An Ecuadorian Sabbath

Ecuador, on the whole, is a beautiful country. We got a great look at the terrain on our bus trip from Quito to Riobamba on Day 2. But the fullest picture of Ecuador’s beauty came Sunday on our trip to Calshi, a 30-minute truck ride outside Riobamba. Seven of us sat in the bed of the pickup, and while the ride was painful, the view was excellent. Patchwork fields patterned hills leading up to Chimborazo, a striking snow-capped mountain in the Andes range. It was the first view we got of the mountain, which has been shrouded by clouds for the rest of our trip. Clouds still hid the tip, but it was great to see.



Farmers wore wool ponchos and children played volleyball (which was strange, I thought) as we drove up a dirty, bumpy stone road. We waved. They waved back. Eventually, we pulled up to a bright yellow church on a dirt lot. We hopped out and a group of kids cautiously approached the truck, the older ones encouraging the younger ones. I bent down to shake a boy’s hand and he instantly smiled. The kids were very reserved, but seemed genuinely happy to see us.

Ron and Zoe, who came with us and served as translators, led us into the building. Inside was much darker than outside. There was no lighting and few windows. It was cold. The concrete ground and wooden benches were dusty. A man was leading about 20-30 worshippers while singing and dancing on the stage. Two other musicians played behind him. The difference in energy between the worship leader and worshippers was stark. They latter sat politely on the benches, timidly clapping along. Still, it was great to see people worshipping God in what I would consider a remote part of the world. From this point on, everything moved really fast.

After a couple songs, Ron went up front to introduce us. We had planned testimonies from three from our team, a drama with a message and a closing skit. Ron started us off by asking for one of our testimonies. Heather obliged, after agreeing to give her testimony only the night before. Then came the “King of Hearts” skit, which the drama kids (Julie, Jordan, Jared, Hannah and Aaron) worked on for weeks and stayed up perfecting the night before. It got a few laughs from the kids even though it was at no point supposed to be funny, but I think it went pretty well. I couldn’t watch because I was hiding behind the podium working the iPod. After they were done, I said my piece. I tried to explain the skit, which was mimed, and threw in the gospel. Most of the stares were pretty blank. I’m hoping some of them understood.

Sarah gave her testimony next. Then came the second skit. Abbey explained that one and gave her testimony like a pro. The rest of us took notes up there. She didn’t need any. Aaron and a few others wrapped things up with a song the kids at the orphanage taught us.

Originally we thought were going to spend at least a few hours in the village. We thought we were going to eat lunch with them. Apparently they weren’t really ready for us and we ended up only spending an hour there. Maybe less. But not before Jared and I chatted up some guy from the village. We talked for maybe 10 minutes, but we can’t really speak Spanish and he didn’t know English. I think his name was Pedro. He was fun. We took a group photo, hopped in the truck and headed back to the orphanage.

Because we had so much unexpected free time, Ron dropped us off at Guano, a more tourist-friendly town near Riobamba. Hannah called it “Leathertown” because a lot of shops sold stuff made with leather. Especially wallets, purses and seat cushions. Jared bought a purple purse. At one of the shops there was a leather football (American) with a Yankees logo and A-Rod’s No. 13. Julie wouldn’t buy it for me.

Naomi and Frijole introduced us to cholas, a kind of pastry. They’re delicious. We also got some candy at a shop nearby. Aaron bought a piece of chicken on a stick from a street vendor. It was surprisingly good.

It started to rain before Ron picked us up, making the truck-bed trip back bumpy and wet. We arrived at the orphanage just in time for the scheduled taxi to take us back to our apartment. We didn’t get to spend much time with the kids at the orphanage Sunday, but between a short visit to the village and shopping in the afternoon, it was a welcome break from our normal hurried pace.

Later,
-Brian

P.S. Happy anniversary to the Murphys.