Father's Day

What a great day! What started out a little rough this morning in the pre-church rush to get going, definetly ended a little more laid back. Church was very good, and we were very blessed by both the worship and sermon. It is such a great feeling to be able to sit in that service and understand everything that is going on. We are beginning to meet a lot of people as well, not just at church but within our community as well. That always helps you take ownership of an experience or lifestyle.

After church we took a bit of a "detour" on the way home just to see where an unfamiliar road led. It was a great time. It really reminded us of when we went for lazy drives back home to the wildlife refuge and such. We were able to see monkeys, farms, the Pastaza River, and we even gave a woman a ride that was walking to the nearest bus stop. We saved her at least 30-40 minutes of walking, and she had already been walking about 30. Again, I was reminded of the isolation that exists here in Ecuador just minutes from my doorstep.

Afterwards we just came home and had leftovers for lunch. I didn't really want to go out to eat, and the dinner of fajítas that Rebecca made last night sounded better than anything. A bit later as the girls started to take naps, I decided to go for a bike ride and see what I could find. I am really glad I went as I found a lot.
I found the trail for these waterfalls leading from the road that I was on. On way way back home I took the trail and about 5 minutes later I found what the sign had advertised. About 4 isolated, clean, and pristine waterfalls called Mangayacu Falls awaited my exploring. I ended up exploring for about 30 minutes there and hiking through the creek. It was a blast and the water was crystal clear. I want to bring my girls back there, I think they will really enjoy it. The building is a dressing room and also my beloved bike can be seen in the picture.


This is the entrance into a nearby cemetary. I liked what it said on the sign so I whirled around and took a picture. Translated it says "Here we are all equal." I thought that was an appropriate message not only for a cemetary, but for life. Here in Ecuador there is a lot of prejudice and inequality. The people here where we live and the indians that we serve from the jungle are regarded as the "lowest" of the people that live here in Ecuador.


What weekend would be complete without some fútbol? I ran across this game as well on my bike ride. I had just rescued the ball from the weeds before this player put the ball back into play. You can find an organized, very competitive game of soccer on almost any day of the week. It is a lot of fun to watch.