Week 9

This week we had our first all-campus work day. Each term we will spend one day working together in the community or with an organization. This term we worked at the local La Merced library. We painted walls and tables and chairs as well as repairing broken windows and other small repairs.



We have a group of 17 students and the two male deans that are planning on climbing Cotopaxi (a local volcanic mountain) in a couple of weeks. This weekend most of them did a day-hike on Pichincha (another local mountain)to try and get a bit more used to what the higher elevation will be like.




We also had a "pink day" on Tuesday in honor of Molly's birthday.


Photos: Molly, Greta and Jake painting inside the library; everyone painting furniture outside; Michael and Judson moving furniture so that we could paint; Alex, Micah and Shane hiking; the group that went hiking; all the people that dressed in pink

Week 8

This week at CBC Ecuador was a week of celebrations. We had a ton of birthdays (Dan, Azurlee, Laura and Anna's) which lead to small parties all week long. This weekend we also had an all campus “black and white” party. We started with a party in one of our courtyards where everyone had to wear some sort of black and white clothing. We got everything from dressy to costumes to running gear. We had all black and white snacks (ice cream, Oreos, popcorn, etc). There were even prizes awarded for creativity and such. After we watched a black and white movie outside, drive-in style. It was a fun week!




Photos: (All from the black and white party) the Bevan sisters, girls eating their black and white snack, caped Micah and Jake, most of the girls and Luke, most of the guys and one rebel.

Week 7

This week rainy season started in full force! We took full advantage of it by dancing in (in our mote) and soccer games in the rain. Our Wednesday ministry sites saw a bit of rain for the first time this week as well, but the kids still had a great time. Midterms continued to keep the students busy during the day and up until all hours of the night. Wednesday after noon was filled with a staff vs. students volleyball, ultimate Frisbee and four square competition (the students came out on top). The weekend was spent hanging out and Bible reading (there was a check-in on where the students are at on Monday morning). On Sunday morning a team of students and staff lead worship at a local english-speaking church and did an excelent job! Sorry the last couple of weeks have been posted later in the week, we will work on that in the next couple of weeks.

Note:
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Photos: (From the top) Greta, Alexis, Peter and Ross studying and taking midterms; a game of "buck buck," dancing in the rain; volleyball students vs staff.

Week 6

Hey there everybody. This is Luke writing. Annalea is out of town for a few days, so I am covering for her. The past week marked the middle of the term for students, which can only mean one thing: mid-terms (I know, that is sort of a no-brainer). Yes, there was indeed a test last Friday, but nobody really complained too much because they were mostly focused on the approaching long weekend, during which twenty-three of them went to Baños, a sort of adventure town with hot springs and other various activities. Some students tried new some new things: horseback riding for instance, or bungee jumping...HA! Just kidding on that last one. We managed to advise against that sort of...precarious activity. But you should check out the pictures of the horses (or caballos for all of you Spanish speakers out there). They are a little on the small (pequeño) side. This was the first real more-than-day trip away from campus without staff for most students, but it seems that they all survived. In fact, reports about the trip tended to go something like, "Oooouuuuugggghhhhh! Ammmmaaaaazing!" We judged that to be a positive response. Those of us who stuck around here on campus for the weekend had our own fun. We did things like...read...and sleep lots and watch Star Wars. Yeah, it was a blast.
In other news, the CBC Ecuador board was here last week taking care of business. As part of their time here, they talked to students about their experience so far, which allowed time for feedback. They were also able to participate in worship and vespers and several meals. A few even stayed in some of the empty dorm rooms, probably an adventure for them.
Well, that about wraps up the weekly report. God bless you all, and happy Canadian Thanksgiving.


Photos: The La Merced group at their ministry day: playing soccer, giving piggy-back rides, playing circle games, etc.