A very special day!

We slept very well at the Hotel Montecarlo in Machala. We had a “matrimonial room”, which we assume is a double room with one bed in it, as opposed to two single beds. We could have slept hanging on a hook, if needed. Our room overlooks a city street where individual vendors set up shop during the day, but are gone during the night hours. Obviously the hotel thought that a couple staying in a “matrimonial room” should share a towel, so they placed only one in the room. We got very strange looks when we went to the desk and asked for another towel so we would each have one.

The shower left a little to be desired as ours had only cold water and the Wilsons’ shower had only hot water. This caused us to take “Hokey Pokey” showers…put your right hand in…take your right hand out…etc.

Reports on the earthquake and tsunami fill the newspapers and TV. However, the reports are in Japanese translated into Spanish, which leaves three of us only the pictures to watch to gain information. Apparently it is total devastation. So sad.

Because our stomachs are unaccustomed to the water in Ecuador, while we are here we drink only bottled water and order beverages with no ice (which is made from local water). We use only bottled water when brushing our teeth. It is better to be cautious than take a chance on wasting a precious day feeling ill!

Machala is located in southeast Ecuador, in the heart of the banana-producing area. We drove for several miles from Santa Rosa to Machala yesterday, and the roads were flanked with lush banana plantations. Even though Machala is the fourth largest city in Ecuador, there is very little English spoken here. Elias and Ines neither speak any English. Thankfully, Bert does a great job helping us communicate. April knows a few words, but because she stands beside Bert when he is speaking Spanish, and because of her beautiful olive complexion, the people here think she knows the language, also. She is very good at smiling and nodding.

The history of Ecuador includes the Incan Empire, followed by the conquest of the Spanish in 1534. Ecuador declared itself to be a republic in 1830, and has been a republic under democratic rule since 1979. Although the constitution guarantees religious freedom in Ecuador, more than 90% of the Ecuadorians are Catholic, reflecting the influence of the Spanish over the centuries.

We observed this influence when the four of us went for a morning walk before going to the Davila’s house. The city center is dominated by the Catholic Church on the square., dwarfing the municipal building. We also walked through the local markets where street vendors sell everything from meat to cosmetics. We decided against going into the open-air meat market area where they had raw meat for sale (with no refrigeration) in the 90-degree weather.
We went to the Davila’s house for one of Ines‘ delicious meals, followed by a wonderful afternoon that can best be described in photographs.

Bert had the opportunity to baptize two ladies in the early afternoon. We all went to a local river for the baptism.

A Saturday afternoon worship service with the congregation in Las Palmas...

Some of the women and girls at Las Palmas after the worship service in the afternoon.

Sharing teaching aids and Spanish Bibles with Ingrid and Jaime Campos and Ruth Davila...

A Saturday evening Bible study in Machala....

Olen and Jaime Campos discuss a religious question...

It was an exciting and exhausting day. The weather is very warm (90-degrees), but we are enjoying every minute of our trip. We are looking forward to sharing worship time tomorrow with the wonderful Christians in Machala. May each of you have a very special day of worship.