Well, the forest truly never sleeps. The roosters were crowing all night, and when I say all night, I really mean all night. The entertainment didn't stop when the sun rose. The bathroom door to the only bathroom in the guest house got locked with no one in it. I pulled out a bobby pin, David got a card, and Dan got a machete to try and open the locked door.
A group of us ended up leaving at 6:30 to head down to the river to "shower." We packed up shampoo, conditioner, and body wash and headed down the road. We weren't exactly sure where we were going. Thankfully, Dan was with us and could ask for directions from locals as we walked. We were quite a site for the town. A group of gringos in swimsuits and towels walking down the road with every dog barking at them. We were likely the talk of the town this morning. Locos Americanos. After a very unsure walk, we found our final destination. It was gorgeous. The water cold but refreshing. We swam around for a bit before returning to breakfast.
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| View down the street of the guest house. |
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| The guest house. |
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| Pato and Andrea's house |
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| Beautiful flower! |
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| Rio Blanco's plaza |
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| Looking down the Rio Blanco |
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| Just some pups on the way home. |
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| Peaking over the step. |
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| Mr. Goose and his wife |
Breakfast was rolls, fresh eggs from the chickens, Quesoreo (specially made in Macas), yogurt, and fruit. It was delicious. Even Bebe the kitten thought so. Dr. Oetzel looked away for one minute and she had stolen in off of his plate. She even let Sasha (the dog) eat some too. So everyone was fed and happy.
We loaded up all of our things and headed for Macas to meet Sid and pick up some supplies from his veterinary clinic that we thought we might need. While the vets all talked and figured out the medications that needed purchasing, Joseline gave us vet students a tour of their newly renivated clinic. It was an impressive clinic and everyone was so friendly. Tomorrow we will spend more time with them.
Then we loaded up again and were off to Siani. We had the most beautiful view of the Sanguay mountain on our drive. It was am eventful but goregous morning and you could feel everyone's excitement as we reached Siani. We were greeted by many of the village leaders and curious kids. We walked into was equivalent to the townhall. Pato gathered the people who were interested in veterinary care. 6 different farmers were interested in help with their cows, one with their pigs, one with their horses, one with guinea pigs and chickens, and one horse farm. We had already organized into two groups as a team. One for horses and one for cows. I went with the horse group.
We travelled about 20 minutes down a gravel/ dirt path to this beautiful property. The owner was a Quito buisnessmen and politician. He raises Pasofinos horses. They have a sauve (smooth gate). WE began but doing physical exams on a stallion, mare and 6 month foal. The horses were regularly cared for by another veterinarian in Macas. Dr. Sara used this as a teaching opportunity for us vet students. It was great to work with a breed we don't commonly see and to talk with an owner who was very proud of his animals. He evetually saddelled them up to demostrate how beautifully they moved and then turned the reins over to us.
After the rides, we got a tour of his house, trophies and property. It was an outstanding home and property. The home was finished will all wood and covered in tasteful horse paintings and decor. The jungle path along side the house followed a small stream that led back to an old shwar dam. It felt like a resort property but it was just his country home. I was also excited because he had fish runs and was running an small aquaculture operation!
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| Fish Ponds!! |
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| We gave some of the worker's kids Good Samaritan Christmas boxes. |
We said our goodbyes and we were back off to Siani for lunch. Lunch was Qui (guinea pig). There was mixed reviews from the team but overall we were thankful for the experience.
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| Making furry friends while we wait |
The next property we visted was of a store owner in Siani. They grow sugar cane for a particular type of alcohol that is common in Ecuador. We got to see the distillery process and got to taste test. It was almost straight alcohol. Pato lit some with a match and it burned blue. This family's goal is to get into the sugar and brown sugar. I think they realized that the alcohol was not our favorite drink so they let us press some of the cane sugar to make can sugar water. With added lemon, it was a fantastic, refreshing drink.
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| Yep... nope... |
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| Alcohol on fire |
Also, on the property they raised qui. They have their breeding down to a science and even use chickens to help keep the barns with the guinea pigs free from fungi. The amazing story from this is, this family will give their $25 guinea pigs (very pricey, Pruvian breed) to poor families in the communicty to help them start breeding their own to sell or if they decide to, just eat them. It is a way this leading family is helping improve the entire community around them.
The second round of farm visits, the group did pregnancy checks. This interesting case they saw was a calf that had balding and peeling skin. She looked very sick and shallow breathing. The number one differential was a phototoxicity. It was a interesting case that we talk about in school but we don't see it very often.
While they were out on their visit, we helped to shave a local dog to get rid of all her mats. The owner was trying to help us in the process and accidentally cut the dog. Quigs and I helped with that while Pato and the rest of the team began the Kids pet fair. The fair included sharing the gospel, singing, having the ... pet, and giving out prizes. It began will only 3 dogs and a few kids and it grew to most of the village coming to the plaza. After the speaking and contests were over we handed out color books to the kids and they all gathered in a circle and colored. The color books themselves share the gospel and talk about veterinarians. I also began printing pictures for the kids and their families. It was amazing to see how grateful they were to have pictures of themselves with thier siblings. Mothers came up to me and asked to take pictures of their kids and walked away with a smile and a new treasure. The other team members spread out playing ball, frisbee, talking, and coloring with all the people that remained in the plaza. Everyone of us has a story that touches the heart. I encourage you to ask your team member to tell you their story.
Eventually, it was it was time to head home for dinner. We said our good byes and hopped in the vans. We all were sharing stories about the day on the way home, through dinner, and into our devotional time. Karen and Fatima joined us for singing. Even some of the neighbors peaked in the windows to listen in. It was a fantastic day. We may not have been able to do all the veterinary work we were hoping to do, but God used us in other ways to build relationships and encourage the community with the gospel and love.
We prepared for tomrrow with our last hours before bed. Emerald and Oz our green beetles returned and Poly our huge moth did too. The night seem to be quiet for now but I am sure the roosters will have something to say about that soon. Good night from the Ecuador team. Please pray for us to continue to be open to the plan God has for us here and to be flexible in all situations.
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