Bienvenidos!

After sitting for four hours on a jet next to a bulging Ecuadorian man who's elbows enjoyed crossing my side of the seat, I was ambushed by a dark gangly kid demanding my baggage claim tickets.  Luckily I hadn't thrown them away and he let me pass.  I think he enjoys jumping out of the corner like that.

It was comforting to see Bryce standing in a crowd of people grinning and holding a "Bienvenidos" balloon.  I think he was happy to see me (I think he'd admit that), but I was definitely glad to see him because I hadn't found the address for the hostel I planned on staying in yet.

Bryce grinning

My room in the hostel

Hang out room in the hostel (where I'm writing this)

Quito from the top of the basilica

Bryce is my co-instructor down here.  He had just arrived from a trip to an amazonian village where he was harvesting Cacao (the chocolate, not the drug, stop thinking I'm a druggie Mom and Dad).  He had arrived at the aeropuerto to pick me up after riding on the back of a truck and poling along a river in a canoe and other various forms of travel of which I am jealous.  We spent a few days getting me acquainted with the city.  We climbed to the top of the basilica inside of the clock tower and rang the bell at the wrong time; We ate at various restaurants of which the Americanized one's have the worst service; And we have been working out in a nearby park doing pullups, pushups, dead hangs, and other attention-drawing/embarrassing exercises.  The kids love to play on the equipment with us which is fun.

The tippy top of the basilica

Quasimodo hanging off the basilica (they don't let you do this type of thing in the states)

Inside the clock tower

The trolley's and buses down here can be a little crazy.  I think a little middle-aged woman tried to pickpocket me yesterday.  The crowds in the buses can be insanely packed.  You're face can be pressed into the back of someone's shoulder, while your right side is pressed against a sitting lady who's breast-feeding her baby wearing a monkey suit, and every other side is against someone too.  You have to be careful with a backpack because people use razor's to slit them open and steal what's inside.  Anyway, the lady was super suspicious and starting shoving against me really hard and I saw her hand try to get in my pocket but I was watching and was trying to grab her hand when she ran out the door.  She didn't get anything, but I don't think I'm using a wallet anymore.  I wish I'd taken a picture (thanks for the camera, Tim!) but I was too busy watching my stuff.

The hostel I'm staying in down here is much, much more comfortable than I was expecting.  It has a nice panoramic view of the city where you can watch the planes flying in over the city looking like they're about to smash into apartment buildings.  The city's between 9 and 10,000 feet up so I've felt the altitude especially while exercising.  Everyday the sky is full of fantastically shaped cumulous clouds.  They wash in over the city every evening, first silhouetting, then engulfing the skyscrapers below.  I don't have a key to the roof yet so I couldn't get a good picture.

Alright.  That's all I've got.  The first participant showed up yesterday.  We picked him up at the airport where he also got jumped by the gangly ticket collector.  A very nice 40 year old, who runs a Young Life backpacking camp in Colorado.  The other students show up today.  I'm praying for God to use this ministry powerfully while in the students, myself, and the people we'll be serving.  Feel free to pray that too.  I'm already learning to rely on God more as my strength in a couple areas I'm not going to take the time to expound upon.

As far as mailings stuff to me, I'm not sure how it works yet.  Bryce has never had anything mailed down but he said he thinks I'd have to go pick it up at a DHL or Fedex location.  It would be really nice to recieve mail,  maybe I'll research it on the Interwebs.

The computer and hard drive are working excellently.  And the music I got for Christmas has been very nice to relax to.

Now that's really all I've got.  I haven't had much time to write this.  I'm praying for a lot of you guys.

Love,

Ben