Title and Prologue

Well, its one week before I head to Ecuador and I can hardly believe it. This will be the third time I have been to "the middle of the world" in the last two years and I will be there for longer than I have ever been away from my family and friends. My emotions are a mix of joy and excitement for the adventures that are ahead of me, and sadness to be leaving my dear family and friends here. I will miss all of you, but you can trust that I am in good hands--those of my beloved Ecuadorian friends and those of the Lord.
As I prepare to leave and you prepare to come with me through this blog, I feel is it is necessary to introduce some of the characters that I know will be playing a part in my time in Ecuador and to set the context for those places and people that will no doubt appear throughout the next 6 months. First a little background on how Ecuador came into my life:
It was about two and a half years ago that I first felt God tugging at my heart to go to South America. At that time I was a sophomore in Nutrition at Penn State and I was increasingly feeling the desire to pursue a "career" in serving those who had fewer resources and opportunities than I had in order to help them improve their health and well-being. I knew virtually nothing about South America when I decided to search for a service project I could be apart of there. Having received a suggestion from my brother, Trevor, I decided to check out the website for an international medical missions organization called Medical Ministry International. As I searched through their project calendar, I kept noticing a project in Baños, Ecuador that seemed to fit perfectly into my schedule. To be honest, I didn't even know where Ecuador was (I didn't catch the hint in the name towards the equator until later). After prayer and a lot of thought, I decided to apply for this project. I applied without having any prior medical experience, never having taken a class in Spanish, and not knowing anyone I would be going with. Needless to say, I had no idea what I was going to do in Ecuador or what I could possibly offer to the people of Ecuador or the group I was going with.
I will spare many of the details of my first two and a half weeks in Ecuador, but I think it goes without saying that I fell in love with the country. During the medical project I was able to help in the pharmacy we set up, taking patients from the waiting room to doctors (and vice versa), and a number of other things that didn't necessitate a knowledge of Spanish. Although I loved every second of my time in Ecuador (from the crazy bus rides to waterfalls, bungee jumping, valcanos, etc...), the thing I enjoyed the most was the Ecuadorian people I met and the interactions I had with them. I found that although we couldn't say very much to each other, through our body language and facial expressions we could learn a great deal about each other. At the end of the project I was invited to stay several extra days (I had bought my plane tickets to return to the United States 3 days after the other volunteers) at the home of Dr. Susana Andrango Logacho. Although those three extra days didn't seem to significant when I was planning my first trip to Ecuador, they are directly responsible for me being able to return to Ecuador last year and again this year.
The Andrango family and I created a bond during those three days that allowed us to keep in touch throughout the following year. At Christmas time (2007) I helped pay for Dr. Susana's daughter Daysi to come visit my family for a couple of weeks. She had been staying in Oklahoma for several months and her trip to State College was a in route to returning to Ecuador. Last summer, the Andrango family invited me back for 5 weeks to help with the annual Baños project and a one week medical project in Esmeraldas (a region on the Northwest coast of Ecuador). Throughout the 5 weeks I was in Ecuador last year, I continued to improve in my Spanish and was asked to help in more ways with the medical projects. In Esmeraldas I measured patient blood pressures and weights and helped in the pharmacy and in Baños I translated for an American doctor, helped with surgery, led worship, gave a few hundred flouride treatments, and performed several patient examinations. During my time in Ecuador last year I also got to spend more time with the Andrango's wonderful family. Here are some of the family names I remember in relation to Dr. Susana:
Dr. Manuel Andrango (Husband to Dr. Susana)
Patti (daughter)
Alex (husband of Patti)
Gabriel, Melanie, Samuel (children of Patti and Alex). Samuel is especially cute and funny.
Monolo (Son)
Maria Delores (wife of Monolo)
Mattias, Juan Daniel (children of Monolo and Maria Delores)
Sonya (Daughter)
Giovanni (husband to Sonya) --they have three children also, but I didn't see them as much and can't remember their names (I think Anilli, Joel, etc)
Daysi (daughter and close friend to me)
Nelson (son in law of Susana's brother David Logacho. Originally from Argentina. He Has helped on many projects in the past and I'm sure I will be spending a lot of time with him this year. He is very kind and rather hilarious).
I will update more names as I remember them...

Well, I have given a very brief overview of what has happened over the past two years. This year I will be living with the Andrangos in Quito and helping them on medical projects throughout their country. During the medical projects we will provide medical and surgical care to any one in need (usually in the poorest regions of the country) and also share a gospel presentation with them. We also have recieved an invitation to go to Chile to help with some childrens camps. When we are not busy preparing and working on medical projects and other out reaches, we are planning on visiting a number of places throughout the country. My favorite place to go is the jungle (last year we spent almost a week in the Jungle). Approximates 1/3 of Ecuador (Eastern) is jungle. The Andes mountain range goes through the center of the country from North to South. Quito is in the northcentral portion of the country and is at approximately 10,000 feet above sea level. The Western third of the country includes the lower coastal regions. Ecuador is also home to more than a dozen volcanoes. From the roof of the Andrango's home in Quito you can see Chimborazo which reaches 20,702 feet and is the closest place on earth to the sun (because its on the equator).
Well, I leave Friday morning (May 22nd) from Dulles. I won't be able to write all the time but I will be able to add posts occasionally for the next six months. God bless each and everyone of you!