Buenos dia mis amigo(a)s,
Last week (on thursday September 27th) we arrived in Shell, Ecuador for the Spanish recordist training course (or SRTC). Praise the Lord we made it safely and with all of our equipment. Each one of us had an additional large suitcase full of GRN equipment for the course, so there were many possibilities for problems, but God provided graciously in our travels.
Thank you all so much for your prayers as they have certainly been needed and are definitely being heard! Various members of our team have gotten sick already so continue to pray for good health. We're slowly figuring out exactly how to operate efficiently in the space provided so prayer for that would be greatly appreciated as well.
Overall, it has been a good trip so far. I am living in the upstairs of the building in which we are having classes and I have four other roommates (two of which speak only Spanish). There are three women living in another room of the house as well who are taking the course. One speaks Spanish, another Portuguese and the other speaks several languages including English.
There isn't a lot to do in the town, but it is safe enough to walk around in the evenings and food is very cheap :) A bus ride into the next large town is only $0.25 so it's also pretty accessible. They use the same currency as the U.S. here which makes things a bit easier as well. It has been an adventure so far. We have weekends and evenings free so hopefully we'll be able to get out and do some sightseeing soon. When the clouds aren't too heavy, you can see the mountains off in the distance. I caught a glimpse of one of the most active volcanos in Ecuador the other day called Mt. Sangay. It really is an incredible sight. I got an ok photo of it that I'll include below, but hope to get a better one soon.
Please keep praying for:
-The students and teachers involved in the course
-Good health and for those who are currently sick to recover quickly
-Communication and patience with different language barriers
-For all the technology involved that it continues to work well, free of any glitches.
Thank you all again for your support and prayers! Stay tuned for more updates :)
In Him,
-Matt
Here are a few pictures from our trip so far :
(for more visit: Flickr Ecuador Trip )
Sangay Volcano
We visited the Equator tourist stop in Quito while on our way down to Shell
Woven art outside of Equator gift shop
We were greeted by a rainbow on our way to Shell
Really neat suspension foot bridge in Shell
Airplane structure in a nearby park
River here in town
