Crossing the street into Ecuador: A Day that Starts with God is a Great Day

Our morning began with another excellent breakfast in our hotel.. We found out this morning that everything, everything, is made fresh every morning. IE: fresh sliced bacon, fresh eggs, fresh bread, fresh squeezed juices, homemade jam, etc. And Edwardo said everything is made from the heart. We were joined once again by one of the Americans we had met earlier.

Then, off to church.. We found a great fellowship, walking distance, and enjoyed a wonderful worship service. The minister this morning was filling in for the regular minister who had to go to Quito with his family. Daniel our preacher was from Germany and usually leads the church in Ibarra, a town about 30 minutes away. He was a joy to listen to and we sang all familiar praise songs. They have 2 services, one Spanish speaking at 8:15 and one English speaking at 10:30. We met 2 new couples who have recently moved here. It was another day when we realized what a small world we live in...one of the gentlemen we met, attended Iowa State University, about the same time Claudia was there, and is a great Cyclone fan. He hails from Inwood, Iowa, north of Sioux City and actually knew a girl that went to college with Bruce at Morningside College back in the 1960's.

We joined our four new American friends for lunch at a local cafe - great food, great price, AND the artistic presentation of the food by the chef was done with such care and pride. We then took a tour of the local market, open and very busy on Sunday. Later in the day we took a wonderful walking tour of more of the city we had not seen and discovered another market and a quieter part of town. This is such a beautiful place. Most people greet you on the street and one group of women greeted us and then asked if we spole spanish. When I said very little one of the ladies got her daughter to come and talk with us. She new a little english and was eager to practice with us. She wanted to know how we liked her country which of course was an easy question for us to answer. She and her family were from a neighboring town and were there for the market.

It's fun to see how the town is laid out. Where there is a large Catholic church there is a park where people gather. Like everywhere else there are newer shops and very old shops. At the market today we saw beautiful alpacca ponchos that were as soft as silk and finely woven. We also had an opportunity to have homemade ice cream that is made from the many fruits available here. WE LOVE THE FRUITS HERE. Some we know and others we have never heard of but they are all used daily in the restaurants.

Turning in early tonight, a very busy day tomorrow...