Ecuador spans the Pacific Ocean, up the majestic Andes Mountains and wanders east into the Amazon jungle. We see the same scenery every day, yet the visage changes moment by moment as the tempest of wind, clouds and sun continually change the perspective!
We never cease to be amazed and delighted at the glory of God as revealed in His creation ...
the physical world ...
the cultures and people ...
the animals ...
and the unseen spiritual world.
I've often wondered if it was a sight such as this
that caused the ancient and futile search for the "lost city of gold" ...
Surely I shall never again use or hear the term "dumb ass" without tender thoughts of these gentle and faithful beasts of burden! Oh, sure, they cause traffic jams ... but left on their own, they are very courteous navigators and in no way dumb!!! These fellows do not even need to be led from the field to the factory; they plod along from spot to spot on their own and by rote ... when a car comes to pass they quietly, without breaking stride, amble to the side of the road and allow the tolerated interloper to pass.
Some of the best advice we received before we started to drive in Ecuador was "expect the unexpected". It has become our mantra and our mental flashing yellow light as we traverse the city streets of Loja, a town of about 200,000 people where stop signs mean nothing, or the bottle neck curves of the remote Andes ... it is common knowledge and more common practice that one lane always means two and two lanes always give way to three ... even on blind curves.
While it is vital to understand the nuances of culture and traffic, it is even more vital to understand the unseen spiritual battle. New Age and other cults are common place near us. In the larger and more modern city of Loja, the Catholic church is predominant. Currently they are celebrating the presence of a wooden doll representing the Virgin Mary (the Virgin of El Cisne), who is credited with the ability to perform miracles. Candles are lit and many prayers offered up to her.
BUT IT IS ALWAYS ABOUT THE PEOPLE ... about the souls for whom Jesus was born, gave His life and resurrected to break the power sin and death! Whether we (like you at home) are loving on folks in our home or witnessing to a stranger, praying at 4 a.m. (for us morning folk 😍) or midnight (😫 if you're a night person), God will use each of us where we are. Neal and I are so grateful for the truth that God equips us to do what He calls us to do! We are blessed and nourished by serving and loving on His people at our beautiful facility as well as being "the fragrance of Christ" to the people of a city who predominantly do not YET know Him!
 |
| Luchito & Vichita pastor the church Semilla de Mostaza Suro, a small community south of Vilcabamba. We spent a wonderful afternoon with them and their niece Germana and her son Santiago. |
Joe & Raquel Gomez attend Semilla de Mostaza in Loja and have a heart to plant churches ... hoping to plant one soon in Malacatos, our city of residence. Joaquin is Raquel's 90-year-old father from Puerto Rico; his gentle spirit, wisdom and keen humor were a special part of their stay with us!
The Burbano family, from Cuenca, became a special and intricate part of the Sperling family in 1989 when our son, Matthew, spent a school year with them during his junior year in high school. The school year 1990 saw his host brother, Cesar (back left) spend his senior year with us in our home in Scio. How we love this family!
 |
| Visitors recently for brunch ~ Fabian (back right) runs the S.I.M. radio station in Loja and is graced by his beautiful wife, Violeta and their two daughters. Violeta's parents, Manuel & Violeta attend Semilla de Mostaza Suro and are good friends to our beloved Luchito & Vichita; their grandson also joined us! |
Paula is a delightful transplant from New Zealand,
serving with S.I.M. and has a ministry to children.
She was the first to be snuggled under this quilt which
was handmade by friend Donna Dougall!
 |
| Karyn (foreground) was pictured in a previous post from our first home at the farm. She is not only a gifted translator but is a delightful friend from Semilla de Mostaza. She recently visited for lunch along with her beautiful Mom, Ingrid, and Paula. |
Iksander owns and runs U.F.O. - United Falafel Org. - in Vilcabamba.
Middle Eastern food is a favorite of mine, and we struck a strong chord
when it came out that I have been in his home town of Izmir, Turkey!
Iksander had never made falafel before this restaurant ... and he does a great job.
 |
| From nourishing soaps to decorative magnets to jewelry - this gal does it all! |
This local Ecuadorian lives in Vilcabamba and sells organic produce, peanut butter, completely natural/unsweetened fudge AND COFFEE!!! ... dark, rich, robust FRENCH ROAST COFFEE!!! He made me VERY HAPPY!!!
Stefano bakes and sells the best sourdough and is in Vilcabamba every Friday morning with his beautiful wife and young son.
This delightful group of people knew each other in India and now live here; all (save the lady on the left, who is visiting and is from Australia) are Ecuadorian.
IT IS ABOUT THE PEOPLE. May we be a continual representative of Jesus Christ, always ready to give and answer for our hope in Him, always being emissaries of His love.
