On the road again

Dave - still smiling after about a 100 trips up and
down the millions of steps at the Casa Blanca

Well actually not quite on the road - more like just a quick drive around the corner. We have been taken in by  the lovely Aussie family living here and so all our worldly goods were packed up and carted around the other day. We will be staying here for a couple of weeks, then head up to Cuenca to spend a little time with Aaron and Amanda and Chad and Michele, before we have to really get on the road and travel back to NZ.

This week is a busy week as the CO and his wife are visiting - sadly I won't be able to enjoy it as much, being that I am still on crutches (for at least another week). Went to see the doc yesterday and had more x-rays - of the whole foot this time (found out the first Doctor, only really x-rayed the ankle, which he correctly said wasn't broken), and it showed up that I actually had 5 fractures - no wonder it hurt! So I am still hopping and dragging around this big boot thing. Oh well them's the breaks (scuse the pun)!

A little help when needed!

Peter and Bryan

AWH so cute! This is Diego and his bible student  - they came around today so I could sit in on the study. Last night I was handed a report slip and I suddenly realized that I actually had no time to report this month. So I said to the Brother - "I am so sorry but I don't need one this month. It's probably the first time since I started publishing when I was 9 years old!" He felt bad for me so he immediately arranged for people to come over today and help me out.  Isn't that just awesome? 

What do the streets look like the morning after the hugest street party ever?

Well I guess - they neatly arranged the empties!

Well I don't actually know cause I have been stuck in Prison for ever (not literally, it just that this house is like a fortress), but if the house across the road is anything to go by - they don't look good! This weekend was the "Opening of the Ñawi Bar" Fiesta - something that only happens 4 times a year here in Puerto Cayo (thank goodness) and it was just crazy! I couldn't go to the meeting last night because there were so many cars lining the streets - there was no way a vehicle could get me close enough to the house, so I had to stay indoors and listen to the blearing music - which went on to, wait for it - 9a.m this morning!! I am told that people come from everywhere for this party and all they do is get drunk and act like idiots. Then they sober up for a few hours and head back to wherever they came from. But hey "What Fun" (I am saying that sarcastically BTW)!

Decisions!

Is the sun setting on our Ecuador Experience?

This week has been a week of decision making and we have made 3 very important ones:

1) I am a complete idiot for breaking my foot - honestly there couldn't be a worse time for this to happen. It is so hot and sticky and this great big boot thingy is making me hotter. Also this house has so many steps and it is such an effort to go anywhere!

2) We have decided to terminate our employment here in the Casa Blanca. Sadly it just isn't for us.

And Number 3) - the biggest decision yet - the end, at least for now, of our Ecuador Experience. We are going home to help Mark's Mum for a bit and we leave on the 4th of April! While we still have goals to  come back some time - we don't really know what the future will bring, so it feels like the end to me. 

So as we are stopping the residency application - we now have land to sell. We are hoping that another Gringo couple will be interested in it, as all the paperwork is nearly completed to have the value raised enough for residency. As you know, that process has taken a long long time, so we think that it may be quite attractive for someone else to be able to use it straight away. 

Life really does throw some curve balls doesn't it? We may have plans all set in motion but they can be swept away in an instant. We are so incredibly happy though that we have had this opportunity and we have learnt so much from it. The biggest lesson which keeps getting hammered into us is that Jehovah will ALWAYS look after us and we have only to leave everything in his hands and things will work out.

Back again

UPDATE TO THIS POST: Been to the doctor today and my foot IS broken, and should not be putting any weight on it for another 2 weeks. At least now I am on crutches and with a better brace, so much for the first doctors prognosis! I am just about going stir crazy though - there is only so many DVD's one can watch!


Thank you everyone for your kind comments - we appreciate the international brotherhood we have so very much. And while it has been very hard to be over here while our family has been going through trauma - we also have been very thankful for the love and kindness shown to them by the local witnesses. 360 people were at the service for Lloyd plus us four in Ecuador. The skype video call worked very well - after the service, we were also able to see and talk to many of our old friends - once again, thank goodness for modern technology.

So we came back to the coast yesterday after a lovely few days with Aaron, Amanda, Chad and Michele and their visitors - just what I needed a lot of noise around me. The bus trip back was unadventurous, was able to sleep most of the way with my foot up on Marks knee. It is still hurting me somewhat so I think I will go back to the doctor tomorrow to see what else, if anything, can be done.

One thing about bus travel here is at every stop, vendors will get on the bus to sell their wares. Sometimes it can get annoying, cause their voices are very loud. Yesterday when we arrived at Jipijapa - I counted 7 different guys - all clambering to sell their product at the same time. Water, Juice, Fresh Oranges, Hot Choclo (or old corn on the husk), empanadas, balls made of crushed plantain and pork fat, and for dessert Jello with a splash right out of the can of condensed milk! Some of it did smell pretty good, but I would have to be really hungry to actually buy and eat something from them. Can you imagine how yummy food, sitting around in the heat and close to all the bus fumes all day, would actually be.

Sad, sad news from home.

The photo we had taken with Lloyd and Maureen before Aaron and I left New Zealand June 2011

We had some shocking and sad news last night - Marks Dad passed away yesterday. It is very hard to be so far away from home at a time like this. Lloyd was very dear to all of us and it is difficult to imagine home without him being there. He was a typical kiwi "cow cocky" and loved nothing better than being on his farm, or being with his family. It is evident by his life course that living according to Jehovah's guidelines was very important to him and his family appreciate all that he taught them. And he taught them well - all of his boys serve as elders and along with their respective families, continue serving Jehovah faithfully. We look forward to the day we welcome him back, what a party that will be!

So what do you do when you are thousands of miles away and something like this happens (and I am sure it has happened to many other needgreaters and missionaries in the past)? Of course the first thing I want to do is get on a plane and head back but that really isn't practical. To get back to NZ fast is not impossible but not easy either (let alone the expense). My dear mother-in-law is very understanding and wants us to come home when she really needs us - right now she has all her extended family helping her and we can be linked into the Service from here via Skype. Of course we want to be with Aaron and Amanda, and so either we will go to Cuenca or they will come here. I am so glad we have them here in the country with us - family is family after all.

Room with a view - not!

So how do you like the view I have and will have for the next 15 days? Great aye? I just get myself all better from the last back incident and now look what I have done to myself! I was coming down the stairs the other night and slipped on the last one and bang - really thought I had broken my foot as there was so much pain but turns out it is  badly sprained. Going to the Emergency room was an experience - of course it is in Manta (an hour north of here) and it certainly wasn't on a par with Cuenca  hospitals. We were ushered into a room straight away - which was a good thing as I didn't have time really to look around and evaluate. The doctor came and poked and prodded my foot, and of course decided the best course of action was to x-ray it. Then he sends in a nurse with an injection for me - bear in mind that still no particulars had been taken down about me - not even my name! I guess they just  trust that I wouldn't be allergic to the medicine. Anyway the radiographer was going to be about an hour so while we were waiting, we were able to take in the surroundings. Thankfully they had an air conditioner - it was dripping into a bucket that had overflowed before we left. Blood from the last patient was still on the table and bloody sheets thrown into the shower. Nice! I'm just glad that the injection she gave me did come out of a sealed packet, because I have heard of stories with them reusing syringes! EEK! Talking of injections - I have to have 2 more shots (we brought them along with the pain medication, I was prescribed) and so I have been doing research for Mark this morning on how to give injections. I am extremely worried about that too as you can imagine. He is all excited at the prospect though!

We get home eventually and poor old Mark had to carry me up the never ending stairs of this place, first time he had ever got to carry me over the threshold. I was so worried he would hurt himself but  he seems to be alright. And so now I am cast here on the bed looking at the blank wall in front of me. Such a shame because downstairs there is a big screen tv wanting some attention. Would be nice if it was on my wall aye?

So if anyone has some quick fire ways of getting back on your feet after an injury like this or any tips on giving someone a painless injection - please share - I will be very grateful!