Jesus Film Showing

part of the crowd
Originally uploaded by Stan & Sherri Hall.

Stan attended a Jesus Film showing tonight. This is part of the crowd of about 150 people of all ages who attended the showing.

children in line

children in line
Originally uploaded by Stan & Sherri Hall.

After the film, an opportunity for people to pray for salvation is given. Then, folks line up to give their name and contact information to Jesus Film workers. Here are a few of the children that were in the line.

A grandma watching with her grandson.

grandma with her grandson
Originally uploaded by Stan & Sherri Hall.

Urgent prayer request for Landon

After 3 days in the hospital, we returned home with our 9 year old son, Landon. He has a virus and so far they haven't determined the source of it (though some test results aren't due until Wed.). He's still running a 100 degree fever and his white blood cell count is low which means that he's very susceptible to other illness and his appetite is diminished.
Because of this, he's out of school for at least one week of school, maybe more. So he has a ton of schoolwork to do at home each day.
Our prayer request continues to be that they'll be able to pinpoint the cause so they can be sure they are treating the problem correctly. Also, that his cell count will increase and his fever will go away!

view

view
Originally uploaded by Stan & Sherri Hall.

This is the view from Stan's new office at the Nazarene Seminary. On a sunny day, it's breath-taking. On a cloudy day, you can only see about 1/2 of the mountain.

1st Anniversary Service

worship
Originally uploaded by Stan & Sherri Hall.

On Sunday, Stan attended a special service at the Eucalipto church celebrating its 1 year anniversary. This church has outgrown the portable building it uses. Folks who attended the service were very excited about and thankful for their church.

Baptism Service

new pastor baptizing his mother
Originally uploaded by Stan & Sherri Hall.

After the service, they held a special baptism service. The pastor baptised his own mother (the one in white) and his son. The pastor is holding a pitcher of water because this is what they used since they didn't have a tub.

One of the many children at the church . . .

On this day they also dedicated two babies. Children with smiles are abundant in this congregation.

little girl
Originally uploaded by Stan & Sherri Hall.

Is that a pig?

Feasting on a pig
Originally uploaded by Stan & Sherri Hall.

Yep! After the service, the church celebrated with a pig roast along with local dishes. Stan entertained with magic tricks during the feast.

Mitad de Mundo Monument

Mitad de Mundo Monument
Originally uploaded by Stan & Sherri Hall.

This is the famous monument marking the equator near Quito, Ecuador. However, with GPS technology, they determined that this spot is about 150 meters off. We visited the actual spot also (see entry below).

This is a beautiful park to visit when you come on a Work & Witness trip, with a viewing deck from the top of the monument. There's also a nice museum about the different Ecuadorian people groups.

Indigenous Dancers

Indigenous Dancers
Originally uploaded by Stan & Sherri Hall.

At Mitad de Mundo, there was a presentation of dancers. Their costumes are as lively as their music!

In the background you see a mountain. This park is surrounded on every side by a series of mountains. There's a great view in every direction!

Indigenous Village

hillside with indigenous village
Originally uploaded by Stan & Sherri Hall.

We visited the 'Inti Nan' museum that's located on the equator. It has a village representing the indigenous people of Ecuador complete with solor clocks, shrunken heads, totem poles and huts. You can do experiments that prove that this is the actual equator. Yes, it's true. Water draining (toilets) in the Northern hemisphere swirl counter-clockwise. In the Southern hemisphere, it swirls clockwise. On the equator itself, there is no swirl at all. You could see the difference 1 yard from the equator in either direction.

The middle of the world . . . really!

actual middle of the world!
Originally uploaded by Stan & Sherri Hall.

Quito, Ecuador is very close to the equator. Here we're visiting the actual line (determined by GPS). Landon is in the Northern Hemisphere and Mary is in the Southern Hemisphere. Wouldn't it be nice if Mom could send them to different hemispheres when they're fussing?

Chiva Ride 2005

Chiva Ride 2005
Originally uploaded by Stan & Sherri Hall.

Prospero 2006! We celebrated New Year's Eve by observing an Ecuadorian tradition of taking a Chiva ride. A chiva is similar to a 2-story bus without a roof on the second story. It is also open on the sides. You can stand up on the top. Families line up along the streets and people on the Chiva throw candy to the families. The trip ends in downtown Colonial Quito for a time of drinking hot chocolate. After the Chiva ride, the Howards (another missionary family here) had a "muneca" (a stuffed doll) and burned it. This is another Ecuadorian custom for "burning away" the bad things of last year, wishing for only good things in the new year. One other custom that we did NOT observe is to wear yellow underwear on New Year's Day, so fortunately for you, there are no pictures of that!