Latest Update

I decided I better update the blog for those you that follow us that don't have Facebook.  We are in the process of doing a website but it's not ready yet.  There will be a new blog on the website.  We also will have a new web address and I will be deleting this one.  I will post all the new information when it's ready.  

Things have been pretty crazy since moving and I just haven't been able to keep up with the blog.  

I know, there's no excuses.

So let's start back on Christmas day. 

Here's our family picture on Christmas day.  We missed Ethan a lot.

We also went into a nearby community and gave out candy bags to a few kids on Christmas day.

Here's one of my favorite decorations that I've done in the new house.  There's pictures in the picture frames now, but not in the this pic.  I love my coffee bar.

Megan had her wisdom teeth removed back in January.  She was not put to sleep for this and we didn't know this before hand.  Honestly, I think it would have been better for her to be put to sleep, but she did great.  

Shannon was given a live chicken as an offering at a church here.

We started doing a kid's ministry with a local pastor here on Fridays.

We took some Sr. pictures of Megan.  She'll be done with school next month and will be moving home.  She will be starting school at The University of Arkansas in the Fall.

Shannon in the cornfield in an Indian village.

We love hanging out with this family.  They have taught us a lot since moving here.  On this day we went and picked beans with them and then hulled them.

Here's some more decorating that I've done.

Here's a pic of Shannon after playing with the kids one Friday.

More decorating finished.

Here's Shannon with our pastor's son in Quito.

Here's a view from our house.

I had foot surgery three weeks ago today.  It's been hard on me staying down.  I'm not good at it.  I hate it.  There's so much stuff that I need to be doing, but it's not happening.  Remember that I broke my foot a year ago?  Well apparently I tore the tendon that the sesamoid bone is in.  The sesamoid bone is the bone that I broke.  After wearing a boot for 3 or 4 months I still had pain when walking.  I saw a doctor while in the states and he couldn't find anything.  After we came back to Ecuador I still had pain and just suffered with it.  It got so bad that I had to go back to my original doctor here and told me I needed bunion surgery.  While he was doing the surgery that's when he noticed the tear in the tendon and that my sesamoid bone wasn't even in the right place.  The tear or the displacement did not show up on any of the x-rays that I had done and I had X-rays done twice while in the states.  Guess what?  If they would have found the torn tendon I would have not needed this bunion surgery, only surgery to fix the tendon.  Since the sesamoid bone with out of place it messed up my whole foot.  Oh well, it is what it is.  Anyway, I'm hoping to be back on my feet soon, literally.

Here's is where I've been the last three weeks.  It's enough to make you go crazy.

We started teaching English classes at a local church.  Monday we teach kids and then Wednesday we teach adults.  I have no idea why I'm saying we because I haven't even gotten to go to one class yet.

Shannon was able to work with a team from Pennsylvania last month.

I guess that sums up our lives for the last few months.  We have team coming in Saturday from California.  We will be doing medical clinics in three different locations.  Pray for us.

We are moved.

We are all moved in.  

We moved to Otavalo about 10 days ago.

We are still getting unpacked and use to living in a new city.

We love the traffic here.  It's perfect.

Here a few pics from moving day.  (Dec. 14th)

This is Meg's idea of moving.

Here is the view from our house.

Our church in Quito is doing great.  We will still be working with this church.

Yesterday Shannon was able to go into a community named Yamiro.  There is no evangelical church there.  Praying that God opens doors there.

I'll post more later.  I just wanted to share an update with you.

We're still here.

I have become a terrible blogger.

There's no excuses. 

I should make us a website and forget about it. 

I will do that as soon as we have time. 

It's not looking like it will be anytime soon. 

So, enjoy my sparatic blogging. 

I bought this desk a long time ago, but haven't really had time to redo it. And I wasn't exactly sure what I wanted to use it for. A desk or something else? Since Ethan moved back to the states, we got our tv back. So I decided to use it as a tv stand.  $10 desk 

It was a lot of work to strip it and sand it. 

Here's the finish piece. I think I'm going to add a burlap coffee bag as a curtain to hide the cords. That's one of my pet peeves. 

This is Shannon face timing Ethan, while watching a football game on the computer. This is how they spend time together. We miss him, everyday. 

Shannon had back surgery a week ago today. They took him back at 10:00 and he didn't return to his room until 6:30. To say it was a long day would be an understatement. When he got back to the room he was saying crazy stuff. I was only able to stay with him until 8:30 because I needed to get home to Megan, but he was so funny. He took this selfie. I thought he was nuts. 

This was on Thursday when he came home. He's doing great!

Here's Shannon preaching in our new sanctuary for the first time. This was two weeks before surgery. 

Lots of progress. 

Update

To say we've been busy is an understatement. Three days after our last team left we flew to the states to move Ethan home.  It was hard, not going to lie, and it's still hard. Ethan is living with Shannon's mom in NWA and working. He will be starting college next fall. Where? We aren't sure just yet. Please pray for him and us as we adjust. 

I thought I would share a few pics from our trip. 

Ethan and Megan got new glasses the second day we were home. It was past time. 

Shannon and I flew to Houston to pick up Ethan's car that was stored at my mom's house. Thanks to the Hopkins who picked us up and let us stay the night at their house in Tulsa. 

We traveled to a few churches to share about Ecuador. 

Thank you Searcy First!! They bought us all these gluten free foods. 

We played at Best Buy. 

Shannon was able to spend some time with his grandparents. 

Shannon and Ethan were given free tickets to a razorback game. 

We toured Evangel University. 

Megan got her senior pics taken. She too will be starting college next Fall. She has applied to U of A. 

We celebrated Ethan's 19th birthday. 

Then the dreaded day came when we flew home to Ecuador. This is us in the Dallas airport missing Ethan. Seriously, the hardest thing we've ever done. 

And this is us on our final flight to Ecuador after we ran a mile because we almost missed our flight. It was awful. 

I've been making things to help keep my mind busy. Okay, to keep my mind off of Ethan.  I brought some stuff back from the states to make a Fall wreath. 

Then I made this for my table. I love Fall. 

We were finally able to go out to the church and this is where we are on the construction. We will be putting to roof on next week. 

Next week we should be getting our visas renewed.  Please pray that we have all the right paperwork and we are able to get them Monday.

Searcy First

We had a great time with Searcy First last week.   We started out the week with service at the work site, our first service at the new church site, by the way.  Then we worked the rest of the day.

Handing out Bibles.

Eye clinic at our church.

They worked hard building this wall.

Dr. Watts was able to get in some construction time on the last day.

Shannon and Ethan working hard.

The team went to Otavalo on Wednesday and was able to give glasses to a much needed family. This is Luz Mila.

Luz Mila's mom, Laura, and Dr. Watts.

The whole group.

Rusty and Luz Mila with her new glasses.

They loved him because he was so tall.

Pastor Rusty and Pastor Luis