NILI 8 - Summer 2010

NILI 8 (L to R, Back: Lucy, Caity, Katy, Jessie, Laura, Amanda, Meghan, Andrew)
(Front: Simone, Jenna, Joel, Spencer, Evelyn)

The picture was taken at one of our farewell traditions. Each semester we gather at Evelyn's house and the students make a typical 'North American' meal for the professors. It is a fun time to share part of our culture with the professors after a semester of the professors sharing their culture with us. 

It's with mixed emotions that I write this blog post. NILI 8 is ending today and all the students are leaving tonight and tomorrow. The summer semester is only 8 weeks in length so just about the time you are getting to know the students they are leaving.  

Each NILI group has it's own personality and character. This group loves to cook at Lucy's house and be sarcastic with just about everyone. It's hard sometimes to tell when they are joking and when they are being serious. 

They are all going home to finish out there summer vacations and process all they have learned this semester. It's sad to see them go but I am excited for them in all their plans they have for the upcoming months.  I think the hardest part of working in NILI is how quickly people come and go from my life. 


***I have my Visa and for 2 years! Thanks for your prayers! 

Special Chapel Service

Our weekly Chapel service here at the seminary was a little out of the ordinary. We had some special guests.  Dr. Louie Bustle, Director of World Mission for the Church of the Nazarene preached and an indigenous Children's dance group performed.

The Children's dance group was so cute. They danced two Ecuadorian Folk dances and then presented Dr. Bustle with a poncho. 

It was rewarding to hear a sermon in Spanish that I totally understood. Yes, I have even translated some sermons but it is rare when I really understand everything and leave with the points of the sermons still running around in my head. (Because it is a monologue a sermon is one of the last things that you really can understand.) The scripture from the sermon was Mathew 22:37-39. The greatest commandment is "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." and the second "Love your neighbor as yourself." The thought in my head still is something that Dr. Bustle said... you have to have the first commandment to make the second commandment possible. For me sometimes loving my neighbor is hard to do... and I've never connected the two in that way before... maybe it will be easier now...anyway  I'm still thinking about that one...

Dr. Bustle (L) and Mrs. Bustle (R) receive a plaque from Pastor Freddy Guerrero and his wife Grace (Center)

Prayer Request:
Jen and I dropped our Passports and Visa renewal paperwork off today. We will hear Monday if they authorize our renewal. Please pray that everything goes as planned and we will have our new Visas on Monday.

Grocery Store

Happy Friday!

It's been sort of a slow week around here. The NILIs were in the Galapagos and I had all sorts of plans for little projects I would get done. Alas, it was not meant to be. I've been sick all week and just when I thought I was getting better my cold appears to have started over again. I would appreciate your prayers.

I didn't want to miss my blog post for the week so I thought I would share some of the products you can find here in our local grocery store.

The first is "Kimbies." Yes... apparently I have my own diaper company.

The second is my very own hand sanitizer called "KimCare." A few others... the major brand of stationary here in Ecuador is "Kimberly" and I'm also in almost every bathroom... Kimberly Clark paper towels...

Ok, so we all know they are not really my companies, but maybe I should see about collecting royalties for my name... might be an interesting way to finance my volunteer missionary career.