Ecuador 2006 - Part IX

Just an update before I post the next section of my Ecuador story...in the last section was the story of Jenni. I just wanted to add what a blessing she still is to my life...how excited I was to see her again last year...and how much it still blesses my heart and brings tears to my eyes when I get emails from her about how she prays for me. Wow. And, how very, very much I miss her and wish I could have seen her this year. Somewhere, there is a picture of she and I from last year...right after we had seen each other again for the first time. It's my very favorite picture of me ever. If I can find it, I'll post it.

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I found the picture:



and I love it.

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Our sightseeing adventure began after lunch. We again boarded the bus and drove to a town called Baños. The town is known, in certain circles, for its hot springs. To us, it is known for the amazing waterfall in contains. Baños is located on the edges of the jungle territory of Ecuador, only a thirty-minute bus ride from Shell Mera and the MAF base of Nate Saint. When we climbed off the bus in Baños, we stood amidst several stands, almost like a very small flea market, with people selling their wares, jewelry and such. From there, we looked up at mountains that commanded our attention with their splendor and looked down into a valley that held a river amazing in its beauty and obvious power.

From the center of the market area, we began to walk down a path that led through the trees. We hiked about 15 or 20 minutes down the trail until we came upon a suspension bridge. At our end of the bridge a man was posted to only allow five people on the bridge at a time. That made me nervous. I hate bridges. I particularly hate bridges that cross rivers that run with an unrivaled fury. But, I wasn’t willing to let my fear keep me from what I had been promised would be a view I would never forget, so, I waited my turn and walked to the center of the bridge. Chance and I walked out there together. Once in the center, we did as we had been instructed and turned around to look up-river. We stood in silence for a moment and marveled at the sheer majesty and resplendent beauty of the waterfall that fed the river raging beneath us.

I had heard about the waterfall from Ava and Dan and others, but their descriptions hadn’t done justice to what I stood before that day. Their descriptions couldn’t have done justice. I’m not sure the words exist to accurately express what the waterfall proclaimed about God’s beautiful creativity. We walked back to the start of the bridge and continued further down the path to a series of steps that would take us close to the bottom of the waterfall. It was one of the most incredible things I have ever seen. The power of the cascade so mightily portrayed the hand of God. Beauty in power. The picture of the waterfall that I carry in my mind stands as a testimony to the beauty and grace in the power of the hand of God. It serves as a reminder that He is ever powerful and if He can contain such a force, He can handle the chaos of my life.

We circled around and took the path back to the top and the market area. Along the way back, for the most part, Ava and I walked along together, alone. We stopped, at one point, and looked down the river and across mountain after mountain and talked about Lord as His reality. We both stood in awe of His hand and how He works. And we stood in a stunned sadness wondering how anyone could take in such a landscape and not know intrinsically that there is a sovereign, all-knowing and all-powerful God. He gives great gifts when He uses such beauty to display how good and how real He is.

After experiencing the waterfall, we took the bus into the town of Baños for dinner at a cool little restaurant. Our group, along with Hernan and Jenni’s family and, I think, a few others from Jonhattan’s church, filled the entire restaurant. I was so excited to again be able to share a meal with Jenni and Alejandro. Ava, Lance and Ben ate with us also and we all laughed, a lot, as Jenni taught us the Spanish words for the different items on the table.

This meal was the first of many at which Dan would have us go around the room and introduce ourselves so the gringos and the nationals could get to know each other. At this particular meal, he explained that in the Spanish language adding the suffix of “-ita” or “-ito” to a name indicates familiarity or that a person is precious to you. When it became my turn to introduce myself, I stood and said that my name was Kerry, or Ana and sat down. When I was again seated, Alejandro caught my eye, gave me a definitive look and said, “No. No, Anacita.” Jenni nodded her agreement and patted my leg.

How sweet that family is. I already liked that family, but that night I loved them.

On the way “home” that night, I was so frustrated. It had happened again, for the fourth consecutive time. I was in South America and I was sick. By the time I got off the bus at the hacienda, I couldn’t breathe. I was congested and coughing and feeling downright miserable.

The difficulty for me in getting sick on this trip was more mental than physical. I’ve known for a few years now that the Lord’s plan for me is to live in South America, at least for a little while. However, when I got sick this time and realized that it was happening every time I was in South America it made me begin to question everything I had previously thought about my future. And that was scary. I started praying then, really praying, that the Lord would give me some clarity over the week and show me if my respiratory problems were His message that I wasn’t walking toward the future He wanted. I prayed, afraid of the answer, and waited knowing the Lord would be faithful.