Christmas Eve

So, there is a tradition here in Quito that people hand out Regalos (gifts) for Christmas to those in need. It is very similar to Halloween in the fact that kids come to your door and ring your doorbell and ask for a gift. The difference is that it is not just a little piece of candy, but a bag of cookies and candies and they don't just come one day but the whole week proceeding Christmas. So, unaware of this tradition, we answered the door Monday and some kids and their mom were there and asked for Regalos de Navidad. I was in the process of making Vicki Brownell's famous white chocolate popcorn and so I bagged some up and gave it to them. I explained that it's not the normal gift, but it was all I had. Little did I know that once you start, the word gets out and you are flooded with people from then on. So, a couple days went by where we would just give out what we had, until my neighbor explained to me that it is best to pick a day and tell everyone to return on that day. Well, today was the day... Christmas Eve day. We gave out over 100 gift bags and people are still coming! It's crazy!
Hope you have a very Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas

Wow, I can't believe it has been two months since I have updated this blog. Please forgive me. Time has flown by. We've had Mike Forrest and my parents come visit us and had a marveleous time (all except for my dad getting sick at the end of the trip). But, we are so grateful they were able to come.
While they were here, we traveled to Banos, went to a bull fight and went to a place called Papallacta which has natural hot springs.



Mom and I felt pretty sad for the bull.

Papallacta is beautiful and sits up higher in the mountains then quito.

It is a beautiful day today! The sun is out, the mountains are out... it's gorgeous! I was sick yesterday with a fever, so I didn't go to school today. I am thankful for the fever because I was able to spend some needed time in His word. Thank you Lord for slowing me down.
Our shipment is suppose to arrive today! I and the kids are very excited! The kids will finally have some toys to play with and I will finally have some things to cook with... yea!
Matt had his phone stolen the other day on the trolley. The trolley was packed (people crowded up all around you) so it was hard to tell if someone was grabbing something. Matt thinks it was a girl who snatched it. I thought it was pretty impressive... even though it was crowded she had to reach up under his shirt and grab it out of the case! Amazing! So, we're short one phone now.

Home Sweet Home

Our lovely bedroom before we painted it.










Our terrace that you access from the kids bedroom.












Our dining room that is still just as empty. =)










Ok, I'm a bit behind... We are in our new house! Yea! Our landlords are wonderful people... very nice and very helpful. We have been in the house 2 weeks now. Our first week was a bit rough. Water kept coming up through the kitchen floor drain every time we used the sink. The sink also had a leak and the cabinet in which the sink sits is molded. We also had to buy a stove and a washer and dryer for the house which was challenging. Once we got the appliances, it took us a week to get them hooked up. But, a plumber came, a technician came and we have painted our lovely rose colored bedroom to blue, so now we can cook, wash dishes and sleep well. Our house is still without furniture (besides beds) but we are working on that too. We are also waiting on our shipment. It is here, but it is still in customs. We hope it won't be too much longer. I'm excited to get my recipes and some kitchen items that are very useful (mixing bowls, spatulas, cookie sheets, pyrex, etc.). It's really difficult to cook without them.=)
Funny story... A man comes to our door the other day asking if we want firewood and dirt. Matt says no thank you. But the man kept insisting. Matt was confused, he wondered if our landlord Ruthie had ordered it for us and he was just wanting to deliver it. Matt gave the man Ruthie's phone number just in case and in broken Spanish tried to tell him to call her and discuss it. So the next day, there is a pile of wood and a pile of bags of dirt sitting in front of our house. A woman rings our door and asks for money for the dirt and wood. I try to tell her we didn't order it, but she insists that Matt did. Our landlord (who lives above us) comes down and through much discussion she explains that we can't communicate well and there has obviously been miscommunication. We ended up buying half of the wood and a couple of bags of dirt anyway and people who drove by stopped and pick up bundles of wood, so it wasn't a complete loss for them. We're learning.

Mikala's Bailey Creek

Mikala had a school progect this last week. She had to create a box community. She told her teacher that she didn't really have a house yet and asked if she could create her old community. So, here is Mikala's rendition of Bailey Creek.

Pinchincha

Yesterday after school Matt and the kids and Michael (one of the interns with youth world) and I went up a mountain called Pinchincha. They have a gondola that takes you to the top and then you can hike around. What an incredible view! The day was pretty clear too, so we could see the surrounding mountains. It was so wonderful to get out of the city for a bit and frolic in God's beautiful creation. We hiked around for awhile, but at an altitude of 14,000+ feet we didn't push ourselves too much. Whenever I see mountains like this I am reminded of God's majesty and I wonder in awe at the creator of such beauty.

I wrote this as an email and decided to post it on my blog...
We are doing well. We are still at the Miller's house... haven't found a place to call our own yet. Everything we have seen has been out of our price range. I wish something would just fall in our laps. We started language school last week and I'm pretty sure we have covered an entire year of Sr. high Spanish in one week! My head feels like it is going to explode! :) I think I am the dumbest one at the school. I sure hope I get better at this.
The kids are doing well. They like their school. Mikala went to an Ecuadorian birthday party Saturday... 30+ kids there! Isn't that crazy! And it was 5 hours long! When I went to pick her up, they kept saying, "oh the one not allowed to watch Garfield." I thought "Oh great, what happened?" Apparently, they all went in to watch a movie (Garfield) and Mikala told the birthday girl that she was not allowed to watch it so they changed the movie to something else just for her. Hopefully it wasn't any big deal, but I have no idea. I was proud of her for saying she couldn't watch it, but wishing she would have just found something else to do instead of switching the whole movie on account of her. =) I don't even know if she's allowed to watch Garfield or not. =) So, good times.
Let's see, what else... I miss clean air. Mikala and I have been coughing ever since we have arrived. We think it is the pollution. We took Mikala to the Dr. and that is what he thinks it is. On one hand it is good news... she's not sick. On the other hand... we're smoking 10 packs a day. =) I also miss trees, clean water, and less houses. I am so not a city girl! I want to move to the jungle! =) Matt says we have to learn the language first... I guess he's got a point. =)
I have learned how to make some juices from different fruits. They are very good! The maid taught me. The maid and the guard here are very nice! The guard just laughs at me because I can't understand what the heck he is saying most of the time. But we keep trying to communicate. Betty (the maid) is going to teach me to make even more fruit juices this week. I like trying to communicate, but I wish I was better at it.
We have learned to take the trole (trolley) to school... it is 25 cents. I like riding it. We have eaten lunch at some local restaurants... we were the only gringos. The first time we went we were seated with another couple... little awkward... they didn't look to happy to share the table with us. I broke the ice by saying we were learning Spanish and then they warmed up to us. They explained what we were eating... you didn't order your food, they just served what was on the menu for the day. So, first came a little sausage of some sort with onions, then ceveche (soup) which was potato (it was good), then rice and meat and mashed potato, then fruit salad and the meal came with passion fruit juice. It was all very good and filling. All of that was $4 for both Matt's and mine! The next day we went to another... same thing, except this time the soup was different... I took a couple bites.... not bad... then my next bite had something kinda crunchy... then in my spoon I saw fish skin... then bones... I had a hard time wanting to eat more. I was just waiting for an eyeball to pop up. =) Then we got pork (which someone had warned me not to eat at restaurants). Fortunately we did not get sick! So now we have a little better idea of Ecuadorian cuisine. We like it and it is so much cheaper than everywhere else!

Jensen Journal Beginnings

Please check back for information regarding our upcoming launch to Quito, Ecuador to work with Youth World.