a day out.

This afternoon Ashley and I walked down to Carcelén to do a little street shopping. As we walked back, we got caught in a cold rain. I was wearing flip-flops that wouldn't stay on my feet once they got wet, so I finally decided to kick them off and walk barefoot (I know you told me not to, Dr. Jones.). When I took them off and picked them up, a group of guys starting hollering and applauding me. I guess I removed my shoes well.

8 days at sea.

What did I do while I was in the Galapagos Islands?

I cut my right leg more times than I can count (I'm a walking disaster.).
I danced salsa.
I got seasick (and threw up).
I got sunburned.
I jumped from a three story yacht into the ocean.
I let sting rays tickle my feet.
I saw more boobies than I bargained for.
I swallowed way too much saltwater.
I swam alongside a sea lion.
I was baptized for the first time at Pinnacle Rock.
I wore a turtle shell.

Check out the pictures.

the galap.

We leave for the Galapagos bright and early on Sunday morning. We will fly from Quito to Guayaquil, from Guayaquil to Galapagos. There we will begin a seven-day cruise around the Galapagos Islands via a first-class yacht called Eden. Wanna know more? Check it out here. I can hardly wrap my head around the idea that I'm actually going to the Galapagos Islands.

It's just the dream vacation of a lifetime. No big.

tungurahua.

Tungurahua erupted, and it's been placed on the highest alert level. It's a good 80 miles or so from us, so we are unaffected, but it's no small eruption. It spewed ash six miles into the air - isn't that crazy?

fotos.

For those of you without access to Facebook, here are some photos I've taken:
♥ ecuador.
yo necesito más cuye.
quito is neato.

more of quito.

Yesterday we took a car lift to some 13,000 feet at Cruz Loma. It was cold but beautiful. Jacki and I frolicked in a field together on the edge of the mountain.

Today we visited colonial Quito. And the sun finally came out of hiding after a week and a half. While we ate lunch outside in one of the plazas, a strange man stood about a foot in front of me asking us questions in broken English like, "Where you from?"
"Do you know where is the White House?"
"Where is the Golden Gate Bridge?"
"How many floors has the Empire State Building?"
"How many floors had the World Trade Center?"
He had such a dark, worn face, and he looked straight into my eyes. He told me that he wanted to take a picture with me, but I refused with the excuse that I was eating my lunch, and eventually he went away. That was the most uncomfortable I've been since I got here.

otavalo.

We went north of Quito to Otavalo this weekend to minister to an indigenous people. I felt like I was walking through a National Geographic magazine. It was so surreal to see such a different lifestyle. We had a wonderful presentation through a movie and a speaker for the people, and many were won for the Lord.

On Sunday morning we attended the indigenous Nazarene church, and the adorable children performed dances for us.

We also visited Cotacachi, a volcano near Otavalo. There we took a boat out on a lake that's in the crater of the volcano. So I was in a boat on a lake in the crater of a massive volcano - pretty sweet, I'd say.

laundry.

We're heading out for Otavalo this weekend, and most of us got our laundry done in time, but Jacki wasn't so fortunate. She ran out of underwear yesterday and resorted to washing her undies in the sink in her room. We found her blow drying and ironing her underwear so that it would be dry in time for the trip.