A Regular Sunday

Yesterday was another Sunday in Ecuador. Which is not so ordinary to any of us. We got up and went to lead Sunday School at the Moravia Church. Moravia is another community that is just up the road from Shell, I don't think that we would notice the difference if we didn't know that it was there. So we went out and led some games for the kids who come to the Sunday School, and they seem to come from all over, because we pass some walking down the road at least a kilometer away, but who knows how long they walk to get to the highway. We lead the pre-games as everyone is filtering in (one cultural change we are dealing with is the Ecuadorian lack of emphasis on being places at a certian time. If something is at 3, then it means "I'll leave at 3 and arrive sometime between 3 and 4") Once everyone was inside, we gave an introduction about ourselves and gave a sort of mini-testimony about our faith's. It seems to be pretty common in the evangelical church here to reveal your faith history whenever you visit. It is always difficult to listen to any kind of message in another language, so the actual Sunday School lesson didn't hold a lot of value for us, but we did enjoy making the craft, and we also got a sucker. Some things just travel across cultural boundaries, and getting candy at Sunday School is one of those things, I believe.
After Sunday School, we went to the nearest city, Puyo, and were sent on a small language test in the Sunday Market. The market is a teeming hive of vegetable and fruit sellers and buyers, and we were given a list of 8 fruits in Spanish, and the spanish phrases required to shop in the market. It was an adventure, and we ended up with a whole bunch of bags full of fruit that we thought was the right stuff, but there was no way to be sure. Then, after a short afternoon Ciesta, we had the "fruit opening" we went through all the fruits, confirmed if they were the right ones, and learned what they were and how they are used. A favorite of ours is the Grenadillo, possibly the strangest fruit ever. You crack it open like a egg, and the inside is composed similiar to a pomegranete, but more slimy. You eat the little "fish eggs" and crunch the seeds up, and enjoy the wonderful taste. We enjoyed a few different fresh fruit juices today, definitely something that is a nice change from Canada in January.
We then headed back to the Moravia church for the main service, which is at 7 PM. Why they only have a night service is a matter of some debate, but it seems like either the pastor wants to attend another service in the morning, or else people prefer the night service because they can go to the market in the morning. Either way it makes for a bit of a late night. We all got up and introduced ourselves again, and I was asked to bring a greeting from the Bible School. We did that and Martin shared a little more in-depth testimony (all through a translator, which is something that takes a little while to get used to, especially if you are long-winded like me.) There was some worship, and a sermon that I think seemed pretty good. His tone was good, but as for content, I can't really say.
That was essentially our Sunday. An interesting fact about yesterday was that it was officially the 1/2 way mark in our trip. 12 days done, and 12 days to go. A positive and a negative if there ever was one.
Hasta Luego,
Wilson