Shall not perish

Cheralyn and I went up to the orphanage and said hi to everybody this morning. They were having breakfast right as we arrived so we didn't stay long at all. On our way to and from Casa de Fe the water at the decay was really, really high. Water was flooding over the dam and the walking bridge was nearly under too, I was thankful I didn't have to walk through any water! I ate brunch at home with our guests and got to know a little bit more about what brought them to Ecuador and had teacher talk. It was fun to hear about their experiences in Quito and share my experiences at Casa with them. When they headed out for the day I spent a while working on my Shutterfly books and eating some yummy Easter candy from the US for lunch! I ate a ton of chocolate, but I needed to eat a lot so I wouldn't be hungry during church. As usual we took the oldest group of kids, but it was in Puyo because it was a combined service with churches from around the area. I believe there were seven churches, because there were seven short sermons and plays. John 3:16&17, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." On this day I reflect on the unbearable weight Christ bore for me on the cross. He has washed the whole world clean of our sins, and He did this all for the sake of love. I am eternally grateful! One of our newer girls, Evelyn, directly heard the good news of Jesus' death and resurrection for the first time and it was AWESOME! All the skits were fun to watch, but my two favorite were the one with our girls and the traditional Shuar dance. The Shuar are an indigenous people in Ecuador and are sometimes known for their elaborate

Fanesca soup, an Ecuadorian tradition!

process of shrinking heads. It was a very long service, in fact the longest I have ever been to, when it got done it was time for supper. Dwight, Tandy, Johnathan, Cheralyn, and I went on an adventure to find fanesca and ended up finding it at "La Hacienda". Fanesca is typically made during the week before Easter, it is a rich soup with twelve different kinds of beans and grains representing the twelve apostles of Jesus. I was happy we found it, because many restaurants in Shell only have it on Good Friday and we didn't know this until we went all over town looking for it. There was a rice pudding dessert served with it and the spice used in it is comparable to cinnamon, but has a black licorice flavoring. La Hacienda is conveniently located right next to Mickos, so I ran over there to get a maracuya y mora ice cream cone before leaving. When we got back I put on some comfy clothes, then Cheralyn and I went on a walk around town. We ended up sitting at the park for a while enjoying a nice night and watching the people around us. There weren't many people walking in town, but there were a ton at the park. Somebody we met while Kelcy was here was hanging out in the park with all their friends, so we got to visit with them for a bit. It is nice to see people I recognize and it's always great to get to know them more. After a long line of farewells we ventured back to the house, I enjoyed some delicious chocolate cake from the bakery and was off to bed.