Oh Ecuador!

Yesterday we hiked summited mount Guagua (wa-wa) which stands at 15,700 ft. There were incredible views of Quito and the surrounding mountains whenever the clouds moved off of us. Everyone had an excellent time climbing and traversing the ridge to the summit despite the fast beating hearts of thin air. It was a great warm up for what's to come.

Tomorrow we begin our time on mount Cayambe. The base camp is at about 15,500 ft where we will stay for a day and a half to acclimatize and practice mountaineering and ice climbing technique before our summit attempt on the 9th. Cayambe's Summit is around 18,700 ft. We all packed up our bags tonight with stoked-ness flying all around in the group and random songs beautifully exploding. We'll be on Cayambe for two nights...on the second, the plan is to leave the base hut at 11:30 pm to begin the ascent. I am extremely pumped for this climb as is all of the Summit Adventure group. No one had summited Guagua in the past, which gave it a true sense of adventure because of the unknown that lay ahead...and for Cayambe, only Bryce has climbed it. Sharing firsts of adventure with a like minded group of diverse guys is an incredible experience.

Today was our second day working at Remanso de Amor (Haven of Love) Community Church. We hauled and passed a load of two truck fulls of block up a few flights of stairs and have laid three new walls to help set up for more class rooms in the future. Haven of love is more than a church. It is also a community school, and has ministries for youth, pregnant single mothers, elderly, and indigenous people. The pastor, Ramiro, joined us after the church service today with a crowd of boys for a soccer game before we went back to work...Soccer is an international connection, helping brake down barriers of language and build friendships despite the difficulty of communication. After we began hand mixing mud again, four boys came up to help us. Ricardo and David were 14 and 16, and muy fuerte (strong). Having the extra help was great, and today overall helped us not focus so much on work production, but on giving time to existing with these people. The church service was so welcoming; they treated us like everyone else...the "meet and greet" section toward the beginning, was not what you imagine in the U.S. at a church service. Instead of 45 seconds of saying hello to the people right next to you, everyone moves about the room gliding from hug to hug. It was beautiful.

www.remansodeamor.mac

When I arrived in Ecuador, I met up with Bryce and Sarah and Graham. We stayed at an excellent hostel at the south west side of Quito, on a big hill with a nice vista of the city. We spent a few days playing exploring the city by day and playing Rook by night...and day. One game lasted a few hours because of how much "setting" was going on.

Other random points because I don't have the time to describe everything...

-I almost killed someone with fireworks on new years eve.

-Six people have asked Bryce and I if we're brothers because of our grande barbas (beards).

-I'm going to visit Juan Javier Coka Aguilar in Guayaquil this Friday for the weekend. He's forcing me to shave...(I kid, I'm ready)...and when I get back on Monday, the next course participants will be here thus video work begins.

-I stood not only on the equator, but on the point of Latitude 0, 0, 0 with Tim and Eli.

-I'm loving this and knowing that travel and missions and service and outdoor adventure must continue for me.

So far, so awesome, pictures will say more when I get home.

Mucho Amor,

Colino