San Pedro and Mantañita

I´ve been in Ecuador almost a week now and spent a total of only $20 here. It´s crazy cheap and God has provided us with several free meals. After a 4 hour bus ride, we arrived in San Pablo (Saint Paul) on Tuesday. As we headed from the bus stop to the beach to pitch a tent, we saw a church that was open, so we ventured in. After an 1 1/2 hours of singing, praying and teaching, the whole church of 20 people surrounded us and tag-teamed us with questions, handshakes and smiles. They were so warm and loving, so we talked to them for about an hour and they gave us some really good coffee. The next morning, we hooked up with a Rotary group from the east coast, consisting of half 40-70 year olds and half college freshmen, which Ross had encountered on his way to Ecuador. We spent 4 days working building a garden and in a clinic. Ross got to work with some doctors, nurses and a dentist while I was a pharmacist and laborer. We got to play with lots of kids and tell a lot of people, mostly the Americans, about God´s purpose for us in Ecuador. Some seeds were definitely planted and we got to tell people about the life God has shown us. The Rotarians fed us every meal and let us sleep behind their huge beach house under a cabana: God´s provision. This morning after breakfast, we jumped on a bus and went an hour north to a little town famous for its surfing, Montañita. After waffling back and forth a bit, we decided to stay the day. Ross tried to surf a bit while I did a little Spanish studying, then we tossed a frisbee. Everyone stared at us while we played on the beach. I´m starting to get used to being stared at. Apparently being over 6 foot and having blonde hair isn´t normal at all here. I think we´re about to grab some dinner and wonder around town a bit. Keep the prayers coming.