Hola Vida.  Hello life.

Hola Vida is a beautiful waterfall about 45 minutes from here.  Just go about 15 km outside of Puyo, turn right, go another 11 km or so, take a left and you’re there.

We hadn’t been there in several years, since we were there with a short-term team in 2004.  Today we went with our friends, the Prathers, who we met in language school in Costa Rica.

You have to hike about a half-hour to get there.  The trail has a few ups and downs, but it’s not that hard.

It’s really a beautiful spot, and worth the effort to get there.

This was taken from behind the waterfall.  You can see Diane through the mist.

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Our friends, the Prathers.

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There are more pictures on my (Steve’s) Facebook Photo page.  If we’re not friends on Facebook yet, click on the Facebook badge on the right side of our blog.

In our house here in Shell, Ecuador, we have several Bibles of our own.  We have small ones in Spanish and in English.  We each have a bilingual one in different versions.  We have multiple versions available on the computer in Spanish and English.

But some people don’t even have one Bible in their own language.  We saw that change for some folks last Saturday.

We went to Makuma, a small village about a half-hour from Shell by plane.  In our plane were Fred, our pilot, his wife Desi, Janet and her son Elijah, and the two of us.

We went as visitors to the dedication of a Bible translation that had been many years in the making. This Bible was translated by many hard workers, and now is printed and complete, in the Shuar language.

Daniel Chu, president of the Shuar Church Association, opened the first box of new Bibles.  You could feel the joy as he held up the Bible for all to see.

A large part of the dedication was to recognize the many people, both Shuar and missionaries, who had worked on the translation.  They each received their own copy.

It was really hot, and after a while several people moved into the shade by the side of the building.  Others used umbrellas and chairs for shade.

After the dedication, lunch was served.  We had fish and cabbage wrapped in a leaf, soup, rice and meat.

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After lunch, we visited a store, and then waited for the plane back to Shell.

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You can read about this community and its history in Frank and Marie Drown’s book, Mission to the Headhunters.

Sometimes, it is more than just a work team.  This was the case with the recent visit of a team from Zeeland, Michigan.  Yes, they did a lot of important work around the hospital, and we are grateful for their skill and dedication to the task.

But just as important, if not more so, are the relationships that were built during the time that they were here.  Diane and I felt a special bond with some of the team members.

We remember that the beginning of our journey to full-time service was the forming of some special relationships with missionaries while we were here in Shell on short term trips.

So, to the team from Zeeland, thank you for your service here.  We look forward to your return.

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I have recently been named Director of Hospital Vozandes del Oriente (HVO) in Shell.  Sometimes I find myself thinking that Administration is mundane and not worth writing about.

Here’s an example of Administration making a difference.

Recently, a four-year old boy named Luis arrived in the hospital with his mother.  His two year old brother had accidently stabbed him in the eye with a knife.  We normally only have ophthalmological coverage every three weeks, but Administration has recently made an agreement with a local ophthalmologist to help with emergencies and surgeries.

The local doctor arrived, and after a couple of surgeries, it seems that Luis will be just fine.

The family does not have very much money, so they are not able to pay the bill, which is a bit more than $1,000.  But HVO administers a charity fund to be used for people with limited resources.  Because of the generosity of givers to the charity fund, Luis’ bill is able to be paid.

Here’s a 5 minute video – a walking tour from our house to the hospital.