Day 9 - Bienvenidos a Cumbaratza

3:12 AM – the rooster starts and then the next on and they start dueling. I thought R u serious, it’s not even light out – I thought they crowed at the crack of dawn – not here.

3:30 AM – The “sounds of nature” were about to get way worse!  We were awakened from an 18 minute sleep by the sound of something squealing like a dying pig…it was a dying pig (chancho).

Leah: “Uhhhhh, what was that?” (now you have to remember this is our first night in the rainforest, it’s pitch black outside my window and we’ve heard horror stories about spiders the size of a car)

Erik: “It’s a pig”

Leah: “What is it doing?”

Erik: “Dying”

But it wasn’t just one.  It would stop after a minute or so, we’d fall back asleep, and then be jerked awake again by that horrific noise.

Leah: “How many are they killing?”

Erik: “Sounds like 3 or 4”

Fast forward to daylight.

Erik: “Ryan, how many pigs did they kill last night?”

Ryan: “Just one, yeah I forgot to mention that my neighbor slaughters one to sell Saturday and one for Sunday.”

We thought “que bueno” we arrived Friday night. And so it was, 1 poor pig, 20 minutes of squealing.  But just when you thought the story about “Wilbur” was over…Fast forward to 8:30am and the meeting for field service. Walked down to the corner at Monica & Elmer’s house. Broke into our groups of two, got our territory assignments and we were off. 

Hoseas smelling flowers at the Hosteria

Leah went with Daniela and her 4 year old son, Hoseas, rounded the corner to start their first door and who do they meet? It was Wilbur; hanging there by his head, not making a peep. We stood there for the next 20 minutes talking to the man as he cut long strips of fat off of Wilbur’s back. Leah felt a bit relieved as she walked away – after all, that would be her last encounter with Wilbur….or would it?

Fast forward to 1:30 – we r back home for lunch and lo and behold the Sissons had invited a guest.

Yuca, arroz y Wilbur

We thought we may have gained a little weight our first week in Ecuador and that was confirmed by one of Erik’s service partners. He worked with Hermano Cesar Romero and his spunky 5 year old daughter Raquel.  Each time it was Erik’s turn to talk she turned to her dad and said “le toca al gordo, si papi?” (It’s fatties turn, right dad?) But she couldn’t have been more adorable.

Raquel, Gordo y Damaris (Raquel's sister)

Other than calling Erik gordo, she is so well trained in the ministry that she takes doors.  Also, her father was excellent using the scriptures. One thing we’ve noticed so far is that the friends really know how to use their Bibles in the ministry-young and old.

5:30-We went to our first meeting in Cumbaratza; there were 63 in attendance.

Erik gave the talk. But since they share speakers with the nearby congregation we left during the WT study to get to Zamora by 7pm – where Shawn and Leah got to hear the same talk. That congregation is a little bigger.  This time we stayed for the WT study and then afterward we went around the corner with a brother and his son for, you guessed it, FOOD! We were starving and it was delicious bbq chicken and chuleta ”pork chop”. They pound it very thin and then cook it to perfection over charcoal. Served with rice, beans & patacones (tostones). Sorry, no pics. Leah got a drink they call “Kwaka”(sp?). Guess what it’s made from? Oatmeal, yes specifically Quaker. Hehe

Went to bed full and tired, but spiritually refreshed. But Leah was a bit uneasy. After all, it was Saturday night and “Wilbur” surely had family.