When you flush a toilet on the equator...

and other interesting equatorial phenomena!

03/13/2008 - 03/13/2008

Today was Brian’s last day with us… which was sad, but we tried to fit in as much as we could before we left. To begin we started off by taking a short trip out to El Refugio- the retreat center owned an operated by youth world. About 30 minutes outside of Quito, the center offers a beautiful backdrop for short term teams who come to Ecuador to do missions work. While there they can experience any number of things the facility offers- from a zip line to a rappelling wall. (I think I’ve found the next Poiema outside trip!) They even farm their own cuy (also known as guinea pig) to eat… apparently it is a delicacy here. While I am trying to be open minded, I won’t be trying that one! (My sister used to have a pet guinea pig… there’s just something fundamentally wrong about eating an animal that you’ve always known as a pet!) Our time at El Refugio was short, but I think we’ll be going back there sometime this week to do a little filming- today was just quick stop.

From El Refugio we decided to stop at the Equator. There are actually two different museums/ tourist stops that claim to be on the actual equator. The one we went to was the newer of the two (I think) and claims that their version of the Equator was calculated by GPS- so is the most accurate. So having now been at the equator, I feel there are a few things I am obligated to share with you all:

1.) Water does go straight down the drain. We didn’t actually flush a toilet, but they had a little sink set up that we poured water down. Interestingly enough, when we moved the sink just 10ish feet to either side (It was just basically a bowl with a drain and a bucket underneath… so it was easy to move) the water would swirl either clockwise or counterclockwise depending on which side of the equator we were on!

2.) You can balance an egg on a nail. It takes a little skill, but it is possible. Brad did it and they gave him a certificate that looks a bit like a lotto scratcher card.

3.) You are weaker on the equator… This was the weirdest thing! Our guide had us clasp our hands over our heads and try to pull each others arms down and it was significantly harder to keep your arms up over the equator. Just a few feet to either side and you are noticeably stronger. Weird, but true… I’m guessing this has something to do with gravity.

We also learned about some of the indigenous tribes and local flora and fauna. It was definitely an interesting place, and even more interesting to think about the science behind it all… and again, how precise the Lord is with his creation.

After the Equator we were headed off to the weekly Youth World staff meeting- Phil had arranged for Brian to lead worship (which was absolutely incredible!) and Dave was able to film some interview material for the doc. The team at Youth World is amazing. I had always had an idea in my head of what a missionary should look like, but the missionaries here completely shattered these stereotypes. They are just normal people who want to spread the light- they are married and single, some staying indefinitely and others just for a year… but all have a passion for the Lord. It really made me think. Could I die to myself enough to move away from everything I knew and follow the Lord’s calling like they were? I don’t know if I could. There are some leaps of faith that just seem to wide- but maybe that’s why they take Faith. If we knew we could jump it by ourselves what’s the point of Faith?

We did several interviews with the boys in the afternoon and then went to a place Phil knew about called Opcion de Vida. Partially funded by the government and run by a local church Opcion is unique in the fact that it offers a place for at-risk kids to go after school and provides them a meal in the evening. Many of the street kids go there and Phil met several of the boys that now live at the Casa through Opcion.

While the guys filmed interviews with some of the street kids that were there that evening (the roughest of the rough… kids that were robbing and stealing on a daily basis, some that were still high on who knows what, and all of them searching for something,) I decided to go outside to take some pictures of the little kids that were jumping rope. Dressed in dingy school uniforms (from several different schools) they were probably all between the ages of 5 and 11…mostly girls, but a fair amount of little boys too. I never even had the chance to get my camera out before 5 or 6 of them ran up to me and started chattering in Spanish and hugging me. Although I didn’t understand what they were saying entirely, I caught the occasional word or two- first I just thought they wanted gum, but they were also fascinated by my hair and skin telling me I was a beautiful “gringa”. Overwhelmed by their fascination with me I slowly made my way back inside with children clinging to every limb of my body. They just wanted to be by me… to be touching me. Which was odd to me, because I have never really been drawn to small children- but these girls were so interested in me I couldn’t help be fascinated by them! One of them asked for my scarf, a $4 piece of fabric from Old Navy. I would have given it to her… but what could I give to the others? So I tried to convince her that I needed it because I was so cold. My heart goes out to them because I wonder what chance they really have? Who is encouraging them to follow their passion… and would they ever have the opportunity to rise above their circumstances? We will go back and visit Opcion next week- I am hoping to bring some art projects for them to have fun with. I don’t have enough green scarves to give out, but maybe I can leave them with a little bit of hope by just being with them.

We ended the evening by having dinner at the Douces… which was absolutely wonderful. We have all really enjoyed getting to spend time with their family- and this evening we got to meet Tami Douce. Tami is afraid of the dark so we hadn’t been able to see her on any of our previous visits. Oh, and Tami is a Monkey. She looks very similar to a miniature gorilla and is pretty much the coolest monkey I have ever met. So, I haven’t met a lot of monkeys- but it was definitely something you don’t see much in the states!