Hola everyone!
We hope everyone one of you is doing well and experiencing fullness of life. Sorry we haven’t written in a while, but we have been busy. Lisa’s mother Georgia came back with us from the States and stayed for almost 3 months. It was a great visit and we got a lot done in the gardens while she was here. Her favorite restaurant was Izchayluma, and her least favorite city was Cuenca. She was a big help getting old sod dug up from the back yard and new sod laid down. Hopefully, she will get to come again soon. We always enjoy her visits.
Unfortunately, when we landed in Quito, I went to grab a couple of 50-pound suitcases off of the Carousel and gave myself a hernia. I new I had intense pain but didn’t realize it was a hernia until I had some tests run a few weeks ago. I was scheduled for surgery last Friday, but I caught a cold and was way to sick for surgery. I am getting better but now it appears Lisa is coming down with it. I am scheduled for the second eye surgery to remove the and synthetic oil in my right eye on April 2nd. We will be in Cuenca that entire week so the Dr. can do checkups before we head back to Vilcabamba. Seems like I am in the old folk’s mode of going to the Dr. constantly.
Other than the recent cold, Lisa has been doing well and is holding up my end of the work load as well as her own. She does some oil painting from time to time as a hobby. Her pursuits in the gardens are really paying off as you will see in the attached pictures. She has also started ministering to a group of young mothers who are experiencing a variety of problems and need someone to care for them. Some are Ecuadorian, Venezuelan and a Canadian young lady. All are delightful, and Lisa feeds them spiritually, physically and emotionally. We hope they will continue to come, as we both feel blessed by their presence and cannot wait to see what the Lord does in their lives. A houseful of babies is such a delight. I try to take care of the older ones outside.
Rosa’s family was here this weekend from the coast and they stayed in our Casita. Her mother loved the bed. That is something most Ecuadorians don’t have is a quality mattress. The nephews were most impressed with the view and one of them said “Vista spectacular!” I think they really enjoyed their visit. I hope they will come more often now that they have a nice place to stay.
We have been attending a weekly bible study in Vilcabamba with the owners of Madre Tierra resort and Spa. We have acquired quite the neat group of friends by attending on Saturday afternoons. There is a couple who lives in Vilcabamba just three months of the year. They are from North Carolina. He was born in Romania and was Jewish. He migrated to the U.S. 40 years ago. He lived under extreme Socialism and has horrible stories to tell about it. He is very concerned the U.S. is heading in that direction. The Venezuelans that attend our study have fled their home country and are grieving for the family left behind. There is no food unless you are ultra-rich and part of the corrupt government. Our little group was able to send $500 worth of food to their church. The boarder patrol tries to take food away from them as they cross the border. They were able to sneak it in. Socialism never works, never will. Venezuela was one of the top 5 richest countries in the world just 10 years ago. We cry for the people who are without hope.
I know many of you have seen the bumper sticker in Texas that say “Keep Austin Weird”. I must tell you, Austin does not hold a candle to Vilcabamba. There is every kind of “Weirdness” here that you can imagine. There are so many people from all parts of the world who live here, visit here or have started businesses here. Every type of religious experience can be found here, from Catholicism to new age, Buddhism, Shamanism and even black magic. It is a bit overwhelming to see people who get caught up in the occult. However, it is this unique blend of people that keeps it very exciting. I have joined a group of men who meet on Wednesday for Lunch and then coffee after. Great bunch of guys, all of whom were business people of various sorts back in the real world. It keeps my mind active and I learn much from our various relationships.
We hope to be back in Texas by June or July. I must come back to apply for Social Security in person. I never thought I would hear myself say that! I decided to apply early. I have taken an inventory of scars from previous surgeries and calculated upcoming surgeries and have deduced that waiting another 5 years is not a good business plan.
Other than that, life is good, growing lots of food and the dog is growing. We miss you all so much and hope that you will write us back. We absolutely love receiving emails from the folks back home, so please write and send pics!
Until next time,
Dios te Bendiga!
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