Having had the most ridiculous drive to Ecuador from Colombia (4 breakdowns in 2 days in 1 car!) we made it to Quito at about 2am. We quickly started planning our time in the jungle and having split into two teams, we made our way into the Amazon jungle by bus, boat and on foot. My team spent time amongst the Waorani and Shaur people who were both very welcoming, hospitable people.
The nights with the Waorani people was slightly nerve racking as we were informed that their neighbouring tribe had only 7 months ago speared to death visitors staying in the same place as us…and if we were found then the ladies on our team would likely to be taken as slave wives for the men of the neighbouring tribe…I guess that is one way to acquire a husband but it probably wouldn’t be my first choice!!
The Waorani tribe were also made ‘famous’ in the 1950s for killing a group of Christian missionary men who went to work with them. Some of the mens wives were incredibly brave and honoured their husbands memories and God by living amongst the very people who had killed their husbands and saw amazing fruit from their work.
We spent time praying for the sick, teaching new Christians and learning of both indigenous group’s culture and traditions. We got to drink spit soup, eat weird fruit, poo in the bush, get stuck in the mud and meet some incredible people! We were very privileged to be given tribal names by the Waorani – mine was ‘germanco’ (my spelling!) which means fruit. I learnt a lot from the whole experience even if I was very grateful for a toilet and shower on my return! (If you want to see some action on film then check out ‘Iris South America Amazon Jungle Adventure’ on YouTube).
When we got back to Quito we had a busy few days. Marco and Karina, our hosts are university lecturers so they invited some of us to help in their work. This meant that I got to help lecture on ‘the Ethics of Jesus’ which was really interesting, although I did have to get it translated into Spanish. Having been to university a few times it was great to be back in the classroom again!
We also had a very special day on Valentines Day. Having made cards for all the guys on our team, we went to pray for the sick in the large public hospital as well as give food to people waiting for appointments as many of them travel for miles and have no money left to buy food. In the evening, we went out into Quito’s red light district and gave out red roses to the sex workers, homeless and street vendors. Most of the street vendors we saw were indigenous ladies wearing their traditional dress and one of them beamed and laughed when we gave her a rose and told her she was beautiful! Such a great time.
We crossed the border into Peru on Friday and we’re chilling on the Pacific coast for a couple of days before heading to Lima. It is so lovely to go to sleep with the sound of the crashing waves against the beach at night especially when we’ve been on the go for a while. I am definitely missing the routine of home but also love being here. God bless lovely friends.
