bring fruitful, lasting results. As followers of Christ, we are called to advocate for justice, compassion, and truth, addressing the needs of the poor, prisoners, blind, and oppressed in our society.

First trip to the market!

Sindy and Derek (missionaries we're working with) came by and brought us to a nearby market, where we purchased groceries for the upcoming few days!

There was so much fruit! Everything was so fresh and cheap we were in awe...ex. we got eight (8!!!) bananas for only $1!

These avocados were the most massive, plump, gargantuan ones I've ever seen in my entire life!!! We had to buy one ($1).

More fruit! We got to sample the brown and orange fruit on the bottom right, which tasted vaguely like papaya mixed with peach or apricot. Yummyyy.

We then got on the bus (only 25¢ per person!) to drop off everything we bought at the Airbnb. The ride was...interesting to say the least. The driver honked 30+ times in the span of ~10 minutes and stopped in the middle of the road to let us off. Thankfully, it was during a red light and we were able to weave through the other cars to the sidewalk. All in all, a new experience I think we'll be getting used to in the upcoming few days. 

For lunch, we headed to a local restaurant that served a lunch set for only $2.75! The set came with soup, an entree, and a drink, and for the price, it was definitely an amazing deal. We had the choice of shrimp or vegetable soup, both of which were very tasty and aromatic, and chicken breast, turkey leg, or beer chicken with rice and side dishes. April had the shrimp soup and beer chicken, rating them an 8/10, and I had the vegetable soup with chicken breast, which I rated a 9/10.

Next, we visited the church, and April practiced the hymns we'll be singing along to next Tuesday with the other members of the church. We also discussed what we had planned next, which was mainly to visit different families in town and catch up with them, inviting their children to an English camp we'll be hosting at the church.

After we finished discussing, our teams split into two, with Derek, Elder Larry, Auntie Eileen, and April on one team and Sindy, Auntie Louise, Auntie Connie, and I on the second. We took an Uber to a Chinese restaurant owned by a local couple with two kids who just returned from school. The kids were so well-behaved and mature for their ages and super sweet. We chatted with their mom and learned that both kids were learning Spanish and English in school and spoke Cantonese and Mandarin at home. We invited them to our English camp and talked more about opportunities for language learning online after their mom told us how difficult it is to find Mandarin lessons in Guayaquil. We said our goodbyes to the couple and their adorable children, passing along some recent newspapers and snacks for the kids before heading to our following location, another Chinese restaurant.

There, we chatted with the owner and gave her a newspaper before taking the bus to Anna's (who gave us a ride from the airport yesterday) restaurant to meet up with the other team. Unfortunately, they took the bus and ran into terrible traffic (moving less than 1.5 miles after 20+ minutes), so they couldn't get to their destination (a family that lives far from where we are). Derek told us this kind of traffic is rare, so we hope to visit the family sometime soon.

Both teams met at Anna's restaurant, where we were so blessed to have a delicious dinner with various authentic Chinese dishes. Anna was so generous and brought us so much food—way more than we could finish. Highlights included the wonton chips, porridge, and fried fish. April rates this meal an 8.5/10, and I rate it a 9/10. We were all extremely grateful for Anna's hospitality and God for providing us with such a warm, supportive community here in Guayaquil.

Caught in the rain...

After dinner, we headed back, and Auntie Connie, Auntie Eileen, Auntie Louise, April, and I squeezed into Anna's car while Elder Larry took the bus. 

Around 10 minutes after we got home, it began absolutely POURING outside. We heard the pattering sound of rain against the windows and watched water fill the streets, which was peaceful until we realized Elder Larry was still on his way back WITHOUT AN UMBRELLA. Panic set in as the Aunties rushed outside to try and find him. 

Fortunately, Elder Larry was right outside. Unfortunately, our Airbnb has three locks and a keyring with over ten keys, making unlocking the door a struggle, resulting in a case of what the adults called 落汤鸡 (luòtāngjī) (lit. drenched chicken). Everyone found the incident pretty funny and quickly dried off after a shower. 







We then looked outside and realized the iguana from this morning was STILL outside, totally chill with the downpour. 

Praise God for a productive and successful day! We plan to sleep early, as we'll be waking up even earlier tomorrow. 

Thanks for tuning in! Again, we'll be updating the prayer requests page daily and appreciate your prayers and support! 

Good night, buenas noches, and God bless!

Signing off,

Elaine