Compassion Visit

Today's special trip was a chance to meet Elena Katalina Mejia Roman, a little girl of 7 years old. She is our sponsor child through Compassion International. This amazing organization allows anyone to sponsor a child living in poverty for only $38 a month. That money pays for a Christian education to supplement regular public school classes. In addition a meal with meat is provided twice a week. The students also learn about occupations that will allow them to support themselves when they get older. Many have opportunities to attend college because of this program. You are paired with one child so you can write each other and get to know each other better as the child grows. If the child has any medical needs they are covered through this program. It is an amazing and special relationship. I strongly encourage you to click the banner below to consider sponsoring a child today. For example, Elena, our sponsor child in Ecuador, has a brother and a cousin who are waiting for sponsors. Please take the time to check out

Click the image above to consider sponsoring a child for $38 a month

Okay, I'm done selling what I believe is a remarkable program and I support 100%, so now on to the pictures! We were able to go to the zoo and a park and spend time with Elena, her grandmother, and the director from the program she attends. Enjoy the pictures below, there are way to many to organize... so here they are in random order:

Checking out an animal display

We got to walk right up to some of the animals!

Elena in the park

Elena as a bat!

We found a peacock! 

I can't tell what animal is behind them...

Swings!

Turtles!

Grandma, Elena, us, and the director of the program

Us with Elena

The kids are bees!

Elena's favorite was the lions... not a great picture...but do you see her?

Everyone at the park!

Lamas! 

The bears were a highlight for everyone!

Elena looking at a butterfly

Crocodile! (we know because we saw him after a while... instead of later)

More close up birds

Emma as a bat

More bear pictures

Running from the bear!

There was a farm section... horse!

The kids climbed the rocks

Not sure what this is... but Nicole wanted a picture

Bunny! or is it a rabbit?

Another close up bird

The kids rode a saber tooth tiger - and lived!

More Lamas!

There are monkeys... both in foreground and background!

Emma as butterfly

Kids as frogs in frog model

Elena as butterfly

Josiah as bat

In the butterfly display - they loved this flower

Not sure what this is, but he ran right past Elena

Josiah as butterfly

Turtles were HUGE!

Butterfly just coming out of cacoon

Us at the park

Donkey

A butterfly!

This special visit with our sponsor child brings our trip 2019 trip to Latin America to an end. We fly out at 12am tonight, and will arrive home tomorrow afternoon. Next year we are looking at doing something different - Australia and/or Asia? Stay tuned for the next adventure next summer. Thank you for following us this summer! 

Tour of Quito

It was brought to my attention I have not included a picture of our host family for the three weeks we lived in Cuenca. So here they are:

On the left is Jonie, her daughter is Alejandra and the lady next to them is Elena

Okay, back to our tour day in Quito! We went to many of the famous sites in the capital city of Ecuador in the center of the world! Our tour guide picked us up at 8:30 sharp to begin our adventure

Us in the tour van

Our first stop was to a view point 1000 feet above the city. The view was beautiful, the city was enormous, and it was quite the ride up!

Us with the northern part of town behind us

Northern part of town

Southern part of town

Us with southern part of town behind us

Josiah swinging over the town of Quito

Our next stop was the center of the world - latitude 0. The country is named after the equator and the country of Ecuador is named after it - so they are quite proud of this fact. It made for lots of great pictures:

The monument at the center of the world

The girls in the southern hemisphere, the boys in the northern

Tyler and Nicole kissing from two different hemispheres 

Nicole and Tyler on the equator

Emma and Josiah on the equator

Because gravity you can balance an egg on a nail on the equator

Emma did it too... I just didn't get a picture :-( 

Emma on the northern side, Josiah on the southern side

This face of the monument looks west (oeste) with equator down middle

Cool seat the kids found

Us on the line in the center of the world

(you may have to zoom)

We also did a city tour and saw a church with the entire inside covered in gold. It was amazing. But no pictures were allowed, so we have nothing to show for it. Sorry! After the city tour we returned home for some rest. Monday is our last day in Ecuador, we are coming home soon!