Two...Three...Five

This is a blog long overdue. Where to start...

So I have a friend named Lenin. I met Lenin at the Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C. and really connected with him. He was the 5th person that I met from Ecuador and lived at Casa Victoria, and was the 'straw that broke the camel's back' to get me down here. 5th time's the charm I guess.

Anyway, Lenin is from a really small village called 235. It is called that because it is 235 kilometers from the coast and there's a railroad track that goes through it. The name is simple, much like the lifestyle and the people. For any of you that have been on the Mizzou mission trips to Jamaica, this place is just like that.

I went out there with Lenin a few weeks ago and it was going to be a surprise birthday party for his mom. We successfully distracted her in a neighboring town while Lenin's 8 other brothers and sisters made their way to the house to set up. We made our way back and it was fantastic. Tons of food, two dudes popped out of the kitchen with guitars singing happy birthday in spanish, you got the lady who's already drunk prancing around yelling out happy birthday at the most random times. It was awesome.

This party was a little different than many of the parties I have ever been to. We're in a small house (really small...like a house made for ants...i jacked my head several times), concrete floor, and several

people of all ages sitting around telling jokes. There are two guys walking around passing out home made moonshine and Pilsener beer...and everyone's drinking, even Grandma. As the night progressed the guitarists started working again and people started to dance. Thanks to the drunk guy who made it interesting. We gave him a little device that was used to pump balloons as a microphone. He was dancing around, grabbing all the girls to dance

with him.

We danced. We drank. We celebrated the life of an amazing woman.

I started to think about the lives of these people. They just got running water 1o years ago. They're a farming people who live off the land. Their stresses are different than my stresses, and they probably have a lot less. The go to bed every night and wake up every morning with the sound of the raging river below. There's honesty, there's trust, there's

no crime. People look out for eachother and yes, most of them are related. The air is some of the purest air in Ecuador and they are in the mountains. They're separated from 'the real world,' from traffic, from technology. Many people there don't have cars, have never driven, and have never flown in airplanes. Even Lenin's mom is afraid of them because she says, 'they take my babies away!' It's a different life, one that seems more pure, and I was honored to be a part of it.

This is Lenin's Dad repeating a few phrases that we taught him in English. He's the man. It brings a smile to my face every time I watch it.

3 moments in Time

It might be too soon to start thinking back and picking out some great moments, but I wanted to share 3 moments that have stuck with me. I knew that I would eventually write about them, so I'm choosing now to do that.

The first, and these really aren't in any particular order, is a conversation I had with this guy named Bill. Bill is married to the librarian down here and is the only other gringo besides me in this neighborhood. He hails from Michigan and smokes like crazy, but apparently he's calmed down a bit. Anyway we were outside the house and we were talking about the weekend. About 8 people came down from the States and hung out with us for a weekend in the middle of October. Most of them were from a church called Ocean Hills in Santa Barabara, CA and we spent the weekend at a cool, little retreat center. They had been coming down to Quito for the past 6 years and Bill met them for the first time last year. During a conversation he was asked what he missed most about the States. He quickly answered: Mountain Dew, Cheez Wiz, and Spaghettio's with Meatballs. Apparently the questioner kept this in mind and in his next visit the following year, he showed up with Cheez Wiz and Spaghettio's with Meatballs. He was afraid to pack the Mountain Dew because he thought it would explode, but nonetheless it left quite the impression on Bill. During his second cigarette he exclaimed to me his appreciation. "I mean, the dude brought me Cheez Wiz...that's fucking love!'

The second was an event that happened a few weeks ago. A friend and fellow volunteer Mateo Ponce wanted to start a Bible Study every Wednesday night. We would alternate between going to his house and Casa Victoria and each person would share a thought or two from the Bible. During this particular Bible Study we had 4 guests from Peru. They were husband and wife pastors that Javier had met on his journey there in September. There were 12 of us gathered around the dining room table, with coffee, tea, and cheese with bread in front of us and a raging, warming fire behind us. One pastor shared his thoughts from the book of John and we were all discussing it. Jose Luis, one of the founders of the house, was also in attendance. The conversation shifted a little bit to Casa Victoria and he said something that has stuck with me: "Look at all of us that are gathered here tonight. We have representatives from Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and the United States. We have people of all different skin color. We all represent different societal classes from small villages in the Andes mountains to the son of the Mister of Defense. But we are all here, gathered together, talking about Jesus. To me, this represents Casa Victoria." I was proud to be a part of that.

The last was when the weather started to change in the first weeks of October. My body wasn't quite ready for that and I got a little sick. I lost my voice for a day, I was coughing like crazy, and had all kinds of congestion. It was right when these little Bible Studies that I mentioned previously were beginning. At the end of one of them I asked Javier to pray for me. I asked him to pray for my health as well as my Spanish as it was kind of a double wammy for me. I'm sick and I can't explain what's wrong with me without acting it out. He said of course he would do it, and we made our way back to the house. As soon as I arrived I headed straight for my bed as I was exhausted and needing sleep. As I layed down Javy came in my room and told me that I should wear a scarf; that it would help with my sickness. I told him that I didn't have one and didn't really believe his old wive's tale, but he proceeded to take his scarf and give it to me. This was significant because Javier sleeps with a stocking cap and this scarf every night. He was giving to me, a sick roommate who he barely knows, and putting himself out for the night. I accepted his generous offer and it wasn't but 5 min. before I was halfway to dream land. I did notice, however, that Javy had made his way over to my bed and was praying for me. I couldn't really understand it all, but in my semi-comatose state I just felt better. The dude had given me something that was big for him and kept his word. Javy is a good friend.

Talent Show at Casa Victoria

There are plenty of things to write about, but I'm in one of those moods right now that wants to summarize what just happened.

This afternoon we had the kids perform a little talent show. It was called, 'Ninas Bonitas,' which translates to Pretty little girls. There were 20 ninas in this talent show and it was something else. We had parents, judges, even a DJ. Because of my incredible math skills I was given the responsibilty of tallying up the scores from the judges and dividing to find the median. It required my full attention.

There were going to be two rounds. The first was going to be the girls walking down the 'stage' to Carolina, the director here, to introduce themselves. The judges would base them on their walk, articulation, and overall confidence. We went through the 20 little girls that range from 5 - 12 years old starting with the youngest who generally don't posses any fear of the situation to the older, slightly more self-conscious children. For the most part, everything went well and we were off to the second part of the show: talent.

Most of the little girls decided that their talent was going to be 'modeling.' So they would strut their stuff, do a little twirl, and make their way back. One girl blew a little kiss to the judges when she finished. Classic. As the ages and the afternoon matured, so did the acts. Some girls sang and some girls danced. One little girl...oh man this broke my heart...her talent was dancing. She was all decked out in her little white dress and white gloves and made her way to the middle of the room. A popular hip hop song came on and she started to dance...then it happened...she froze. She froze and then started weeping. Ssssoooo intense. The director jumped in dancing trying to salvage it, but it was too late. She was carried off the stage, and the show continued. When the girls finished their talent a boy of roughly the same age was announced and he escorted her off the stage. After two rounds were completed, my job kicked up a little bit as I tallied up the scores and picked the 4 finalists. (Needless to say the girl who bawled didn't make it...too soon)?

All the contestants were gathered together and the 4 names were called. That was kind of intense because some girls acted like girls and the water works came on. The final act was answering a question: what do you want to be when you grow up? They all followed the first girl's lead and said that they wanted to be a doctor. However, when asked why some answered quicker than others and had different reasons. Then it was it...the time to announce who would be Miss Nina Bonita. The 4 finalists were gathered together and each name was called. The first girl accepted her 4th place prize of a stuffed animal and walked off in triumph. It wasn't first, but she would take it. The 3rd place girl was called and she was presented with her teddy bear gift. During the presentation she cried and sombered out of the room. The second and first place names were called without the shedding of tears and the act was over. The first place winner hugged everyone and that it was it. The first annual Miss Nina Bonita had completed.

I have some mixed thoughts on this idea, but the most part I feel pretty positive about it. The equivalent of the power of a Father telling his Son that he's proud of him is a girl being told that she's beautiful. Even though there was one winner (she dominated too...it wasn't even close), I thought it was good for these little girls to dress up and perform. They practiced public speaking, they walked in front a crowd as their beauty was praised, they even performed which is a very scary thing; I was even nervous and I was just the guy with the calculator. I thought it was good for the little boys to escort the women from the spot light. Showing respect for a woman and serving her is something that I hope sticks with these equally impoverished young men.

Even though every girl wanted to win; I still feel that it was good to have a little competition. The girl who won did it with class and it was repeated several times that were all incredible, beautiful, and brave.

San Roque, the neighborhood where Casa Victoria is located, is filled with single mothers, drug addictics, alcoholics, and violence. So I think a chance to take a break from that is always beneficial. This was rare moment that these children experienced. I don't know if anyone has ever told them they were beautiful or were asked to perform. These girls were in the spot light, and if even for a few seconds it exposed them to something great. Something from a world that we were meant to live in. I like to say that I think Casa Victoria is a light in an otherwise dark place and today, we shone like the sun.