It's about the people ... and sometimes the burros ...

And it is always about God!  HIS plan, HIS creation, HIS people, HIS word, HIS purpose ... GLORY!

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.

The myriad impressions and expressions of life and ministry in Ecuador!

AFTER about two years of planning and preparation, we began the final stage of the trek to Ecuador! Then the "real work" begins, right?

Step one: Arrive.
Step two: Acquaint with people & culture
Step three: Find a home, our ministry site.
Step four: Move in and settle; begin specifics for ministry.
Step five: Move again ...
Step six: Move again ...
Step seven: Repeat steps two, three and four.
Wait a minute ... steps five through seven were NOT part of the original plan! Oh, wait another minute ... things do NOT always (or even often!) go according to our plan.
BUT GOD ... perhaps two of the most powerful words EVER! And when things don't go according to plan, EL ROI (God Who Sees Me) is already there ... meeting needs and reassuring us of His love.
First, He reminds us of His Creative Sovereignty.

We sense His Presence in the glory of His creation.

Sometimes God comforts and provides through a warm bed, blanketed with Scripture verses lovingly written; or through extra chairs at a table already hosting another missionary family of five!  God knows the needs, and He very typically and lovingly provides those needs ~ whether for comfort, love, protection or provision ~ through His people.  In our case it was fellow missionaries ~ those WE CAME TO SERVE, first SERVING US ~ after Neal was a victim of armed robbery on the farm, our first home.
The MISSION AGENCY DIDN'T MATTER; WorldVenture or S.I.M. ~ we are the Church and Body of Jesus Christ!

We were afraid to stay at the farm after the assault, so we went back to Loja and the home of the Messick family. It was a great comfort to read each carefully chosen verse before we got to bed about 2 a.m.

            

Next morning ... fifteen table settings in a house overflowing with love and precious fellowship.

         

                                                                                 

Just the neighbor tying her cows across the street.

Kristy Messick with AnnaLeah keeping watch and Elijah being a man ... on our FIRST move.

We were warned to always EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED when driving. 

Sometimes comfort takes the form of a yogurt sundae!

        

This was a mighty army of women: Karyn, a translator, with Paula Richardson and Sheryl Greenwood, both with SIM, provided invaluable muscle, translation and advice as we originally settled in on the farm.

This seemingly rickety bridge was THE bridge to the hacienda and to the outside world. Neal locked the gate daily at dusk, about 6 p.m.

His daily path to and from ...

... the site of the ambush by four armed men ...

We had just spent a week of hard work, prayer and dreaming in settling in at the beautiful, and isolated, hacienda near Malacatos.  So much work ahead, so many dreams to fulfill.  Neal applied himself to learning the intricacies of upkeep on the extensive yard with its exotic fruits and plants, and Sherri tended chickens, all while "nesting" in our new home.  We were there exactly one week when Neal was ambushed, robbed and praise God, left physically unharmed.  That trauma was followed by hours of repeated incident reports to police.  Matt Messick and Christian Waidelich  ~ head of family of the Messick's other house guests and SIM missionaries returning from home assignment in Germany ~ met us at the police station in Malacatos.  Their love, concern and help was yet another blessing as more kids shuffled rooms and bed sheets were changed. It was the beginning of a "Critical Incident Debriefing" for us; for us, the ones who came to serve.  God knows there is nothing like first-hand experience to validate our work and words!
Though 15 people now dwelt in the Messick home, the loving spirit was supernaturally evident.  The Waidelichs left for a SIM retreat as did the Lance Ferguson family, so after two peaceful nights at the Messicks we moved into the empty Ferguson home while the search for a new ministry site reengaged. LONNNGGG story a little shorter ... we revisited the initial property we wanted and were able to come to favorable terms and pricing on a lovely home situated on magnificent acreage that includes a hotel, pool, hot tub, outdoor kitchen and dining area as well as abundant space for group or personal retreats and other types of devotional meetings.
Today as we have settled in enough to finally catch a breath and reattach to technology, we are joyful, rested and praising God that He is, has always been, and will always be, the God Who Sees Us!

        

Our new home ~ a lovely little house for us nestled on acreage with a hotel and beautiful amenities, which we will be able to use for a variety of ministry over the next year.  Praise God for His bountiful provision!

The frustrations of technology ... minor in light of the benefits!

In case you're one of my beloved faithful followers - there are supposed to be pictures accompanying the last post.  But probably due to the not untypical unreliability of the internet in our present location, I am unable to upload them.  As soon as ... in the meantime, bless you for being here!!!

At the Junction of Strolling and Divine Appointments

You've heard the origin of our Ecuador connections, and GOD'S DIVINE APPOINTMENTS continue as we stroll, trek and wander on this amazing journey!  We hugged and waved good-bye to loved ones in Cuenca, then made our way to Loja on Friday, November 10.  It was an interesting and pleasant bus ride along the very winding Andes roads.
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.

We eagerly anticipate what God has in store!

Trekking the Andes; generations of tradition ~ visits to a quaint family farm, Ancient Inca ruins and a resort tucked in the hills.

It was to be an exciting 10 month adventure when we sent our 16 year-old son to Ecuador to live for his junior year in high school; God alone knew the future and that it would begin a life-time relationship.  Cesar returned with Matthew the following year, and our Ecuadorian host became our Ecuadorian son. 

All these years later the Burbano Family has embraced Neal and me into the fold of their warm and extensive family.  Visiting their family farm and retreat center, Finca de Dorita, gave us a heart-warming glimps into a century of family love and tradition, and a taste of what Matthew came to love over 27 years ago!

Amazing to me that a large family gathering (and this was only a small portion of the maternal side of the clan!) could find so much to do WITHOUT internet ... hmmm!

Children actually PLAYED with each other and with adults, and the latter enjoyed plenty of animated conversation!












Of course it was the intrepid Abuelitas who were the adventurous ones, traversing the steep terrain of this magnificent Andes Mountains family farm.

Sherri, Dora Burbano, in front of Denise (son-in-law Luis's Mom),
sister-in-law Anita and sister Mary.  What a delightful time we had!  I'd hike with these gals anywhere.

November 2 was Dia de los Muertos               

GuaGua Pan - to resemble a swaddled baby

and GuaGua Pan is a traditional
sweetbread, served with Colata Morada.

The celebration, including Cuenca's
Independence from Spain, spanned
the weekend.

Colada Morada

 The food, prepared and served by loving hands, prooved a delicious feast.  The variety of meats were cooked by los Abuelos over a built-in BBQ in the detached dining hall.

Uncle Oscar combined old with new - carbon-initiated
charcoal, and when the straw hand-held fan was too slow
and electric hair blower worked nicely.

Artist Cesar Burbano Sr. painted a realistic-looking flame on the
grill cover.

Moms, daughters and cousins; so much beauty in one place!

The original farm was, I believe, 100 acres.  It was divided for the Patriarch's descendants, and the family traditions continue.

La Familia Burbano has a proud heritage in and around Cuenca.  Cesar Sr. is a well-known and accomplished artist.  As an architect he also taught at the local university, retiring only recently.

 Three generations of Cesar Burbano men,
and we are proud to know and love them all.
Cesar Jr. (on the right) is our Ecuadorian son
who lived with us in Scio.

Cesar's son is also Cesar, but we know him as Daniel

Cesar and his cousin, Marisabel (now a teacher)
were Matt's schoolmates in Cuenca.








On Sunday afternoon we traveled with Cesar, Cesar Sr. and Dora, his beautiful wife of 50 years, even higher into the majestic Andes to the ancient Inca ruins of Ingapirca.  We had a native tour guide who speech was succinct and clear, a rare trait these days!  It was fun to be able to decipher a few of her words. At one stop I was able to discern that the rocks with holes ground
out were used for determining times and season.
The culture and traditions of Ecuador reverberate
in these peaks!
These ruins led to the Templo del Sol.

for storing grain during years of abundance

Cesar Sr. - ever the artist

Dora, Sherri and Neal with Tempo del Sol in the background.

Our excellent native guide.

 Neal with our host and beloved Ecuadorian son, Cesar.  He still tends us like a devoted son.  His parents are truly blessed, as is he.

Amazingly no grout was used in the construction of these buildings.  The stone, hand-hewn and lifted by human might, have stood the test of time and somewhat harsh elements.

Neal and Sherri in front of the Templo del Sol

The relatively short hike at an altitude of approximately 12,000 feet did wonders for our appetite.  Cesar has friends everywhere ~ including at this charming hotel and restaurant snuggled into the crest of the hills, where we enjoyed a delicious lunch.  The beauty of tradition dominated the weekend - Cesar's friend's father, the founder of the resort, was also an artist.  His son, Cesar's friend, now hosts the establishment.  We received special treatment in our tour of the property.  I really want to go back for a weekend with both Sperling and Burbano families!

The gazebo and beautiful yard, overlooking panoramic views, 
whispers tranquility and awe.

 Cesar Sr. apparently is also a musician!