Loja is a big city, yet far less than half the size of Cuenca. Though traffic-choked and allowing only a true snail's pace during rush (do you ever wonder why it's called that when it is the slowest traffic time?) hour, small one-way streets give a semblance of order. After receiving incorrect directions on finding the S.I.M. Guest House here, God provided another DIVINE APPOINTMENT ~ I asked a young man who walked by us for help and he just happened to live next door to our intended destination, which by the way, is not marked in any clear way. But God knew.
Thanks to Marco Polo, Facebook and family posts, we were able to vicariously celebrate Veterans' Day on November 11. I was even able, with my extremely halting Spanish, to thank an Ecuadorian soldier for his service; his smile indicated a basic understanding of my intent.
Loja, "City of the Immaculate Conception of Loja", is a relatively conservative and refined city in comparison to the more fast-paced and youth & party-oriented culture of Salinas and Cuenca. Their celebration of and reverence for the "Virgen del Cisne" (centuries-old statue of a young Virgin Mary) and it's annual pilgrimage to Loja is a very revered tradition here.
The city proudly hosts at least two lovely community squares. One local to us is San Sebastian Square and it's mainstay, the very old Cathedral of San Sebastian. The square memorializes the City's declaration of independence from the Spanish Crown on November 18, 1820. The main city square is Parque Central, again centered around a Cathedral and bounded by beautifully tended buildings.
Saturday brought an impromptu visit to Vilcabamba, a quaint village about a one-hour winding drive (ALL drives here in the high Andes Mountains are winding) from Loja. A short walk from the bus terminal took ushered us into a delightful town square with it's beautiful Cathedral ... and through a time/place-portal ... into the hippie days of the 60's or the current (questionable) ambiance of Eugene's central squares or Portland's Saturday Market. Many ex-pats and "free spirits" abide in this charming town nestled beautifully into the Andes. A little lower than Loja it offers more sun and warmth.
A quick life lesson reinforced that day, the heart of which I picked up from a CS Lewis comment, is don't settle for what isn't because of a faulty impression. We were told that the river is "just down there." We came to a nearly dry riverbed enjoyed only by two horses. At first we were somewhat caustically unimpressed, then realized maybe there was more if we just kept looking. We are so glad we did!
The nearby environmental/ecological preservation area hosted a lovely, winding trail along a tumbling little river. This stroll was another of myriad snapshots displaying the vast and magnificent creativity of God. Whether the flora and fauna of planet Earth or its created care-takers (humanity) the variety of types, and humanly speaking temperament, is a picture of complex diversity. I found as much fascination in discovering plants, trees and fruits totally foreign to our Northwest region as I did in observing the difference in temperament between me and Neal. And one is as creatively unique and perfect as the other.
For instance ~ approaching the water's edge on the Salinas beach ~ I forge ahead, boldly striding out to greet the waves; Neal stands on recently wet sands and waits for a wave to revisit his location. This day, while meandering the path in the Vilcabamba environmental preserve, Neal holds back from the unknown beyond the next curve; I peer and plunge ahead. Two temperaments, merged into one through the blood of Christ and through marriage ... same/same, but different! God intends us that way. As the fruits of Ecuador grace the tables of Oregon homes, so the difference in temperament, skill and spiritual gifts graces and equips our marriage AND the Body of Christ to be what God has ordained us to be.
ANOTHER LAST TIME I DID SOMETHING FOR THE FIRST TIME ~ well ... this entire trip has been a first ... but Sunday was our first time to attend service at Semilla de Mostaza (Mustard Seed), the church plant pastored by Leo Calva, our Ecuadorian field supervisor. Worldwide, we are ONE BODY IN CHRIST JESUS, and our worship was vibrant and united though our language was different. The preaching (not Leo on this day) was obviously animated and powerful, though I understood no more than a few words. The Bible was soundly taught and the following fellowship was sweet!
Monday morning's breakfast was with Leo & Lulu Calva and Lance and Tiffany Ferguson, both WorldVenture. Again ~ God's creativity and plan for one Body, or in our terms, great teamwork! God's creative influence was evident in Lance's focused and penetrating questions, which in turn helps me and Neal, who are not detail-thinkers, to focus our thoughts. I love the Body of Christ and teamwork!
Lance was gracious enough to take us to the tourist info office at the main town square, Parque Central. There, ANOTHER DIVINE APPOINTMENT, when another Ecuadorian missionary 'happened' to come in. When Carlos heard our vision he excitedly expounded for many minutes on the depth of need for this type of ministry! We were again so blessed and affirmed in the direction God is taking us.
Over the next few days ~
- Wednesday we'll be escorted by Leo into some more remote areas, exploring into the Amazon side of the Andes, to discern if this area has good potential for a future Guest House/Respite Care facility.
- We'll meet with Carlos and his wife for breakfast on Thursday to learn more and record his thoughts.
- Thursday lunch will be at the home of the Ferguson's; we already love this special family and look forward to learning how we can minister to and bless them and other missionaries.
- We're approaching the year's biggest art festival in Loja, conjoined with the independence celebration. We'll be able to participate in several days of festivity, concerts and other cultural events before we take leave for Latin Link (WorldVentures missionary conference) in Columbia on November 22.
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